As President of Buffalo Humane, and a strong advocate of The No Kill Equation, I wanted to respond to the recent article by Niagara Falls Reporter Publisher Frank Parlato Jr. (available online at www.niagarafallsreporter.com/parlato2.7.12.html).
Current shelter practices of taking on animal control services and "euthanizing" (No Kill advocates prefer the term "killing") dogs and cats has its roots as far back as the founding of the ASPCA, whose mission and purpose was usurped after the death in 1888 of its founder and the father of the humane movement, Henry Bergh.
Bergh stressed that the ASPCA could not serve to protect animals and also take on animal control. During his life, he absolutely forbade any relationship between the two. But no sooner was his body laid to rest than the ASPCA immediately contracted with the City of New York to run the city pound and kill unwanted dogs and cats.
Most current SPCAs and other so-called "humane" organizations across America continue this tradition. The Humane Society of the United States (and Wayne Pacelles) perpetuate outdated notions of what is and is not possible, and continue to lament the "pet overpopulation problem."
But the No Kill Movement returns to the original ideas of Henry Bergh, and stresses that humane organizations should be there to protect the animals, not kill them.
Nathan Winograd's book "Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation" (the bible of the No Kill Movement) challenges the very assumptions and myths that form the core of the shelter industry and organizations like HSUS.
As such, Mr. Parlato's article just parrots the same old ideas and myths, the so-called "prevailing wisdom" in America today.
The No Kill Equation outlines 11 steps that will save the lives of countless animals. Who can argue with or even fight such steps as:
1. Trap-Neuter-Release of feral/free-roaming community cats -- the only scientifically supported method for actually reducing cat populations
2. High-volume, low-cost spay/neuter programs to keep pet populations in check (especially for cats and certain breeds like pitbull-type dogs)
3. Rescue groups for transferring animals that need more intensive rehabilitation and care
4. Foster care, to extend shelter capacity and care for animals that cannot be adequately cared for in a shelter environment
5. Comprehensive adoption programs, including open hours that are accessible and off-site adoptions, so animals are brought to the adopters
6. Pet retention efforts, to keep animals in their existing homes
7. Medical and behavior prevention and rehabilitation, to ensure that animals receive the help they need and don't develop problems because they are in shelters
8. Public relations and community involvement, so the public can step up to the plate when truly needed
9. Volunteers to provide the needed workforce without compromising budgets
10. Proactive redemptions, to reunite as many stray animals as possible with their owners rather than incarcerating them
11. A compassionate director, who is essential to all of the other 10 steps
Although the Erie County SPCA boasts a 77 percent "save rate," they have not implemented the full set of programs above.
They still do not operate a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinic.
They do not handle feral cats, but at least they no longer accept them into the shelter. Only a small number of animals are moved to rescue groups, and this could easily be expanded with some effort.
The Erie County SPCA's foster program cannot keep active foster homes, because they are not involved in the placement of their own foster animals.
There is little effort to counsel people who wish to relinquish their pets, or to provide support that would make it possible for the animal to stay in its existing home.
Certain medical conditions are deemed "too much," and so such animals are relegated to the "unhealthy/untreatable" heap, even though current veterinary advances (more generally and in shelter medicine) mean more lives than ever can be saved.
The behavioral rehabilitation of dogs, in particular, is haphazard and not at all systematically implemented. There is no universal or systematic on-site use of dog play groups -- perhaps the most effective means of rehabilitation available to shelters.
Returning lost animals to their owners is incidental only, and proactive efforts are not attempted. If the Erie County SPCA would systematically and enthusiastically implement the FULL complement of The No Kill Equation, they could raise their save rate to above 90 percent.
The point of The No Kill Equation is that it is a roadmap to saving as many animals as possible, rather than disposing of as many animal carcasses as possible. There are national examples of open-admissions animal control facilities that achieve the No Kill goal of saving 90 percent or more. They are not "limited admission" shelters, as claimed in Mr. Parlato's article.
Problems of definitions and shipping out "unadoptable" animals is a characteristic of our existing shelter system, trying to "market" themselves as No Kill, but not actually achieving it. Implementing ALL the programs of The No Kill Equation should be the cornerstone of modern sheltering, not killing for convenience.
My organization is one of those "limited admission" rescue organizations. But we take some of the most difficult cases, and we rehabilitate the dogs and find them new homes. Sometimes they are in our care for years -- not often, but sometimes.
There is a home out there for every savable animal, but it takes willingness and effort to do right by the animals, and not do what is easy or "expedient."
There's no reason that our methods cannot be practiced within the constraints of the shelter system. If only the system would invite us in to show them the way.
You mentioned Tampa, Fla. But just three days before the writing of this article, Nathan Winograd appeared at a conference held there to spur the community to take the next big step to TRUE No Kill.
What is that? It isn't giving lip service to saving the "healthy" and "treatable" animals. It means SAVING 90 period, period. No definitions, no skirting the issues.
So a local group, www.Save90.org, brought Winograd to the public and to municipal/county officials to explain how they could go the last mile. It's a community that is poised to do just that.
Can't Niagara County do the same? What will we say if we don't at least try? What can it hurt?
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Feb. 14 2012 |