Their online “tour” of shelters is a chilling reminder of how publicly funded shelters can be deceiving us into thinking they are killing adoptable pets to make room for others. Yes, irresponsible members of the public who do not spay/neuter are part of the problem. But so is the attitude of county officials, jaded shelter workers, and the unwillingness of the many to change the rules for the few.

The challenge as the No Kill Advocacy sees it:

“…From entrenched bureaucrats who are content with the status quo, to uncaring shelter directors hostile to calls for reform; from agencies mired in the failed philosophies of the past to those who have internalized a culture of defeatism—the roadblocks to No Kill are substantial, but not insurmountable. We have a choice. We can fully, completely and without reservation embrace No Kill as our future. Or we can continue to legitimize the two-prong strategy of failure: adopt a few and kill the rest. It is a choice which history has thrown upon us. And a challenge that the No Kill Advocacy Center is ready to take on. The No Kill Advocacy Center is the nation’s first organization dedicated solely to the promotion of a No Kill nation. And it is the only national animal welfare agency that is staffed by people who have actually worked in and created a No Kill community.
The power to change the status quo is in our hands.“
If you want to become proactive in your community they offer numerous free .pdf files detailing every step to take to help change the status quo. They have a free enewsletter and listserv signup. They accept donations and offer a paying membership which includes a magazine.
Just to show you how detailed and well thought out their program is, with the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, they created a “matrix” of injuries, illnesses and other conditions (like being an adult cat or dog versus a kitten or puppy, or having fleas) for shelters to use in order to determine adoptability of the pet. The ultimate goal being to stop the killing.

They have information for educators, students, shelter advocates, dog owners whose dog faces a “dangerous dog” hearing, grants, and how to start your own no kill shelter.

Go forth, learn and become proactive!

As they say about themselves:

“DogsInDanger.com is owned and operated by The Buddy Fund, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)3 animal welfare organization dedicated to helping dogs in need.

DogsInDanger.com is a national shelter outreach program…It may be uncomfortable for some to see lists of names and photos of dogs scheduled to be euthanized, but, the truth is uncomfortable. By making it personal, we believe more people will be compelled to help these dogs. Thus dogsindanger.com refuses to present a sanitized version of the truth. Our ultimate goal is to see a day where healthy and treatable animals are no longer killed by their most trusted friends.“

They have an Education Page listing a number of sites for more information about no kill ethics, solving pet behavior problems, and dog adoptions.

From their Business Wire Press Release:

Celebrate the 500,000 Adoptions Milestone for Morris’ Million Cat Rescue campaign

A shocking 3 out of every 4 cats that enter shelters do not leave alive. The reality is that 5.5 million cats are euthanized each year, representing 71% of all cats that enter animal shelters. Many don’t know that there are tremendous advantages for the entire family in owning a pet — for adults, pet ownership can decrease the risk of having a heart attack by up to 6%. Pet ownership can teach children about responsibility, compassion and loyalty — in addition, positive self-esteem is enhanced in children with pets. And pet ownership has been shown anecdotally to help children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to focus and concentrate.

About Morris the Cat

In 1968, a street-wise orange tabby from a Hinsdale, Illinois shelter was languishing for a loving home after being abandoned by his owner when the shelter staff noticed something special about the cat – a certain star quality. They quickly contacted Bob Martwick, a professional animal handler who quickly adopted him on the spot, and — 20 minutes from death — Morris the Cat got a second chance. Recognizing his charisma, 9Lives cat food quickly signed him up, and the entire nation took notice of this new star of their television commercials.“

“Morris’ Million Cat Rescue mobile adoption bus will visit Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade between Santa Monica Boulevard and Arizona Street from 12:00 p.m. – 5 p.m. PDT to mark the momentous occasion and to promote pet adoption. The 500,000^th cat will be officially adopted by Audrina Patridge of MTV’s “The Hills,” who will also participate in an exclusive check-donation ceremony. A grand total of $10,000 will be donated in her name to a local area shelter, Feline and Friends, to help them continue in their mission of finding loving homes for homeless cats.

According to Thomas, the Morris’ Million Cat Rescue tour will be making additional stops this year in San Francisco (9/27), Sacramento (10/03), Portland (10/11), Seattle (10/18), and Denver (10/27) before going on winter hiatus. For more information about Morris’ Million Cat Rescue Campaign, bus or van stops, visit www.9Lives.com.”

While I love Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest cats, the daily brushing they require would be problematic for those of us with full-time jobs and other responsibilities.

At a nearby adoption center I have seen what appear to be purebreds (OK, they are not papered), Maine coons, Russian blues, and various Siamese mixes. There’s even an online resource center for people who want to adopt a cat of a specific breed.

My point is, if you want a certain “look” but don’t necessarily want the pedigree papers, and are not interested in showing your cat at highly competitive cat shows, consider going to your local shelters and finding your new friend there. You won’t regret it!

There are three main types of organizations to look for in your area when finding your new pet. Find them using your local phone directory/yellow pages or the Internet. The best place online to find adoption groups from anywhere in the U.S. is Petfinder.com. As they say about themselves:

“You can:
Search 213,653 adoptable pets…
Locate shelters and rescue groups in your area.
Browse our resource library to learn more about pet care.
Post classified ads for lost or found pets, pets wanted, and pets needing homes.
Sign up to be a volunteer to help your local shelter or rescue group.”

City or County shelters take in any and all animals turned in to them as lost, unwanted or “nuisance animals”. You can usually find their listing in the phone book under County Government. They will euthanize ill or unadoptable pets, or those that stay in the facility “too long”.

Humane societies are run by both salaried and volunteer workers and supported by donations. They may be selective in which animals they accept.

Local area fostering groups are often “no-kill” volunteer groups who don’t have a physical location. They make arrangements with pet stores to have “adoption days” each week or even have permanent facilities in larger stores to which the adoptable pets are brought. If they are a big enough group, they may have other programs, such as bringing specially chosen calm pets to nursing homes. These groups will have people that catch strays. The strays are evaluated for health issues, vaccinated, neutered or spayed, fostered, and then put up for adoption. Whatever fees a group charges to finally adopt a pet does not come close to covering the costs they incur in this pre-adoption care.

cat adoptions adopting a cat animal shelters