In 2014, a demographically diverse sweep of cities and counties reported save rates from 90% to as high as 99%. These include those taking in a few hundred animals a month to those that take in thousands; communities with human populations of tens of thousands to those exceeding one million in their metro areas; communities including Madison County, AR, Maryville, TN, the Shenandoah Valley in VA, and Jacksonville, FL.
Although I have not crunched the numbers myself, here’s just a small sampling of what newspapers are reporting around the country:
- Maryville, TN, goes from killing more than half the animals to saving 99%
- A shelter in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia “known for its euthanasia practices in the past” is now saving 94% of the animals
- Kirby, TX, which once had a 4% save rate (killed 96% of the animals) is now saving 97% (kills 3%)
- Madison County, AR, which killed 72% now saves 98%
- Fremont County, CO, used to kill more than half the animals and now saves 99%
- Jacksonville, FL, which once saved 35% saved 90% in 2014
While achieving a 90% save rate is not the finish line, does not mean the shelter is No Kill, and many shelters which save 90% of the animals are still killing healthy and treatable animals (something I will explore in greater detail later this week), it is very exciting to see the number of communities that were once killing as high as 96% of the animals now saving as high as 99%.
In the last few years, what was just a small handful of communities saving that percentage of animals has grown significantly. Communities with save rates of 90% and higher are popping up across the nation, with their success directly related to a comprehensive change in shelter practices: a move to replace killing with the humane, life-affirming alternatives of the No Kill Equation. Not only do many of these communities prove how quickly a shelter can transform itself once its leadership commits to innovation, but they also disprove the pervasive lies that for over a half a century were at the heart of shelter killing; chief among them that there are too many animals for too few homes available and that a crisis of uncaring and irresponsibility among the American public necessitated shelter killing when, in fact, the public holds the key to ending it. By rejecting these tired clichés that excused killing and stymied innovation for decades, communities saving 90% and higher are bringing sheltering into the 21st century. We are in the midst of a remarkable and transformative sheltering revolution.
For those saving around 90%, congratulations and keep going. The time has come to reach higher.
For those saving less than 90%, it is well past time to bring your shelter into the 21st century.
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