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Orange County Animal Services Sheltering Practices and Philosophies 16 <br />Maddie's Fund No-Kill Definition Page <br />See htto://www.maddiesfund org/nokill/nokill define what.html <br />What is No-Kill? <br />This page explains how Maddie's Fund defines no-kill, and how the foundation <br />plans to help guide the nation to the no-kill goal. <br />Q. The term no-kill is frequently bandied about, but what exactly is it? <br />A. As much as anything, no-kill is a rallying cry; a slogan that defines a <br />movement. The term no-kill clearly and powerfully protests the status qua, that <br />being the killing of millions of savable animals in our nation's animal shelters <br />every year, At the same time, it describes a new approach to animal sheltering <br />and a new commitment to saving lives within animal welfare organizations. <br />Q. How does Maddie's Fund define no-kill? <br />A, Maddie's Fund agrees with the generally accepted definition used by no-kill <br />shelters, That is, no-kill means saving both healthy and treatable dogs and <br />cats, with euthanasia reserved only for unhealthy and untreatable animals, <br />Q. The proclaimed goal of Maddie's Fund is to take the nation no-kill. How <br />do you plan to do that? <br />A, We want to start by ending the problem described as "too many pets, not <br />enough homes." To do this, we increase the demand for shelter dogs and cats <br />and reduce the supply being born., Maddie's Fund is financially supporting <br />collaborative community projects that build the programs and infrastructure <br />necessary to ensure that new homes are available for every abandoned dog and <br />cat who is immediately ready to be placed. Programs might include adoption <br />outreach, new marketing strategies, advertising, events and promotions that put <br />the animals in front of the adopting public, Even changes like longer hours, lower <br />adoption fees or adoption incentives can help build a broad new base of <br />adopters. At the same time, we are financially investing in efforts that <br />dramatically reduce the supply of unwanted pets through aggressive spay/neuter <br />programs. By working diligently on both sides of the equation, both demand and <br />supply, Maddie's Fund plans to leverage its lifesaving investments. <br />When we reach the juncture where healthy shelter animals can be guaranteed a <br />home, Maddie's Fund will then focus its resources on funding programs to <br />rehabilitate the sick, injured and poorly behaved ,knowing that when these <br />animals are whole again, there will be a home waiting far them, <br />Q. What are the benefits of an adoption guarantee? <br />A, An adoption guarantee gives a community confidence that an animal shelter is <br />truly a shelter, that is, a respite on the way to a new loving home, When this <br />happens, the community becomes an active partner in saving lives, For example: <br />Maddie's Fund believes that many people who abandon their animals on the <br />streets do so because they fear their family pet will die if surrendered to an <br />animal shelter. This, then, starts a negative cycle, a cycle that starts with the <br />