I have the greatest admiration for shelters and humane societies who are able to provide so-called 'no-kill' facilities. Since I work with our city animal shelter, staffed by major animal lovers, the wording 'no-kill' bothers me deeply.

It's a lovely luxury to be able to keep animals until a suitable home can be found for them, but I think it's an unnecessary slap in the face of our municipal shelters who do not have that luxury or that choice. They cannot say what or how many animals come through their facility. They do not have a choice when they run out of room. Funding, space, and staffing is limited. Euthansia is never their first choice and I know it hurts them deeply to have to perform that sad task.

Could we not come up with a better term for organizations that are able to keep animals indefinitely rather than calling them 'no-kill'? I really hope so. We're all on the same side, after all.