Another site that I’m involved in writing on recently offered a debate on whether “no-kill” animal shelters actually help or hurt the pet population problem. At a first glance, it would seem that the answer is an unequivocal yes. No one in the debate offered an opinion on the “no” side. After all, “no-kill” shelters either don’t euthanize their animals at all, or only when the suffering is so great that it would be inhumane to leave the animal alive. There is a flip side to the coin, though, and I think all sides need to be considered carefully. “No-kills” are one part of the solution to the pet overpopulation problem, however, they aren’t THE solution.
In recent years, I found out first-hand just how few shelters and rescue groups there actually are in my area, given the population. The first case happened when I had to leave my home on very short notice and had to place a dog and two cats. Nobody was able to take either of the cats, so my only option was to take them to the local animal control shelter, which has a high euthanasia rate. Whether they were ever adopted out or not, I don’t know. At least if their lives were ended, it wasn’t due to being abandoned out on the street. A rescue group outside of the area had tentatively arranged to take the dog if necessary, but they could only travel to my area to get him if he had already been relinquished to Animal Control and was scheduled to be put down. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.
The second case occurred when my mom and I found a mother cat with a litter of kittens that were born outside. Even though they eventually started to tame, everyone in the area was either completely full and unable to take even one kitten, or didn’t want them because they were “feral.” I was told by several people that our only options were to have them euthanized or to do trap, neuter and release. While TNR has been proven to work, neutering as many animals as there were (in this case, seven) is very expensive when low-cost programs are few. Two were placed at shelters, one disappeared, three stayed, and a home is still being sought for the mother.
Shelters and rescue groups in my area adopt out relatively few animals. I’m not aware of whether it’s because there aren’t enough interested people, the specific adoption requirements, some shelters not having an Internet presence, or a combination of the three. While there are many pet owners in the area, not all are interested in rescuing abandoned animals and many of those who are already have as many animals as they’re willing to care for. Limits on how many pets a household can own certainly don’t help much. Even though this may be the exception rather than the rule, I am aware of rescue groups that have adoption requirements so stringent that no one can possibly meet them. Another thing that hinders the adoption of animals is the fact that some shelters have absolutely no Internet presence whatsoever. A website and/or Petfinder listing can help increase the number of animals adopted.
Animals that are completely unadoptable can be a big drain on resources for a shelter. Unadoptable animals include those with such severe behavior problems that expensive training sessions would be required, animals that are openly aggressive towards people, or animals with severe incurable illnesses or injuries. Some rescuers adopt a philosophy of never euthanizing any animal, even if they’re severely and incurably ill. Such rescuers run the risk of becoming animal hoarders.
So, while no-kill shelters can be a help for pet overpopulation, for every animal that enters such a shelter to find a possible permanent home, many others will go to shelters where they’ll be euthanized within a week or so unless someone comes along that wants them. The no-kill movement has been a great success at reducing euthanasia rates in many cities, but it doesn’t address the countless animals that can’t be placed in any shelter because they’re full. Incorporating more shelters won’t resolve the issue, some other, proactive steps must be taken.
Reducing euthanasia rates depends heavily on cooperation between local rescues, pet owners, and veterinarians. One of the biggest hurdles can be the differing philosophies among people in the rescue community. For instance, one cat rescue group I know of has a director who has successfully tamed feral-born cats, despite claims that it can’t actually happen. Another group claims that feral cats can never be re-homed because they could only be barn cats, and they’re opposed to this out of fear of harm coming to the cats by being outside. Yet another group specializes in placing feral cats as barn cats and is quite successful.
With such differing philosophies and opinions, it’s no wonder that some groups aren’t able to work together. Rescuers need to learn to set respective opinions aside and think of what’s best for the animals’ particular situation.
Shelters should be flexible enough to provide animals with a variety of homes, while ensuring that they’re receiving the best care from their new owners. For instance, rather than requiring only inside homes for cats and having to turn away ferals, shelters could adopt them out as barn cats or as part of a TNR program. Owners with outside dogs shouldn’t necessarily be ruled out if they’re providing good care and the breed of dog being placed doesn’t respond adversely to being outside. Obviously, all prospective owners need to be interviewed thoroughly and provide proof that they have a vet.
A volunteer or two to put together a website for a shelter without one or to put up postings on Petfinder would help. Local communities should also have some sort of group that provides assistance to individuals trying to place animals on their own. An ideal community effort would be a group of people that can compile together listings on animals currently available in all area shelters, as well as pets listed for adoption by their owners. This would be a large-scale effort, but would help with a good volunteer base.
More needs to be done to ensure that free or low-cost/sliding scale neutering services are available. Female pet spays can cost anywhere from about $70 up to $150 or more. Not only do these services need to be available, but the local community needs to be educated on having any animals that aren’t used for responsible breeding altered. Many pet owners refuse to alter their animals because of misinformation or because they don’t feel it’s necessary.
Since many animals in shelters are owner-relinquished, the causes behind this need to be addressed. In some cases, it’s because the owner is moving and can’t keep the animal, or because of behavior problems. Owners who are moving away on a short-term basis could benefit from a foster care program that takes in animals on a temporary basis. I’m not aware of any programs like this currently in use. In the case of behavior problems, shelter workers can help educate the owners on steps to take to eliminate the problem.
While no-kill shelters have their good and bad points, they do play a helpful role in eliminating euthanasia. Hopefully, they can be combined with other programs and increase the number of animals being adopted, rather than destroyed.