Nearly 30 years ago, Best Friends, an animal welfare society, helped pioneer the no-kill movement. At that time, more than 17 million homeless pets were dying each year in our nation's shelters. By implementing spay/neuter and trap/neuter/return (TNR) programs to reduce the number of animals entering shelters, and increasing the number of people who adopt pets, they've reduced that number to around four million deaths annually. That is tremendous progress toward creating a no-kill nation, but Best Friends is committed to reducing shelter pet deaths to zero. <br>Best Friends is helping pets in need around the country with various community programs: In Los Angeles, Best Friends is leading No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA), a citywide initiative, with the goal of making the country's second largest and most diverse city into a no-kill community. In Utah, a statewide coalition headed by Best Friends has the entire state on the threshold of no-kill. In Jacksonville, San Antonio and Albuquerque, they sponsor effective programs with city government and local organizations to reduce the number of animals entering shelters and ultimately achieve no-kill communities. Through their No More Homeless Pets Network partner program with local shelters, they extend funding, resources, legislative support and know-how to every corner of the United States. Meanwhile, our national initiatives focus on animals most likely to enter America's shelter system — cats, castoffs from puppy mills, and pit-bull-terrier-type dogs. The statistics regarding cats, puppy mills, and pit bull terriers are telling: More than 70 percent of cats who enter our nation's animal shelters are killed. An estimated 25 percent of all dogs entering shelters are pure breeds from puppy mills. The vast majority of dogs killed in shelters are pit-bull-terrier-type dogs. Our national initiatives address these issues by keeping community cats safe and out of shelters with TNR, battling commercial breeding operations, and fighting discrimination against pit bull terriers.
