Every day 586 dogs are killed in America due to lack of kennel space

Animal shelters are in crisis due to the rising number of dogs entering compared to those safely exiting through adoption or rescue. Owners are surrendering their pets at an alarmingly increasing rate and dog adoptions are declining. Many dogs will horrifically never leave—not because they are aggressive or broken, but because there simply isn’t enough space for them. The most innocent and unconditionally loving being on earth, being killed daily at daunting rates due to lack of space.

The shelter crisis is fueled by the absence of legislation protecting animals; by a societal issue in which broken communities view surrendering pets as acceptable; and by a capacity constraint, where the number of dogs entering shelters exceeds the number exiting. It is untenable to safely house the number of dogs entering the shelter system on an ongoing basis. Managing the dog population through euthanasia is neither ethical nor acceptable.

Animal shelters were intended to serve as sanctuaries for homeless and abandoned pets. Overcrowding and limited resources force these shelters to euthanize a large number of animals. Shelters are a horrific environment for dogs—loud, disorienting, isolating, and unnerving, with the unfathomable scent of the euthanasia room nearby. Most dogs experience extreme stress in this environment, which can cause them to deteriorate. The fear they feel often leads them to shut down, making them less adoptable and sometimes resulting in a “rescue-only” designation by the shelter. Labeling a dog “rescue-only” significantly reduces their chances of safely exiting the shelter. This is one example of how the shelter system itself works against saving the very dogs it was meant to protect.