CAll to Action
On May 3rd 2016, I presented a free offer from a national animal organization to Horry County Council. Target Zero began in 2013 with the purpose of providing a team of professionals to offer target communities consulting and training services; these services are FREE of all costs. Their goal is to help communities decrease shelter intake and decrease the euthanasia rates. Often this results in cost savings, all of which Horry County Council said it needs.
Waco Texas was the first to use their help and finished the Fiscal Year 2014/2015 with a save rate of 89%, up from 36% from 2013. Huntsville, Alabama increased their save rate to 90% within the first year, up from 68% in September of 2014. Indianapolis Animal Control saved 89% of the shelter cats in 2015. Horry County saves about 15% of cats. The save rate for dogs and cats is about 40%, not a number any shelter facility can be proud of. This offer is to save all healthy, adoptable animals in Horry County's Care. All it takes is a phone call from someone from Horry County to begin this process. Please contact your council member; all members are listed on a separate page.
HCACC needs progressive management now. We need a shelter director who takes responsibility, demands accountability, and gets the job done humanely. The single, most important factor that will determine a community’s success or failure is a passionate, hard-working person who demonstrates leadership and is not content to hide behind the “myth of pet overpopulation” or regurgitate tired clichés about “public irresponsibility.”
There is no correlation between the amount of money a shelter has and how many lives it saves. The difference, instead, is leadership. When leaders reject excuses and embrace lifesaving reforms, more animals leave shelters alive. Many of the programs and policies of the No Kill equation are free, low-cost, or even revenue positive. Permitting rescue groups to save animals saves both money and lives. Volunteers can provide much-needed support for free, and additional adoptions can bring in additional revenue. Offsite adoptions (which can be run by volunteers) not only increase adoptions, but they also increase shelter publicity.
We must fight not only institutional inertia and uncaring health departments, but police departments and other bureaucratic agencies of government. The No Kill model has been replicated in multiple cities across the country with the same successful results. The programs of the No Kill equation are basic, common-sense policies to replace killing that even the staunchest No Kill opponents have trouble countering.
It is time to tell your council member that we need a new direction from shelter management. Ask council members to commit to supporting No Kill reforms. “No Kill” efforts may not be popular with shelter directors and the status-quo animal-sheltering community, but lifesaving reforms are very popular with the public once you explain No Kill policies and programs to them. Being against No Kill is being for shelter killing. You must directly engage in the democratic process by openly supporting candidates who commit to implementing No Kill reforms—and by opposing candidates who mindlessly defend unnecessary shelter killing.
Go to the page 'Horry County Council Members'. Call Your Council Member, and tell him you want real change. There is a list of council member's names, email addresses, phone numbers and districts on this website. Call. Call. Call. We need you to make this happen! They are listening, but not hearing. Tell him the spay/neuter clinics they are offering are not helping residents. Tell them you are a voter and you will vote them out of office. Keep the pressure on!
Waco Texas was the first to use their help and finished the Fiscal Year 2014/2015 with a save rate of 89%, up from 36% from 2013. Huntsville, Alabama increased their save rate to 90% within the first year, up from 68% in September of 2014. Indianapolis Animal Control saved 89% of the shelter cats in 2015. Horry County saves about 15% of cats. The save rate for dogs and cats is about 40%, not a number any shelter facility can be proud of. This offer is to save all healthy, adoptable animals in Horry County's Care. All it takes is a phone call from someone from Horry County to begin this process. Please contact your council member; all members are listed on a separate page.
HCACC needs progressive management now. We need a shelter director who takes responsibility, demands accountability, and gets the job done humanely. The single, most important factor that will determine a community’s success or failure is a passionate, hard-working person who demonstrates leadership and is not content to hide behind the “myth of pet overpopulation” or regurgitate tired clichés about “public irresponsibility.”
There is no correlation between the amount of money a shelter has and how many lives it saves. The difference, instead, is leadership. When leaders reject excuses and embrace lifesaving reforms, more animals leave shelters alive. Many of the programs and policies of the No Kill equation are free, low-cost, or even revenue positive. Permitting rescue groups to save animals saves both money and lives. Volunteers can provide much-needed support for free, and additional adoptions can bring in additional revenue. Offsite adoptions (which can be run by volunteers) not only increase adoptions, but they also increase shelter publicity.
We must fight not only institutional inertia and uncaring health departments, but police departments and other bureaucratic agencies of government. The No Kill model has been replicated in multiple cities across the country with the same successful results. The programs of the No Kill equation are basic, common-sense policies to replace killing that even the staunchest No Kill opponents have trouble countering.
It is time to tell your council member that we need a new direction from shelter management. Ask council members to commit to supporting No Kill reforms. “No Kill” efforts may not be popular with shelter directors and the status-quo animal-sheltering community, but lifesaving reforms are very popular with the public once you explain No Kill policies and programs to them. Being against No Kill is being for shelter killing. You must directly engage in the democratic process by openly supporting candidates who commit to implementing No Kill reforms—and by opposing candidates who mindlessly defend unnecessary shelter killing.
Go to the page 'Horry County Council Members'. Call Your Council Member, and tell him you want real change. There is a list of council member's names, email addresses, phone numbers and districts on this website. Call. Call. Call. We need you to make this happen! They are listening, but not hearing. Tell him the spay/neuter clinics they are offering are not helping residents. Tell them you are a voter and you will vote them out of office. Keep the pressure on!