Governor Hobbs Declares January as Arizona No-Kill Shelter Month

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Best Friends Animal Society and Governor’s Proclamation Aim to Achieve No-Kill in 2025

Governor Katie Hobbs has proclaimed January as Arizona No-Kill Shelter Month, a critical initiative aimed at making Arizona a no-kill* state this year. This effort underlines Arizona’s commitment to ending the unnecessary killing of dogs and cats throughout the state’s shelters. Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters in 2025, welcomes this pivotal step in Arizona’s pet lifesaving efforts.

“Governor Hobbs’ declaration significantly propels the no-kill movement, encouraging the community to actively participate in helping Arizona become a no-kill state,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “In a state well-known for its natural beauty, there’s nothing more magnificent than giving homeless dogs and cats the loving homes they truly deserve. We commend Governor Hobbs for leading this lifesaving initiative to help safeguard the lives of our beloved pets.”

Data from Best Friends indicates that two out of three U.S. shelters are already no-kill, and hundreds more are within reach of that goal. As of October 2024, Best Friends Data shows 64% of shelters across America are no-kill.

Achieving and maintaining no-kill represents a genuine, committed effort to lifesaving and transparency, ensuring a safe, high-quality life for all shelter pets. This benchmark is possible through the concerted actions of community members, animal welfare professionals, and governmental support.

“Arizona is making substantial progress in pet lifesaving but requires a collaborative approach to achieve a no-kill future,” said Castle. “Governor Hobbs’ proclamation emphasizes that Arizona can reach no-kill if more residents opt to adopt pets from shelters instead of purchasing from breeders or stores.  We are urging all Arizonans to help us take Arizona, and the country, no-kill in 2025.”

Individuals can contribute by adopting from shelters or rescue groups, spaying or neutering their pets, fostering animals in need, volunteering, donating, and supporting effective lifesaving programs.

To learn more about Best Friends and donate, visit bestfriends.org.  

* No-kill is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols. 
 

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters in 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to 415,000 last year. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 5,000 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org