Clearly, the most ethical choice for animals is a no kill shelter. Although they are only allowed to accept “adoptable” pets, they are often privately owned and operated by compassionate individuals. These not-for-profit entities are focused on treating animals for medical problems and getting them into a home, whatever it takes.
No Kill Network
As it turns out, it is easy to find a no-kill shelter near you. Start by heading over to No Kill Network. Select your state and a list of no-kill shelters will appear by city. This will bring you to an alphabetical listing of no-kill shelters in your state. Each pet shelter lists the city it is located in. Now, look at the cities for one closest to you. The website of each shelter is listed below each name. To contact the shelter itself, visit their website and click on their contact us page. Visiting their website is a great way to find a pet if you are looking for one. Many websites have pictures of the animals they have available as well as online adoption applications.
Finding a New Home for Your Pet
Perhaps you are moving into a new residence that unfortunately won’t allow you to have pets. If you are unable to find a new home for your pet on your own, your next step can be to research no kill pet shelters. After all, you need to make sure that your beloved animal is going to not only be happy in his new home, but during the transition as well. How do you know if he will be comfortable before he reaches his new home? Take into consideration the rating system on the No Kill Network. They provide an area for people who have dealt with each shelter to rate it from 1 to 5 in specific areas of service. Let’s take a look at some of the different areas which receive ratings on this helpful website.
Pet Retention
What is pet retention? Pet retention takes one of three forms, but its main agenda is to keep the pet with the new owner, long-term. First, it involves helping families with a low-income take care of pet medical costs if they cannot afford it. Secondly, it deals with helping families overcome training obstacles with the animal that would otherwise cause them to give away the animal. Third, it covers the basics such as food and shelter that the owners cannot afford on their own.
Specific Programs
The No Kill Network lets people rate the overall comprehensive adoption programs and foster care programs. They cover rescue groups and medical behavior programs. Proactive redemptions is another rated aspect. Spay and neutering programs are also rated.
Feral Cat TNR Program
If you are a cat lover, it may interest you to learn what a specific no kill shelter is doing to help out feral cats. What exactly is a feral cat? Feral cats live outdoors, 100% of the time and are free-roaming. They are usually unable to be handled by people and exhibit unsocial behavior. Some centers offer programs specifically to help these feral cats. For example, a prospective owner begins by trapping the cat and bringing it into their facility. The center may spay or neuter the feral cat, give it distemper and rabies vaccines. They may also tip the ears, give it a tattoo and an ear mite treatment, all for a small fee.
Workers
The No Kill Network allows you to rate how well-liked the volunteers at the clinic were, and how compassionate the director of the center was. You can also see ratings on their public relations and level of community involvement.
Conclusion
By following a few simple steps, a pet owner is able to take responsibility of the future of their animal. Whether you are looking to adopt a pet or if you need to find a home for the one you already have, a no-kill shelter is a haven of care and love for you and your pet.