AllPets Training & Behavior Solutions

09/08/2025

This needs to be said, over and over. As Stephanie stated, many "kill" shelters have city contracts and must take in all dogs brought to them. Some of those dogs, due to genetics, life experiences or a combo of both, are not safe to adopt out, and would have a miserable life warehoused in a noisy, stressful environment. Until we stop producing more dogs than are wanted, these shelters will continue to be necessary.

We support kill shelters and here’s why you should too.

Kill shelters are facilities who euthanize more than 10% of their annual intakes (in other words, a less than 90% live release rate). Saying we support kill shelters might make some people clutch their pearls, warm up their typing fingers, and get ready to tell us how heartless we are. But here’s the thing: shelters are not the enemy. If rescues like ours and people like YOU 🫵 don’t support them, who will?

Here’s the truth most people don’t want to face:

🐾 Kill shelters are the first line of defense.
These shelters typically have a contract with their county and legally cannot turn animals away. When a dog is dumped, hit by a car, or a litter of puppies is left in a box, the county shelter is who takes them in. If they weren’t there, those animals wouldn’t even get a chance. There are things worse than death. Chronic starvation, being hit by a car with injuries, and attacked by wild animals is one of them.

🐾 Staff mental health matters.
Do you really think people get into animal welfare to put animals down? No. Animal shelter employees cry in their cars. They go home brokenhearted. They’re doing the best they can with what they’ve got. This industry has a very high su***de rate. The blame doesn’t belong on the staff, it belongs on a system overflowing with unwanted animals and the community of irresponsible pet owners that got them there.

🐾 No, we don’t support warehousing dogs.
Slapping a “no-kill” badge on the door while dogs slowly lose their minds in concrete kennels for months or years is not kindness, it’s cruelty with good PR. Dogs deserve quality of life, not just survival.

🐾 Shelters serve the community.
They’re the ones answering the phone when someone finds a stray. They’re the ones with pet food pantries, spay/neuter, vaccines, and microchips to keep families together. That’s lifesaving too.

So before you jump on the keyboard to rant about “kill shelters murdering dogs” maybe pause and ask: are you fostering? Donating? Adopting? Volunteering? Sharing their posts? Networking their dogs? Attending your county council meetings? Because that’s what changes outcomes. Not Facebook comments (though they do boost the algorithm 😉)

We stand with kill shelters because we see the truth. They need help, not hate. They’re not the villains. They’re holding the front lines in a broken system. And if we want to save more lives, we need to stand with them, not against them. Of course we want to see a world where healthy dogs are not euthanized for space, but in this current day that’s just not feasible.

💚 Adopt. Foster. Transport. Volunteer. Spay/neuter. Network. Share. Attend your county council meetings. Advocate for change. And most importantly…

Support your local kill shelter.

08/07/2025

If you live or travel in the Tryon, NC area, please keep an eye out for these lost pups!

04/12/2025

Lucky is such a sweet girl and would make a wonderful companion. She already has some basic training too!

03/19/2025

I'm so sad that I'll be out of town during this event! See you all next year!

A fantastic day is ahead at 🐾The Pet Expo🐾 on Saturday, March 22, at Landrum Farmers Market from 10am-2pm. L👀K at this lineup of vendors selling pet-themed items of all kinds!! Come join the fun 🎉 City of Landrum

03/12/2025

Lilies (even just the pollen, or water from the vase) are extremely toxic to cats!

PET POISON PREVENTION MONTH

A couple of weeks ago, Kiki was living her best life with her Dad who spoils her rotten (as she deserves), when she gave everyone quite the scare! One morning, her Dad found her standing in a puddle of water from a tipped over vase of flowers. Many owners would have thought nothing of it, cleaning up the water while muttering about their naughty cat. But luckily, her Dad noted there were lilies in the vase and called the clinic to ask if he should be worried.

Our staff immediately informed him that lilies are extremely toxic to cats and he should bring her right in to see the doctor. Despite her having no symptoms yet indicating intoxocation, and no indication that she had definitely ingested the flower or water, her Dad made the safe decision to hospitalize her for treatment including aggressive IV fluid therapy to protect her kidneys. And thank goodness he did! Even with quick and appropriate intervention, 24 hours later Kiki’s kidney values had doubled on her blood chemistry.

Luckily, since her Dad acted quickly and chose the safest course, after three days of fluid therapy among other treatments, Kiki’s kidney values returned to normal and we expect her to have no long term damage.

Kiki was very lucky! Lilies are one the most dangerous toxins to our housecats. Ingesting even a small amount of the plant, pollen, or even the water from a vase can cause life threatening kidney failure. Luckily, prompt veterinary care and fluid therapy can reverse the effects of the toxin if instituted PRIOR to symptoms developing. The safest course is to avoid having lilies anywhere near your cat(s). But in the case your cat may have been accidentally exposed, be sure to seek veterinary care immediately.

We are so glad that Kiki’s story had a happy ending. Hopefully she can help educate others of the risks of lily toxicity so no other cats and cat owners have to go through the same scary experience.