What is a "No Kill Shelter"

Reducing euthanasia and enhancing adoptions has always been the goal of the Clallam County Humane Society. The question was how do we achieve the goal of "zero euthanasia" without shifting the burden of pet overpopulation to another area or abandonment. How could we do so, without hurting so many other animals that we would have to turn away because of a a lack of space if we became "no-kill"?

Our Humane Society serves all of Clallam County. Due to a space shortage we would be limited to helping only a fixed number of animals at any time if we chose to become a true "no-kill" facility.

Several members from other Washington State Humane Societies attended the "Mission Possible" seminar sponsored by the San Francisco SPCA, a large model "No Kill" facility.
What these Humane Society members discovered at this workshop startled them.

In light of this new twist on words, the facts are that sixty percent of the animals in this model San Francisco facility were placed in homes; the other forty percent were deemed "unadoptable" for various reasons and were euthanized. Aware now of the fact that "no-kill" did not actually mean "no-kill", did not sway them, but enlightened them to the true meaning of the "no-kill" movement.

The latest no-kill shelter in Las Vegas is another example. According to the article in USA Today on June 23,1998, just under 20,000 animals passed through their doors. Of that number, almost one-third were euthanized because they were unadoptable. A little over 600 adoptable animals were also euthanized. They basically operated at a 66% adoption/reclaim rate. The current rate of eutanasia they cite on their web page is is 33%. These figures are from a "no kill" Shelter.

One of the largest shelters in our area handles this in another manner, which looks extremely good on paper but does not address the issue. This shelter shows that they euthanized 44 adoptable animals in 1999, a tremendous feat. Upon review of the statistics you find that they euthanized 6,061 animals deemed unadoptable while adopting 4778 animals. This shelter handled 14,640 animals in 1999.

This is about setting goals to achieve an animal world in the future that will see extremely limited euthanasia. What they did learn is that "no-kill" is a philosophy, about striving for a better world for our animal friends, enacting community outreach programs to benefit adoptions, socializing and training animals in our care and utilizing every available fund to support spay programs in our area. To never, never be accepting or complacent of euthanasia.

It is a message to all shelters whether they call their organizations "no-kill", "low-kill" or "open admission" that they have to continue to work together to reach a point where the only animals who die in our shelters are those whom death is truly a release from suffering.
So, what is the answer the question often asked lately - Is the Clallam County Humane Society "no-kill"?

The Clallam County Humane Society is an "open-admission Shelter" because we turn none away due to a lack of space like many advertised "no-kill" shelters. We attempt to adopt all adoptable animals and euthanasia is a last resort.

Take your pick; find your own answer, but does it really matter? What matters to all of us is that we use our energy continuing to spay and neuter all pets, to strive for a larger facility to promote and enhance adoptions and to work our very hardest to give our shelter pets the love, care and respect they deserve.