In response to some of the misinformation that’s been circulating, we wanted to address some issues that have been brought up.
What Does it Mean to Be a No-Kill Shelter?
According to BestFriends.Org, an animal advocacy group that pioneered the no-kill movement, no-kill is a philosophical principle, not a mandate, meaning saving every dog or cat in a shelter that can be saved. Their goal is to achieve a 90% save rate, as typically, the number of pets suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters.
While we try to adhere to 90% as a benchmark and save as many animals as we can, it isn’t always possible due to the sheer volume of pets we are constantly receiving, especially now in the height of puppy and kitty season. Finding the space and resources for so many animals is a constant struggle. The shelter’s maximum capacity is 96 dogs and 40 cats. In April alone, we handled 500 animals. Our job as a City Animal Care Facility is caring for a problem we did not create to the best of our ability.
How and When Would an Animal Be Euthanized?
We take animal health and wellbeing seriously and sometimes have to make the hard decision to euthanize animals based on specific criteria. Aggression to people/other animals, contagious illness, and prolonged time at the shelter are all things we consider when putting animals on the Urgent List. This list is made weekly for animals at risk of being euthanized, which is then promoted through Facebook, rescue contacts, and all other available outlets.
For animals that can be saved, the staff at Beaumont Animal Care does everything in their power to avoid this by reaching out to other rescue groups and hosting low-cost adoption days to help get animals out of the shelter. Euthanasia is a last resort, and we don’t take any of the decisions lightly; they’re all difficult and emotional, and we do that to the best of our abilities with the tools and resources available.
Our staff applied for these positions because they love animals, not because they want to cause them any pain or suffering. How YOU, the community, can help is to share our posts — spread the word – help get more animals adopted and spay or neuter your pets.
Why are there open dog kennels?
Part of our mission is to be available to help the City’s animal population whenever needed. Beaumont Animal Care receives 5 to 25 animals daily, which includes strays brought in by the public, strays picked up by Animal Control Officers, owner surrenders, as well as Jefferson County Livestock Division. This requires us always to have available space for intakes. Open kennels rarely stay that way for a week, let alone 24 hours. But in addition to the limited space, we also have limited staff to clean, feed, medicate, and care for these animals and can only handle so many at a time.
We do our best to pair animals together that get along so that there are available kennels for animals coming into the shelter to impound. If we kept all kennels at maximum capacity, we would not be able to accept new animals into the shelter daily, which would put a strain on the overall health of our City’s animal population.
How can I find information about Beaumont Animal Care’s monthly intake, adoptions, and euthanasia numbers?
Beaumont Animal Care publishes a monthly report with live release and euthanasia rates accessible on the City’s website: https://beaumonttexas.gov/monthly-statistics/