Delaware Recognized as the First and Only No-Kill State for America's Shelter Animals

Kelli Bender
Delaware Recognized as the First and Only No-Kill State for America's Shelter Animals

If you’re a pet looking for a forever family, Delaware is a great place to host your search.

The state is being recognized as the first and only no-kill state for shelter animals in the U.S. by Best Friends Animal Society.

The animal welfare organization, which is dedicated to turning America into a no-kill country for shelter dogs and cats by 2025, defines a no-kill state as state where “every shelter in a community achieves a 90% save rate for all cats and dogs.”

This means that 10% or less of all the cats and dogs that come into a state’s shelter system are euthanized. Instead, these animals are reunited with their owners, find forever families or are giving a safe place to live until they are adopted.

According to WBOC, Delaware was deemed the first and only no-kill state at a Best Friend Animal Society’s conference in Dallas, with the northeast state’s Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) getting special recognition from the national organization.

The BVSPCA, which uses feline trap/neuter/return programs and behavior programs for dogs to help save all their animals, is dedicated to helping the nation’s pets, not just Delaware’s.

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“We’re helping nationally in several ways,” the BVSPCA’s Linda Torelli told WBOC. “One is intaking highly adoptable animals at risk of euthanasia in other parts of the country, such as puppies and small dogs. We don’t stop there, though. We share our knowledge by mentoring other shelters and sharing resources to help make long-term systemic change in those communities.”

America is getting closer than ever to reaching Best Friends Animal Society’s ideal no-kill status. According to the non-profit, of the 5.3 million cats and dogs that entered the shelter system in 2018, 76.6% were saved, which is a 2.8% increase from 2017.

To learn more about Best Friends Animal Society’s no-kill initiative, and how you can help your state become no-kill, please visit the organization’s website.