Dianne Reeves, creator of I Heart Dogs and Animal Haven, a no kill shelter in Warren snuggles with a Chihuahua Shih Tzu mix puppy that’s available for adoption. GINA JOSEPH – THE MACOMB DAILY
Dianne Reeves was working as a personnel executive for a monetary company when her company provided her a buyout, which she took understanding it would provide her a chance to lastly do something she enjoys.
“I always wanted to volunteer at a dog rescue but I never had the time,” said Reeves.
So, she and Andrea Sesi, another lady with an enthusiasm for underdogs, opened I Heart Dogs and Animal Haven, a shelter operating for the sake of dogs who require a 2nd possibility.
That remained in the winter season of 2013.
Today, the center is amongst the saves in Macomb County that have not just discovered permanently houses for countless dogs and cats however have actually even taken in the periodic bird and bearded dragon.
“I don’t have children so working with dogs feeds my need for nurturing,” Reeves said, keeping in mind there’s likewise another aspect associated with animal rescue; by assisting them she is likewise assisting human beings.
“We have people who come here because they lost their pet, people who want to adopt their first pet or foster an animal,” Reeves included, prior to getting in the large shelter in Warren.
“This used to be a garage,” Reeves said throughout a trip of the center that is presently home to about 25 dogs and 10 cats.
All of the animals looked healthy and while nervous to leave, rather happy.
This is due in a big part to I Heart Dogs’ objective: to lead the no-kill motion by saving, restoring, re-homing and offering a location of haven for homeless dogs and cats, a virtuous objective that seems growing.
No eliminate ranking
Among the nationwide animal well-being companies that have actually partnered with neighborhood shelters like I Heart Dogs is Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS), which likewise tracks information on the variety of animals that get in and leave a shelter in a given year. This becomes part of a nationwide effort to end the killing of cats and dogs in shelters by 2025.
This previous June, Best Friends released its annual report on how neighborhood shelters throughout the United States are performing in regards to conserving dogs and cats and it reveals animal well-being as a high top priority in a number of states.
“Things are moving along good but there’s always room for improvements,” said Tracy Poston, local strategist for BFAS in the midwest, even amongst shelters that are reaching their objectives.
Nationwide information from BFAS programs:
• 4.4 million cats and dogs went into shelters
• 3.6 million were saved
• There are 3,943 shelters in the U.S.
• Of those shelters 56.6% are thought about no-kill shelters.
A no kill shelter is specified by the BFAS as one that fulfills a 90% save-rate.
“Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters,” according to BFAS. “Therefore, we designate shelters meeting the 90% save-rate benchmark as no-kill.”
Delaware, New Hampshire and Vermont are the only 3 states where all of their shelters have a no kill ranking, according to the BFAS report.
However, a number of other states have actually revealed this to be a concern too. Save rates in Texas and California show it as a top priority. It’s also a high priority in North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Still a priority but not quite as high as these states were Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, Indiana, Oklahoma, Illinois and Maryland.
Data from all of the other states show the goal to be a low priority.
Michigan experienced a noticeable increase in intakes, as well as animals killed, but 70% of its shelters have actually reached a no-kill rate making it a high concern.
In 2021 103,729 cats and dogs entered shelters and 89,181 animals were saved while 6,206 animals were killed. In 2022 116,090 entered shelters, 98,331 were saved and 8,774 were killed
In 2021, Michigan’s save rate was 86%. The next year it fell to 84.7%.
Poston said overall Michigan’s rate is pretty good.
Out of the 127 shelters in the state, 89 have reached no-kill status. Michigan’s data likewise reflected what the numbers showed nationally: the number of dogs and cats killed in U.S. shelters had a setback, with an increase to around 378,000, up from 355,000 in 2021. This was largely due to shelters experiencing higher intakes and lower adoptions.
“Michigan’s vet ratio is also not what it used to be,” Poston said, which also impacts a shelter’s ability to save an animal.
Labeling shelters
Not all shelters prescribe to the definition of a no-kill shelter feeling the label often pits one shelter over another.
“We don’t have a no kill policy at Michigan Humane and we’ve never subscribed to that label. We take a nuanced approach that evaluates an animal as an individual and works for as many positive outcomes as possible,” said Anna Chrisman, a spokesperson for Michigan Humane (formerly known as Michigan Humane Society), a shelter that was started in 1877 when work horses were in need of shelter and protection. “As an organization we focus more on the needs of the pet rather than the live release rate.”
Michigan Humane’s Matt Pepper concurred.
In a blog explaining the shelter’s take on the label, the CEO said they do not euthanize animals that are healthy or treatable and since late 2015 have maintained a 100% placement rate for adoptable animals.
“Does this mean Michigan Humane is a ‘no-kill’ shelter?” Pepper stated in his blog. “By most definitions: yes. However, we would never define ourselves as such, and more importantly, perhaps it’s time to discard the term altogether and look at what responsible modern sheltering should look like.
To discard the term ‘no kill’ does not mean that we have to discard the principles behind it: that every animal that should be saved has an opportunity at life. That is the first point of clarity. ‘Should’ be saved is different from ‘can’ be saved.
Reeves said while she’s proud to be a no-kill shelter she understands why others have been unable to reach the rate.
“We’re in the high 90s but we’re a closed intake shelter so people cannot just drop animals off here,” Reeves said.
Whereas county and municipal shelters take everything they are given provided they have the space.
“They have to take everything that comes to their door,” said Jennifer Fritz, who, along with Lisa Hall co-founded New Beginnings Animal Rescue in Royal Oak, a no-kill shelter for cats. “There’s a lot of variables at play here.”
However, she thinks the label is a good idea.
“For people who need to surrender a pet, in that sense it’s beneficial to know what shelters are labeled no kill.”
Working together
Best Friends is confident that by 2025 America will be a no kill country.
Fritz also believes it’s possible in Michigan however that it’s going to take a lot of work from everyone.
“The pet overpopulation is something we can’t adapt our way out of. We really need to increase spay/neutering across the board,” she said.
This is especially true in communities that might lack access to vet care such as Detroit, which, like many large cities, is struggling with the veterinarian shortage.
“We also need to get more people involved with TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) for community cats that were formerly called ‘ferals’.
Fritz said community cats are one of the biggest populations of animals being killed in shelters.
“These are cats that have little to no socialization with humans, so when well-meaning people catch these cats and take them to a shelter, the cats are considered “unadoptable” and are killed. The best solution for these cats is to get them fixed and allow them to live their lives in their outdoor community.”
People also need to help shelters.
Recent industry data revealed dogs acquired from breeders and pet stores have been steadily increasing over the past few years. Nationally, dog adoptions stalled at just under 1 million last year, while intake was up by approximately 100,000 (the majority of which were strays, not returns). Compared to 2021 when cats were killed at twice the rate of dogs in shelters, there was a significant drop in the dog save rate in 2022 (83%, down from 87% in 2021). Fostering and adoption of dogs and cats is vital to get back on track to make shelters no-kill by 2025.
Reeves would also like to see some kind of standard set for AKC Certification.
“There are a lot of irresponsible breeders who are not AKC Certified. I think making this mandatory in the industry would create another layer of protection,” Reeves said.
Many shelters in Macomb and Oakland counties also have outreach programs designed to help in saving lives.
I Heart Dogs has professionals who can work with families who might have an animal with behavioral problems or provide foster care for emergency situations as in the case of domestic violence.
“We run a pet food pantry program that provides supplemental pet food for families who are struggling, hopefully keeping pets in their homes and out of shelters/rescues. Several of our volunteers, board members, and owners have completed the Jackson Galaxy Cat Pawsitive and Cat Pawsitive Plus programs to help us work with our cats that are struggling to adjust to their temporary lives in our care. And lastly, we have incredible foster and volunteer programs,” Reeves said.
There’s also been great strides in the treatment of animals suffering from diseases that were once untreatable such as heartworm.
Five-years ago, Michigan Humane euthanized dogs that contacted heartworm with very few exceptions. Those dogs were untreatable however that’s changed thanks to a $250,000 investment in medication.
“Now at any given time, we have between 10 and 15 dogs undergoing treatment for heartworm,” said Pepper.
However, she believes individual accomplishments must not be how the success of Michigan’s shelters are measured.
“Animal welfare has to be considered a community issue, one in which problems and challenges are overcome through collaboration and an unwavering commitment to compassion and life,” Pepper said.
To view the full report and how your neighborhood is doing check out bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025/animal-shelter-statistics.
