âKill sheltersâ are the shelters you need to donate to.
âBut shrimp!! Kill shelters are evil!!â
No, shut up, listen to me for a second.
âKill shelterâ is a colloquial term used primarily for Town/City (aka municipal) shelters that rely on incredibly limited government grant funding to operate.
These shelters, by the very nature of their existence, DO NOT HAVE the funds to operate like private rescues do.
On top of this, theyâre also *legally required* to take in ANY animal that comes to them. Even if theyâre full. Or theyâll lose all of their funding.
This is what leads them to needing to euthanize for space. Is euthanizing for space sad? Yes. But due to the current crisis, itâs also NECESSARY.
These shelters are constantly overfull. Theyâre STRUGGLING. They donât have the funds to operate properly. And yet these municipal, government funded, struggling shelters are the same ones that are most likely to be providing care for owned animals in the community
Municipal (âkillâ) shelters are the ones hosting low cost spay and neuter clinics. Theyâre the ones discounting vaccination appointments and microchipping. Theyâre the ones that have pet food banks so struggling pet owners can feed their pets that week.
These shelters are not evil. Theyâre doing the absolute best they can with the bare minimum funding they get.
These people are incredibly resourceful and care very deeply about the animals in their care. It breaks their heart every time they have to euthanize an animal that couldnât get adopted.
These underfunded shelters need your money significantly more than that fancy private rescue you see on TikTok or instagram that has a beautiful facility and has never had to euthanize an animal ever.
Support your local shelters and they will give back to the community thousand fold.
Sincerely, an animal welfare student whoâs tired of seeing the hardest working professionals shat on because of circumstances they canât control.