No Kill, No Shelter Strategy

The No Kill, No Shelter approach developed by the McKee Project aims to solve the problem of homeless companion animals without resorting to building shelters or administering mass euthanasia.  Traditionally, when the numbers of homeless companion animals roaming the neighborhoods reaches dangerous levels, dogs and cats are rounded up by animal control services and brought to large detention type facilities, where the animals are held in wait for adoption or death.  Once the facility is at full capacity, administrators resort to mass euthanasia campaigns in order to make space for new intake, engaging in a vicious and, often, endless cycle of collection and death.

Moreover, the presence of a shelter within the community lifts the burden of responsibility from the shoulders of its inhabitants, making it easier to abandon a pet by offering the false notion that the animal you no longer can or wish to care for will be safely housed.  With very few exceptions, shelters that choose a no kill policy, focusing on rescue and adoption programs, become quickly maxed out space wise and must limit intake to those animals that are most suitable for re-homing.

The No Kill, No Shelter Model recognizes that the problem of dog and cat overpopulation originates in the community and that, unless the community becomes an active part of the solution, the plague of homeless pets in developing nations will never be eradicated.  The No Kill, No Shelter Model is the foundation of all McKee’s outreach programs: it is the first, and most critical, step towards solving the problem of homeless pets.  By actively promoting this model and discouraging  community leaders and animal advocates alike from allocating large  sums of money in order to build shelters, the McKee Foundation sets the stage for a proactive and sustainable solution to the tragedy of homeless pets.

The No Kill, No Shelter Model is the ultimate humane approach to solving the problem of dog and cat overpopulation: one that never ceases to remind us that our true, ultimate objective is not to detain or exterminate unwanted animals, but to improve the quality of life of all community inhabitants, whether they are of the two or four legged  kind.