NO KILL LEHIGH VALLEY
No animal should die just because it's homeless.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
Contact us at nokill.lehighvalley@yahoo.com
"If every animal shelter in the United States embraced the No Kill philosophy and the programs and services that make it a reality, we would save over 4 million dogs and cats who are scheduled to die in shelters this year and the year after that. It is not an impossible dream."
No Kill Advocacy Center
But, it will stay a dream unless the programs are put in place that will make it a reality. Here in the Valley we have come a long way towards reaching this goal. Many programs and services are already in place, but are not offered uniformly or to the extent that is required to really make a difference. The tragedy is that this is all possible. The only obstacles are the outmoded policies and rigid thinking that impede positive change. There is only one killing shelter left in the Lehigh Valley - the Lehigh County Humane Society on Dixon St. in Allentown. They refuse to release their statistics, but it is estimated that they kill over 5000 companion animals a year. The vast majority are healthy and adoptable. They alone stand in the way of the Lehigh Valley becoming a No Kill Community.
To learn about the sheltering movement in America - and how it went so wrong - read Nathan Winograd's new book, "Redemption", available through the
No Kill Advocacy Center (www.nokilladvocacycenter.org)
These programs constitute the No Kill Equation and are essential elements of a no kill community:
Feral Cat TNR Program
High -Volume, Low-Cost Spay/Neuter
Rescue Groups
Foster Care
Comprehensive Adoption Programs
Pet Retention
Medical & Behavioral Rehabilitation
Public Relations & Community Involvement
Volunteers
A Compassionate Director
The dog below is Bear. Good news! He has been adopted. He was at the Center for Animal Heath and Welfare (formerely, the NCSPCA) for many weeks. If he had been taken to a killing shelter, he would have left in a body bag instead of with a loving family. There are many other dogs and cats waiting for that special home. 610-252-7722
The Northampton County SPCA ( now the Center for Animal Health and Welfare) thought it was when the shelter went no kill in 2003. To make this happen the administration worked hard to greatly enlarge the foster home program, engage with more rescues, expedite the adoption process by taking animals off site and offering special incentives and, most importantly, by instituting a dynamic and aggressive spay/neuter program. There were plenty of people who insisted that none of this would work and the Center faces difficult problems every day. But they have a commitment to honor . That is that every animal who comes to them is important and deserves every chance to find a forever home. It can be done. They have done it.
