Euthanasia is a sensitive, heartbreaking, and difficult matter to discuss and understand. No one is more aware of this, than those who love animals, and drown in unwanted litters and pets every single day. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We believe that animals should be saved from suffering the terrible fates of street life, being left alone on rural roads. We serve our community, because our door is always open to animals in need, including owner surrenders from this county. We are serving a much needed purpose. If we choose to be “no kill” (only accepting highly adoptable animals and saying no to hundreds in need) then there is nowhere for the others to go. To us, this is not acceptable. However, it does not come without a cost.
https://www.peta.org/features/turned-away-closer-look-kill/
Limited admission shelters pick and choose the pets they admit, they are often referred to as “no kill” shelters. This simply means that they are not taking in all animals, including animals that are not able to be re-homed. These “no kill” operations are simply leaving others to the euthanasia burden.
Our Save Rates by the Years:
2016: 202+ adoption, rescue, return to owner
(Limited data available)2017: 487 adoption, rescue, RTO
2018: 599 adoption, rescue, RTO
2019: 531 adoption, rescue, RTO
2020: 443 adoption, rescue, RTO
2021: 578 adoption, rescue, RTO
2022: 933 adoption, rescue, RTO
2023: 862 adoption, rescue, RTO
We know that doing the right thing is not always easy, and may not always be understood. But because we care about animals, we will not allow them to die painful deaths. We also do not release animals we have observed & determined to be dangerous. We feel deep compassion for our animals, and want more for them than lives restricted to a cage with no hopes of adoption. We must euthanize due to severe illness, failure to thrive, & behavioral problems. Sadly—this also includes overcrowding. Very few surrounding area counties accept felines or owner surrender dogs and puppies, leaving us overwhelmed by those in need. We must utilize humane euthanasia in our shelter, due to accepting out of county and so many unwanted litters each year. It cannot be avoided without saying NO to hundreds of animals with nowhere to turn. The secret to no kill is irresponsibly adopting out behaviorally aggressive animals, saying no to 90% of callers in need, and reserving space only for the desirable breeds that are highly adoptable.
We only admit stray and owner dogs from within our county, as of 2023, to ease the overwhelm and resources required from our limited funding to save them. We still offer humane euthanasia to out of county individuals, with nowhere to turn, and connect out of county individuals to help as available. Call your dog pound and no kill shelter or society before contacting us here. Please always try rescues in your area, first. Attempt to navigate your issue with your owned dog or cat with veterinary intervention or behavioral training (dog) prior to assuming a forever home is waiting for them somewhere else…
https://www.peta.org/features/deadly-consequences-no-kill-policies/
Our mission & duty as animal caregivers is to prevent the suffering of hundreds of unwanted animals. HATA is committed to ending pet overpopulation and we use our funding to assist with spay and neuter, trap fix return, and surrender prevention. But this cannot be accomplished without the support and proactive approach within our community, and personal responsibility for unwanted litters. Choosing to buy or breed animals vs. adoption also harms those sitting in shelters all over our country.
Remember: We are the receivers of others issues and man made problems. We do not put them inside the shelter, YOU as owners do. Backyard breeding, high volume breeding, purchasing vs. rescuing, and the failed policies of the “no kill” philosophy have created more animals abandoned to the streets than any one rescue or shelter could ever save. But we can prevent suffering, we can help with low cost spay and neuter our counties animals, and we can try to promote adoptions & awareness to institute real change for the betterment of animals everywhere.
Thank you to all who help us accomplish great things for needy animals, despite the constant challenges.