In 2015, SB1381 was passed by a vast majority in the VA General Assembly showing that our legislators, citizens, and donors expect private animal shelters to be a safe haven for homeless pets and that the private shelter's goal should be to place the animals into permanent homes. The vast majority of private animal shelters already have this purpose but guidelines are necessary to ensure this. 

1-     A private shelter that has an adoption rate that is greater than 50% is accomplishing this.

2-     If a private animal shelter’s adoption rate is less than 50% but its euthanasia rate is also less than 50%, the private shelter may be relying on rescue transfers for lifesaving. Rescue transfers should also be stipulated for other Virginia releasing agencies who meet the adoption purpose OR to out of state shelters/rescues that have a demonstrated high adoption rate. The sending private animal shelter must document that the purpose of transfer is to find adoptive homes and the sending private shelter must have measures in place to follow up on transferred animals to ensure adoption.

3-     VDACS should terminate the private shelter status of any organization which, based upon its previous year’s report to VDACS, euthanizes more than 50% of the animals it takes in.  

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback. 

I believe that regulations that demand a percentage of adoptions and percentage or cap on euthanasia in shelters will put homeless animals at risk. Although, some no kill shelters can no longer take in any more animals and experience over crowding, this does not apply to all no kill shelters especially smaller ones in our community. They offer a wonderful service to the animal population our area. Unfortunately,many people do not adopt feral, old, or disabled animals. Do you close this shelter because they are not meeting your Quota? On the other hand do you cap euthanasia on a shelter that practices it to control overcrowding, disease and poor living conditions for the animals they house. If the economy tanks like it did in 2008, even adoptions of kittens and puppies will drop. People will not be able to afford a pet and may even give up their pets. Shelters will take in more pets than they can adopt out.  Is the solution to this to close the shelter? Why not more Virginia Government  involvement to support feral cat spay and neutering or Feral Cat adoption/Work programs. Where cats live on farms where they are fed, live in the barn, and offer pest control services? The community would better  served by promoting and encouraging adoption but not demand that shelters be closed or fined if they do not meet the percentage of euthanasia or adoptions that are being proposed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you develop new regulations for determining whether a private animal shelter meets the purpose of finding permanent adoptive homes for animals, I ask that you NOT impose arbitrary adoption quotas or euthanasia caps.

 

The criterion should be simple and clear:  if private animal shelters are offering animals for public adoption, and placing them in homes, then they have adoption as a purpose.

 

Adoption quotas and euthanasia caps would only lead to unintended consequences that would be bad for animals - e.g. private shelters would turn away more animals than they already do, or respond by cramming animals into already overcrowded spaces. 

 

I am very familiar with the work of animal shelters and rescue organizations. Over the last 20 years, I have contributed hundreds of hours of volunteer time to these organizations, and I have donated well into the six figures to support them.  I have also adopted 18 rescued animals, and currently live with ten of them - three horses, two dogs, and five cats.  All of these came from Virginia-based organizations - including three horses and one dog from PETA, one dog from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, and cats from the SPCA of Northern Virginia, Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation, and Siamese Cat Rescue. 

 

Thank you very much.

Shelters throughout the state of Virginia are proving that the difference between a "high-kill" and "no-kill" shelter is not the resources available to the shelter, but putting best practices in place to save the most animals possible.

As more shelters learn about these best practices, and as overall pet population continues to drop, Virginia can see better and better outcomes from shelters. The public is solidly behind this idea. The argument as to whether or not a shelter should have life-saving as its goal is no longer a question -- it is now a matter of law.

Unfortunately, the only way to measure percentage of lives being saved is to literally count them. Trying to use what "seems" or "feels" right as a guideline is not practicable. Evaluating written policies or goals does not necessarily reflect actual lives being saved.

My suggestion would be to set adoption or transfer to a no-kill facility standards, starting slightly lower than the median, and re-evaluating every two years, raising the bar gradually as things continue to improve.

A compromise like this will help prevent shelters that deliberately kill most of the animals coming in, while giving struggling shelters something to aim for with their communities.

Thank you

Putting a cap on euthanesia and arbitrary quota on animal adoption will endanger animals and their care takers as well as their adopting humans out of compassion for humans and animals,please reject such cap and quota thank you