Declaration of the No Kill Movement in the United States
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org
FROM
No Kill
Advocacy Center
August 2010
For more information, or to print a copy of the U.S. No Kill Declaration,
click here.
This year, some four million dogs and cats will be killed in shelters. The
vast majority can and should be placed into loving homes or should never enter
shelters in the first place. But there is hope.
No Kill sheltering models, based on innovative, non-lethal programs and
services, have already saved the lives of tens of thousands of animals. But
instead of embracing No Kill, many shelters—and their national agency
allies—cling to their failed models of the past, models that result in the
killing of millions of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters every year.
No Kill is a revolution. And behind every revolution is a declaration—a
statement of grievances, and a listing of rights and principles that underscore
our great hope for the future. We assert that a No Kill nation is within our
reach—that the killing can and should be brought to an end. Join us in endorsing
The Declaration of the No Kill Movement in the United States.
It is open to every individual, every group, and every agency that wants to
bring about an end to the killing by implementing the programs and services that
will establish a No Kill nation. Programs like ensuring public access to
affordable spay/neuter services, allowing rescue groups to save animals on death
row, and communitywide Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) for feral cats. These are not
radical concepts, but in the current sheltering world, one can be ostracized for
daring to proclaim the simple truths that population control killing is not an
act of kindness and that feral cats have a right to live.
Join us in speaking for those who can’t. In the length of time it will take
you to read the Declaration, nearly one hundred dogs and cats will be needlessly
killed.
I. Preamble
One hundred and fifty years ago, societies for the prevention of cruelty to
animals and other humane organizations were founded to establish standards for
humane treatment of animals, to promote their rights, and to protect them from
harm. This marked the formal beginning of the humane movement in the United
States.
The scope and influence of these early humane organizations were testament to
the public’s concern for animals. It did not take long for them to set their
sights on the abuse of homeless animals and cruel methods of killing by public
pounds. It was common practice at the time for city and town dogcatchers to
beat, drown, or shoot homeless animals.
Many humane agencies responded by entering into animal control contracts with
towns and cities to ensure that the killing was done more humanely. But in
taking on municipal animal control duties, these agencies abandoned their
lifesaving and life-enhancing platforms when those beliefs conflicted with their
contractual responsibilities. In the current era, where laws require killing by
even more “humane” methods, these contradictions have become starker.
Increasingly, the practices of both humane societies and municipal animal
control agencies are out of step with public sentiment. Today, most Americans
hold the humane treatment of animals as a personal value, which is reflected in
our laws, cultural practices, the proliferation of organizations founded for
animal protection, increased per capita spending on animal care, and great
advancements in veterinary medicine. But the agencies that the public expects to
protect animals are instead killing more than five million animals annually.
Lifesaving alternatives to the mass killing of animals in shelters have
existed for decades. These lifesaving methods are based on innovative, humane,
nonlethal programs and services that have proven that the killing can be brought
to an end. Too many of these agencies, however, remain mired in the kill
philosophies of the past, unwilling to or hampered from exploring and adopting
methods that save lives. This is a breach of their public trust, a gross
deviation from their responsibility to protect animals, and a point of view that
we, as caring people and a humane community, can no longer accept or tolerate.
We assert that a No Kill nation is within our reach—that the killing can and
must be brought to an end. It is up to each of us working individually and
together to implement sheltering models that have already saved tens of
thousands of animals in progressive communities. If we work together—with
certainty of purpose, assured of our own success, with the commitment that “what
must be done, will be done”—the attainment of our goals will not be far off.
II. No Kill Resolution
- Whereas, the right to live is every animal’s most basic and fundamental right;
- Whereas, societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals and other humane
organizations were founded to establish standards for humane treatment of
animals, to promote their rights, and to protect them from harm;
- Whereas, traditional sheltering practices allow the mass killing of sheltered
animals;
- Whereas, every year shelters in the United States are killing millions of
healthy and treatable animals who could be placed in homes, and are also killing
millions of feral cats who do not belong in shelters;
- Whereas, life always takes precedence over expediency;
- Whereas, the No Kill movement in the United States has successfully implemented
new and innovative programs that provide alternatives to mass killing;
- Whereas, lifesaving change will come about only if No Kill programs are embraced
and further developed;
- Whereas, failure to implement No Kill programs constitutes a breach of the
public’s trust in the sheltering community;
Now, therefore, be it resolved that No Kill policies and procedures are the only
legitimate foundation for animal sheltering; and,
It is incumbent upon all shelters and animal groups to embrace the philosophy of
No Kill, to immediately begin implementing programs and services that will end
the mass killing of sheltered animals, and to reject the failed kill-oriented
practices of the past.
III. Statement of Rights
We acknowledge the following:
- Sheltered animals have a right to live;
- Feral cats have a right to their lives and their habitats;
- Animals, rescuers, and the public have a right to expect animal protection
organizations and animal shelters to do everything in their power to promote,
protect, and advocate for the lives of animals;
- Animal protection groups, rescue groups, and No Kill shelters have a right to
take into their custody animals who would otherwise be killed by animal
shelters;
- Taxpayers and community members have a right to have their government spend
tax monies on programs and services whose purpose is to save and enhance the
lives of all animals;
- Taxpayers and community members have a right to full and complete disclosure
about how animal shelters operate.
IV. Guiding Principles
No Kill is achieved only by guaranteeing the following:
- Life to all healthy animals, and to all sick, injured, or vicious animals
where medical or behavioral intervention would alter a poor or grave prognosis;
- The right of feral cats to live in their habitats.
These conditions can be achieved only through adherence to the following:
- Shelters and humane groups end the killing of healthy and treatable animals,
including feral cats;
- Every animal in a shelter receives individual consideration, regardless of how
many animals a shelter takes in, or whether such animals are healthy, underaged,
elderly, sick, injured, traumatized, or feral;
- Shelters and humane organizations discontinue the use of language that
misleads the public and glosses over the nature of their actions, such as
“euthanasia,” “unadoptable,” “fractious,” “putting them to sleep,” and other
euphemisms that downplay the gravity of ending life and make the task of killing
easier;
- Shelters are open to the public during hours that permit working people to
reclaim or adopt animals during nonworking hours;
- Shelters and other government agencies promote spay/neuter programs and
mandate that animals be spayed or neutered before adoption;
- Public shelters work with humane animal adoption organizations to the fullest
extent to promote the adoption of animals and to reduce the rate of killing;
- Shelters provide care and treatment for all animals in shelters to the extent
necessary, including prompt veterinary care, adequate nutrition, shelter,
exercise, and socialization;
- Shelters are held accountable for and make information publicly available
about all the animals in their care.
V. No Kill Standards
The implementation of these lifesaving procedures, policies, and programs must
be the immediate goal of every shelter, and animal control and animal welfare
agency:
- Formal, active commitment by shelter directors, management, and staff to
lifesaving programs and policies, and dedication to promptly ending mass killing
of shelter animals;
- Immediate implementation of the following programs by all publicly funded or
subsidized animal shelters:
- High-volume, low- and no-cost spay/neuter services;
- A foster care network for underaged, traumatized, sick, injured, or other
animals needing refuge before any sheltered animal is killed, unless the
prognosis for rehabilitation of that individual animal is poor or grave;
- Comprehensive adoption programs that operate during weekend and evening hours
and include offsite adoption venues;
- Medical and behavioral rehabilitation programs;Pet retention programs to solve
- medical, environmental, or behavioral problems
and keep animals with their caring and responsible caregivers;
- Trap-Neuter-Return or Release (TNR) programs;
- Rescue group access to shelter animals;
- Volunteer programs to socialize animals, promote adoptions, and help in the
operations of the shelter;
- Documentation before any animal is killed that all efforts to save the animal
have been considered, including medical and behavioral rehabilitation, foster
care, rescue groups, neuter and release, and adoption.
- An end to the policy of accepting trapped feral cats to be destroyed as
unadoptable, and implementation of TNR as the accepted method of feral cat
control by educating the public about TNR and offering TNR program services;
- An end to the use of temperament testing that results in killing animals who
are not truly vicious (e.g., shy/timid cats and frightened dogs) but who can be
placed in homes, or are feral cats who can be returned or released;
- Abolishment of trapping, lending traps to the public to capture animals, and
support of trapping by shelters, governments, and pest control companies for the
purposes of removing animals to be killed;
- An end to owner-requested killing of animals unless the shelter has made an
independent determination that the animal is irremediably suffering or cannot be
rehabilitated;
- The repeal of unenforceable and counter-productive animal control ordinances
such as cat licensing and leash laws, pet limit laws, bans on feeding stray
animals, and bans on specific breeds.
To participate and/or get more information, visit
No Kill Declaration.
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