First Things First

The phrase “kill shelter” gets misinterpreted. The fact that people don’t donate to kill shelters cause even more animals to be euthanized. When people hear that an animal shelter euthanizes animals, people jump to conclusions and make uneducated decisions. People can’t look past that they euthanize animals. We need to find it in our hearts to understand that the shelters are not at fault for it.

Logistics Of  Kill Shelters

What many people don’t understand about kill shelters is that most of the time they are municipal shelters, municipal shelters are shelters that are run by a city or other public sources. They are funded by taxpayer money. What many municipal shelters have to do when they reach maximum occupancy is awful, but why is this happening? Mostly because they are underfunded and understaffed. With limited resources, they don’t have the money to keep up with the never-ending flow of animals. They also are contractually obligated to take in every animal that they receive. That makes it an open admission shelter, meaning they have to take in every animal. If the shelter can’t care for the specific breed, it will probably be euthanized.

Every Shelter Has Its Downfalls

Unfortunately, kill shelters have to euthanize when they reach full capacity or when they can’t accommodate an animal’s individual needs. No-kill shades aren’t entirely innocent. When they reach full size or if they don’t want to deal with a specific breed or personality, they say no to an animal; they turn to an open admission shelter. According to ASPCA (  American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), “Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year.” That is a way to many to adopt, treat, or care for with the money that the government puts toward pets. With the limit in supplies, people, and space to accommodate that many animals options can get limited to where to put them. We still need the no-kill shelters to take in animals that can be treated and to rehabilitate them. We also need to kill shelters to take in many animals to make the streets free of cats.

How We Can Help

Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized (670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats).” says the ASPCA website. That number is terrifying. Unfortunately, there is nothing one person can do about it. If we shift our adoption efforts away from no-kill and pick up a mutt from your local open admission shelter, you are saving a life. When adopting from a no-kill- shelter, you are turning your nose up from an animal who truly needs it. Kill-shelters can’t merely make room; they need the space to fit more animals that have to be there. The best way and the most simple is to spay and neuter.