Animal Welfare Professionals

In over 20 years of rescue, I've never seen or imagined the dire circumstances we'd be facing. Over the last year, I've found myself seriously considering the consequences of the well intentioned desire to become no-kill. It's a difficult and incredibly uncomfortable discussion to have, but I think we should have it.

Where I live in NC is one of the worst places in the country for companion animals. The backyard breeding and rates of abandonment and owner surrender can't even be measured. In this county, stray and feral dogs can be seen everywhere. Dead cats and dogs line the roadsides- tragic victims of cars and trucks speeding by. The county shelter does not care. They've been closed for intake for pretty much the entire time I've lived here.  Don't get me wrong, they euthanize a gut-wrenching number of animals a year. But in an effort to appease the public's outrage over them killing so many healthy, adoptable animals- the shelter has been refusing to help stray or abandoned pets. Good samaritans who find and try to help them are told to "let the animal go wherever it was found".  Phone calls and emails to animal control go unanswered. Only bites or injuries garner any attention at all.

It seems as if they have shirked their responsibility altogether. So long as the animal doesn't die in their shelter- what happens to it outside their 4 walls isn't on them. Starvation, infection, injury, heartworms, car accidents- doesn't matter. And I can't help but wonder if more frequent euthanasia is the right thing to do. It's a far more humane death. I'll never forget the first rescuer out here who warned me of the horrors of hearing litters of puppies in the woods being eaten alive by coyotes. I'll always remember the gentlemen who told me the neighbors down the street were shooting at dogs and trying to run them over for fun.  I didn't  believe it until I saw it. 

We've been feeding a dozen or so strays for the last 6 months. Even with the help of other groups- shelters here are and have been full for as long as anyone can remember. We've only been able to remove 4 and get them to safety. We see puppies on the trail cam we have set up by the feeding station. Yesterday a very pregnant female showed up as well. We have no idea what to do or how to help. Feeding prevents them from starving, but the access to clean food and water encourages further breeding.

The community doesn't care enough to spay and neuter their pets- not really. I mean, some people care, obviously, but the scope of the problem and the trajectory we're on, it's getting worse all the time. Our group does lots of TNR and we've begun a voucher program to pay for or offset the cost to owned pets. But it's the redneck lottery around here. When your dog has puppies, it's like a free paycheck- just go sell them for a hundred bucks in the walmart parking lot. If someone buys them, you just got paid. If not, just dump them in the woods. And as terrible as all this is- there's another HUGE problem.

We've created a loop hole. We've allowed otherwise morally okay people to abdicate themselves of the responsibility of owning a pet. By providing no-kill shelters and selling the dream of all animals deserving (and yeah they do deserve it, but that's not the point here), but by telling everyone that these cats and dogs deserve so much more, the rate of owner surrender has skyrocketed. Every day, every facebook group, next door, and community page has people 'rehoming' their pets. "We just don't have time. They 'deserve' better. " And these people allow themselves to believe that their pet will go to a no-kill shelter, and then somehow be magically adopted out to a family that has unlimited time and money to spend on them. But animals aren't getting adopted. There are simply too many of them available and not enough homes. 

So are we doing the right thing? No kill is a noble sentiment, and 20 years ago, I was leading the charge to save them all. 

But what happens when we can't?

When the resources aren't there.  And when the consequences seem to be causing more harm than good? 

Until the laws change (and trust me, we advocate at city council meetings and attend community events to work toward this), but until then, until we require a license to breed, or fine those selling unvetted, unvaccinated animals in parking lots, until we outlaw puppymillls etc, can we really hope to achieve no kill? And more importantly- should we?

It's just food for thought. I know it's controversial, and I hope it's clear that I do want to get to a point where no kill makes sense. There is nothing I desire more than being able to help, home, and protect them all. But the current landscape in my area- it's not possible. And I was just wondering if anyone else is seeing some of what we're seeing here. And if maybe this is a conversation we  should be having more frequently?

#LawsandPublicPolicy

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Amanda Salisbury
President
Zoomies Funny Farm
NC
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Amanda, I commend you for bringing up this topic and sharing your experiences with it. I've only been in this field for 8 years and just what I've seen in that time in regards to overpopulation and staggering intake numbers continues to astound (and concern) me. I can see why you started on the no -kill movement and understand why you stand where you stand now.

In my shelter in Kansas we are not seeing the exact same population demographics as you, but we are definitely having high intake numbers even into the winters. (When I started, we still had "slow season" during Winter in the shelter. Ha! I like to tell that as outlandish lore to the new hires now.) 

I think you make a great point with your comments about owners assuming they can surrender their pets to no-kill shelters and they will miraculously find their perfect adopter with unlimited time and money. These labels can cause so many issues and be misleading to what is actually happening.

We take in owned and stray animals, however the owner surrenders are on an appointment basis due to staffing and kennel space. When we have owners wanting to surrender their dogs/cats we often have to schedule them out a month or two later because that's how booked we are. You can imagine how they take that.

We all have different experiences, challenges, and methods but I think we can all agree that animal welfare for domestic animals is a HUGE issue right now and we need changes on a government level. And with that need, no-kill ideologies just seem irresponsible and out of touch with the current overpopulation crisis.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts, they are more eloquent than my own. I hope we as a community can continue to discuss this and help each other.

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Sarah Reida
Behavior Department Manager
Kansas Humane Society
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Hi Amanda;

     I have been in animal welfare for 30 years and so I feel your pain when you feel like we are going backwards not forward with regards to creating a humane community for our animals-that is really our ultimate goal right?   

         I wanted to pull out this line:  When the resources aren't there.  And when the consequences seem to be causing more harm than good? 

The reality is we have lost resources,  staffing, vet services, volunteers, funding therefore we are all experiencing moral distress at the fact the we "know" what to do, but we can't do it due to lack of resources.  This is different than compassion fatigue.   

In the areas of the country where resources are available we do have a pretty balanced environment.  But we don't have it everywhere.  The key is that we need to create an build those resources in communities.  For cats I created the Community Cats Calculator to help give us a goal for target s/n surgeries to reach "maintenance" mode- it isn't perfect but atleast it is a start.  If you are in a s/n dessert then unfortunately group solutions need to be created.  I am not a Veterinarian, but I started a 2 mobile s/n clinics in a non-profit and own two practices in GA. So we need to partner and collaborate with our Veterinary Community, Sheltering Community, Social Services, and Municipal Community to work smarter- more efficiently to reduce animal population.   We talk about these type of issues often at the Community Cats Program Management Course at the University of the Pacific that I co-teach. 

Hang in there...  I never thought we would see the staffing shortages that we are seeing in the veterinary community right now and the increase in costs.   Without affordable/accessible spay/neuter  we are truly lost. 

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Stacy LeBaron
Head Cat
The Community Cats Podcast
Warren VT
978-239-2090
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I have been working in animal welfare and veterinary medicine in various capacities for almost 30 years. I echo the idea of "not enough homes" and "When the resources aren't there.  And when the consequences seem to be causing more harm than good? "

I have watched us move from HQHVSN being supported by large national nonprofits, regional nonprofits, government of all sizes to a desert for HQHVSN in many communities. This loss of funding has contributed to where we are today with overpopulation. I would argue that had the funding sources stayed active, we would be in a much different place. We all have observed the explosive growth of animals in our communities because of it.

The choices to try and adopt and rescue our way out of this crisis were wrong. The national push and narrative that followed did not solve any of the overpopulation problems. Every "Clear the Shelter" type of event just opened cages for the animals we all knew were coming in behind them. What about the returns from these events, did it truly help or cause more issues for that one animal bouncing in and out? It appears to me that choice was made for better social media engagement.

Spay and neuter has never been "sexy", and it did not translate well to a picture and tag line like a smiling family with a new pet. We need to stop using the labels like "no kill" and start being honest with ourselves and the communities we serve. It did help reduce animals going into shelters, rescues, dying on the streets, and more.

Let's talk about "no kill". The public assumes "no kill" means nothing dies and every animal has an outlet to be saved regardless of the animal's health outcomes/issues, mental health capacity (behavioral issues, etc.), and resources that are truly available and applicable. Due to this idea of "no kill", we have moved to warehousing animals in shelters, rescues and in some cases deplorable conditions. Some agencies, nonprofits, and rescues have turned to housing animals in boarding facilities. This is not the answer, look at how we warehouse humans and the problems that has caused in houseless communities and prisons/jails. If humane euthanasia is a reality, then talk about it.

We need to push the conversations that help us grow our communities forward - so they wholly understand the reasons why we see so many cats and dogs in our communities and local shelters. We are in this crisis because of personal choices that have a profound impact on the lives of animals and by extension the lives of people in a community. We need to help the communities we serve to ask the questions they don't current want answers for. Questions people should be asking, and clear answers should be given by all of us who have answers to share. We are the experts, we need to be compassionate and bold in our response.

Why are there so many animals in our shelter?

Why can't my neighbor afford to spay and neuter her dog or cat?

Why is there no affordable options for preventative care?

Why can't someone help me with this behavior issue, so I can keep my pet?

Why did the shelter have to humanely euthanize those animals?

….and so many more.

We need to champion our shelters, our shelter staff, our animal control officers, our community partners. The fault of overpopulation and trying to control it has always been placed on these entities or individuals. This fault should never have been placed on them.

The vilification of shelters, agencies, animal control, and rescues needs to stop. It does not help stop or solve the crisis of overpopulation. It is time to engage our communities with transparency and honesty. It is time to lose the smoke and mirrors associated with all types of public relations-based movements. Animal welfare needs more transparency and honesty - too many animals' lives have been caught up in the idea of numbers – they need their faces back.

This statement is based on my observations and interactions over my career with a multitude of agencies, nonprofits, rescues, people and animals. I feel we can do better and start to lose the ego associated with a movement and gain the understanding of the people and animals we are trying to champion. Every one of us has an opportunity to be a changemaker in our community making the lives of people and animals better. Where do you start in your community?

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William Oglesby

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Original Message:
Sent: 12-13-2024 04:08 AM
From: Stacy LeBaron
Subject: Has the no-kill movement caused more harm than good?

Hi Amanda;

     I have been in animal welfare for 30 years and so I feel your pain when you feel like we are going backwards not forward with regards to creating a humane community for our animals-that is really our ultimate goal right?   

         I wanted to pull out this line:  When the resources aren't there.  And when the consequences seem to be causing more harm than good? 

The reality is we have lost resources,  staffing, vet services, volunteers, funding therefore we are all experiencing moral distress at the fact the we "know" what to do, but we can't do it due to lack of resources.  This is different than compassion fatigue.   

In the areas of the country where resources are available we do have a pretty balanced environment.  But we don't have it everywhere.  The key is that we need to create an build those resources in communities.  For cats I created the Community Cats Calculator to help give us a goal for target s/n surgeries to reach "maintenance" mode- it isn't perfect but atleast it is a start.  If you are in a s/n dessert then unfortunately group solutions need to be created.  I am not a Veterinarian, but I started a 2 mobile s/n clinics in a non-profit and own two practices in GA. So we need to partner and collaborate with our Veterinary Community, Sheltering Community, Social Services, and Municipal Community to work smarter- more efficiently to reduce animal population.   We talk about these type of issues often at the Community Cats Program Management Course at the University of the Pacific that I co-teach. 

Hang in there...  I never thought we would see the staffing shortages that we are seeing in the veterinary community right now and the increase in costs.   Without affordable/accessible spay/neuter  we are truly lost. 

------------------------------
Stacy LeBaron
Head Cat
The Community Cats Podcast
Warren VT
978-239-2090
------------------------------