Are No Kill Shelters, REALLY No Kill Shelters??

[junescrater716]

Well, ever since I got that Dog Bible book for x-mas i've found it to be quite interesting. There is a section on no-kill shelters. It says that once the shelter get over filled they just ship the extra animals to a different shelter to be euthanized.

It makes sense because if you ran a shelter and the cages were running out, the only two options would be to euthanize and turn animals away. So, there really is no such thing as a no kill shelter. :(

Interesting huh?

[animal_rescue]

Hmm I work at a Humane Society and while we don't have a specific set time for animals. We do euthanize; only distressed, very sick, hurt, or aggressive animals though. However we're starting to work on our foster program more now, so hopefully we don't have to do it.

[BC_MoM]

Our humane society is "no-kill".. but they do euthanize when dogs are overly aggressive (they have a fantastic behaviourlist) or very sick or injured beyond the point of recovery.

[CathyBogart]

My local HS is no-kill. It's quite simple....they stop accepting dogs when they are full, so other shelters or animal control get the excess and end up euthanizing them. No fewer animals are killed because of no-kill shelters, they exist because the public likes to hear "no-kill", and it's easier on the people who work there.

[binka_nugget]

The shelter we adopted Kaedyn from was Canada's first no-kill shelter. They also will only euthanize if the dog is overly aggressive, or is ill and has no chance of recovery. They never seem to be completely full though.. we're lucky that there are a lot of independent rescues that work closely with our shelters.

[junescrater716]

Yes but I think it's kind of ironic how they tell everyone that no kill means that they don't kill no matter what. Then they send the sick, aggressive, and old to another shelter to be euthanized. Most people don't know that the "no kill" shelters kill any animals because they don't read up on stuff like this.

[buttercup132]

Yes but I think it's kind of ironic how they tell everyone that no kill means that they don't kill no matter what. Then they send the sick, aggressive, and old to another shelter to be euthanized. Most people don't know that the "no kill" shelters kill any animals because they don't read up on stuff like this.Obvioulsy there is going to have to be SOME eunthinsea. It would be cruel to keep a very sick dying dog alive just because they are called no kill, and it would be dangerous if there was a dog who attacked people they would have to put it to sleep.

[Suki Wingy]

the one by me doesn't send them off, they DO keep the sick, miserable, poor animals alive. There's two that have been there all their lives and their seniors. They've become really messed up. :(

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Just think of them as 'low kill' shelters rather than 'no kill' shelters. Some shelters, like the one in my old town, will only keep a dog for a maximum of 7 days then they are euthanized no matter what.


the one by me doesn't send them off, they DO keep the sick, miserable, poor animals alive. There's two that have been there all their lives and their seniors. They've become really messed up. :(
That's really sad. It would be so much more humane to let them rest peacefully at RB.

[animal_rescue]

Yes but I think it's kind of ironic how they tell everyone that no kill means that they don't kill no matter what. Then they send the sick, aggressive, and old to another shelter to be euthanized. Most people don't know that the "no kill" shelters kill any animals because they don't read up on stuff like this.

We DON'T send animals to another shelter to be euthanized. And we don't tell people we never kill an animal. When they ask about no kill we tell them we don't have a time limit for animals and keep them until they can't handle it anymore. Example: kennel crazy.

[Christmas_Hamster]

A local animal shelter FurryFriends they are called are a no kill animal shelter. The usually only take cats but if another animal is offered they cannot say no. They come to petsmart everyweekend and adopt out pets there and every month or so at petsmart they hold a adoption day where thye bring in all of the animals that are adobtable and they usually always find homes ;) They only euthanize aniamls that are very sick, miserable, poor aniamls.

Even the SPCA has asked this aniaml shelter to take a few pets off their hands so that they do not have to be euthanized.

[mike001]

We have two HS here but we have 4 organizations that take in animals and place them in foster homes. So far it seems to be working real well. Only the very sick, or aggressive dogs are euthanized. I feel it's doing sick animals a service, they are put out of their pain. As for the aggressive dogs, no one would take a chance on one and I think it's better for the animal itself. My daughter and I foster many dogs and always find homes for them.

[Twisterdog]

"No Kill" is a term used to describe a particular shelter's policy concerning euthanasia. If a shelter is "no kill" it generally means that once an animal is accepted by the shelter, it stays there until it is adopted, whether that is a week or a month or a year.

No kill shelters are almost always private organization, perhaps affiliated with the ASPCA or the HSUS, or run by a group of people locally. Being a private organization, they are under no obligation to take animals in. If they are full, they simply say no, and turn the next animal away. They can also refuse to take an aggresive animal, for example. I've never personally heard of a "no-kill" shelter taking in animal under the guise of "no-kill", and then shipping them to a "kill" facility for euthanasia. Not saying it might not be happening somewhere, but I do not think it is common or the norm. Every shelter I've ever dealt with - and it's been a LOT over the years - simply turn the animal away at the door when they are full. They don't take them in and then ship them somewhere else. Most private shelters are so short of manpower and funding that they do well to take care of the animals they do have room for.

There are some shelters that take the "no-kill" philosophy literally, and to the extreme. They will NEVER euthanize an animal, no matter if the animal is very ill, in pain, aggresive, etc. This is wrong, IMO, and is not the intended end of the "no-kill" philosophy. Euthanasia can be a kind blessing to some animals.

Most no-kill shelters occaisionally have to euthanize an animal. That is fine if is for a valid reason, and it is not their standard policy. The fact that an occaisional animal must be euthanized does not negate the fact that the shelter is generally, and by policy, no-kill.

Most shelters that have a mandated euthanasia deadline, such as 5 days or 7 days, are city or county organizations, such as Animal Control facilities. These organizations are mostly part of the local government, and fall under the police or sheriff jurisdiction. They are mandated by law to pick up and take in every animal they find or that is brought to them. It is their job to take animals off the streets, out of abusive situations, from people who longer want them, etc. It doesn't matter if they have 20 kennels, and they currently have 60 dogs ... they MUST take the next one that comes through the door. In a situation like that, where there are far more animals than homes and space at animal control, euthanasia is the only option.

Often "kill" shelters or animal control agencies get a bad reputation ... "Those horrible people just put them to sleep there!" It is important to remember that sometimes, death is a kinder option than the alternative ... starving to death on the streets, being fought in a dog-fighting ring, dying slowly in a ditch. It is also important to remember that the people who work at 'kill' shelters are basically cleaning up the mess that society makes of our pets. It is most certainly not the fault of the animal control agency that there is a pet over-population crisis, that people treat pets like disposable trinkets, that there are tens of thousands of unaltered animals out there, churning out litter after unwanted unlitter. They are doing a difficult, heart-breaking service for society.

[Catlady711]

Well said!


"No Kill" is a term used to describe a particular shelter's policy concerning euthanasia. If a shelter is "no kill" it generally means that once an animal is accepted by the shelter, it stays there until it is adopted, whether that is a week or a month or a year.

No kill shelters are almost always private organization, perhaps affiliated with the ASPCA or the HSUS, or run by a group of people locally. Being a private organization, they are under no obligation to take animals in. If they are full, they simply say no, and turn the next animal away. They can also refuse to take an aggresive animal, for example. I've never personally heard of a "no-kill" shelter taking in animal under the guise of "no-kill", and then shipping them to a "kill" facility for euthanasia. Not saying it might not be happening somewhere, but I do not think it is common or the norm. Every shelter I've ever dealt with - and it's been a LOT over the years - simply turn the animal away at the door when they are full. They don't take them in and then ship them somewhere else. Most private shelters are so short of manpower and funding that they do well to take care of the animals they do have room for.

There are some shelters that take the "no-kill" philosophy literally, and to the extreme. They will NEVER euthanize an animal, no matter if the animal is very ill, in pain, aggresive, etc. This is wrong, IMO, and is not the intended end of the "no-kill" philosophy. Euthanasia can be a kind blessing to some animals.

Most no-kill shelters occaisionally have to euthanize an animal. That is fine if is for a valid reason, and it is not their standard policy. The fact that an occaisional animal must be euthanized does not negate the fact that the shelter is generally, and by policy, no-kill.

Most shelters that have a mandated euthanasia deadline, such as 5 days or 7 days, are city or county organizations, such as Animal Control facilities. These organizations are mostly part of the local government, and fall under the police or sheriff jurisdiction. They are mandated by law to pick up and take in every animal they find or that is brought to them. It is their job to take animals off the streets, out of abusive situations, from people who longer want them, etc. It doesn't matter if they have 20 kennels, and they currently have 60 dogs ... they MUST take the next one that comes through the door. In a situation like that, where there are far more animals than homes and space at animal control, euthanasia is the only option.

Often "kill" shelters or animal control agencies get a bad reputation ... "Those horrible people just put them to sleep there!" It is important to remember that sometimes, death is a kinder option than the alternative ... starving to death on the streets, being fought in a dog-fighting ring, dying slowly in a ditch. It is also important to remember that the people who work at 'kill' shelters are basically cleaning up the mess that society makes of our pets. It is most certainly not the fault of the animal control agency that there is a pet over-population crisis, that people treat pets like disposable trinkets, that there are tens of thousands of unaltered animals out there, churning out litter after unwanted unlitter. They are doing a difficult, heart-breaking service for society.