Kill Shelters...do they really exist!!!

Yes, and - this may seem controversial - it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

For the unadoptable dogs, either because of behaviour issues or just being not cute and fluffy enough, having a quiet and gentle death can be less stressful than many years in a shelter.

 

Yes, simply too many dogs to house and care for. Not all will be suitable for rehoming though.

 

I agree. Dead dogs don't suffer. One good meal and a gentle end is far kinder than the wrong home or being in the shelter for the rest of their lifespan - which also releases places for dogs that are more robust in character and healthier in body hence more rehomable. A lifetime of pain, fear, and/or being on drugs permanently is not a life "saved".

 

I have found this thread a thought-provoking read. I sponsor a cocker spaniel in the care of the DogsTrust; he has been with them since 2016, rehomed then returned twice. The DogsTrust never kills a healthy dog and I just assumed that this was a good thing; I also assumed that they give a better life to the dogs there than a typical shelter can provide.

 

Absolutely. And this is why we are so opposed to irresponsible breeding. A good breeder will keep a degree of responsibility for all of the dogs they breed, for their whole lives, so those dogs should not end up in rescue. So, the dogs that do end up in shelters have possibly been poorly bred, or may have been surrendered due to behavioural problems. Importantly, the two are linked. We know that a lot of behaviour is genetic but poor breeders who produce litters without thorough research don't seem to realise that their ”just one litter” or canine cash cow is what causes this problem.

This is why we are so passionate about breeding being done responsibly.

 

I have bred several litters in the past, and always emphasised that, if circumstances changed, the puppy (at whatever age) was to come back to me. Sadly this is not legally enforceable.

If people don't buy well-reared pups from good breeders, all that is left are badly-reared pups from lousy breeders. Supporting good breeders is not an inferior choice.

 

yes, we have both kill and no-kill shelters here in the US. an important thing to note is that typically (though not always) no-kill shelters have closed or selective admission whereas kill shelters are open admission. that is, the "kill" shelters are often municipal pounds which are required by law to take in every animal that is brought to them. they also have to abide by laws about overcrowding and obviously they have to feed everyone. and then their budgets are set by the city and whatever donations they get, so you can imagine how underresourced these facilities often are.

"no-kill" shelters (which do still euthanize for both health and behavior) can typically maintain that status because they don't take in every animal that comes their way.

one of the most backwards things i've seen in the animal rescue world is the demonization of "kill" shelters. these facilities need more resources and support, not less. hannah shaw, the kitten lady, has a great youtube video about this topic. i don't think i can post links yet, but it should be easily searchable.

it's not all doom and gloom though! there's some really cool stuff happening in the world of animal sheltering. the million cat challenge out of the university of florida and ucsd vet schools worked with shelters across the country to find ways to improve outcomes for shelter cats. the project was multipronged and involved improving conditions in shelters, trying to keep cats out of shelters in the first place, and trying to get cats out of shelters faster. really neat, paradigm busting work.

the people in the field are working to make things better. it's just that they are swamped and the problem starts long before the animals show up at their door.

 

done! sorry, i thought the question was specifically about the us. thanks for pointing out that i needed to make it explicit that my answer was too!

i should also reiterate that there's a TON of variation in different parts of the us. laws, budgets, and shelter structures differ. there's also a huge amount of variation in how bad the overpopulation/unwanted pet problem is in different areas, so outcomes and strategies differ.

 

It's a really tricky issue. I volunteer at a shelter and they'd never have a healthy dog put down, but there is one dog who is aggressive with other dogs and is a danger to people in confined spaces. He will likely spend his life in the stressful kennel environment, which is hardly a life.