I am an animal lover. If you are reading this, then you are probably an animal lover too.
Since childhood, I have always been aware that there are 'animal shelters', where homeless animals are taken by the dog catcher. I knew some dogs and cats are 'euthanized', and it made me very sad. I grew up thinking that is 'just the way it is'.
Then few years ago, I began volunteering at an animal rescue, and was stunned to learn the truth about institutionalized mass killing in most of America's animal control shelters. The scope of the killing shocked me. Millions of healthy adoptable pets were being killed every year. Except for the small but growing community of No Kill animal advocates, American communities largely ignored this status quo. Many claimed it was the only way, and that perpetual 'pet over-population' made it impossible to save the vast majority of homeless animals.
As I investigated further, I came to understand that shelter killing was not inevitable. In fact, both the 'homeless animal' problem and the status quo 'euthanasia' solution were created and perpetuated by human policy. It didn't have to be this way. The killing could be stopped. But how?
I came to the conclusion that the only light in this terrible darkness is the No Kill movement. Nathan Winograd and his disciples were the only people even trying to change the status quo of killing. I embraced the No Kill Equation, and began attempting to implement it in some of Georgia's communities.
And hit wall, after wall, after wall.
It's not that the No Kill Equation does not work. It does work. But the devil is in the details, and the details can be incredibly challenging. Implementing the No Kill Equation in the face of powerful opposition often seems impossible, and most of the people I know who have tried have given up - beaten down by the entrenched defenders of the status quo.
I understood the principles and practices of the No Kill Equation, but I came to realize that I had only just started learning how to properly tackle the thousand details necessary to realize a No Kill future. I met many people whom I learned from - each mentor taking me a little further down this life-saving journey.
This book is far more than just the story of my ongoing journey to save homeless animals. I attempt to capture and share the knowledge and insights I've learned these past years. It covers a wide range of animal advocacy issues - from animal rescue operations to political lobbying.
This handbook is the missing manual that I wish had been available to me when I began trying to save animal lives. It is however incomplete, and always will be. I intend for it to grow with me over the years, with new editions that further distill the learnings of a lifetime.
This is just the start. I hope you will join me on this noble journey to save the lives of America's homeless animals.
