The No Kill Movement is a local and national effort to reform the animal shelter and pound systems. Instead of allowing shelters and pounds to continue the needless killing, the No Kill Movement works towards educating those who govern and operate the shelters and providing a true safe haven for animals in need. Every person can contribute in some way towards creating No Kill communities locally – whether it is becoming politically active in campaigns that promote positive Animal Welfare issues or politicians who stand for the rights of animals to adopting animal from rescues, pounds and shelters instead of from breeders and pet stores.

The No Kill Movement, headed by leaders such as Nathan Winograd (www.nathanwinograd.com) is bringing about a change in the ideals and thoughts of communities regarding the current disposability of companion animals. In the past, shelters have coined the phrase “Adopt a few and kill the rest” as a motto to their sheltering system. The No Kill Movement has forced change and transparency to the regressive shelter ideals of our sheltering system. The No Kill Movement demands life-saving programs be instituted into regressive shelters that had previously killed the majority of adoptable pets.

Opponents of the No Kill Movement align themselves with regressive strategies and are staunch supporters of methods that have time and time again proved unsuccessful such as killing of feral cats in lieu or TNRM, convenience killing of animals simply to open a cage for an animal that may or may not come into their shelter (www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=8320), and failure to utilize lifesaving methods such as foster programs and adoption events that promote adoptions. Opponents are unwilling to utilize rescue organizations, claiming rescues are “hoarders in disguise” and no animal should have to suffer in a hoarding situation (but instead they should be conveniently killed?). The fact is only 2% of the population are diagnosed with the psychiatric condition known as hoarding and in spite of the incredibly low odds an animal will go to a “hoarder”, the No Kill Movement provides provisions in their docuterine that rescues must be a 501c3 federal tax-exempt organization (as an organization that has filed and received our 501c3 approval, I assure you there are much easier ways to obtain animals if you are a true hoarder as this process is not easy or cheap). Opponents are satisfied with the status quo and unwilling to accept the fact that there are alternatives to convenience killing. Unfortunately, regressive shelters kill instead of finding solutions not to kill – The No Kill Movement insists and fights for the rights of animals to live and moreover, fights to take killing of healthy and adoptable companion animals off the table as a means to population control.

Convenience Killing is not the answer.

To learn more what you can do to change your community to a No Kill community, please visit www.nokilladvocacycenter.org.

Millions of cats die in U.S. animal control pounds and shelters every year. The pounds and shelters say these animals are “euthanized.” But they’re not—they are killed. An animal is only euthanized when she is terminally ill or untreatably injured.

Euthanasia n. The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment. The American Heritage Dictionary

Genuine euthanasia is a medical decision and is always done in an individual animal’s best interest. It can be an important part of end-of-life care. But most animals who die in pounds and shelters are killed for very different reasons. Facilities kill animals to make room for new ones, to manage disease, or to compensate for inadequate staff or funding. Decisions to kill reflect the operating interests of facilities, not the best interests of animals. Using the word “euthanasia” masks what really happens to cats in pounds and shelters—they are conveniently killed often times inhumanely using Heart Stick methods or Gas Chambers.  

TNRM is a lifesaving measure designed to sterilize and colonize the feral cat population, in order to both manage and eventually eradicate the colony through attrition. A feral cat is an undomesticated cat that cannot be handled by a human. Feral cats are usually cats that are born in the wild and have not been touched by humans and therefore are fearful and hesitant towards people. Feral cats may also be cats that were formally owned by humans and left outdoors as stray cats and have become undomesticated and untrusting of humans over time. It is important to know that over 70% of all cats taken to American Shelters are “convenience killed”, while nearly 100% of all feral cats taken into these same shelters are “convenience killed”.

Using the TNRM strategy, feral or abandoned cats are trapped in humane traps, sterilized and vaccinated by local veterinarians, and then safely returned to their colony. Upon their return, a colony caretaker is designated and will provide safe shelter as well as daily food and water for the cats. TNRM has been proven to be the only successful solution to controlling the feral cat population.

Spay/Neuter is one of the main components of the No Kill Movement.  Unfortunately in the US, over 4 million healthy companion animals are “convenience killed” by the American shelter system each year – that is about 11,000 every day or 456 every hour of every day for the entire year.  The problem is real but can be stopped through instituting life-saving measures such as spay/neuter.  Did you know a cat and her offspring can be responsible for over 4 million cats in 7 years?  Spay/Neuter saves lives, both directly and indirectly.  (www.spayusa.org)

Please visit www.spayusa.org for a list of low cost Spay/Neuter options in your area.

An Animal Rescue is a privately owned organization, usually Tax Exempt under the IRS code 5013c, that is funded by private organization and does not receive any federal, state, or local funding for their efforts.  Rescues are usually run by volunteers who donate their time to support their cause.  Rescues generally operate under the No Kill philosophy and do not perform euthanasia on animals unless they are untreatably sick or injured. Animal Shelters or county pounds are run by local government and are funded with Tax-Payer dollars. Animal shelters and pounds, unless characterized as No Kill, utilize euthanasia as their primary means to control intakes. About 55% of all companion animals entering shelters or pounds will be killed regardless of breed, temperament, or age. While some progressive shelters such as The Nevada Humane Society (http://www.nevadahumanesociety.org ) and Shelby County, Ky Humane Society ( http://www.shelbycohumanesociety.com ) have adopted No Kill strategies (meaning the amount of animals they save each year is 90% or greater), the majority of American Shelters and pounds still conform to regressive sheltering tactics and some continue to practice inhumane euthanasia methods such as Gas Chamber Mass killing and Heart Stick methods.

It is important to know where your charitable dollars are going. Are you supporting an organization who truly aligns themselves with your beliefs or are you supporting an organization who despite their name, is not an advocate for animal welfare. Local, smaller organizations are incredibly transparent. For instance, our rescue has an operating budget of about $25,000 on a good year. With that budget, we pay no salary to anyone and provide essential veterinary care and ongoing daily expenses to over 250 animals annually. We do not “convenience kill” any animal and we legislate in favor of shelter reform. We do the front-line work big organizations do not. In fact, we save pets from regressive shelters that operate using tax payer dollars and do not have to worry about funding – and most of the time we pay those same shelters a fee to be able to “pull” the animal. We pay tax payer funded regressive shelters money to save a pet they were planning to kill. A donation of one hundred dollars to a small organization save lives – the money goes directly to the animals – not to salaries, gifts to members, or advertising expenses. Please read the following article written by our Executive Director regarding the importance of donating locally: http://www.examiner.com/pet-rescue-in-dayton/donate-local-do-you-know-how-your-donations-are-being-utilized

Local shelter reform starts with a caring citizen or group of citizens that want to challenge the status quo. Once we realize the truth about the “convenience killing” supported and funded by our tax dollars, we must realize that our voices must be heard. Too many regressive animal shelter directors, county commissions, and other beaurocratic powers have held strong to the assumption that killing is the only option. The sad truth is for many shelters, it is the only option they are willing to pursue. In spite of over 25 communities within the US who has made No Kill a reality, regressive shelters in towns just like ours hold steadfast to the killing paradigm and refuse to institute true lifesaving measures. It is time to start the fight in every community and continue to march ahead towards developing and maintaining true No Kill communities. We must become vocal and insist the killing stop and we must not fear the decision making powers as we the people have the right and the voice to be heard. Legislation, knowledge, and iron-will are needed to accomplish this goal. There is a wealth of information that can be found at the following sites:

www.rescue50.org
www.nathanwinograd.com
www.nokilldeclaration.org

Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding shelter reform – it is our conviction that we fight for the animals most basic right – the right to live.

Picture of a dead kitten at New York Animal Care and Control (NYACC) – Recipient of Grant Money from Maddies Fund and NY Tax Payer dollars. This is why we continue to fight for shelter reform.

If you find a stray:

• Contact local veterinarian's to see if anyone has reported a lost animal
• Take the animal to your local veterinarian and check to see if they are microchipped 
• Make flyers
• Post on Facebook       
• Become creative because taking an animal to a shelter, may likely be a death sentence.  If you cannot locate an owner, visit www.petfinder.com and search local rescues in your area to see if they are willing to post the animal on their personal Facebook page – this is one of the fastest ways to find a pet a home.  Some rescues may even be willing to take in the animal into their organization – please note that since these organizations are not funded by tax dollars and only private donations, any donation you can offer will be appreciated. 

Please contact us and let us know your areas of expertise or interested areas you wish to volunteer.  Please note- we do not have a physical shelter location. If you are looking to visit and work directly with the animals, please contact your local animal shelter.

Please complete our foster home application and we will contact you to schedule a time/date to meet with you, with perspective pets that you may be interested in fostering. 

We highly recommend the following website and book for any Feline related problem: http://www.purrfectcatbehavior.com Please speak with your veterinarian for additional information and ideas.

Please visit http://www.extendedyears.com/behavior.php or http://www.cesarsway.com for more information regarding canine behavior information or training techniques.  Please speak with your veterinarian for additional information and ideas.

If you are a military member and you are in need of temporary assistance for your pet(s) while deployed, please visit the following websites for several excellent programs:

• http://www.fostermilitarypets.com/index.html
• https://www.netpets.org/militarypet/foster.php
• http://guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org/
• http://operationnoblefoster.org/ - cats only
• http://pactforanimals.org/military-foster-program.php

There are pet food pantries and some Humane Societies that will provide pet food to local residents in need.  In the Dayton area, please visit http://www.humanesocietydayton.org and in the Cincinnati Area, please visit http://www.cincinnatipetfoodpantry.org

There are many, many steps and questions you will need to prepare prior to forming a 501(c)(3) organization.  From financial stability to veterinary care, the planning involved in forming a successful tax-exempt organization is substantial.  Please visit sites such as www.legalzoom.com and www.guidestar.org to gather information regarding the federal tax-exempt process.  Additionally, here are a list of a few of the questions you will want to consider prior to forming a non-profit organization:

• Will you have a physical building or use foster homes?  If you use foster homes, how will you gain and maintain foster homes?
• What will be your maximum capacity of animals you can intake?
• Where will your funding come from?
• Do you have a plan in place in the unfortunate event you become incapacitated?
• Do you have a veterinarian that will work with you at reduced costs?
• How will you manage your website and social media?
• Who will take pictures and write descriptions of adoptable animals?
• What is your adoption procedure?
• Do you have liability insurance in place?
• Do you have an adoption contact that includes a hold harmless agreement for your organization? 

Please visit our Facebook page at A4A Crossposting Page

Please visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/advocates4animals

Please visit www.petfinder.com  or www.adoptapet.com and type in your local zip code to view a list of adoptable pets in your area.

Please contact us and introduce yourself and we will let you know what fundraiser's we are currently planning.  In addition, if you have an idea for a fundraiser that you would like to organize/host, please let us know!  We are always open to new ideas.