The No Kill Mentality—and Why Spay & Neuter?

A Town Near You

Somewhere tucked away in my State of Florida is a very rural town where the majority of its population is receiving government aid. There, citizens can barely afford to immunize their children, let alone feed them. There, animals roam freely, not really having a home to call their own, just hoping to get a bite to eat. I’m confident that I just described millions of little towns and communities scattered throughout the United States. It’s in these areas that we, as advocates, need to focus our time and energy.

The citizens clearly are just not informed as to what atrocities are taking place in their community, and lawmakers either don’t care, or they are asleep at the wheel.

While Florida is not a gassing state, the euthanasia rates in some communities are very high. In some cases, it s a local veterinarian who is making a handsome living because they are paid by the State to euthanize. As a matter-of-fact, in some cases, the veterinarian is paid per animal to euthanize.

So while we rescuers jump up and down screaming our arms about this extremely high euthanasia rate, we fail to understand why—why some of these shelters and pounds fail to work with rescuers, fail to deliver medical attention to these needy strays—because they make more money putting them down.

What communities and their leaders don’t realize, is that a low-cost or no-cost spay and neuter facility or program would, in the long run, save millions—not only dollars, but lives.

But ask yourself, why would a veterinary facility choose to spay/neuter an animal for $45 when they could make $100 per animal to euthanize?

That’s where you come in. Ah, I see you shaking your head no—so I’m going to stop you right there—don’t tell me we can’t. I’ve been there, and I know we can.

It only takes one person to stand up with their flag, and their keyboard to make statement; to write letters; to make phone calls; to create a presence of Facebook and rally support. It only takes one person to create a movement, town by town, city by city, to befriend the good guys and create a once-and-for-all solution to this problem we call, Death by the Pound.

Recently, I had an exchange of emails with a volunteer from one of these towns, who blasted my video about a dog that I took in who had Parvo.

I was unfair, she said. I should not blame the pound that the dog was sick, she said. In just a few exchanges of words, I explained to her that we could solicit change in that community, and create a long-term plan that would alleviate the problem, and she agreed. I urged her to create a Facebook page, reach out to lawmakers, contact other local area veterinarians, and businesses to rally support for a low-cost or no-cost spay/neuter program. It feel on deaf ears. Maybe some advocates would rather be the savior that plucks dogs off of death row, one by one, instead of solving the problem.

One of the major excuses I hear about this debate is the mentality of rural communities prevent change. I challenge that mentality, because when it comes to taxes, everyone listens, just look at New Mexico as a model for change.

Read Defining what is an adoptable dog, click here

Read Death by the Pound, San Antonio by clicking here

Note: Think about it! While spaying a female costs a little bit more than neutering a male, a female dog can have only an average of two litters per year. A female cat, however, can get pregnant while nursing. If you neuter a male, however, you could potentially prevent hundreds of litters from being born each and every year of that dog’s life. You do the math!

Palm Beach County News:
Dianne Sauve, Director at Animal Control, discusses the mandatory spay and neuter proposal.
PalmBeachPost.com

Major points:
Most Pit Bull owners resist sterilization
Euthanasia is not a form of birth control
New Ordinance

Read it yourself by clicking here.

The No-Kill Controversy, Both Sides:

http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/index.html

http://www.nathanwinograd.com/

A message from a Shelter Administrator, and her opinions:

I have read Redemption, it is a truly great book if you have never worked in an animal shelter, and how it does get the animal lovers rallied, but I have been through mass euthanasia when a no-kill plan was poorly implemented.  Here is a flip side article about Mr. Winograd.  We should all try to gather all sorts of facts before making a decision, and make safe choices.  Don’t get me wrong, there are good programs in his book.  Please take a moment and review this website before making any conclusions:

http://www.helpinganimals.com/f-Winograd-No-Kill.asp?hanwnkggl&gclid=CN_ctOiqqJICFQERPAod4W4pRQ

Other Topics:
An Introduction to The Dog Liberator
The No Kill Mentality – Why Spay/Neuter?
Stop the Puppy Mills
Death Row Dogs – Gassing Shelters, and Euthanasia
Breed-Specific Legislation
Black Dog Syndrome – What is it?
Before You Surrender Your Own Dog & Craig’s List
Shelters, Pounds, and Rescues (the difference)
How you can Help by Volunteering
I Rescued a Human Today
Adopting a Heartworm Positive Dog
Treating a Heartworm Positive Dog
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
More About the Green Mile

National list of No-Kill Shelters