Winograd with friend. Photo credit: The Toledo Blade
So says Nathan Winograd, executive director of the No Kill Advocacy Center.
Given that most shelters euthanize a large percentage of the animals who come to them, that may seem overly optimistic. But Winograd speaks from experience:
Mr. Winograd has heard all the reasons offered by municipal dog pounds and private shelters about why that’s impossible: lack of space, not enough money, too many animals that nobody wants. But he doesn’t buy any of them.
Not because Mr. Winograd is a dreamer or an “extreme” animal-rights activist. It’s because he’s proved that saving 90 percent or more of shelter animals can be done.
As former leader of the Tompkins County SPCA in upstate New York in 2001, Mr. Winograd turned a typical struggling shelter into the first “no kill” haven in the United States, drastically reducing kill rates to 7 percent. Today, dozens of shelters across the country have replicated his success, implementing the same kinds of policies and procedures as Tompkins County.
What’s the most important thing shelters need to become no-kill? “The one thing you have to have is simply the commitment,” said Mike Fry, executive director of Animal Ark, a “no kill” shelter serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in Minnesota. “What it looks like after that is hard to predict; but once you’ve got that, you’ve got what you need.”
Winograd describes a “no-kill equation” in which a network of services and providers come together:
These include offering high-volume, low-cost spay and neuter services; transferring animals to other rescue groups to free up space; allowing volunteers to foster animals; running a vibrant and well-publicized adoption program that includes taking animals to events off-site; finding ways to help pet owners keep their animals; offering medical and behavioral care; running an effective volunteer program, and increasing community involvement in the shelter.
All it takes is the will. I hope every shelter director in the country reads this and thinks about it.
Please send this blog to the Dog Files.com site. People are tired of being ripped off and compromised by city and county officials that are too lazy, uncaring, underqualified and downright ignorant to help our furry little friends. It would be a great idea to lobby and organize property renters rights to have responsible pet owners ordinances for foster homes and any good will gesture that the real cleint, the taxpayer could support and help instead of padding the pockets of lazy shelter directors. Many people who would like a pet cannot afford the exorbitant fees, and need assistance with spay/ neuter, medical care and food. Donations should be funding these needs.
Inspiring stuff, I hope a lot more shelters read about this. It’s great to read about someone who really cares.