Best Friends: Community Animal Initiative

Thesis: Addressing what a No Kill Shelter is and that they should have standards for using specific euthanasia methods, treating “unadoptable” animals, and evaluating the Live Release Rate will help decrease the unnecessary deaths of shelter animals around the world, especially with the help of shelter based programs.

    Thirty years ago, Best Friend Animal Sanctuary was founded when a group of people had a vision to create a sanctuary for abandoned and abused animals. The main co-founders include: Francis Battista, Judah Battista, Silva Battista, Gregory Castle, Gabriel DePeyer, Jana DePeyer, Steven Hirano, Faith Maloney, Anne Mejia, and Cyrus Mejia.  With very little money and no master plan, they set out to create something very ambitious.  One of their major goals was to create a no-kill animal sanctuary, but unfortunately they didn’t have much of a voice until their sanctuary grew larger.  They didn’t want to become famous or wealthy, but do the right thing for creatures who could not speak or act for themselves.  To take the next step, in 1984, the founders made a promise to one another and the animals they cares for, that they would build a sanctuary in Southern Utah.  Their mission was to bring about a time when there are no more homeless pets.  They would dedicate their lives to housing and finding homes for unwanted pets while spreading

In every town and city across the country, local humane societies and animal control systems has been relying on catching and killing feral outdoor cats to control their population. Over the last century in the United States, a program called Trap-Neuter-Return, or TNR, has been implemented. With this program, the cats are trapped, vaccinated, spayed or neutered, then returned to where they were found to live out their lives as feral cats. The program’s effectiveness has come in to question recently as feral cat colonies are still on the rise.

The facility has not had to euthanize a healthy dog due to lack of space for several years. Programs have been developed such as the “special needs fund,” which allows for expensive medical treatment, rehabilitation, and adoption for many dogs who may not of had that opportunity in previous years. However, cats provide additional challenges due to overpopulation issues. Last year approximately 800 treatable-rehabilitable/manageable cats had to be euthanized. However, programs such as the trap/neuter/release program, foster care in private homes, PetSmart and veterinary clinic housing/adoptions, and free cat adoption incentives greatly reduced the overwhelming difficulties with housing/adopting cats (Nebraska Humane Society, 2014).

For a number of children with autism having a companion dog is the difference between life and death. Methodically trained guide dogs help create an environment where autistic children are comfortable enough to live a more ordinary lifestyle. Autism spectrum disorder is a major public health problem that is the most common neurological disorder affecting 1 out of every 110 births in the US (Autism Society, 2009). ASDs can range in severity from Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism where the child can function relatively well in society, to autistic disorder or classical ASD, which severely inhibits the child’s ability to socialize or communicate (NINDS). Autism manifests itself most strikingly as impairments in formation of

When Mary Ray of Woodbury, Minnesota unexpectedly passed away at her home during the winter of 2012, the last thing she would have expected was that her beloved perfectly healthy, young pet cat would be euthanized by the Woodbury Humane Society shelter instead of being sent to the home she had detailed in a note posted on her refrigerator. In retrospect, this would not have happened if the Woodbury Humane Society shelter had adopted the new and growing trend of “no-kill” philosophy for animal shelters, which simply stated, is an operating philosophy for a shelter that is based upon the premise that no healthy adoptable animal should be euthanized for any reason and that they should be sheltered until they find a loving home. The number of

Some of the shelters in California are amazing, at Sonoma County’s animal shelter has new policies for the crowded conditions and are working to reduce the number of healthy animal’s that are killed. Dog and cat owners who may want to give up their pets have to make an appointment with the shelter staff to discuss alternatives. Healthy animals will be taken in only if the space is available, otherwise the owners must wait. According to one source, “Most public shelters have around 393,000 cats that enter public shelters and it increased to 25,000. About 278,000 cats were killed in shelters in

Central Idea: In order to control the overwhelming population of homeless pets, we need to stop throwing our “family friends” away.

In the United States, about 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters every year. The overpopulation of these animals and the fact that they have no homes leads to about 40% of them being euthanized (ASPCA). This is a global issue, but the root of it can be found within the local community at The Humane Society of the Ohio Valley.

An animal shelter is a place where stray, lost, abandoned, or surrendered animals, mostly dogs and cats and sometimes sick or wounded wildlife, are brought. Animal shelters are essential in the United States because of inattentive pet proprietorship and uncontrolled breeding of animals. People often get pets without a full understanding of the time, money, and space that they require. Regrettably, that recurrently results in pets being abandoned or abused by these owners. Apart from accountable breeders, owners should spay or neuter their pets to stop the serious overpopulation problem, which is happening in the United States. Shelters do not treat or stop the problem of unwanted pets but without them the stray pet population would be astronomical. There would be more problems with disease spread and an increased incidence of stray animal-induced injuries. A shelter should also be a domicile where animals could be benign and feel loved and taken care of; not just a drop off. The shelter in my community tries to do their best with their animals, but I feel that the shelter needs to be able to do their jobs better and for the animals to feel comfortable.

Countless lives locked away in cages and forgotten about have overwhelmed our society, it has left blood stains on our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it’s that we have a choice to change our ways of adjusting to situations. A war which was fought in pursuit of ending such criminal means, yet we as human beings do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has become infused with problems that have extended from one side of the globe to the other. Amongst these problems lies a terrible truth: nearly every year, sums of almost eight million cats and dogs have been placed in shelters around the world. Out of these vast numbers, half will be

Just spaying and neutering pets is very helpful, and secondly pet owners can keep their pet cats inside so they cannot hunt for small animals or breed with outside, feral cats, by doing this it would cut down on the need to euthanize so many feral cats, and save birds, and other urban wildlife from becoming a play toy or dinner. Feeding a cat is humane for a day, but it is not enough. These animals need to be trapped, neutered, and released unless they have some horrific feline disease that would debilitate a natural and healthy life.

Every day in the United States, approximately 10,000 people and 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. There will never be enough homes for all of these animals, and as a result millions are killed by animal control or die by themselves every year. If people would adopt their pets from a rescue or shelter, and not buy from pet stores or breeders, many lives would be saved and a lot of misery would be averted. Also, you end up with a great animal.

The very first thing you will hear is Sarah McLahlan's song " In the Arms Of An Angel ". Have you noticed that every American including most likely everyone in your household who has ever watched television, automatically associate this song with the pictures that are depicted in the commercial. They want you to remember the dead and sick animals they show you every time you hear and see it. It hits home as you look at your pets and wonder how they would be if they lived the lives that these animals on this commercial live. They start with facts about animals in need and hope that latches you onto the commercial with more interest or just care for the pictures they show. Though if the pictures are not enough they bring Sarah onto the screen as the last measure in the commercial to tell you that you need to donate to the disadvantaged or lost animals in need, all to keep you viewing.

This program has allowed no-kill animal shelters to spread across the country. Animal Shelters that promote no kill help to eliminate the idea of controlling pet population. It has been a proven fact that no-kill shelters are economically better for a numerous amount of reasons. Many will argue the fact that killing is the answer because it eliminates population and saves money but in fact it does not. No-kill is smarter financially and a wonderful choice to improve local communities economy. Switching to no-kill comes with great savings, increased support from communities, boosts in adoption rates and a positive image. With the positives that come along with the no-kill is ludicrous for any community to not eliminate their animal shelters and change over. No-kill is very simple to achieve and every shelter needs to start putting forth effort so this can be