There seemed no way out. In 1989, animal lover and commentator Ed Duvin wrote a landmark article that highlighted this dark paradox and served as a wake-up call to the humane community overall. Some of the nation's biggest SPCAs began to switch to a no-kill policy. Not only have they switched to a no-kill policy themselves, but they are also well on their way to preventing any homeless animal anywhere in the city from ever having to be destroyed. Animal control solves animal-related problems for taxpayers and voters.
Humane societies promote the betterment of humanity through encouraging kindness.
Among all of us who are involved in animal care, we have achieved great things in recent years. According to Animal People, euthanasias are down from 17 million per year in 1987 to about 5 million last year. Neutering rates have climbed to 65 percent for dogs and 85 percent for cats. The time is coming for humane organizations to remove themselves altogether from the business of having to kill the unwanted animals of irresponsible citizens. People who simply want to do good for the animals should not be required to take on the job of killing them.