A recent post prompted this post. Misrepresentation is rife created by the insistent misinformation put forth by regressive shelter apologists. It’s not the first time it needed to be addressed. While No Kill shelters appreciate anyone passionate about animal welfare, we are troubled by the misinformation presented about the No Kill philosophy, intentional or not. It's disheartening to see such a misrepresentation of a movement dedicated to saving the lives of every healthy and treatable homeless pet. So, let's clear up some confusion and set the record straight.
No Kill does not focus on the label, it focuses on saving every healthy and treatable
pet. The author, however, seems acutely focused on the label, even going so far as to describe shelters that do not use No Kill terminology as being somehow harmed by use of the term No Kill (given, as the author notes, the public assumption that not using No Kill means that you must certainly kill animals).
This is absurd. If you care what the public thinks and you work to save every healthy and treatable pet, why wouldn’t you use the No Kill language that the public understands? Instead (while focusing on “labels”) the author denounces No Kill shelters as being “focused on labels.” No. We are focused on saving every healthy or treatable pet.
The post makes several inaccurate claims about No Kill shelters, including accusations of misleading the public, selective intake, and "passing the buck" to open-admission shelters. The writer even suggests that No Kill shelters contribute to animal abandonment and risks to public safety. These are serious accusations, and it's important to address them head-on with facts and a deeper understanding of what No Kill truly means.
And although some define No Kill as saving 90% or more, not all subscribe to that definition. In fact, there are no universal standards for it. No Kill Colorado, No Kill Advocacy Center, and many other organizations define No Kill as “saving the lives of every healthy and treatable homeless pet.” It’s not a percentage.
First and foremost, No Kill is an outcome, not an intake policy. It's about a commitment to saving every healthy and treatable animal that enters a shelter's care. It's about creating a community where euthanasia is brought back to its dictionary definition. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary technically defines it as, “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.”
This has nothing to do with whether a shelter is open-admission or limited-admission. In fact, many open-admission shelters across the country have embraced the No Kill philosophy and achieved incredible lifesaving results. That number increases every year.
The idea that No Kill shelters are inherently "limited admission" is simply false. Essentially all shelters, regardless of their philosophy, manage intake in some way. This could be due to space limitations, staffing capacity, or the types of animals they are equipped to care for. Traditional "kill" shelters turn away animals. In the Denver Metro area right now several shelters are saying they won't take surrenders due to lack of space. This proves that selective intake is not a No Kill issue, managed intake is a universal practice of animal sheltering.
One of the nation’s most successful Open Admission No Kill animal shelters resides in Colorado. The Humane Society of Fremont County has saved over 95% of all pets entering their doors for the past decade. In 2024, they saved over 98% (more than 97% of all cats and 98% of all dogs). We need animal welfare organizations to get past the language and embrace the idea that being No Kill is indeed possible, even with open admission intake.
No Kill shelters are not "passing the buck" to open-admission shelters. A large Denver shelter that does not describe itself as being No Kill announces right on their surrender page “Appointments are recommended for dog surrenders. Dog walk-ins will be accepted as capacity permits.“ To whom are they passing the buck to?
Another metro shelter recently began rejecting intake of animal surrenders. This shelter, too, does not describe itself as being No Kill.
Capacity is not a No Kill issue. It’s an animal sheltering issue.
No Kill shelters actively collaborate with and support shelters that do not call themselves No Kill, and help them increase their save rates. The ultimate goal is to create a system where no healthy or treatable animal is killed, regardless of which shelter the animal enters.
MaxFund, Colorado’s longest-running No Kill shelter, takes in the hardest cases from other shelters and the public – animals that are unlikely to make it out alive in shelters that are not No Kill, clearly opposite of what the author claims No Kill shelters universally do. Organizations like MaxFund, with limited admission, decrease intake for municipal shelters and also increase community lifesaving by taking on medical and behavioral cases. When these animals end up at Denver Metro municipal shelters, their opportunity for a second chance becomes questionable.
The claim that No Kill contributes to animal abandonment and risks to public safety is unfounded. Studies have shown that No Kill communities actually see a decrease in animal abandonment and an increase in public safety. This is because No Kill promotes responsible pet ownership, proactive prevention programs, and a community-wide commitment to animal welfare.
Finally, let's address the "No Kill vs. Kill" labels. It's true that many open-admission shelters achieve high save rates without using the No Kill label. But the focus should be on lifesaving outcomes, not labels. No Kill is simply a term that represents a commitment to saving every healthy and treatable homeless pet.
No Kill is about creating a world where every homeless pet has a chance to find a loving home. It's about recognizing the inherent value of each animal's life, and rejecting the outdated notion that killing is an acceptable solution to mitigating the pet population. It's about building a more humane and compassionate society for both animals and people. We encourage everyone to learn more about the No Kill philosophy and support their local No Kill shelters and rescues. Together, we can create a world where every homeless pet is offered a second chance at life.
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