What Does “No-Kill” Really Mean?

Categories: AHP News, MHS

Animal House Party (AHP) wanted to explore this issue further. We have been hearing about this term in the media, but really did not know what it meant exactly. We were a little surprised by what we found.

no-killThe most widely accepted definition of a no-kill shelter is a place where all “adoptable” and “treatable” animals are saved and where only unadoptable or “non-rehabilitatable” animals are euthanized.

According to Maddies Fund: “No-kill means saving both adoptable (healthy) and treatable dogs and cats, with euthanasia reserved only for non-rehabilitatable animals.

So what is Treatable vs. Unadoptable?  We tracked down Asilomar Accords that Michigan Humane Society (MHS)  follows. These accords specifically state what is healthy, treatable, rehabilitatable manageable, and unhealthy and untreatable.  These categories help MHS determines which animals are treatable or not. When people hear the term “no-kill shelter”, they might think that the shelter literally will never kill an animal and will always adopt it out. Is it even possible to never have to “kill” an animal? Is it responsible to adopt out an animal knowing that they have behavioral issues and might attack someone? The moral answer to both questions is no. Being a “no-kill” shelter does not necessarily mean that an organization won’t ever euthanize an animal. Animals that are not treatable or are unfit for adoption (sick, vicious, a threat to others) will still be humanely euthanized, therefore making the term “no-kill” not accurate.  The thing is, after doing some research I discovered that MHS actually follows the same guidelines that the No-Kill shelters follow, they just don’t brand themselves as No-Kill. That does not imply that they do not put the animal’s very best interest first and foremost.

But MHS is an open-admission shelter. Open-admission means not limiting animal intakes based on the type of pet, breed, the animal’s condition/potential adoptability, geography/where they are from, space availability, etc. MHS takes in animals, even if they have a very slim chance of survival. This means that MHS can potentially take in a large amount of animals – depending on the location of the shelter – that have been injured, abused, neglected or abandoned and require extra special care and money to save them. On the other hand, a “No-Kill” shelter may only take in healthy and adoptable animals, which is a lot easier to do; therefore, passing the problem along to someone else.

Michigan Humane Society also takes in animals from other shelters and animal control units in cities that can’t take care of the animals themselves. And it is sad to say but the truth is that many of these animals are so sick or abused by the time they reach MHS they don’t have much of a shot at pulling through and making a healthy recovery. No-Kill is a motivating buzzword, but in reality, it won’t happen until people stop abusing, neglecting and breeding animals for profit or sport. AHP realizes that this issue is important and welcome an open dialogue. What do you think about the concept of a “no-kill shelter?” What can we do to end animal cruelty?

For more information visit:

http://www.michiganhumane.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=18952

-Eliza

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  • http://www.saveshelterpets.wordpress.com Hannah S.

    Hi Eliza – I wanted to clarify a few things on your blog post. No Kill actually has a more technical meaning than what you’ve outlined above. The baseline within the No Kill movement is that No Kill shelters are those that save 90% or more of the animals they intake. 10% or less will be killed due to being irremediably suffering or hopelessly vicious. There are also two types of No Kill shelters – open-admission, and limited admission. Limited admission No Kill shelters are the ones you describe above, that may take in a finite number of animals. Open admission No Kill shelters are public facilities that cannot turn away animals. These types of shelters now exist in many communities across the US, including Washoe County (Reno), Nevada; Tompkins County, New York; Shelby County, Kentucky; Austin, Texas and many others. These shelters are saving 90% or more of the animals they intake. One thing that’s crucial to remember is that MANY shelters claim to only kill the very sick or vicious, but that can only be verified by their numbers. NYC’s ACC is a prime example – they have claimed to only kill “untreatable” animals, but in reality, they kill animals for kennel cough every day – a completely treatable and minor condition (which almost every dog will develop if residing at the shelter for more than a day or two). The only way to truly determine whether a shelter is No Kill is to look at their numbers and determine whether they’re saving 90% or more. Hope that helps give you a little more understanding of how No Kill works.

  • Eliza

    Hi Hannah,

    Thank you for taking the time to read our blog! We really appreciate any feedback and information from others who have knowledge on this topic. I personally feel the term “No-Kill” can be confusing in itself and it definitely stirs up emotions in people. Many “No-Kill” shelters I have come in contact with do not specify whether they are open admission or limited admission, and I would be curious to know if they are required to or not.

    A question for you [and our other readers]:
    How likely do you imagine urban areas will be able to adapt the “no-kill” platform and adhere to it, if ever? In our area of Metro Detroit, some shelters intake over 100 dogs a day. Many of whom are very sick. Do you think a 10% euthanasia rate in say, Los Angeles, CA, is possible?

    AHP aims to help organizations like Michigan Humane Society improve their numbers by raising awareness about animal overpopulation and cruelty that leads to such a high number of animals requiring euthanasia.

    • http://www.saveshelterpets.wordpress.com Hannah S.

      Hi Eliza,

      It’s true that most shelters don’t specify whether they’re limited or open admission, so it’s something you really just need to ask about. But generally, the baseline is that limited admission No Kill shelters are private facilities, and open admission No Kill shelters are public. That’s the general rule.

      Absolutely, No Kill is possible for urban shelters, as well as rural. Per capita intake is really the number you need to look at when analyzing shelter data, because the number of people in your community helps to determine the base for adopters. Washoe County, Nevada, for example, has a per capita intake rate SEVEN TIMES that of NYC – and yet they’re able to sustain No Kill. Austin, Texas, has also gone No Kill. Additionally, in the 90s, San Francisco was the first city to launch the tenets of the No Kill Equation, and they reached a point where they were saving every single healthy cat & dog. You don’t get much more urban than San Francisco … sadly, in the years that followed, because of leadership changes and politics, they went off-track and back-slided, but it wasn’t in any way due to the failure of the programs. Strong, compassionate, hard-working leadership is absolutely key to reaching and maintaining No Kill.

      There are 17 million people who will obtain pets each year who can be convinced to adopt from shelters, and 3-4 million animals killed. That’s far more than enough homes – only a small percentage of those people need to be convinced to adopt in order to save all those lives. But, it takes a lot of work by the shelters themselves to get the animals adopted. Shelters have to compete with breeders, people giving away pets, pet stores, etc., but it can absolutely be done. The No Kill Equation outlines the steps necessary to make this happen, but it takes complete dedication, and a desire to take killing off the table, which, sadly, many shelters don’t have. It’s easier to continue with the status quo than to adopt a new paradigm, and we see that at many shelters across the country. However, groundbreaking communities like the ones I’ve listed are leading the way, and showing that No Kill is possible ANYWHERE.

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