PSA: No kill day national pet adoptions

hoffse · June 2015

Just wanted to let everyone know that thousands of pet shelters around the country are celebrating "No Kill Day" today. Different shelters are celebrating in different ways. Our local shelter is offering extremely low-priced adoptions as part of the No Kill Day celebrations ($11 adoption fees!).

If you have been thinking about adopting, you might want to check out your local shelter and see if they are participating!

abrewer5 · June 2015

Thank you for the heads up! I've been trying to convince H to get a second dog with no luck!

Not derail the thread-- I love that they're doing this, but I really wish we could get to a place in this country (world really) where "No Kill Day" was an every day thing. It makes me so sad that so many animals are put down each day because of irresponsible owners/breeders and over crowding. Sorry I just had to get that out.

TravelJunkie1234 · June 2015

Thanks for sharing this!

I'm with you @abrewer5. I wish all shelters were no-kill and that people would get their pets fixed. I know around where I live, pet overpopulation is a a major issue and the shelters are bursting at the seams.

Last night DH and I actually found a young momma cat (she looks like she's maybe a year old, if that), and 6 kittens living in our backyard. We're torn about what to do--there's a county animal shelter just up the road, but I know if we take them there they will likely be put to sleep. We were in this same situation a couple of years ago which is how we ended up with 3 baby kittens on top of the two that we already had (we were able to find homes for a few of the kittens and the mom, at least).

I hope that everyone who is thinking about getting a pet seriously considers adopting from a shelter--there are great pets there just looking for a loving, forever home. And not a lot of people know this, but many shelters have animals besides dogs and cats--I've seen turtles, rabbits, birds and lizards!

abrewer5 · June 2015

TravelJunkie1234 said:

Thanks for sharing this!

I'm with you @abrewer5. I wish all shelters were no-kill and that people would get their pets fixed. I know around where I live, pet overpopulation is a a major issue and the shelters are bursting at the seams.

Last night DH and I actually found a young momma cat (she looks like she's maybe a year old, if that), and 6 kittens living in our backyard. We're torn about what to do--there's a county animal shelter just up the road, but I know if we take them there they will likely be put to sleep. We were in this same situation a couple of years ago which is how we ended up with 3 baby kittens on top of the two that we already had (we were able to find homes for a few of the kittens and the mom, at least).

I hope that everyone who is thinking about getting a pet seriously considers adopting from a shelter--there are great pets there just looking for a loving, forever home. And not a lot of people know this, but many shelters have animals besides dogs and cats--I've seen turtles, rabbits, birds and lizards!

I agree! Shelters near us are bursting at the seams too.. I constantly see on FB that they're over flowing and urgent pleas to rescue dogs on the "red list." I hate it. And two posts down I see people selling pit bull puppies (or other dogs/cats, but mostly pits) on backyard swap pages on FB, and I just see red. It makes me so angry that people are breeding pits of all dogs when they are so over populated, abused, and have the highest kill rate in shelters. I just wish people would get a clue and fix their pets. There are so many low cost options to getting it done, at least in my area. One shelter in our area has over a 50% kill rate, which is just heart breaking.

I will also second that shelter animals are AMAZING. I got my pup from shelter and she is awesome. Next month will be 2 years that we've had her, and she just brings so much love and happiness to us.

Good luck with the kittens! You may consider trapping them before they relocate (often mother cats will do this if they're found) and contacting some local no kill shelters. Or contact the no-kills shelters first to see if they have availability. We have quite a few that will take in feral cats and kittens and at the very least house them until they can be spayed/neutered and returned. More states need to come up with trap and release programs as well. The over population of cats is incredible and if the states had good programs it could easily be curbed.

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

thanks for sharing! I wish there were more education about what responsible breeding is so people would stop unknowingly supporting backyard breeders and puppy mills, if more people knew how to seek out responsible breeders backyard breeders and puppy mills would loose their business...and shelters and rescues would not be as crowded (since all responsible breeders vow to take their animals back if there is ever a reason you can't keep them).

I was reading this fantastic commentary yesterday that touches on how rescues and shelters can be part of the problem too (not that I would ever not support a rescue or no-kill shelter). We've actually been that family several times that fell in love with a dog and applyed to rescue and were turned down becasue we aren't an "ideal" home (i.e. we have cats and a small yard). Fortunately, i guess, we did know enough to research and find/interview a responsible breeder to find our heart-dog, but it seemed so strange to have rescues throw our applications out when all our references were totally prepared to give us amazing reviews. https://www.thedodo.com/adoption-applications-perfect-family-1188877689.html

Our cats both came from the shelter, and we took advantage of deals like the one @hoffse mentioned to get them. If you have been planning to adopt, it sounds like a wonderful opportunity!

TravelJunkie1234 · June 2015

I'm so glad that you got a loving furbaby!

I've been trying to get a hold of some of the no kill shelters today but so far none have agreed to take them, I'm going to keep on trying but I'm not feeling too optimistic about it. I went through the same thing a few years ago, and even tried contacting no-kill shelters in neighboring states but got turned away each time. My vet said she's willing to put pictures up on her website, but I need to bring the cats in for exams and basic shots (will probably run me about $250-300 assuming they don't have worms or any health issues). I also have to keep them inside, which normally would be ok, but isn't going to happen now that my allergic mother-in-law is staying with us. I'm sure we'll figure it out though.

I just really hope that people consider adoption and practice responsible pet ownership. It may not change things overnight, but it will make a huge difference in that animals life.

lifeonthehill · June 2015

Thank you for sharing!

Fortunately our shelters here in ME are no kill unless it is a quality of life thing. My friend gave up a cat was sick and had a tumor that she couldn't afford to have looked at. They took it in and realized it was just full of cancer. They called her and allowed her to come when they put the cat to sleep free of charge. It was devastating for her but incredible to know the shelter helped her and the animal that way.

I would adopt again if we had the room! But three cats is more than enough!

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

Great PSA! Thanks for sharing! @Traveljunkie good luck with those kittens...I wish I could help somehow!

Shelters in RI are also no-kill except for aggression and/or health issues, which I think is great. The interesting thing, however, is that the adoption and spay/neuter messages have worked so well here that there don't tend to be very many dogs in shelters. Most only have 3-4 at any given time, and they will be mostly pitties (which I think are great dogs, but not right for every family) and chihuahuas (which I sadly learned through my rescue are the 2nd-most euthanized breed in the country). We were looking for a medium-sized, sporting breed-type dog and ended up with a rescue group that mostly rescues dogs from the south and brings them north to CT, RI, and ME (MA has weird adoption laws that I don't fully understand, but it makes out-of-state adoption trickier). Our Baxter hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, and most people I meet who have adopted dogs lately tell me that they are either from Arkansas, Tennessee, or Missouri. I learned that those states have lenient puppy mill laws, which I suppose is the reason.

Every day when I'm playing with Baxter I feel so grateful that he fell into the hands of a rescue group. Many shelters would have had to euthanize him right away since he was heartworm positive. I understand they are doing the best they can, and need to make decisions about how to allocate their resources, but the whole situation is heartbreaking. Dogs were bred to love and serve humans, and so many just treat them as expendable products.

@FormerlyGdaisy, I also agree with you about rescue restrictions being tough. I know lots of people, both friends and family, who were denied from rescue groups. Generally the reason is that both people work outside the home, and promising to hire a dogwalker or run home at lunch doesn't always help. I know not every dog can be alone for a workday, but many can, and these types of blanket restrictions bug the heck out of me. I also hate when rescues have blanket restrictions against families with children. Many dogs shouldn't live with children, but many can, and I think these situations should be taken on a case-by-case basis. And don't even get me started about how my parents, who walk three miles a day, were denied a TOY POODLE because they don't have a fenced in yard...

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

@Xstatic3333 From January until now we've applied for 6 or 7 different dogs with at least 4 different rescues, all our e-mails, applications, etc. went unanswered as soon as they learned we had cats, not all dogs are bad with cats. One rescue even had a litter of puppies we applied for, seriously an 8 week old puppy could definitely be appropriately socialized with cats.

As soon as we reached back out to our breeder our first dog came from they became a complete advocate for us and have reached out to their contacts to let them know that they have a wonderful home looking for a dog. WE've since been connected with a lovely woman looking to re-home a 1.5 year-old, while he is definitely more expensive than a rescue adoption fee and we're responsible for neuter, He's coming with all his health records, is well trained, and comes with the responsible breeder backing that if for some reason it doesn't work (he's not interested in cats, but hasn't lived with them before) she will take him back. I'm still sad that we weren't able to find a rescue willing to work with us, but we're not willing to go through the emotional roller coaster of being denied again.

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

formerlyGDaisy09 said:
@Xstatic3333 From January until now we've applied for 6 or 7 different dogs with at least 4 different rescues, all our e-mails, applications, etc. went unanswered as soon as they learned we had cats, not all dogs are bad with cats. One rescue even had a litter of puppies we applied for, seriously an 8 week old puppy could definitely be appropriately socialized with cats.

As soon as we reached back out to our breeder our first dog came from they became a complete advocate for us and have reached out to their contacts to let them know that they have a wonderful home looking for a dog. WE've since been connected with a lovely woman looking to re-home a 1.5 year-old, while he is definitely more expensive than a rescue adoption fee and we're responsible for neuter, He's coming with all his health records, is well trained, and comes with the responsible breeder backing that if for some reason it doesn't work (he's not interested in cats, but hasn't lived with them before) she will take him back. I'm still sad that we weren't able to find a rescue willing to work with us, but we're not willing to go through the emotional roller coaster of being denied again.

Totally understandable. I had no clue cats were such an issue! My dog wants to murder them but I think he's in the minority. It sounds like you have a great dog lined up! It's nice getting an adult and skipping the middle-of-the-night walks puppies need. When do you get him?

formerlyGDaisy09 · June 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

@Xstatic3333 From January until now we've applied for 6 or 7 different dogs with at least 4 different rescues, all our e-mails, applications, etc. went unanswered as soon as they learned we had cats, not all dogs are bad with cats. One rescue even had a litter of puppies we applied for, seriously an 8 week old puppy could definitely be appropriately socialized with cats.

As soon as we reached back out to our breeder our first dog came from they became a complete advocate for us and have reached out to their contacts to let them know that they have a wonderful home looking for a dog. WE've since been connected with a lovely woman looking to re-home a 1.5 year-old, while he is definitely more expensive than a rescue adoption fee and we're responsible for neuter, He's coming with all his health records, is well trained, and comes with the responsible breeder backing that if for some reason it doesn't work (he's not interested in cats, but hasn't lived with them before) she will take him back. I'm still sad that we weren't able to find a rescue willing to work with us, but we're not willing to go through the emotional roller coaster of being denied again.
Totally understandable. I had no clue cats were such an issue! My dog wants to murder them but I think he's in the minority. It sounds like you have a great dog lined up! It's nice getting an adult and skipping the middle-of-the-night walks puppies need. When do you get him?

Yes, while I was willing to do the puppy thing (with the stipulation that they would be at least 6 months old by my due date), I'm very excited to be taking in a dog that is house trained, knows basic commands, and can generally be expected to behave appropriately in public. We are meeting him on June 20th, if all goes well between him and our current dog we'll be bringing him home that day!

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

Hooray! Very exciting!

PSA: No kill day national pet adoptions

Re: PSA: No kill day national pet adoptions

Choose Another Board

Search Boards