10/25/2024
What an accomplishment for our small shelter! I know their staff has been putting in a ton of work for this.
📣 We have a BIG announcement to make. 📣
The City of Elko Animal Shelter is incredibly proud to announce that, for the first time in our history, we have achieved a save rate for our animals to be considered “No-Kill”!
What does that mean? “No-Kill” (as defined by Best Friends Animal Society), means that no less than 90% of the animals who entered the shelter in the past 12 months have found happy homes, been reunited with their families, or been saved by one of our amazing rescue partners. It means that any animal whowas healthy and treatable was given the opportunity to live a full and happy life. It also means that the only time humane euthanasia occurred was when it was the absolute last option available. That means that in the last 12 months, 1,837 animals entered the shelter and 1,679 were saved; a 91% save rate!
Operating as an “Open Admission” shelter means we don’t say “no” when an animal is brought to us. We may provide resources, give alternatives, and do whatever we can to keep that pet in the home, but we are the last resort and always there if needed. Being “Open Admission” makes this an even bigger accomplishment for us.
To be clear, we are not sharing this accomplishment just as the staff of the Elko Animal Shelter. We are sharing this accomplishment because YOU are part of the reason we got here. For an animal shelter like ours to be successful, it’s not just because of the hard work of our staff or the dedication of rescues; it’s because we understand and fully believe lifesaving is a community effort. Every member of our community plays a role in our success and impacts saving lives.
• If you are an adopter, foster, volunteer, and/or donor, you have helped save a life.
• If you are a pet owner who struggled to keep your pet and took the time to find a new loving home for them instead of bringing them to the shelter, you potentially saved the life of not just your own animal, but helped make sure we had the space for an animal who was abandoned or lost.
• If you spayed or neutered your pet to make sure there were no accidental litters.
• Or if you took part in any other program or alternative that meant every space in our shelter was filled only by the animals who truly had no other choice, you saved a life.
Going into 2025, we aim to make this level of lifesaving the standard for Elko! It’s what our staff have always wanted and we believe our community deserves. That means that we will continue to work towards implementing programming that would be considered “Best Practices” in Animal Welfare. We will continue to build partnerships with both local and national organizations. Most importantly, we will continue to care. ❤️
We can’t do it on our own though, so please, help us continue this amazing progress in any way you can. To learn more on how you can support the Elko Animal Shelter or to find your new best friend, please visit our department’s site here:
https://www.elkocity.com/resident_information/adopt_a_pet_animal_shelter/index.php
Informational links will be posted in the comments below. 🐶🐱