No-kill: Affinity Projects is helping the movement become a reality

An estimated four million homeless dogs and cats are killed each year in America’s shelters. That means that more than 9,000 animals are killed every day. These animals are being killed (not euthanized) simply because they have no place to call home.

Understanding no-kill

In many animal welfare organizations throughout the country, euthanasia is defined purely as an act of mercy. Euthanizing a pet is considered only when veterinary and/or behavioral experts have determined that an animal’s condition is untreatable and the animal has little or no chance of recovering an acceptable quality of life.

This is why organizations purposefully describe themselves as dedicated to no-kill. No-kill organizations euthanize animals who are suffering irremediably. They do not kill healthy or treatable animals and label it “euthanasia” to make it more palatable.

The no-kill movement started as a radical notion, but today it is becoming mainstream. The goal is to correct our collective failure to value and protect the lives of homeless pets — lives that matter.

Those dedicated to no-kill want to end the killing of healthy and treatable animals in shelters. To be considered no-kill, a shelter must be saving 90 percent or more of the animals it takes in.

Getting to the goal

Affinity Project is helping no-kill efforts around the country through lifesaving programs designed to help stop the killing of animals in shelters. These programs include national initiatives focused on shutting down puppy mills, fighting breed-discriminatory legislation, and keeping community cats safe and out of shelters. To accomplish its objectives, Affinity Projects has joined forces with coalitions of animal welfare groups and a national network of animal welfare partners, all unified under a distinct call to action: Save Them All.

Promoting pet adoption: By encouraging people to adopt rather than buy their pets, we help increase the number of pets leaving shelters.

Supporting spay/neuter: By promoting sterilization and providing spay/neuter resources wherever they are needed, we help decrease the number of animals entering shelters.

Local programs

Affinity Projects is working with local no-kill shelters and organizations to make sure we can provide shelter until we can find them homes.

National initiatives

To help reduce the number of animals entering and being killed in shelters, Best Friends created three national initiatives.

Community cat initiatives

Affinity Projects is working to keep community cats safe, healthy and out of shelters by promoting and implementing trap/neuter/return (TNR) programs.

Pit bull terrier initiatives

Affinity Projects is fighting breed discrimination to keep family pets in loving homes and encouraging the adoption of pit-bull-terrier-like dogs.

Puppy mill initiatives

Affinity Projects is leading an effort to end irresponsible and commercial dog breeding and encourage people to adopt pets instead of buying them.

No More Homeless Pets Network

Through its No More Homeless Pets Network, Affinity Projects maintains lifesaving partnerships with more than 1,000 animal rescue organizations, spay/neuter groups and animal shelters throughout the country — all of them working to help homeless pets and create local no-kill communities.

No More Homeless Pets Network partners receive funding, marketing help, expert resources and other forms of support from Affinity Projects to help them in their efforts to reduce the number of animals killed in their local shelters. Affinity Projects has Network partners in all 50 states.