10/08/2026
What does “No Kill” actually mean? Have you ever had questions about this?
There are many misconceptions surrounding the term “ NO KILL”. We believe education is the best way to help our community understand the challenges shelters face every single day, even as “ no kill”.
No kill is defined generally by a shelter that achieves a 90% or higher live release rate. Meaning at least 90% of the animals leaving the shelter do so alive via adoption, return to owner, transfers to other facilities, or rescue. The goal is to save every healthy, treatable, adoptable animal.
What does no kill NOT MEAN:
❌ It does not mean animals are never euthanized. Even no kill shelters, humane societies, or rescues may make the heartbreaking decision to humanely euthanize an animal experiencing untreatable suffering or presenting a serious, unmanageable safety risk.
❌ It does NOT mean every animal can stay forever without consequences. Shelters are not meant to be a permanent home for any pet. They are not boarding facilities. The longer an animal stays on site in shelters, the more likely you will see physical and mental well-being challenges. Kennel stress, anxiety, depression, and behavioral deterioration are REAL in shelter environments.
❌ It does NOT mean shelters have unlimited space and resources. Kennels fill up. Medical bills pile on. Staff become overloaded and overwhelmed. Animals continue to arrive, and there is no place to put them.
❌ It does not mean a shelter can accept every animal brought to its doors right away. The GDCAS is an open admission shelter. However, in order to maintain a no kill status, we work with people and put them on a short-term waitlist until we have an open kennel. During this time, we provide them with help and care if needed, work them from the waitlist when possible, to avoid intake. And assist with keeping the animal in the home when possible. We also do not " leave animals on the streets and refuse them". Intakes that are emergencies and strays are ALWAYS accepted regardless of space.
❌ It does NOT mean a shelter is automatically better or worse than one with a no kill label. A shelter's commitment to animal welfare cannot be measured alone by one number. Admission policies, resources, quality of care, and the animals being served all matter.
WHAT WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT NO KILL:
NO KILL IS A GOAL, BUT ANIMAL WELFARE AND PUBLIC SAFETY MUST ALWAYS COME FIRST.
Keeping an animal alive is important, but so is ensuring that their quality of life is good. A dog spending months in a kennel or even years is not thriving just because it is alive. A cat becoming increasingly stressed in a crowded shelter deserves more than just a small cage to exist. All animals deserve comfort, enrichment, medical care, companionship, and ultimately, a loving home.
Safety! An animal that cannot be safely handled by staff is a danger not just to the staff but also to the public. Every animal that displays any form of aggression is heavily evaluated for several days in various situations. The team makes a determination along with professional trainers' and vets' advice. Sadly, not every animal can be saved , especially if they are deemed a public safety risk.
💞 HOW CAN YOU HELP:
The GDCAS is a “no kill” facility. But we do not keep that label without the help of a community that helps us maintain it. We want people to fully understand what it means and what you can do to help us keep the goal moving forward:
🫶 ADOPT, FOSTER, DONATE, VOLUNTEER, SHARE OUR POSTS, SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS. These are the most important ways to help.
🙏 😽 PLEASE BE KIND. Behind every shelter statistic are living, breathing people who DEEPLY care. And behind every successful adoption is a community that chose to make a difference. Saving lives takes MORE than a shelter; it takes a community.
🏁The goal simply should not be to have a no kill label. The goal is to create a community where fewer animals enter shelters, more animals leave alive, and every animal receives the compassion and quality care it deserves.
The GDCAS always strives to be open and honest about what we do and when we need help. If you see a post that says “urgent” or “critical,” it means just that for the animal. We like to think we move mountains around here and always try, but we are a tiny staff, and there are only so many of us and so many hours in the day.
Thank you for supporting our animals and us. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please reach out to our team. We hope this clears up misconceptions about No Kill facilities.
-GDCAS Staff
