Spring 2005
The True Meaning of No-Kill

The term “no-kill” in reference to an animal shelter would seem to have an obvious meaning. However, no-kill is just one more expression that those in animal welfare use - often to the confusion of the general public. Because Our Companions is so dedicated to the ideals of no-kill, we thought it was about time to clear up the meaning of this often misused and misunderstood term.

We're a No-kill Shelter! Unfortunately, some shelters use the no-kill term for marketing purposes. And like all marketing slogans, the term no-kill is defined exclusively by the organization that makes the claim. Some organizations maintain that they are no-kill yet they still kill healthy pets. Why is that? If we look a bit deeper, they really say that they don't kill healthy or "adoptable" pets. The key way to distinguish whether an organization is truly a "no-kill" organization is to understand how the organization defineswhich animals are adoptable.

Who’s Adoptable? With millions of pets squeezed into very limited shelter space, many traditional shelters have had to make really tough decisions about which animals can be saved and which cannot. These shelters, although well-meaning, are operating within an animal welfare system that is being challenged and radically changed by the no-kill movement. Traditional shelters are havingdifficulty putting the no-kill ideals into action. The closest that many can come to actual no-kill is to not kill “adoptable” pets. To this end, organizations have criteria that pets are judged against when entering the shelter and that determine their adoptability - those that fail die and those that pass have a chance at life. The criteria include:

• Temperament testing. Some organizations conduct extreme temperament tests in which 70% of the dogs who take the test fail and are immediately killed. Tragically, the reasons most fail these tests are easily solved behavioral problems.

• Illness. Illness is another discriminiating factor whereby pets with manageable illnesses are deemed unsuitable for adoption. An example of this would be cats who test positive for Feline Leukemia or Feline AIDS. After testing positive, cats with absolutely no symptoms are killed - even kittens at 8 weeks of age. These cats, in the right environment, could live long healthy lives.

• Age. Some organizations believe that elderly animals are not adoptable even though they are perfectly healthy and are often better companions for people who aren't suited for young pets.
  
• Domesticity. Because they aren't suited for the indoors, feral cats are often killed instead of neutered, vaccinated, released and then cared for in managed outdoor colonies.

• Breed. Organizations will limit the types of dogs they permit in their shelters to exclude such breeds as pit bulls, Akitas and Rottweillers. They are either turned away or admitted and destroyed.

• Ease. In some cases, an organization's definition of adoptability can be as as simple as how easily they feel they can adopt the animal. This “easy to adopt" mentality prompts these organizations to dramatically limit the types of pets they accept. Many then claim to have a 100% adoption rate because they limit the pets they accept to those that are easy to adopt.

True Meaning of No-kill. No-kill is a movement not just a fundraising slogan. Fundamentally, the no-kill  movement is about preserving the lives of some of the neediest animals - the millions of companion animals that are killed every year within the very system that should be protecting them. True no-kill organizations do not kill healthy animals; they take special care of the neediest, most desperate pets.Furthermore, organizations truly committed to ideals of the no-kill philosophy see beyond their doors. If one organization has a 100% adoption rate yet pets are still being killed in neighboring shelters, then the organization is not fulfilling its mission as a nokill agency. No-kill also means working in partnership with other organizations to maximize resources and put an end to the senseless killing, together.

Our Companions Commitment to No-kill: At Our Companions, we believe that every animal is a beautiful creature, deserving of life and love. We are committed to ending pet homelessness and the wanton killing of healthy animals in our state. And Our Companions will be the first organization to offer a pet resource center and sanctuary in Connecticut, among many other life-saving community programs. We also believe that no-kill means creating a no-kill community and making life better for all animals, not just the ones that pass through the care of Our Companions.No-kill in Action. Not only do we believe that every pet deserves life and love, we believe you think so,too! Educating you about the rewards of adopting a more challenging pet is essential to the no-killideals. Following are several cases of the no-kill philosophy in action.

10 Senior Cats: Recently, a friend of Our Companions passed away, leaving her 10 senior cats at risk ofbeing destroyed. Some of the cats had age-related conditions such as renal failure, hyperthyroidism, andheart problems. We realized that placing these senior cats would be challenging but were adamant thateach cat’s life was precious. If we worked hard enough, we would find loving people to give them a good home for the rest of their days. Because we cared so much, it inspired others to do the same. All of the cats were placed in new, loving homes, including Annie (see right).

Sally the Senior Lab: Annie and Larry Rosen contacted us after reading about Sally, an 11-year old lab mix abandoned by her family, on our website. Because the Rosen family already included 3 dogs and 4 cats, nearly all rescues, the Rosens weren't sure if Sally would be a good fit. But following a home visit, they knew Sally had found her "forever home.” According to the Rosens, "We are so glad Sally's story was featured by Our Companions...She is a true joy and we are thrilled she has become part of our family."

Crickett: Sometimes rescuing animals introduces you to really special people. Cricket needed help and literally banged on the window of animal lover Cherie Ramsey. Cherie took her to the vet immediately to have her examined. The vet determined that Crickett tested positive for both Feline AIDS and Leukemia. Despite the vet's advice to euthanize Crickett, Cherie contacted Our Companions. Through our Rescue Outreach Program, Crickett was placed in a home as the only cat. Cherie was so inspired that she became the writer for our Rescue Outreach Program and has subsequently saved countless other pets with her compelling words.

Buttercup: A caring business owner named Ken contacted us after finding several feral cats sufferingoutside his business this winter. Ken contacted Our Companions who trained him in Trap/Neuter/Return(TNR) and helped to finance the rescue. One of the kittens, Buttercup, was deemed "semi feral" andplaced in a foster home. Like the flower she’s named after, Buttercup is blossoming in her new environment but still needs a forever home. (Buttercup’s picture is featured on page 1). Please contact Our Companions if you’re interested in adopting Buttercup.

These are just some of the many animals that Our Companions has helped. These success stories prove that you don’t need millions of dollars and a huge facility to save lives. All you need is passion, creativity and an unwavering belief that the lives of our animal companions are worth saving.