Kill vs. No-Kill Shelters, Part 2

Open-admission Shelters

Open-admission shelters that euthanize are sometimes stereotyped as government operated death camps staffed by bureaucrats motivated only by paychecks. The reality is that Open-admission shelters choose to or must take in all animals regardless of their adoptability.

As a result these organizations are sometimes forced to humanely put to death unwanted, unadopted, old, sick, neglected, dangerous and abused animals. Although shelter workers despise the need for euthanasia, they feel it is more humane and responsible than letting animals suffer as strays on the streets, neglected pets chained in backyards, or as unadopted companions kept indefinitely in cages.

Many open-admission shelters have strong spay/neuter programs, good adoption screening and follow-up as well as public outreach and education in addition to animal-control services.

All shelters agree that euthanizing homeless animals is not the solution to the pet overpopulation problem; rather, its a tragic result of it.

And it's clear that increased spay and neuter promotion, breeding legislation, and humane education have made an impact on pet overpopulation and the need for euthanasia.

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