There are so many interpretations of “no-kill”.  What is a no-kill sanctuary anyway?
The clinical definition of the term means that no animal who can be saved is killed.
So if you are no-kill you don’t kill any animals because you’re out of space. You don’t kill them because they are ill (and because it might be expensive, or difficult, to care for them).  You don’t kill them because they are elderly or more difficult to adopt.  You don’t kill them because they are a certain breed and you don’t like that breed or have “too many” of that breed already in your kennel.
It means that no healthy (treatable) animal is killed.  Ever.  If you follow those guidelines then you are considered “no kill”.
Now there are different interpretations of the term “adoptable” though and even “healthy”.
Some shelters that are “no-kill” DO kill because the animal is severely aggressive.  That is considered “not adoptable”, especially if it is behavioral or medical in nature – and therefore considered that it  can not be fixed.  Perhaps something such as a tumor or something else that causes the animal to act this way, something that can not be trained out of them.

No-Kill also means that you may end suffering.  So if an animal is so sick, in a way where no medical treatment can ease their suffering, then out of kindness you let them go, to spare them any more pain and discomfort.
So do no-kill shelters kill animals?  Well, yes.  They will euthanize animals because the animals are so aggressive that they can not work with the animal or because the animal is so sick that there is nothing else you can do to help it.  Are those sanctuaries considered no-kill still?  Yes.  That is still defined as “no kill”.  No-kill doesn’t mean you keep an animal alive no matter WHAT.

My opinion is different.  Pets Alive is different.  We are not claiming to be right or wrong. But we do not kill even our aggressive dogs.  We WILL let an animal go that is so sick that it has started to suffer. That is simply humane and something borne from love and responsibility.  That is true love – and a selfless act – because while we do end their suffering, it starts our own suffering (known, of course, as grief).
Our aggressive dogs though…they stay alive.
Would we be justified to end their lives and still call ourselves “no-kill”.
If we believe they can’t be fixed — yes.
Are we a better shelter than the ones that kill aggressive dogs?
No. I don’t think so.
In fact, an argument can be made that they are much wiser.  That they are saving more lives as a result of their decision to end the lives of aggressive animals.  After all, our runs will have a dog in it that is likely not going anywhere, and that run could be used by other dogs that deserve a chance at life and deserve a home and a sanctuary, while this dog that may never get adopted, is taking a space that they could be in.  Indeed.
I can’t argue that, nor the wisdom of it.
However, for me it is deeper.
At Pets Alive, we commit to all our animals. Any animal that comes through our doors we tell them and we promise them: “You are safe now.  No matter what else happens in the world or in your future life, you will always be safe. We will always protect you, care for you, provide a place for you and love you.”
We commit to them.
Completely.  Without reservation.  100%.
We promise to find them a good home. Perhaps the reason they have become aggressive and come back to us is because we didn’t find the best match for them in the home they went to.  Perhaps it is human frailty not canine?  Perhaps they have suffered so much at the hands of humans, up to now, that they are simply unable to completely feel safe and trust.  Have humans caused this condition?  Has something in their life caused them to feel this way and live in fear of what the next person might do to them? Is it fair that they die as a result? At Pets Alive, we just don’t think so.
Or perhaps they have a medical condition that makes them unstable.  Should we kill them because of something they can’t help?  That perhaps they can go for YEARS without ever biting or trying to bite someone, but then something in their brain misfires and they lose it for a second and then a minute later they are back to “normal”?  Should we kill them for that?  I don’t know the “right”” answer so the only thing I can do is listen to my heart.  My heart looks into their eyes and as they look back I know I can’t do it.  I can’t give the command that puts a needle in their veins and ends their life for something they can’t help or something that humans perhaps caused in them.

Do I have the authority to?  Yes.
Do I have the “right” to and still claim we are “no-kill”?  Yes.
Could we make that decision one day?  Yes, it is possible.
But my moral compass looks into their eyes and strokes their heads and says, NO.
Don’t think that every day I see our “lifers” I don’t think of the dogs their runs could save.  But then I look at them and know that I made them a promise and I’m keeping it.  That as long as we can provide them a happy life, then we will do so and we won’t let anything happen to them and we’ll forgive their quirks and try to understand why they are still frightened or frustrated.
At some sanctuaries and shelters this might be considered “warehousing” animals, and in some, that may be so. I am not sure how I feel about that. I try very hard not to pass judgment on any other rescue on any person who is trying their best to save animals and protect them.   I know that they are all doing the best they possibly can and they have to make difficult and tormenting decisions every day.  So I try not to think about if they are right or wrong.  I can only look at our own sanctuary and decide what is right or wrong HERE….and then live with our decisions.

Here we don’t warehouse animals.  Even our most aggressive dogs have volunteers – MANY OF THEM – and ALL of our staff that can interact with them. They go for day trips to get ice cream, they go on overnight trips, and they snuggle in the offices with staff that can handle them (although we put a note on the door DO NOT ENTER – YOU MIGHT GET EATEN” for safety of others, of course), and they are walked and played with and most have other dogs they live with that are companions for them so that they can play with and enjoy some canine (or feline) companionship. I don’t feel that is warehousing.  I feel these dogs still have a great quality of life and sometimes, yes rarely, but sometimes, they get adopted by staff or volunteers that love them and understand their issues and needs.  I know of at least ten off the top of my head that definitely could be considered “kill-able” but that now live in homes with staff or volunteers.  So who knows what will happen to those that are “lifers”? Indeed many may not be and may surprise us by how much they can change or who might fall in love with them.

All of the pictures of the dogs in this blog are dogs that are lifers, or dogs that were considered “unadoptable” by someone or some place. Take a close look.
Should I end their lives to make room for other more deserving and adoptable dogs?
Do they look unhappy and warehoused?
You be the judge.
I don’t know if my personal opinion and view of “no-kill” is right or wrong but I do know that I can sleep at night and not break promises to any of the animals that walk through our doors and into our arms.
Oh…and out of all of these photos of  “lifers” or “unadoptables”, only a few still live here.  Interesting, isn’t it?  A dog even WE considered a lifer, a dog that would spend the rest of their life with us…. gone into a home and into the arms of someone else that saw their worth and decided they could love them.  What is unadoptable after all? What does THAT mean?

Again. YOU be the judge.