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Working the clock for a NO-KILL Society.
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 The No-Kill movement is about acknowledging the value and importance of each individual pet’s life.
It starts out by saving every abandoned dog and cat that is healthy and adoptable, irrespective of old age or deformity. It’s about saving canine senior citizens like Reggie, a gray-muzzled 8-year-old with two teeth. Or providing a safety net for the 10-year-old shy Miss Kitty. After an adoption guarantee is safely in place for these guys, the goal is universal health coverage for all treatable animals.
The No-Kill movement is about the responsibility of humans as a species to cherish and protect the living creatures on this earth who depend on us for care. When we allow defenseless animals to die needlessly, our own human spirit is diminished. In a world that has become more violent, more crowded and more competitive for the scarce resources we depend upon, the No-Kill movement envisions our larger hopes of creating a more peaceful, tolerant world.
With everyone working together-- humane organizations, government agencies, volunteers and community groups, the No-Kill dream can become a reality. A growing number of people are eager to join the cause, and a lot more resources are at hand to rescue companion animals whose lives are at risk. It’s all within our grasp. The time for this revolution is now.
Why do we believe in No-Kill and how do we define it?
Does No-Kill mean saving every adoptable (healthy) cat and dog? Every adoptable (healthy) and treatable (those cats and dogs who are underage, sick, ill, injured and poorly behaved) animal? Or does it literally mean saving every life? This page explains how other highly recognized organizations define No-Kill as it applies to animal shelters, and how the foundation plans to help guide the Caribbean to the No-Kill goal.
Q. The term No-Kill is frequently bandied about, but what exactly is it?
A. As much as anything, No-Kill is a rallying cry; a slogan that defines a movement. The term No-Kill clearly and powerfully protests the status quo, that being the killing of millions of savable animals in animal shelters all over the world, every year. At the same time, it describes a new approach to animal sheltering and a new commitment to saving lives within animal welfare organizations.
Q. How do we define No-Kill?
A. We agree with the generally accepted definition used by No-Kill shelters. That is, No-Kill means saving both adoptable (healthy) and treatable dogs and cats, with euthanasia reserved only for non-rehabilitatable animals.
Q. The proclaimed goal is to take the Caribbean No-Kill. How do you plan to do that?
A. We want to start by ending the problem described as "too many pets, not enough homes." To do this, we increase the demand for shelter dogs and cats and reduce the supply being born. There are many funding organizations who support collaborative community projects that build the programs and infrastructure necessary to ensure that new homes are available for every abandoned dog and cat who is immediately ready to be placed. Programs might include adoption outreach, new marketing strategies, advertising, events and promotions that put the animals in front of the adopting public. Even changes like longer hours, lower adoption fees or adoption incentives can help build a broad new base of adopters. At the same time, we are financially investing in efforts that dramatically reduce the supply of unwanted pets through enhancement of spay/neuter programs to. By working diligently on both sides of the equation, both demand and supply, we plan to leverage its lifesaving investments.
When we reach the juncture where adoptable (healthy) shelter animals can be guaranteed a home throughout the Island and the Caribbean, we will then focus our resources on funding programs to rehabilitate the sick, injured and poorly behaved, knowing that when these animals are whole again, there will be a home waiting for them.
Q. What are the benefits of an adoption guarantee?
A. An adoption guarantee gives a community confidence that an animal shelter is truly a shelter, that is, a respite on the way to a new loving home. When this happens, the community becomes an active partner in saving lives. For example: We believe that many people who abandon their animals on the streets do so because they fear their family pet will die if surrendered to an animal shelter. This, then, starts a negative cycle, a cycle that starts with the perception the animal will die, which leads to people’s fear of using the shelter, which leads to abandonment on the street, which puts the animal at risk of injury, illness and uncontrolled breeding. Then, when the animals are impounded as sick and injured strays, they’re killed at animal control. With an adoption guarantee that says no adoptable (healthy) cat or dog will die in the shelter, you break the cycle. People who find lost animals, who no longer want their animals or who can no longer keep their animals can have the confidence to bring them into the shelter, knowing these animal lives will be saved. They won’t abandon them on the street or leave them tied up in the backyard. And these healthy animals can then be placed, which then reduces shelter deaths and euthanasia costs.
Q. Getting back to the term, "No-Kill". It implies that those who practice it are good and those who don’t are bad. Isn’t this divisive in the animal welfare community?
A. Many animal control agencies and traditional shelters feel that No-Kill makes them look like villains because they kill animals. Those who kill for merciful reasons shouldn’t be made to feel bad about doing this necessary and important job. But when killing is used as a management tool to deal with an "animal surplus," it’s easy to see why the term No-Kill might be uncomfortable. Many traditional shelters feel so threatened by the term, they’ve gone on the attack to squelch it. They fear that if the public hears No-Kill and believes it’s possible, the community will demand it of their local shelters.
The bottom line is, the No-Kill movement represents a paradigm shift, a revolution, if you will, in the way we consider and treat companion animals. No-kill shelters have chosen a path different from traditional shelters. Their priority is on life, and they refuse to sacrifice an animal because society says there are too many. It’s a commitment that directs organizational policy. And when a minority movement like this gains momentum, those who are put in the position of having to defend the status quo fight back. The inevitable result is ruffled feathers. But the term No-Kill has truly come to stand for an important principle and it’s not going to go away. |
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Towards No-Kill 
