Whether your local shelter has already taken the pledge to not kill animals on June 11 in conjunction with the Just One Day event or they haven’t yet but you’re going to ask them to participate, there is good news: nearly 700 shelters and rescue groups have taken the pledge to make us a no kill nation on June 11.
Why your local shelter should take the pledge:
- No healthy/treatable animals will be killed at the shelter on June 11.
- The Just One Day campaign will send your shelter a model press release, promotion plan, guide to adopting their way out of killing, adoption promotion posters and more – all free – once they take the pledge.
- Animals’ lives will be spared at the shelter on June 11.
- The Just One Day Facebook page will be open for posting the success stories as they happen at your local shelter all day.
- “Euthanasia technicians” can spend the day saving animals at the shelter on June 11.
- Animal Wise Radio will be broadcasting live for 5 hours, highlighting the work being done by participating organizations.
- Every healthy/treatable animal who gets breakfast at the shelter on June 11 will be there for dinner.
- This blog’s comment section will be open all day for sharing pets and news related to your local shelter.
- The shelter will be no kill, even if it’s for Just One Day. And if that happens, who knows what it could lead to?!

I have a question. What if a shelter participates in euthanasia requests by owner surrenders? If the surrendered animal is healthy/treatable, should they consider this day to make an exception on euthanasia and instead consider the animal for adoption?
I would think that no killing of healthy/treatable pets would include owner requests as well.
If an owner request comes in and we feel the animal is just sick and NOT suffering we will treat it and put it up for adoptions (with the owners consent). I have seen it happen a few times. I have also heard a local vet say “if you are unwilling to pay, take the (pet) to (local animal shelter) and turn it over and they will take care of it and get it a new home “. The owner was being very rude and the vet was not out of line.
Thanks for the responses. I’m learning a lot from this blog, and I appreciate what you are doing to spread the word regarding humane treatment for animals.
Reblogged this on hand4paws.
I emailed my local pounds, HSUS/SPCA, etc. I wasnt really EXPECTING a response back, but it wouldve been nice. Needless to say, they havent written back, even though I checked the box saying that I would like a response back..I guess they really dont want to hear about no-kill LOL
A shelter in Muncie Indiana went a step further and pledged to make its commitment a month long.
http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20120607/NEWS01/306070027
That’s great! And look at the beautiful hounds they used for the photo. And the tabby and white kitten in the middle of the pack of kittens in the second shot.
I’m impressed – and the director sounds as if she is committed to improving the “out alive” rate all the time. GOOD FOR THEM! I emailed my local animal control and humane society and we’ll see what happens.
Animal Control is going to go no-kill for at least that day. I gave the director the link to this site so she can see what all is going on. Good for her!
Great! Did she take the pledge on the website? Definitely encourage her to do that so she can get the materials sent to her.
I emailed all three of our major local shelters and ask them to show leadership for our state by taking the pledge. Two are government shelters and one is a large local humane society. The humane society and the county shelter emailed me back and took the pledge! Waiting for the city shelter to respond.
I should add that I emailed four times. The whole series of emails took just a few hours, so I suspect the topic is being discussed at shelters nationwide, and some of them simply need to be asked.
1 — To introduce the topic
2 — To follow up 30 minutes later with “Updated: Request regarding animal shelter” . . . to reinforce the request, give them the info that nearly 700 shelters and rescues nationwide are taking the pledge, and quote from the Just One Day website.
3 — To thank the humane society and make another pitch to the county shelter and the city shelter.
4 — To thank the county shelter and make yet another pitch (to the city shelter). This last time, I included the three links below — since three is a magic number — to give them an understanding that there is momentum around the country, and repeat that nearly 700 shelters and rescues have taken the pledge. Thanks very much to Clarice for the Muncie link, it’s a good one.
In Muncie, Indiana:
http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20120607/NEWS01/306070027
In Roanoke, Virginia:
http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/jun/07/staff-put-down-euthanasia-needle-roanoke-pound-mon-ar-1973602/?referer=http://t.co/tJM4wj63&shorturl=http://bit.ly/Me6sJT
In Arizona:
http://www.azcentral.com/video/1678907153001
I really wish I had conquered my shyness and done this sooner so there would have been more time to try and persuade the city shelter. (Though they might respond tomorrow.) But it’s still a great feeling to see two more shelters, one open-admission and one limited-admission but large, added to the list.
Fantastic news! Thanks Karen.
Genesee County AC in MI, recently killed 28 pit bulls that were seized in a dog fighting bust. Shirley did a blog “Killing is not Rescue.”
Genesee County AC has taken the pledge.
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/06/genesee_county_animal_control_2.html