Last year over 700,000 cats and dogs were euthanized in America’s animal shelters — but Delaware is working to combat what animal advocates believe are unnecessary deaths. The First State is living up to its nickname, becoming the first no-kill state in the nation, according to the nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society.
“When every shelter in a community achieves a 90% save rate for all cats and dogs, that community is designated as no-kill,” the nonprofit noted on its website. The 10% margin of error factors in euthanasia for pets “who are suffering from irremediable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed.”
Delaware boasts a 92.9% save rate, meaning about 12,000 of the approximately 13,000 pets in its shelters were saved. Best Friends Animal society defines “saved” as if the pets are “returned to their owners or provided with expert care and safe places to call home.”
The news was announced at the organization’s annual national conference in Texas late last month, a representative confirmed to CBS News.
Best Friends Animal Society hopes to eventually find homes for every shelter animal “by helping end the killing in America’s animal shelters through building community programs and partnerships all across the nation.” Its goal is for every shelter in the U.S. to reach no-kill status by 2025.
The United States, on average, is far behind Delaware, boasting a save rate of just 76.6%. Texas and California are the farthest from the goal, with save rates under 75%.
