1
Danielle Barr
English 2010
Dec. 4 2013
Jennifer Courtney
No Kill Shelters In Utah
Millions of cats and dogs are
new potential adoptees. There are not
enough animal adoption centers to
hold the amount of homeless animals
that need to be placed in homes.
According to the Best Friends Animal
euthanized every year in the U.S.
Society, tragically about four million of
because there is not enough room to
homeless pets are killed each year in
house them in adoption centers, and
America’s shelters. That means more
not enough people adopting. The No
than nine thousand pets per day.
Kill Movement is working towards a
However an
no kill policy for all of Utah State to try
to lower the nations’ euthanizing rates.
“To bring about a day when
there are no more homeless pets,”
Best Friends Animal Society describes
as there mission statement. Millions of
pets end up in shelters each year due
to behavior problems, economic
problems, death in the family,
foreclosures, divorce, breakup, and
lost or unidentified dogs. Once the
shelters become to crowded they are
forced to euthanize to make room for
estimated ninety percent of the
animals that enter shelters are
adoptable, or could be, with care and
treatment so with a high percentage of
healthy animals in our shelters, why
aren’t they being adopted fast
enough?
Many animal activists believe
it’s possible to make this killing a
2
thing of the past and strive to change
to contribute time in rescue groups,
policy’s on euthanizing animals in
spray and neuter organizations and
adoption centers around the world do
shelters, actively saving lives and
to the shortage of holding space. The
reducing euthanasia in their
No Kill Shelter Movement strives to
communities.
saves the lives of healthy and treatable
Best Friends thinks the more
dogs and cats and saving euthanasia
animal adoption centers that convert
only for animals that cant be
to the No Kill policy the bigger impact
rehabilitated, reducing the amount of
it will have on the total number of
animals being put down each day.
animals euthanized each day. This
Utah’s Animal Control and Best
movement is planed out to only have
Friends Animal Society provides
positive results, a lower number of
public education programs combined
animals put down every year in the
with strategies to prevent animals
homeless shelters. In 2012 Best
from even coming to the shelter in the
Friends Animal Society was awarded
first place. These strategies consist of
nine hundred thousand dollars in
thorough adoption programs, and a
grant money through community
strong partnership with local animal
fundraiser, programs and events
control agencies, which includes a
benefiting the No Kill Movement. One
contract to take all adoptable animals
event they received nine thousand
from the council facilities for adoption.
dollar for called, “Big but Beautiful Fix
Best Friends networked nine hundred
Project” from the Humane Society of
plus partnerships across the country
Wichita County, based out of Wichita
3
Falls, TX. Exceeding their goals, they
animals are saved”(PETA). Nathan
spayed and neutered and found
Winograd, an animal rights activist
homes for one hundred and sixty large
suggested that the solution to the
dog. These are dogs that were place in
animal overpopulation is in the “no
good homes instead of being
kill” shelters. Nathans argument is
euthanized because of the over flow in
educating people on programs like
our animal shelters. Best Friends
rescue and foster programs. Paws is a
shows the decrease in animals being
foster program that finds volunteers
euthanized in the city of L.A. after
to house cats or dogs until they can be
becoming a No Kill city. More than
placed in good homes. Paws, saves
four thousand animals lives were
more that 1,600 animals each year
saved in 2012 vs. 2011.
through their Foster Care Program.
However, PETA has a different
view on the situation. According to
them the “No Kill Shelters” often find
This is one way to help the overflow in
“no kill” shelters.
Utah has been dedicated to
themselves filled to capacity, which
making our home state one of the first
means they must turn animals away.
No Kill states in the country. There are
PETA feels these animals will just be
around five thousands traditional
taken to a facility that dose euthanize
shelters in the U.S. and only two
animals or will be dumped by a
hundred and fifty of them are No Kill,
roadside to die. “Although it is true
so the movement remains small but
that “No Kill” shelters do not kill
growing rapidly according to Jennifer
animals, this doesn’t mean that
Lucich, author of an article in The
4
Environmental Magazine. New animal
number of animals entering the
shelters are popping up all over the
shelters can help the total number of
country caused by the fundraising
animals that need to find good homes
from events regarding the No Kill
in the first place. The goal of becoming
Movement.
a No Kill state is to end the popular
notion of shelters as a last resort. Our
home state is working toward the No
Kill goal through innovated programs
designed to increase the adoption of
By increasing the number of
people that adopted pets and
encourage pet owners to spray and
neuter their pets to reduce the
homeless pets and the number of
animals that are sprayed and neutered
and is determined to succeed.
5
Annotated Bibliography
“Our No Kill Mission”. Best Friends.org. Web. 1990.
http://bestfriends.org/NoKillMission/Problem.aspx
Lucich,Jennifer. “Thou Shalt Not Kill”. The Environmental Magazine.
P.14-16. Web. May/June2005.
Wenderhold, Sylvana. “No-Kill Shelters”. Animals Today. P.22-23. Web.
;
2004
“Foster an Animal, and Save a Life”. Paws.org. Web. 2013
“Animal Rights Uncompromised” No-Kill Shelters”. Peta. Web.