We can't influence everybody and thankfully, we don't need to in order to achieve a no kill nation. The numbers tell us that we only need to get a portion of undecided pet seekers to adopt their pets from shelters in order to increase demand to the point where killing adoptable pets would simply be … Continue reading A Little More Influence
Category: No Kill
No Kill: Everybody’s Doing It
I am like a tiny no kill shelter in some ways. And I suspect many of you are too. We don't call ourselves that because we are not official businesses - we're just pet lovers doing what we think is right. I don't take in every homeless pet in my county, enforce animal welfare laws … Continue reading No Kill: Everybody’s Doing It
The Terrorists Win
Remember when ASPCA published documents calling no kill advocates "extremists" and specifically named the group in Austin as one of the threats to the status quo of the catch and kill shelter model, even going so far as to reportedly refer to them as "a terrorist organization" at the SAWA conference? Good times. But that … Continue reading The Terrorists Win
Is the GA SPCA No Kill or “No Kill”?
The Georgia SPCA describes itself on its website as "a "no kill" organization". I'm not sure why they put the term no kill in quotes although perhaps some insight can be gained from reading the director's comments in a CBS Atlanta piece this week: The Georgia SPCA says in recent months more than a dozen cats … Continue reading Is the GA SPCA No Kill or “No Kill”?
The Ethics of Comfort
In the decade since 9/11, there have been many tributes to the heroic SAR dogs and handlers who worked tirelessly in the weeks following the attack, searching for victims. Their efforts helped bring peace to many families who lost loved ones on that awful day. In addition to those valuable SAR teams, there were also … Continue reading The Ethics of Comfort
Who would you call for help with your pets on a Sunday night?
I was just looking through some photos from Austin Pets Alive's rescue operation involving the pets from the Bastrop shelter. I couldn't help but draw some comparisons in my mind to the webcam screenshots from the Memphis pound that I look at regularly. In Memphis, I see workers taking dogs from cages like this: At … Continue reading Who would you call for help with your pets on a Sunday night?
Austin Pets Alive Answers the Call
Not only is Austin Pets Alive working its tail off to help Austin achieve long term success as a no kill community, but when a Texas wildfire threatened the shelter in neighboring Bastrop, they answered that call too. Last night, the Bastrop shelter had to be evacuated due to the fire threat. Austin Pets Alive … Continue reading Austin Pets Alive Answers the Call
Nathan Winograd to Memphis: Fix Your Broken Shelter System
The Memphis Rotary Club is seeking the public's input regarding its upcoming study of MAS. Nathan Winograd has sent them a comprehensive look at where MAS stands in comparison with where it could be: Memphis Animal Services (MAS) serves Shelby County, Tennessee which has a population of 920,000 people. MAS intake for 2010 was 15,400. … Continue reading Nathan Winograd to Memphis: Fix Your Broken Shelter System
What if?
What if pet killing was not an option for anyone in the United States - including animal shelters? (Euthanasia to relieve suffering for medically hopeless pets was still available.) What would the director of your municipal pound do for the roughly 90 - 95% of pets in his care who are not medically hopeless and … Continue reading What if?
No Kill Conference Wrap-Up: #1
My first post about the No Kill Conference is not going to cover any of the brilliant workshops I attended but rather some of my personal experiences. While a conference is appropriately designed to educate the masses, I've always been a one-on-one or very small group oriented person. So I really appreciate the individuals who … Continue reading No Kill Conference Wrap-Up: #1
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