Another interesting aspect to address - "NoKill"

I have been asked frequently about this issue... "Is that a high-kill or no-kill shelter?"... "What do you think about no-kill?"...

I don't have any feelings about this issue because it simply does not exist...

It's a marketing term used to 'whitewash' something else when the general public does not want the hard facts of reality pushed into their faces... We kill over six million companion animals a year in this country in our shelter systems... Like it or not, that's the facts and most of the carcasses end up in rendering plants or landfills... Differentiating one facility from another with terms does not stop the problem we have...

Same thing happen just as when backyard breeders started selling 'teacup' Chihuahuas... Rather than say (or admit) many backyard breeders have ruined what was the Chihuahua and started turning out poorly-bred Chihuahuas --- calling them 'Deerhead Chihuahuas' or the newest trend, the 'Pugglehead Chihuahua' (the ears flop instead of being erect) --- any small dog with erect ears and a curled over tail is now called a Chihuahua at the majority of the shelters across this nation...

Jacks, Ratties, Doxies... they're usually mislabeled as Chihuahuas...

Check through the local shelters and you rarely see a Chihuahua that is actually a Chihuahua... Check the AKC Standard and it CLEARLY says any dog over 6 pounds is disqualified, the body is off-square (slightly longer from shoulder to butt than from height at withers)... There is a VERY distinct face and look to a well-bred Chihuahua... And the personality is just as unique - ask any Chi lover!

The same has held true with the politically correct marketing term 'no kill' for it simply does not exist... There is not one shelter that calls itself a 'no kill' facility that does not have to put down a dog... Then we have the so-called sanctuaries that call themselves 'no-kill'... Warehousing a dog inside a crate or a kennel for the rest of its life is not much different than what the puppy millers do...

I have stood at shelter counters who label themselves 'no kill' and watched them selectively turn away dogs that they knew had to be put down... My guess (although I don't know this for a fact) is that they turn them away so that it does not affect their data or numbers... Where did that person go with that dog?... Did it get dumped off at a shelter that wasn't concerned about the term 'no kill' or driven away, the door open and it was shoved out onto a street to fiend for itself?... Is that humane?

There are simply some dogs that the quality of life has become so poor, the most humane thing you can do is to put them down... Some breeds don't do well in shelter environments at all (my breed tends to go a bit loco after 2-3 weeks as a matter of fact)... Is this humane or does it have the humane perception that 'no kill' is supposed to imply?

Would it not be more educational to tell these people who bring in their companion animals that 75% or more will end up in a landfull or a rendering plant to be turned into fertilizer?... If we could have one week where every shelter in this nation handed out red cards for every animal brought in that was going to die instead of telling these folks, "Oh, we'll do the very best we can to find them a good home," I bet you'd see the general public changing their attitudes about dumping their problems onto someone else...

How do we parents teach our children about responsibility as we raise them?... We make them accountable for their decisions and actions... Allowances are handed out in exchange for a few small chores around the house... Failing grades cause students to repeat classes or give up other activities so they can be tutored... Curfews and rules are established to keep mischief and idle time to a minimum... Extra activities are encouraged as we parents become nonstop taxi service from first grade until they graduate... This is how we teach responsibility, not white washing the hard, cold facts of reality about the ramifications of our poorly made decisions in life...

I read through an interesting blog today that centers around this topic... I tend to not get into too many debates over this topic because until the shelters across any one state can give me detailed records on how many dogs they have killed by breed, sex and intact status, plus the reason the dog was put down, I don't give much creditability to the marketing spins that are written...

I have seen far too many dogs mislabeled simply by breed at these same shelters to give much credence to this topic...

Oh and BTW, not one state in 50 has ever met my challenge above on their kill rate FAQs... That alone should say something about how disjointed and distorted all of this is...