Do you know the difference between “kill” and “no-kill” animal shelters?
I’ve heard the terms many times, but I don’t think I really understood everything until I read this woman’s Twitter thread on the subject.
Yes, it’s time to educate ourselves on this important topic, so let’s dig in!
Part One
The difference between a "kill" and "no-kill" shelter is so misunderstood and prompts me to write a 7 tweet rant on why you need to know the difference and give equal support to both
— hannahschramm4 (@hannahschramm4) December 18, 2019
Part Two
Municipal shelters are more often tagged as "kill shelters" because they are contractually obligated to serve the community they reside in. If Cleveland City Kennel, Lorain County Kennel and others alike get a call for an animal they HAVE to bring it in regardless of their
— hannahschramm4 (@hannahschramm4) December 18, 2019
Part Three
Current volume of dogs. So if they are full they must bring it in regardless. Contrasting, private shelters (more often "no-kill" shelters) have the ability to pick and choose when and what to accept into their shelter. They do not have to exceed their max amount of animals.
— hannahschramm4 (@hannahschramm4) December 18, 2019
Part Four
So going back, people often boast that they'd never support a "kill shelter", never volunteer for one, never adopt from one, never even visit one. And essentially, that's the problem. Since they are contractually obligated to take in every animal in their municipality and they
— hannahschramm4 (@hannahschramm4) December 18, 2019
Part Five
Get no adoptions, inadequate staff, no support from the community, no adoptions animals are senselessly euthanized because of the stigma that they are creating themselves. If we all showered municipal shelters with the same love "no-kill" private shelters got, euthanasia
— hannahschramm4 (@hannahschramm4) December 18, 2019
Part Six
Wouldn't even be considered because kennels would open because the community supports them and adopts/fosters/etc. "Kill Shelters" aren't full of monsters who hate animals, they're typically staffed with volunteers that work so hard to save every single animal with little to no
— hannahschramm4 (@hannahschramm4) December 18, 2019
Part Seven
Support from their community. thanks for coming to my TedTalk, support your local shelters. All of em 🙂
— hannahschramm4 (@hannahschramm4) December 18, 2019
Part Eight
This thread is excluding situations where animals have no other option but euthanasia, for example overly aggressive animals or incurably sick animals. No shelter is exempt from those heart breaking cases!
— hannahschramm4 (@hannahschramm4) December 18, 2019
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I understand this subject a lot better after reading those tweets. Of course the reality was much more complicated than what we’ve been led to believe, right?
What are your thoughts about this? What would you do to solve the animal overpopulation problem?
Share with us in the comments!