‘No-Kill’ Policies Slowly Killing Animals

When “no-kill” animal shelters and rescue groups are filled to capacity, which is almost always, they are left with two options: turn away more animals than they take in or warehouse animals, often in substandard, filthy, and severely crowded conditions, for weeks, months, or even years on end. Most, if not all, of the animals who are turned away from such facilities still face untimely deaths—just not at these facilities.

Instead they are cruelly killed by people who don’t want them, are dumped on roadsides and left to die from starvation or being hit by a car, or spend their short lives homeless, unwanted, and producing more litters of animals for whom no homes exist.

Previous Next

A tan dog sits next to an empty metal bowl

The lucky ones are taken to well-run open-admission animal shelters, where they either find a well-screened, permanent home or are painlessly euthanized in the arms of professionally trained, compassionate people. Here are some of the “no-kill” animal shelter failures that made headlines in recent years for making animals suffer a fate far worse than a kind death.

January 2026 Reports Showing That ‘No-Kill’ Policies Endanger Animals

Fresno, California

YourCentralValley.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as Fresno Animal Center had been refusing to accept animals for two years. At a city council meeting, concerned residents reportedly said that the policy had overwhelmed private organizations in the area and “left community members struggling to care for abandoned and stray dogs.” One resident said that because of the policy, she and others were being ticketed for having more dogs at their homes than is legally allowed. They asked city leaders to take action to address the issue. The facility is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Los Angeles, California

LATimes.com reported that a dog who was adopted from a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as LA Animal Services (LAAS) had mauled his adopter two days after being taken home. According to the report, the dog broke the adopter’s right arm and peeled the skin from her left one. The dog was euthanized after the attack. The adopter reportedly still suffers from nerve damage and pain in her fingers after undergoing “multiple surgeries.” The city reportedly settled a lawsuit as a result of the attack for $3.25 million in November 2025. One of the lawyers who represented the plaintiff had reportedly “sued the city three times for similar dog attacks.” LAAS is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

DeKalb County, Indiana

21AliveNews.com reported that authorities had charged Cara Seiler, the founder and director of a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Canine Haven Rescue Inc., with 12 counts of cruelty to animals. Court documents reportedly revealed that an investigator found 18 dogs in inhumane conditions in a filthy garage at the “rescue” property. According to the report, “Only one dog had food, court documents say, and the majority of the water bowls were empty.” An investigator reportedly told the accused “that the conditions indicated the neglect had been ongoing for months or years” and that “the garage would require reconstruction to be habitable for the animals …. Court documents say the officer noted that four of the dogs have been living in cages for 4-6 years, telling Seiler they had a ‘horrible quality of life.’” Seiler reportedly “eventually agreed to surrender about half of the dogs in her care.” A nonprofit group removed “a total of 21 dogs, 11 from Seiler’s garage and 10 from a foster home in Yorktown. Some of the dogs were found to be suffering from various health conditions following examination, including heartworm and dental disease.” The case was evidently ongoing.

Miami, Florida

WSVN.com reported that a pit bull who had evidently been up for adoption at a publicly funded self-professed “no-kill” animal shelter doing business as Miami-Dade Animal Services had attacked and killed a small dog in the parking lot of the facility. The small dog’s guardian said that she had filed a police report and was considering taking legal action against the facility, which is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society. The pit bull was euthanized after the attack.

Boyle County, Kentucky

WKYT.com reported that Boyle County Animal Control claimed that the county’s publicly funded animal shelter was “full” and was refusing to accept animals. The county apparently contracts for sheltering services with a group with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society, which is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Pittsboro, North Carolina

WRAL.com reported that state authorities had suspended the license of a self-professed “no-kill animal sanctuary” doing business as the Goathouse Refuge and ordered it “to immediately cease and desist operations, other than finding new homes for” cats at the property. According to the report, “The license suspension came after inspections over the last four months of 2025. The shelter was also fined $9,300, the second-largest fine issued against a shelter last year.” The outlet reportedly “found inspections dating back 15 years that highlighted many of the same problems,” which included poor sanitation practices, enclosures in disrepair, and missing or incomplete records, “including one instance where staff members admitted to falsifying records.”

Sacramento, California

ABC10.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Front Street Animal Shelter was refusing to accept dogs because of an outbreak of Streptococcus zooepidemicus. Residents were being asked to try to locate the owners of lost animals themselves and to keep stray dogs at their homes instead of taking them to the publicly funded facility intended to house them. The facility is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Tacoma, Washington

TheNewsTribune.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies partially funded with public monies and doing business as the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County (HSTPC) had raised its fee for animal surrenders to $400 per animal. Area residents reportedly said “that more dogs and cats are being let loose on the streets as people struggle to navigate the shelter’s higher costs and lengthy wait times for appointments necessary to surrender their pets.” The wait at the time was reportedly six to eight weeks. According to the report, a spokesperson for the City of Tacoma Animal Control said that the agency was “seeing a huge increase” in abandoned dogs and that abandonment was expected to increase because of the high surrender fees at HSTPC, which is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Clay County, Florida

FirstCoastNews.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as Safe Animal Shelter was refusing to accept cats because of an outbreak of feline panleukopenia at the facility, which is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

San Jose, California

NBCBayArea.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as San Jose Animal Care & Services claimed to be “full” and was telling residents who found lost and homeless animals to house them themselves, instead of taking animals to the publicly funded facility intended for this purpose. The facility is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Sebec, Maine

TheMaineWire.com reported that six dogs had died in a fire at a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as Give a Dog a Home Rescue. According to the report, “Fourteen dogs were inside, but only eight made it out.” The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Ohio County, West Virginia

WTRF.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Ohio County Animal Shelter was closed to the public and refusing to accept animals because of a case of canine parvovirus. The facility is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Bedford Township, Michigan

WWMT.com reported that authorities had removed dozens of animals from a self-professed animal “rescue” during “an ongoing investigation into possible neglect.” According to the report, officials said that “approximately 28 dogs and 14 cats [had been] voluntarily surrendered from the property. Two horses and one cat belonging to the property owner” had also been seized. WTVBAM.com reported that during a search of the property, “police located several deceased dogs and one deceased cat.” The investigation was ongoing.

Hadley, Massachusetts

Yahoo.com reported that authorities had seized 315 animals from a self-professed animal “sanctuary” doing business as Cloa’s Ark Animal Sanctuary after they were allegedly found deprived of needed care, including food, water, and protection from the elements. Animals seized included birds, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, a pony, rabbits, and wildlife who were “illegal to keep as pets.” The investigation was ongoing.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

WPXI.com reported that a facility with “no-kill” policies partially funded with public monies and doing business as Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh was refusing to accept cats because of a case of feline panleukopenia. The facility is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Henrietta, Texas

TexomasHomepage.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as the Clay County Animal Shelter claimed to be “full” and was refusing to accept animals. A spokesperson for the facility reportedly admitted that “many people” contacted it needing to surrender animals for whom they were unable or unwilling to care. The facility had a waitlist that included the names of more than 20 individuals.

St. Louis, Missouri

Newsweek.com reported that a dog who had been adopted from a facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Animal Protective Association of Missouri (APA) had been found tied up and abandoned outside a veterinary clinic months later. According to the report, a microchip led clinic staff to the adopter, who said that they’d given the dog to someone else, who couldn’t be located. The dog was returned to APA, which is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Margate, Florida

Local10.com reported that a self-professed “no-kill” facility doing business as UFAR Animals Rescue had been warehousing animals and refusing to accept them. A spokesperson for the group said that people often left animals outside its storefront: “People have been dumping dogs out in our backyard …. They are tying them up to trees, they’re leaving them abandoned in our play yard. Cats are [abandoned] almost weekly …. They’re left in cages out front, they’re dumped in cages in the lobby, they are pretty much everywhere, wherever you can abandon a cat around this whole building, they do.” She went on to say that when people are turned away, “[T]hey just walk outside, dump the animal there in a cage and then drive off.” The group was reportedly “receiving backlash” for inhumane, crowded conditions. According to the report, “Some of the cats have been there as long as eight years, which is exactly how long UFAR has been open.”

Cumberland County, North Carolina

FayObserver.com reported that a publicly funded facility with “no-kill” policies doing business as the Cumberland County Animal Services Department was refusing to accept animals because of an outbreak of an unspecified upper respiratory illness. The facility is a partner of Best Friends Animal Society.

Windsor, California

PressDemocrat.com reported that authorities had seized 28 dogs from a self-professed animal “rescue” doing business as G&Cs Advocacy and Rescue Corporation after they were found hoarded in filthy conditions inside a garage. According to the report, “rescue” owner Christina Urrutia Urena was arrested and “booked on suspicion of animal cruelty, possession of unlicensed dogs, operating a commercial kennel without a license and violation of probation.” Authorities reportedly found that “[p]iles of feces covered the floor of the garage, where some of the dogs were found in kennels ….The build-up of urine and excrement was so heavy on a mattress-like cushion that it was stained black.” They also found little food at the property, a lack of water for dogs, and dogs with untreated injuries. Authorities said that they’d received calls and complaints about the property for years, including requests for welfare checks for the animals and complaints “about dogs escaping her property, about barking at the premises and about issues with dogs at her rescue [who] had injured other animals.”

2025 |2024 | 2023 |2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008