Humane Society of Sarasota County launches 'TAILS' program to make Florida 'no-kill' state
Humane society aims to make FL 'no-kill' state
FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports on the mission from the Humane Society of Sarasota County to eliminate killing dogs that don't get adopted.
SARASOTA, Fla. - For every 10 dogs that enter a shelter, only four will find forever homes. The others will bounce from shelter to shelter, and some will sadly be put down.
The Humane Society of Sarasota County is on a mission to change that statistic, though, as they work to help Florida become a "no-kill" state.
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Why you should care:
"Currently, right now, Florida ranks the fourth worst in the country for the animals that are saved in our shelter systems every year, but it doesn’t have to be that way," said Anna Gonce, the CEO of the Humane Society of Sarasota County.
Local perspective:
Gonce said the Humane Society of Sarasota County has been a "no-kill" shelter since 2009. Now, they're launching the "TAILS" program to help animal shelters increase the lifesaving outcomes.
"If we do it together, it’s achievable," said Gonce.
Dig deeper:
TAILS, which stands for Together Assisting in Lifesaving Services, will work with other shelters to help with facility design, medical protocols and addressing challenges that can make a difference.
"You need to have progressive adoption programs, you need to have progressive programs for community cats, and you really need to look at good ways of managing your admission," she said.
It’s work they’ve done at the Highlands County Animal Services – which is one they’ve seen a positive outcome from.
"By working with them, we were able to increase their cat save rate from 50% to 70 something percent within a year," said Gonce. "We saved a 1,000 animals in partnership with them. They saw their euthanasia decrease dramatically, and they’ve completely rebuilt their shelter."
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David Morton, the chief lifesaving officer for the Humane Society of Sarasota County, said there are programs that can be implemented for cats and dogs.
"Not every animal needs to go into a typical home, it can go into a program, so it can live out its life like a working cat," said Morton.
From small to large animal shelters, the Humane Society of Sarasota County believes a status of ‘no kill’ can be attainable, and the domino effect would be positive.
To learn more, visit: www.hssc.org.
The Source: The information in this story was provided through interviews with officials from the Humane Society of Sarasota County.
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