Sizzle still waits for a home.
The St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a not-for-profit dog rescue organization specializing in older dogs but taking in and finding homes for dogs of all ages...even puppies. Meet and adopt your new best friend 11 to 3 Saturday/Sunday, January 21 and 22, at the Kirkwood Petco near I-44 and Lindbergh, or 11 to 3 Saturday, January 21 in the Bridgeton Petsmart. To see which dogs will be there as well as other adoptable dogs, go Here.
Marian Brickner, an animal photographer, is offering to take a family picture with your adopted dog. Half of the $25 fee will come back to St. Louis Senior Dog Project. You will receive a Hi RES image of the best picture. To arrange, call Marian at 314-564-5855 and check her out on this website: Pet Photography.
Every week I answer phone calls and emails from people who want me to take the dog they no longer want. Sometimes their reason for dumping the dog is a good one; often it isn't. But many of them want to know if St. Louis Senior Dog Project is a "no kill."
Yes, of course, if by "no kill" you mean that we don't put down dogs for lack of space or because they've been with us too long. Once we commit to a dog, we hold on to it until we find it a home. The only exceptions would be aggressive dogs or dogs in pain from unfixable injuries or untreatable diseases.
But I"m always tempted to say that there's really no such thing as a "no kill" rescue or shelter for the simple reason that when the dogs at "no kills" don't get adopted, other dogs die. We can't really be "no kill" until our entire community is "no kill." I say "no" to a lot of people wanting to turn over their unwanted dogs to me. I say "no" to a lot of the requests from shelters when I don't have room for another dog or I'm just not comfortable with the dog in question. I don't know what happens to all of these dogs, but I'm sure some of them die. That's why I don't brag too much about being a "no kill."
The main difference between "kill" and "no kill" is that a "no kill" group can choose the dogs it takes in and say "no" when out of space. "Kill" shelters are the municipal and county shelters responsible for animal control. They can't be selective. They must take in strays and usually also those turned in by owners. When they're out of space, they can't close the door. They must make space, and they do that by euthanizing dogs.
Most of the county and municipal shelters I work with try to save as many dogs as possible. They work with rescue groups to get dogs into homes and still must make tough decisions about which dogs to hold onto a little longer and which are probably not adoptable. I'd hate to be the one making those decisions.
I can remember a time when many shelters euthanized dogs as soon as they were past their "hold" period, the number of days they must hold a dog by law. It didn't matter if the dog was vicious or friendly, healthy or not. If time was up, the dog was out of luck. The rescue movement and programs to encourage spay/neuter have changed things a lot, significantly reducing the number of homeless dogs being euthanized. We're making progress. But we're a long ways from being a "no kill" community.
Most of us define "no kill" as "no kill of adoptable dogs," and we don't all define "adoptable" the same. I think senior dogs are adoptable. Some others disagree and avoid them.
We all get a little uncomfortable when we turn away a dog that anyone would call "adoptable" because we're having trouble placing other dogs that may be less desirable. We comfort ourselves when some of these less desirable dogs end up in homes where their new humans thing they're the best dogs they've ever owned.
But still. We aren't a "no kill" community.
Part of the solution, of course, is more spay/neuter to cut down on the number of unwanted dogs. We might also aim our strongest efforts at dog fighting rings and pitball breeders who are contributing so many of the dogs that end up in "kill" shelters.
This past week we did take in a couple senior dogs from St. Louis County and a couple big dogs from Jefferson County. All were at risk. I'm happy we could help. Sizzle, above, is another dog we rescued from a "kill" shelter last summer. As a black dog (and a darn sweet one at that), she was at risk. She's still waiting for a home, and she deserves a break, but so do some of the others who never seem to get one.
It's not easy.
Ellen Ellick
President/Founder
St. Louis Senior Dog Project
Excellent analysis, Ellen. I agree completely. The big picture needs to be kept in mind, and it really will take the wider community to achieve a no-kill society.
Posted by: Tom Myler | January 21, 2012 at 11:10 AM
What about the No Kill Movement? There are about 20 something open door shelters saving at least 90% of their shelter animals and more shelter working towards that. Is it easy, no. Can your local kill shelter get to a 90% save rate? Maybe with the right leader and a lot of community help.
You can find out more info here: nokilladvocacycenter.org
Posted by: AnimalNewsInfo | January 25, 2012 at 11:07 AM