Welcome to No-Kill Collin County Advocates
a grassroots movement of concerned citizens advocating for a better model
to achieve no kill status at collin county animal services
History of Collin County Animal Services
Collin County Animal Services, a 3.5 million dollar animal shelter, opened its doors July 5th, 2006. Nestled behind the new Collin County Courthouse, in between Juvenal Detention and the Adult Minimum Security Prison in McKinney this state of the art animal sheltering facility assumed animal control duties from the SPCA of Texas. A stray hold facility at conception, with SPCA to take all adoptable animals not reclaimed by owners after a 7-day stray hold to their facility for adoption.
No adoptable animals were to be killed, that was the plan.
http://www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2006/06/11/mckinney_courier-gazette/news/news01.txt
This shelter services all unincorporated areas of Collin County as well as the towns of: Anna, Celina, Fairview, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, Melissa, Nevada, New Hope, Princeton, Prosper, McKinney, Frisco and Farmersville.
Less than a year later, it became apparent that the SPCA would not have room for such a high influx of animals. The plan of not killing adoptable animals had never been achieved due to lack of space at the shelter. With animals coming in at a phenomenal rate, due to the rapidly growing cities and county, animals were euthanized on a regular basis to make room for more.
Yet, no changes were made until three years later in 2009, when Collin County Animal Shelter began to allow adoptions.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/64544542.html
Flash forward to the past year in review, from October 2010 to September 2011, CCAS took in 5653 puppies, dogs, kittens and cats
No adoptable animals were to be killed, that was the plan.
http://www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2006/06/11/mckinney_courier-gazette/news/news01.txt
This shelter services all unincorporated areas of Collin County as well as the towns of: Anna, Celina, Fairview, Lavon, Lowry Crossing, Lucas, Melissa, Nevada, New Hope, Princeton, Prosper, McKinney, Frisco and Farmersville.
Less than a year later, it became apparent that the SPCA would not have room for such a high influx of animals. The plan of not killing adoptable animals had never been achieved due to lack of space at the shelter. With animals coming in at a phenomenal rate, due to the rapidly growing cities and county, animals were euthanized on a regular basis to make room for more.
Yet, no changes were made until three years later in 2009, when Collin County Animal Shelter began to allow adoptions.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/64544542.html
Flash forward to the past year in review, from October 2010 to September 2011, CCAS took in 5653 puppies, dogs, kittens and cats
- 9% were adopted by the public
- 20% were redeemed by their owners
- 54% went to Non-Profit Rescue Groups
- 19% were killed
- 1% Died in their cages
We are asking for implementation of The No Kill Equation
Two decades ago, the concept of a No Kill community was little more than a dream. Today, it is a reality in many cities and counties nationwide and the numbers continue to grow. And the first step is a decision, a commitment to reject the kill-oriented failures of the past. No Kill starts as an act of will. The next step involves putting in place the infrastructure to save lives.
Following a commitment to No Kill is the need for accountability. Accountability means having clear definitions, a lifesaving plan, and protocols and procedure oriented toward preserving life. But accountability also allows, indeed requires, flexibility. Too many shelters lose sight of this principle, staying rigid with shelter protocols, believing these are engraved in stone. They are not. Protocols are important because they ensure accountability from staff. But protocols without flexibility can have the opposite effect: stifling innovation, causing lives to be needlessly lost, and allowing shelter employees who fail to save lives to hide behind a paper trail.
The decision to end an animal’s life is an extremely serious one, and should always be treated as such. No matter how many animals a shelter kills, each and every animal is an individual, and each deserves individual consideration.
And finally, to meet the challenge that No Kill entails, shelter leadership needs to get the community excited, to energize people for the task at hand. By working with people, implementing lifesaving programs, and treating each life as precious, a shelter can transform a community. ~Nathan Winograd
The mandatory programs and services include:
Following a commitment to No Kill is the need for accountability. Accountability means having clear definitions, a lifesaving plan, and protocols and procedure oriented toward preserving life. But accountability also allows, indeed requires, flexibility. Too many shelters lose sight of this principle, staying rigid with shelter protocols, believing these are engraved in stone. They are not. Protocols are important because they ensure accountability from staff. But protocols without flexibility can have the opposite effect: stifling innovation, causing lives to be needlessly lost, and allowing shelter employees who fail to save lives to hide behind a paper trail.
The decision to end an animal’s life is an extremely serious one, and should always be treated as such. No matter how many animals a shelter kills, each and every animal is an individual, and each deserves individual consideration.
And finally, to meet the challenge that No Kill entails, shelter leadership needs to get the community excited, to energize people for the task at hand. By working with people, implementing lifesaving programs, and treating each life as precious, a shelter can transform a community. ~Nathan Winograd
The mandatory programs and services include:
