Gov. Ned Lamont has proclaimed August as No-Kill Shelter Month in Connecticut, a critical initiative aimed at making Connecticut a no-kill* state this year. This effort underlines the statewide commitment to ending the unnecessary killing of dogs and cats throughout the state’s shelters.
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the entire country no-kill, welcomes this pivotal step in Connecticut’s pet lifesaving efforts. This proclamation reaffirms what recent data from Best Friends Animal Society’s shows: no-kill shelters are on the rise nationwide due to increasing public demand and support to save every healthy and treatable pet.
“We commend Gov. Lamont for leading this essential effort to save the lives of dogs and cats in Connecticut,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “With the support and collective action of the governor and communities across the state, Connecticut is poised to become the next no-kill state in the Eastern U.S., joining Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.”
Best Friends’ data also shows that nearly 2 out of 3 U.S. shelters are already no-kill. Nearly half of the shelters that are not-yet-no-kill are less than 100 pets away from reaching the milestone. In Connecticut, last year 83 of the state’s 94 animal shelters maintained or achieved no-kill. Data shows the state’s remaining 11 shelters need to save about 200 more pets combined to achieve this milestone.
The proclamation encourages Connecticut residents to work together to make a positive difference in the lives of the state’s pets by adopting, fostering, volunteering, educating, and generating awareness for these pets in need throughout their communities.
“With less than 200 pets needing to be saved for Connecticut to become no-kill, we’re calling on Connecticut residents to choose to adopt pets from shelters and rescue groups instead of purchasing from breeders or stores.” said Castle.
To learn more about Best Friends data or how to help take Connecticut no-kill, visit bestfriends.org.
*No-kill is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols.