No kill animal shelters?

[Lamb]

How do you feel about no kill animal shelters?

 

[psalms 91]

I think they should all be that way

 

[brinny]

i agree. There should be some creative problem solving to keep from killing any of these animals. Sooooo many could be trained to be companion/service dogs/pets, pets that visit the elderly and hospitalized and sick, the lonely. What a blessing they are.

Great thread by the way *thumbsup*

 

[Ruth]

I'm glad there are no kill shelters and think they all should be no kill.

 

[tango]

How do you feel about no kill animal shelters?

In theory it would be good if all shelters had a no-kill policy.

In practise it just creates another problem further down the line. A shelter can only take so many animals before it runs out of space to house them, or runs out of money to feed them and pay vet bills. If a shelter has a guaranteed no-kill policy then sooner or later it will have to turn away animals. If people are trying to surrender an animal and no shelter nearby will take it, sooner or later they will either kill it themselves or turn it loose. If they turn it loose and it hasn't been neutered/spayed then it starts to contribute to the problem of stray animals.

It seems to me that a better solution would be to reduce the numbers of animals left to shelters in the first place. If resources are going to be thrown at constantly enlarging animal shelters to make sure that no animal is ever put to sleep, perhaps those resources might be better used to make it easier/more affordable to get pets neutered to prevent unwanted animals being born at all.

A book I have about cats (I recently adopted a kitten) claimed that every year something like 3 million cats are euthanized in the United States alone. That's a huge number of cats to house in animal shelters for however long they live, and even assuming as many as half of those cats were put to sleep due to illness or infirmity that still leaves a huge number of unwanted cats. And that's just cats, since so many breeds of dog can grow so much bigger than the biggest cats the problems are even more serious where dogs are concerned.

 

[ImaginaryDay2]

I favor no-kill shelters, but the reality is that they are just too crowded, as has been stated. I'd rather adopt from a shelter than from the (In)humane Society. The kill rate is astronomical at these chop shops, and it feels like you're being interviewed for CEO of Google before you even see an animal to adopt. Spaying/neutering would help a great deal. For cats, I see NO reason to let them outdoors, especially if they haven't been fixed. I just don't understand the logic behind it, and it helps with population control of feral cats.
Anyway, that's my rant.
"Help control the pet population, have your pet spayed or neutered. Goodbye everybody!" - Bob Barker

 

[psalms 91]

I got mine from area agency on aging, his owner was in a home and he was in a kennel for 6 months.

 

[Ruth]

I got my dog from a place called The Animal Protective League.

 

[tango]

I got my kitten from a friend who found him abandoned in the middle of the road. She couldn't give him a long term home because she wants to move into a retirement home, so I took him off her hands.

 

[Lamb]

I see pros and cons to no kill shelters. Some of the ones I've read in the newspaper are probably the most extreme with crowding and sick animals. I don't think there is truly the perfect solution but keep pushing spay and neutering of animals.

 

[Ruth]

I see pros and cons to no kill shelters. Some of the ones I've read in the newspaper are probably the most extreme with crowding and sick animals. I don't think there is truly the perfect solution but keep pushing spay and neutering of animals.

I agree!

 

[psalms 91]

Yes and instead of breeding dogs they should adopt them

 

[brinny]

I'm glad there are no kill shelters and think they all should be no kill.

i agree...

 

[tango]

So what happens when the no-kill animal shelter is full and can't take any more animals? What fate awaits the animals whose owners can't cope with them when the shelters are full?

 

[psalms 91]

There are alternatives, at least around here. Most farmers will take cats as they keep rodents down in the barn and nother areas

 

[tango]

There are alternatives, at least around here. Most farmers will take cats as they keep rodents down in the barn and nother areas

Not much help if it's a dog you're hoping to rehome

 

[psalms 91]

You can usually find someone who wants a dog

 

[tango]

You can usually find someone who wants a dog

If you've got enough time and are willing to just hand it over to anyone who asks, you probably can. If you're moving into sheltered accommodation and can't take the dog with you, you may not have the luxury of time. If you've been taken sick and can't look after a dog any more you need it rehomed now, not in a couple of weeks when you've had chance to find someone to look after it.

Depending on what breed of dog it is you may not even find anyone who wants it.

 

[psalms 91]

Actually, our shelter seems to be ok with dogs, it is the cats who overwhelm. As for the situation you describe usually a friend or neighbor will help find a home for the dog.

 

[tango]

Actually, our shelter seems to be ok with dogs, it is the cats who overwhelm. As for the situation you describe usually a friend or neighbor will help find a home for the dog.

It's nice when that happens but the fact so many animals are given to shelters suggests it doesn't work out like that for a lot of people.