{"id":64313,"date":"2026-03-29T20:15:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T00:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=64313"},"modified":"2026-03-29T20:16:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T00:16:02","slug":"new-data-confirms-no-kill-shelters-are-now-the-norm-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/03\/29\/new-data-confirms-no-kill-shelters-are-now-the-norm-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"New Data Confirms No-Kill Shelters Are Now the Norm in America"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f4f0ec\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"156\" height=\"85\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 156px) 100vw, 156px\" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-29T201121.045.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-64314 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f4f0ec; aspect-ratio:1.8357852151526297;width:281px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best Friends Animal Society\u2019s New Data Reveals How Close America is to Saving Every Healthy and Treatable Pet in U.S. Shelters<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Americans saved four million dogs and cats last year from dying in U.S. shelters, according to new data from Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America\u2019s shelters. Best Friends\u2019\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bestfriends.org\/no-kill-2025\">2024 dataset<\/a>\u00a0provides the most accurate and comprehensive national overview of the number of dogs and cats entering and exiting shelters in a given year. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Best Friends attributes the positive pet lifesaving numbers to a trend showing increased support and momentum for no-kill* shelter programs across the country. Over the last eight years, shelters have seen a nearly 60 percent reduction in the number of pets being killed for space. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2024, just under five million dogs and cats entered America\u2019s shelters, down 12% compared to 2016. To put that in perspective, in 2016, over one million dogs and cats were killed in shelters. Last year, that number dropped to 425,000\u2014 a 59% decrease, with nearly two out of three shelters achieving no-kill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur new data is something to celebrate because it proves that America is no longer willing to accept killing pets as a viable means for managing pet populations in shelters,\u201d said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. \u201cSince we put a stake in the ground in 2016, committing to make the country no-kill, we have seen what many considered a pipedream become the new normal. But there is still work to be done\u2014last year, 425,000 dogs and cats were killed simply because they didn\u2019t have a place to call home. We will continue working to save the lives of all healthy and treatable dogs and cats until we make that a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Governors and lawmakers nationwide are aligning with no-kill trends as well, with ten states having issued no-kill proclamations or resolutions since 2024 \u2013 including Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Montana, Idaho, Mississippi, North Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At present, Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont have achieved and maintained no-kill, meaning every shelter in those four states has a save rate of 90% or greater. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ten other states, plus the District of Columbia, have fewer than 1,000 pets to save to reach no-kill across their state. Below is a breakdown of approximately how many more pets need to be saved in each state, from closest to no-kill to furthest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Montana \u2013 40 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>North Dakota \u2013 50 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maine \u2013 150 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connecticut and Wyoming \u2013 200 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Massachusetts \u2013 300 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Idaho and Nebraska \u2013 450 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Minnesota &#8211; 500<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oregon plus the District of Columbia\u2013 800 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>West Virginia \u2013 1,100 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alaska \u2013 1,300 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>South Dakota \u2013 1,500 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Iowa \u2013 1,600 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>New Jersey, Utah, and Washington \u2013 1,700 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nevada \u20141,900 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Colorado \u2014 2,300 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kansas and Missouri \u2014 2,400 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>New York \u2014 2,500 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wisconsin \u2014 2,900 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Arizona and Hawaii \u2014 5,200 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pennsylvania \u2014 5,400 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Arkansas \u2014 5,800 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mississippi \u2014 6,200 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maryland \u2014 8,000 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>South Carolina \u2014 8,800<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Virginia \u2014 9,100 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Indiana \u2014 9,300 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tennessee \u2014 9,600 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Illinois and Oklahoma \u2014 10,100 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Michigan \u2014 10,700 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ohio \u2014 11,500 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kentucky \u2014 12,300 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>New Mexico \u2014 12,400 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Louisiana \u2014 12,900<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Georgia \u2014 20,100 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alabama \u2014 21,300 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Florida \u2014 22,600 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>North Carolina \u2014 35,300 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>California \u2014 62,400 \u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Texas \u2014 86,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMillions of U.S. households will add a pet to their family this year,\u201d said Castle. \u201cIf just 1 in 17 of those families chose to adopt a pet from a shelter instead of purchasing from a pet store or breeder, we could reach no-kill nationwide. This is solvable \u2013 we can end the unnecessary killing of our nation\u2019s pets \u2013 their lives are literally in all of our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To learn more, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bestfriends.org\/\">bestfriends.org<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">###<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About Best Friends Animal Society Data&nbsp;<\/strong><br>Best Friends Animal Society has the most comprehensive and accurate dataset in the industry, providing key insights and analytics from more than 10,000 shelters and rescue groups across the United States, and sharing it in the most transparent way possible. This data is publicly available through our pet lifesaving dashboard down to the shelter level. Best Friends believes trusting the public with this level of data transparency is critical for a community to achieve no-kill. Our lifesaving dashboard is the ONLY centralized place where you can go see individual shelter data, including data that Best Friends actively sought out through open records requests and publicly accessible sources to provide the most complete picture possible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Best Friends Animal Society\u2019s New Data Reveals How Close America is to Saving Every Healthy and Treatable Pet in U.S. Shelters Americans saved four million dogs and cats last year&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNlwvMDNcL1NjcmVlbnNob3QtMjAyNi0wMy0yOVQyMDExMjEuMDQ1LndlYnA_Zml0PTE1NiUyQzg1JnNzbD0xIiwidHh0IjoiTmV3IERhdGEgQ29uZmlybXMgTm8tS2lsbCBTaGVsdGVycyBBcmUgTm93IHRoZSBOb3JtIGluIEFtZXJpY2EiLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImhpZ2h3YXkiLCJmb250IjoiIiwiYmxvZ19pZCI6MTYzMDQwNjYxfQ.hbnueMxsSEN4trMhEKo18AnWzeV2QZwHNvkoF1H_8OsMQ"},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[14252],"class_list":["post-64313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-new-data-confirms-no-kill-shelters-are-now-the-norm-in-america"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64313"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64315,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64313\/revisions\/64315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}