A Look at the Differences between Traditional and No-Kill Shelters

In the world of animal shelters, the debate over no-kill shelters versus traditional animal shelters continues, and it’s a highly polarizing issue with intense arguments on both sides. In order to decide where you stand on this topic, it is important to understand how both types of shelters work in terms of policies on intake and guidelines on the use of animals, as well as how shelters obtain their statistics. The entire issue is much more complicated than it appears at first glance.

Let’s take a closer look at the differences and try to discover what these organizations are doing for the population of homeless animals.

What Is a Shelter? How Is It Different from a Rescue Or Sanctuary?

Shelters and rescues are so closely related that the terms are almost completely interchangeable. However, there are still some differences between them. Shelters are generally run by the government or a large nonprofit, and they most commonly host their animals on-site. In contrast, rescues are almost always run by a nonprofit organization, and they tend to have limited admission policies and rely on foster homes to house their animals rather than a large shelter site.

Sanctuaries differ from both shelters and rescues in that they exist solely for the purpose of housing animals that are unable to be adopted, thereby saving them from euthanasia. Animals at sanctuaries often happily live out the rest of their lives there.

How Traditional Shelters Operate

“Kill shelters,” which are also known as “traditional shelters,” are often open admission, meaning that they will take any animal no matter what their health, condition, or behavior. Unfortunately, due to overcrowding caused by these policies, traditional shelters are often forced to euthanize healthy animals to make more room. Animal advocates will agree that this needs to change.

How ‘No-Kill’ Shelters Operate

While not all no-kill shelters are the same, their mission is clear. These shelters keep all the animals in their care until they find a new home, no matter how long that might take. No-kill shelters maintain a 90% or higher “live release” rate. What this means is that 90% of the animals entering the shelter leave again alive through adoption, admission to sanctuaries, transfer to other rescues, or by returning to their original owners. Many of these shelters are so-called “limited admission,” meaning that there are often qualifying factors before an animal is accepted. These organizations usually operate out of foster homes and also maintain a large shelter space. The animals can be turned away for extreme behavioral or health issues that may make adoption difficult or impossible, and sometimes they may be turned away when a shelter is at capacity.

Often, no-kill shelters with limited admission operate on an appointment-based system when someone is seeking to surrender an animal. This allows employees to sit down with the animal and its owner and to offer advice and education that might result in the pet staying in its original home. Some no-kill shelters are beginning to explore the possibility of becoming open admission shelters, as well, but this is not yet the established norm and presents many logistical difficulties. No-kill shelters rely heavily on volunteers and foster-homes in order to meet their live release goals.

The Spay/Neuter Problem

Perhaps a bigger problem than euthanasia at traditional animal shelters is the continual birth of more puppies and kittens that don’t have a home. Feral cats reproduce at a rate of around 1.4 litters per year per female cat, and some studies have shown that free-roaming cats are the main source of the population of homeless cats in shelters. Spay and neuter groups that catch these animals could prove beneficial for shelters that experience intense overcrowding, perhaps helping to eliminate the need to ever euthanize healthy animals.

Families in need are also less likely to spay or neuter their pets, adding additional dogs and cats to the population of homeless animals. Many no-kill and traditional shelters have begun to offer low-cost spay and neuter clinics to reach these animals. Some also offer lower-cost general veterinary care and educational programs for pet owners to help with behavioral issues and training, as well as to teach pet owners how best to care for their animals.

Working Together to Save Animals Everywhere

For the benefit of homeless animals, a community effort must exist to help all of them. Saving all of these animals and putting them into loving homes will never happen without a collaborative effort from sanctuaries, rescues, shelters, spay and neuter clinics, volunteers, veterinarians, and philanthropists. Together, communities can work together to make a real difference in the lives of animals everywhere.