Companion Animal Care Articles from All-Creatures.org

Countering the Opposition: Responding to the Ten Predictable and Recurring Excuses of No Kill Opponents

From Nathan Winograd, No Kill Advocacy
January 2023

Fifteen years ago, No Kill opponents argued that no Kill was simply impossible. they called it a “hoax,” a “marketing ploy” and nothing more than “smoke and mirrors.” With No Kill success throughout the nation, these claims have lost traction. With an increasingly informed public and the pressure for reform mounting across the country, those who defend killing have evolved their tactics in several ways.

Fifteen years ago, No Kill opponents argued that no Kill was simply impossible. they called it a “hoax,” a “marketing ploy” and nothing more than “smoke and mirrors.” With No Kill success throughout the nation, these claims have lost traction. With an increasingly informed public and the pressure for reform mounting across the country, those who defend killing have evolved their tactics in several ways.

As animal lovers work to overcome the crisis of cruelty and uncaring endemic to animal shelters, the entrenched opposition—both shelter directors themselves and their allies at animal protection organizations—invariably respond to demands for reform with the excuses highlighted in this guide.

The ten predictable and recurring excuses and how to respond:

1. It's pet overpopulation
2. It's the irresponsible public's fault
3. It's too expensive
4. No kill threatens public safety
5. We tried No Kill, it didn't work
6. No Kill leads to warehousing
7. Animal rescuers are hoarders and dog fighters
8. Open admission shelters cannot be No Kill
9. Shelter reform efforts are unreasonable
10. No Kill reformers are extremists
    

 

Please read the ENTIRE GUIDE FOR DETAILED RESPONSES. 

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