No Kill Shelters?

Question

Do people really believe "No Kill Shelters" take in every dog? I see a lot of people on here tell others to take their sick dogs to no kill shelters because they cant afford vet bills or the dog has aggression issues. I worked at a no kill shelter for forty years and we sent several dogs per week to the pound to be euthanized. People would leave sick and dying dogs tied to the gate or just drop them off in the neighborhood. Do they believe they spend thousands in vet care to sell it to you for a $75.00 adoption fee? I'm not sure about your no kill shelters but, mine only kept the dogs they felt could be adopted. Any dog that came and was suffering was put down for its own good. Granted this was the only shelter I worked at but, aren't they all the same?

Answer 1

I work at a "No-Kill" shelter, and I can tell you for sure that we euthanize. If an animal has a medical condition that will cost more than a little...it is euthanized. If there are behavior problems that cannot be dealt with EASILY...it is euthanized. ANY aggression...euthanized.
A "No-Kill" shelter does not euthanize due to high census, but it DOES euthanize for MANY other reasons. But people still think they NEVER kill anything. They can drop their Rotti that has bitten 12 people and you cna't get near when it has food and we will find it a GREAT home!!!!!! People dump cats that pee all over their beds and think there are people all over thatn want to PAY an adoption fee for that!!!!
Shelters, by nature, are for ADOPTING pets out.....no running a infirmary. It does not make any kind of financial sense to spend big bucks to save one animal when the same could be spent to help 20.
I wish people would do their own "dirty work" and stop dumping old,sick,dying,and aggressive animals at shelters so that we have to euthanize them. Why can't owners do that themselves. You can't keep your dog that bites because you never trained it....well YOU have the needle put in it so that I don't have to!!!!!
You declawed your cat for your own reasons and now it will not use the litterbox??? YOU take it and have it euthanized. Don't make shelters do it.
If there was more personal responsibility, maybe people would stop. We have installed cameras behind our shelter now, and have prosecuted a few "dumpers". I hope they get what they deserve!!!!

Even a $350 adoption fee for a dog BARELY covers expenses!!! After spay,worming,heartworm test,vaccines,flea treatment,food for a month, and an exam....that almost covers just that stuff. Any other problems are extra. And $90 for cats is the same. Try going to the vet and getting a cat totally cared for with $90. Most shelters do not get great breaks on vet care either!!

Answer 2

I believe it depends on the individual no-kill shelter. While I'm sure the one in my neighborhood does put down dogs who are too sick or old & sick that they feel would just prolong their agony and suffering, I do know that they do try to treat the sick dogs to the best of their abilities. They don't charge $75 for a dog 'adoption fee' either. The cats are $90 and a dog is usually $250. Puppies can be up to $350. This is their way of helping with all the expenses incurred helping the sick and/or old dogs get well, as well as making sure the person who is adopting the dog/cat can care for it. Most people aren't going to spend $250 to leave the dog tied up in the yard, alone and neglected.

I also know that our local SPCA rarely has more than a few dogs at a time in their shelter, because they euthanize constantly! I've experienced this first-hand when I brought a 6 month old mixed puppy that I'd found wandering the streets (who'd almost been hit by about 10 different cars). I was able to locate the owners, who said they didn't want him. So, I took him, just to keep him from getting run over and neglected. However, I couldn't keep him because I had 5 dogs at my home already (2 were mine and 3 I'd rescued from high-kill shelters around the country and was working on finding them proper homes). We are not allowed more than 5 dogs without a kennel license - and without the proper facilities, I can't care for more than 5 dogs at once (unfortunately, I'm not independently wealthy). I did spend the day with this dog, who shared my lunch with me, played with some toys with me, even played with 2 toddlers, who were running at him and screaming, etc. He was so sweet! I took him to the SPCA here thinking that he wouldn't last long there, as someone would come by and adopt him, probably the minute he was put up for adoption. I also gave a $100 cash donation, along with some high-quality dog food, towels and blankets. That was Thursday night around 6:30 p.m. I went back Saturday morning as soon as they'd opened to inquire if he'd been put up for adoption yet, etc. I was told that he'd been put down already, and the reasons they gave was that he was 'food aggressive, cage aggressive, treat aggressive' any kind of 'aggressive' they could think of (I might also add that this dog was a teeny thing...weighing no more than 8-10 pounds at 6 months old). He'd just been taken away from his 'home' - spent the day with a bunch of strangers, only to be sent to another place again...all within a 12 hour period of time! I don't think they should do their tests the minute a dog/pup comes in to their shelter. Give them time to get acclimated at least! I would never bring another dog to that place...ever!

So, to answer your question, no they aren't all the same, at least not in my experience!

Answer 3

You are correct!!

However we do spend a fortune on some dogs. We do not kill for any health issues that can be fixed or that the animal can continue to have a happy healthy life after the money has been put into it.

This does not mean that we will take your sick pet. This is usually once we have already rescued them and find there is a problem. In the past three months we have had to have surgery on one that had a foreign object around his heart. It was a piece of chain link fence?? A maltese/yorkie puppy with a deformity in his nasel cavity had to be fixed. An experemental surgery on a puppy who's bone in his paw decided not to grow. These were all puppies or young dogs.

The one thing we can not rescue is anything that may be a threat to the community. So your dogs with aggresion issues - Im not going to bring your vicious dog to my house with my kid and pets. You created the problem you fix it. As long as I have been doing this and as many mutts as I have taken in I have only had to relinguish 4. ALL SO CALLED PUREBREDS WITH AKC PAPERS!!! And one they are trying to talk me into giving up. A lhasa Mean as a snake vicious but small I think someone will be able tohandle him. And after the last two I kept for several months trying to acclimate them to real life while the others in the shleters died. I can truly say I can make the decision to euthanize a lot quicker to open space for another dog. It hurts to watch all the other GOOD dogs die while you try to fix what others efed up. We can't save them all no one can we have to work at both ends and also stop the unnecessary breeding.

Thank you for letting me vent.

ADDED:

We call ourselves a no kill shelter of any adoptable animal

http://www.adoptastray.com/pages/index.cgi/home
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/KY64.html

Answer 4

I volunteer for BCFFA ( Burke County friends for animals) it is a no kill shelter. Everyday the founder of the shelter goes to the near by " pound" and brings back the cats and or dogs who are adoptable. Twice a month we take 15 to 20 cats and or dogs to the local PETSMART for adoption . I know there are some that have to be put down for safety or health reasons but at the same time we find homes for lots of needy animals that would otherwise be put down because they never had a fighting chance to begin with. Finding homes for these animals is very rewarding for me . Although it is hard not to want to take them all home with me at the end of the day. I wish I could save them all but sadly I cant. I think it is so sad that people cant take more responsibility when getting a pet . They are not just meant to be yard ornaments, they deserve to be treated like a family member!!!! THE ANIMALS AT THIS SANCTUARY WILL BE THERE UNTIL THEY ARE ADOPTED OR HAVE TO BE PUT DOWN BECAUSE OF OLD AGE OR DECLINING HEALTH REASONS. NO ANIMAL WILL BE KILLED JUST BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAVE A HOME. There are some that will live their entire life at this facility.

Answer 5

Yep, that sounds about right to me. Dogs that are too agressive to be adopted out are put down - only the ones with no chance of rehabilitation. That being said, the dogs with severe mental problems are also put down. If a dog is too far gone and won't recover from illness, then yes, they will put those down too - no point in prolonging the suffering and wasting resources on a dog that is only going to be continually suffering. They would be better focusing on other dogs who have a chance. It's so sad but it's true. The ASPCA will treat ill animals if their families can't afford or are unwilling to pay for treatment. Catch is that they have to sign the pet over to the ASPCA. Then once recovered, they put the pet up for adoption. Unfortunately not every animal can be saved. It's so so heartbreaking.

Answer 6

I work at a no-kill shelter. Generally they only put down animals they feel are aggressive and dangerous. If there is any opportunity for an animal to be adopted, they will try but any signs of violent behavior will cause them to have to put the animal down. There's no such thing as a "no kill" shelter, because not all animals are in good shape to be around humans, and rather than have them face a life on the streets, many shelters feel they must put them down. Otherwise, they will try their best to save the animal.

Answer 7

I know one of our local no kill shelters does the same thing. They have a sign saying "If you leave your dog tied up here, it will be taken to the pound". They are no kill shelters, but they won't hesitate sending a dog to its death. Our county pound finally updated its practices and now euthanizes animals with needles rather the gas chamber. Thank God! It's really sad all the animals that lose their lives each year....

Answer 8

The no kill shelter i worked at did the same. They also charged a "drop off fee" to people who actually had the guts to drop them off and talk to the staff instead of tossing them out of the car...

"No Kill" is definately NOT correct...sometimes they have no choice if the dog is severely ill/injured or very aggressive...

http://www.libertydogtraining.com

Answer 9

I always assumed that "no kill" shelter meant that animals that were healthy and adoptable weren't put down simply because of lack of space. I just took it for granted that sick or unadoptable animals were put down.

Answer 10

Many 'no kill' shelters just send their unadoptable dogs to the kill shelters. Technically, they are no kill, but they DO send dogs to be PTS, elsewhere. The 'no kill' name just sounds SO much nicer. Sad that people seem to think they just keep them forever.