With so many organizations looking to get to “No Kill,” we’ve compiled 5 resources to help you check all of the boxes of the No Kill Equation.
Whether your organization is already considered a No Kill shelter or if they are actively working to get there, having the resources at hand is critical to success. The No Kill Equation by Nathan Winograd is a staple among organizations looking to eliminate euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals.
These 11 steps are the formula that any organization can use to get to no kill. So here are the steps in the No Kill Equation along with resources to help you get there today!
Community Cat/Dog Sterilization:
We all know that the pet overpopulation problem is one that is made by humans. The only way to completely solve it is to focus on responsible spaying and neutering to reduce the number of unwanted animals.
You may be thinking “That’s great, but where can we find low-cost spay/neuter in our community?” Our friends at the ASPCA teamed up with PetSmart Charities to produce the low cost spay & neuter resource map so you can just punch in your zip code, and find a plethora of resources available to you and your community.
There are also many granting organizations that would be glad to sponsor a low-cost spay/neuter program. Check out this listing of potential grant organizations to get some assistance: https://www.animalsheltering.org/grant-listings
Rescue Groups: Foster Care: Animal Rescue Volunteers:
Animal shelters need to partner with local and national animal rescue groups in order to augment their capacity and existing programs. But with so many organizations coming and going, how are you going to find a reputable animal rescue group to work with?
Doobert to the rescue! Doobert.com is the ONLY online tool that screens every animal rescue organization for more than just a 501(c)(3) IRS Charity designation. We require 3 references (1 must be a veterinarian) for every animal rescue that wants to join the Doobert community. And we also inquire within the community of the applying organization to ensure they have good standing and relationships with other animal rescue and shelter organizations. We do all of this to provide you with a reputable database of organizations that you can work with.
Our friends at the Animal Rescue Professionals Association are taking it another step and have developed the first national rating system for animal shelters and rescues. You can search to see if your local organization is Silver, Gold or Platinum and view how transparent they are regarding their programs for saving animals.
Doobert is also the largest database (over 23,000+) of animal rescue volunteers that are eager to help with transport and fostering animals. Our tools make it easy for you to find everything from transport volunteers, to fosters, even to photographers and social media gurus.
Comprehensive Adoption Programs:
Every animal shelter has one goal, to get their animals adopted out. There are TONS of resources online for creative marketing programs to get your animals adopted. There are also literally hundreds of websites that will feature your adoptable animals including Adoptapet.com and Petfinder.com which are two of the largest and most established. Rescuegroups.org will automatically post your adoptable animals to dozens of websites automatically.
Pet Retention:
Keeping pets with their owners is the goal of any reputable animal shelter. But how do you prevent owner surrenders when you’re an open admission shelter? There are many great resources out there to help you establish owner surrender programs that help meet the needs of your community. Often the owners really do not want to surrender their pet but they may not have the financial means to care for them.
Sometimes it’s as simple as requiring them to setup an appointment and connecting them with a counselor to ask some basic questions and point out resources that you already have in your community to help them.
You’ve probably also heard about Maddie’s Pet Assistant but did you know that there are some innovative shelters that are using this lifesaving tool to help with owner surrenders and keeping pets in their homes? Check out this article to learn more Preventing surrenders with MPA.
Medical & Behavior Programs:
Establishing good shelter protocols is critical to preventing disease outbreak and is a core tenet of getting to no-kill. In addition to the many resources you can find on the major websites like the ASPCA, HSUS and BestFriends, there’s a comprehensive standards guide from the Association of Shelter Veterinarians that is a great place to start.
It walks you through everything you need to know from sanitation, behavioral health, and even basics on animal handling. If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to start with, this is the place to go. Then you can check out more advanced resources.
Public Relations/Community Involvement:
Everyone knows you cannot get to no kill without the support of your community. But where should you start?
How about following PAWS Chicago’s model where they have a very active community and list out for you what their tenets and approach are for keeping their community engaged. Then head on over to Non-Profit Pro to read about some of their ideas for engaging your community. They are simple steps you can take that will have a big impact.
Proactive Redemptions:
This is a fancy set of words that basically means help people get their lost pets back. The ASPCA estimates that upwards of 30-40% of animals in shelters are likely someone’s lost pet so establishing a good lost pet program within an animal shelter is a key to success with no kill.
Our friends at PetFBI.org are the leading non-profit national site that can help you get an effective lost and found pet program established. They are linked already with other national databases so that your community only needs to enter their animals once and the information will be shared to maximize the chances of reuniting you with your lost furry friends.
A Compassionate Director:
One of the most important elements in the no kill equation starts at the top with the director of the organization. There’s no simple resource here to find that special person. If the organization near you is not committed to getting to no kill it could be a problem at the top and one that will require you to work with your local and city government in some cases to have that person replaced. Know that there are many people that will help you if you have to go this route. Just listen to some of the podcasts from our friends at the ARPA where they interview the leaders in animal welfare.
