Michigan shelters should be killing less and adopting out more pets. We now have proof of this possibility, and this blog post provides some details.
Nathan Winograd's book "Redemption", and his "No Kill" philosophy are slowly working through communities all around the country, resulting in less shelter deaths in cities large and small, urban and rural. When the county of Marquette, MI started implementing changes based on his philosophy, they saw the kill rate drop from 60% to 7% over two years.
That's a 93% "save" rate for that county shelter, now renamed the Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter (UPAWS) to remove any apparent connections through the name "humane society" with HSUS.
In case you haven't heard, Michigan's economy is one of, if not THE worst in the nation. The unemployment rate is high, and many people have had to give up their animals because they can't afford them or have had to move to locations where pets are not allowed. You'd expect this to be a poor state for homeless pets. In addition, the Upper Peninsula has a lower population and fewer large cities than the lower peninsula. You'd expect it to be harder for them to find new owners for homeless pets. Yet this shelter is actually SAVING money while finding new homes for the animals and killing very few.
The mental and emotional aspects of the shelter board and staff's changes was challenging, they say. First, they had to let go of myths that they no longer had faith in. They had to place their hopes in techniques proven elsewhere, and allow the public to get back on their side rather than being seen as an enemy or complainant.
Myths they had to get rid of: "Euthanasia is necessary because of irresponsible pet owners. If people can’t meet our standards they shouldn't own a pet. Pets put up for adoption shouldn’t have any behavioral or medical problems. The best thing for an old pet was to euthanize it because they couldn’t adjust to a new home. And on and on." They stopped blaming owners and started trying to help them instead.
As a result of their changes, the UPAWS site shows that they have multiple programs helping them raise funds to keep the shelter operating and the animals well-cared for. Things are really looking up for them. I see that they still support the idea of a pet "overpopulation problem" on their site, which is a concept not supported by the No Kill Revolution. Overall, though, it is clear that they are doing a good job of educating people and helping the animals find new homes, while also connecting with their community in a positive way.
Is there any reason for other Michigan shelters to continue killing pets as frequently as they do? We now have proof that those numbers CAN lower, and this without county funds or a top-of-the-line shelter facility. Thank you to the dedicated people of Marquette for inspiring us, and for the few who spoke up and shared about your success as well as your challenges.
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