No-Kill: How to Make a No-Kill Community a Reality

At the annual Best Friends National Conference, attendees hear firsthand from many leaders who have made great strides in putting their communities on the path to no-kill. But we don't want people who are unable to attend to miss out on some of the lessons, so we put together a series of no-kill playbooks. Each one provides an overview of how a given community has either already achieved no-kill or is well on their way. Now it's your turn to learn from both their successes and their missteps, so you can save lives right in your own community.

The following no-kill playbooks are in PDF format. Click on a link below to download.

Nearly 2 out of 3 US shelters are now no-kill graphic

See how your community is doing

We've seen tremendous momentum and success so far, and we are so close to achieving no-kill around the entire country. Knowing where each shelter and community stands not only helps determine the best way to move forward, but it also helps track the progress we’re making together.

Is your community no-kill?

Small or more rural communities:

Mid-size communities:

Large communities:

No-kill is within reach. Learn more about how Best Friends is working with you to make our country no-kill.

Find out more about no-kill at bestfriends.org

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Help for Organizations How-To Guides and Resources

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No-Kill

From fluffy kittens to pint-sized puppies, pets from flood-impacted shelters in Texas settle in at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Read More

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters in part by getting more pets out of shelters and into loving homes.

We’ve come a long way since the first known city reached no-kill in 1994, and now we’re closer than ever to making the entire country no-kill. Today, roughly 2,500 shelters are no-kill throughout the U.S. — and 700 more are just 100 pets or fewer away from reaching that milestone.

Best Friends is committed to working with passionate people like you to save homeless pets through adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocacy. In addition to our lifesaving centers around the U.S, we also founded and run the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals.

Working together, we can save homeless pets in our communities and secure a better future for our best friends. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill.