Texas Woman Takes Over Animal Shelter And Decreases Euthanasia Rates From 100% To Zero
At least ten years ago, when a stray or abandoned pet would enter a city animal shelter, there was a pretty good chance that it would not leave. Back then, pet euthanasia was pretty common.
Fortunately, in a quiet transformation though, pet euthanasia rates have plummeted in big cities in recent years. Now, a rescue, an adoption, or a return to an owner or community is the more likely case scenario for a lot of pets who enter shelters.
Still, there remain to be some places where euthanasia is still practiced. According to statistics, there are still roughly a million cats and dogs killed in US shelters every year because no one would take them in.
While we can agree that euthanasia really isn't a pleasant practice, it's also not always the shelter's fault. For one, a lot of shelters don't always have ample space to keep so many pets for long periods of time.
Another difficulty is that most city-run shelters are also open admission meaning that they are required to take in any animal regardless of its health or behavior.
There are plenty of people out there though who continue to fight against euthanasia in any way they can. Kayla Denney is one of those people who never give up hope for pets in shelters.
Before Denney took over an animal shelter in Taft, Texas, the kill rate at the place was almost 100%.
In five short months, however, Denney managed to bring that number down all the way to 0%.
Denney was previously an accountant but she left her office job to pursue her dream of helping to save animals.
She took a job as an animal control officer and also worked as a shelter manager. When she first took the job, the city shelter was so run down.
It was in desperate need of repair and it also didn't have electricity. Unfortunately, since it had a small and very limited budget, there was little that can be done and there were minimal supplies.
Chief of Police, John Cornish, recalled that before Denney arrived, the schedule was every Wednesday.
"Every Wednesday was the kill day. It was horrible," he said.
John also dreamt of the day when there would be a no-kill shelter in the city and that dream came true when Denney arrived. Denise Hitt, the city manager said:
"We did have what they call the ‘blue juice’, to euthanize animals.”
One of the first things Denney did when she arrived was to post on her personal Facebook page asking for supplies and donations. Her post went viral in her local town and because of that, she was able to gather over 800 boxes of supplies to transform the shelter.
After that, she set out to improve the lives of shelter pets. First, she looked for volunteers who were willing to help walk, play, and care for the animals.
Then, she set up a Facebook page to promote the shelter's pets who were looking for their forever homes. She also reached out to fosters and rescues in the area to help find the pets' permanent families.
Slowly but surely, the shelter began to transform.
Now, it has electricity, and more than that, within a year, Denney managed to turn the shelter's high kill ration into 100% saves. All her hard work also paid off.
In 2019, the Petco Foundation heard about Denney's efforts and dedication to animals and awarded her the 2019 National Unsung Hero Award. It also came with a prize of $35 000.
Rather than use the money for herself, Denney plans to invest the money to further improve the shelter. Denney told KZTV:
“I want indoor-outdoor kennels with a guillotine in between so when it’s raining we can put them inside. We want an area where they can have a meet and greet out in the field and somewhere, they can have grass time rather than just cement time.”
She is also known to go around different neighborhoods, checking in on people's pets and offering support, advice, and supplies to owners.
“Here in Taft, they are starting to see that I am not here to pick up their animals and take them away. I am here to make sure that the animal is taken care of,” she said.
After receiving the Petco award, Denney said:
“You guys just helped me save dogs. Every dog deserves a chance, whether it is my shelter or not. As of November 1, we have saved 565 dogs and cats out of Taft,” Denney told KZTV.
What Denney did and her dedication to saving those animals in the shelter is just outstanding. People might say they love animals and don't want to see them get euthanized but very few will actually step up and do everything in their power to decrease those rates.
Thankfully, there are still people like Denney. Well done, Kayla, you truly are an inspiration.
Hopefully, she can inspire more people out there to take actions like hers.
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