A National Tragedy

We are a nation of cat and dog lovers. But the shelters we expect to provide these animals with a second chance are instead killing millions of them every year. And for far too long, we have been told that there is no other way. More than that, we have been told that the killing is exclusively the public's fault. That shelters—through no fault of their own—are merely performing the public's dirty work—with skill, compassion, and dedication. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This year, roughly five million dogs and cats—and countless other animals—will be put to death in our nation’s animal shelter. Their only “crime” is that they have no human address. Others may be sick or injured, but they could be saved with little effort. Unfortunately, they, too, will be killed. And still others are feral cats who should never enter shelters in the first place. But there is hope.

A Reason for Hope

In the last decade, several progressive shelters have put into place a bold series of lifesaving programs and services which have dramatically reduced the death rate in their communities. The resulting success proves that there is a formula for lifesaving, and that if we are to achieve a No Kill nation, it is incumbent upon shelters nationwide to embrace the programs and services which have been proven to save lives.

Join the Crusade

But the challenges we face are great. From entrenched bureaucrats who are content with the status quo, to uncaring shelter directors hostile to calls for reform; from agencies mired in the failed philosophies of the past to those who have internalized a culture of defeatism—the roadblocks to No Kill are substantial, but not insurmountable. We have a choice. We can fully, completely and without reservation embrace No Kill as our future. Or we can continue to legitimize the two-prong strategy of failure: adopt a few and kill the rest. It is a choice which history has thrown upon us. And a challenge that the No Kill Advocacy Center is ready to take on. The No Kill Advocacy Center is the nation’s first organization dedicated solely to the promotion of a No Kill nation. And it is the only national animal welfare agency that is staffed by people who have actually worked in and created a No Kill community.

The power to change the status quo is in our hands.