Make America a No-Kill Nation*

Possibly 5-7 million cats and dogs are killed in shelters/rescue centres across the USA every year. Apparently, 5,500 shelter dogs are killed every day. Many shelter of these animals are totally innocent, loving and sweet animals who just want good homes.

It's a very disturbing picture... However, on a more positive note, YOU can do something about this. Please sign this petition. By signing this petition, you are helping to call on President Barack Obama and/or the US Government to make all animal shelters and rescue centres across the USA no-kill shelters/rescue centres. You are also helping to call on President Barack Obama and/or the US Government to agree to fund all shelters and rescue centres across the USA, making this more feasible. You are also, perhaps, helping to call on President Barack Obama and/or the US Government to keep this promise.

Other things that YOU may be able to do to help shelter animals include:

1. Please always adopt rescue animals, and don't buy them from breeders or pet stores. Rescued animals are not always too scarred by past ill-treatment to be easily and successfully adopted into loving homes. There are many, many cases of rescued animals being successfully adopted and becoming loving and loyal companions. Also, rescued animals are not always badly-behaved; many rescued animals are very friendly and loving animals. Many of them are only homeless due to reasons like their carers splitting up, their carers moving to a place that does not allow animals, the animals being born as strays, the kids growing tired of them, the carers being unable to look after them anymore or the carers dying. Also, many people still get animals as Christmas, Easter and birthday presents. The people who they are given to often get fed up, or they didn't get the right animal, or they get to a point in which they can't care for them any more, or the novelty wears off, or the season passes, and the animal ends up in a rescue centre or shelter because of this. YOU can help. Next time you're looking for an animal, please do at least consider adopting from a rescue centre or shelter.

2. Donate to animal shelter or rescue centre. If you do decide to donate to a shelter or rescue centre without a no-kill policy, please do make sure that you money will definitely go towards the care of the animals or the building of new animal housing, and will definitely not go towards paying for the animals to be killed.

3. Donate animal food, bedding, treats or toys to an animal shelter or rescue centre. Donating animal food will, most likely, mean that an animal will get fed thanks to you. Some rescue centres/shelters will also take duvets to use as bedding for their animals. You may think of treats as unhealthy and unessential for the animals, but treats can be used to train animals, making them more likely to get adopted. Besides, some treats are labelled as healthy. Toys can be used in training, and can they be used to keep animals occupied, and can make them happier, healthier, safer and more likely to get adopted. Before you donate any food or items to animal shelter or rescue centre, it is highly advisable that you make sure that the rescue centre or shelter that you plan on donating to will take that food or item/s.

4. Spread the word about the No-Kill Network. http://www.nokillnetwork.org/spreadtheword.php

5. Volunteer at a no-kill animal shelter or rescue group.

6. Hold a fundraising event for an animal shelter or rescue centre. If you decide to do this for a rescue centre or shelter that does not have a no-kill policy, please do make 100% sure that the money you give them will go towards the care of the animals or the building of new animal housing, and definitely will not go towards killing the animals.

Please do remember that not all of those who work at rescue centres and shelters that still kill animals are bad. Often, shelters and/or rescue centres do not have any other choice but to kill the animals, due to lack of funding and/or lack of space. Many of the people who work at these places really do care about the animals and want them to be adopted into good, loving homes...

Finally, please remember to be polite and kind in dealing with people, including the people at the rescue centres and/or shelters, here. Being rude to them may give people who want to make America a no-kill nation and/or animal rights people in general a bad name, and you are more likely to succeed in saving the animals if you are polite.
* I am against all unnecessary killing and unnecessary cruelty. I do understand that sometimes killing may be necessary, however. The only situations in which animals could be killed in shelters and rescues, in my vision of a No-Kill America, would be if the animal/s are ill and/or injured, and their quality of life is seriously affected, and they absolutely cannot be helped or cured, and if the animal/s in question are aggressive/defensive to the point of endangering others, and there is no way of re-training them or otherwise preventing injuries and incidents from occurring.

Thank you for your time.