Governor Morrisey Declares May “No-Kill Shelter Month” as West Virginia Nears Lifesaving Milestone

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New Data from Best Friends Animal Society Shows West Virginia Saved 89.7 Percent of Healthy, Treatable Pets in Shelters in 2024

Governor Patrick Morrisey has proclaimed May as West Virginia No-Kill Shelter Month, a critical initiative aimed at making West Virginia a no-kill* state this year. This effort underlines West Virginia’s commitment to ending the unnecessary killing of dogs and cats throughout the state’s shelters.  

This proclamation coincides with recently released data from leading national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society showing that no-kill programming in shelters nationwide is on the rise due to increasing public demand and support for no-kill. In 2024, West Virginia saved 89.7 percent of the pets in its shelters, a significant increase from 86 percent in 2023. More than 80 percent of the state’s 48 animal shelters maintained or achieved no-kill, and of the 9 shelters that are not yet no-kill, 6 of them have less than 100 dogs and cats left to save to get there. For West Virginia to become no-kill, 1,100 additional dogs and cats need to be adopted.  

In 2024, collaboration amongst West Virginia’s animal shelters was key to making great strides toward achieving no-kill. Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association served as a mentor shelter for Greenbrier Humane Society, which achieved no-kill in 2024, and continues to work with organizations throughout the state on lifesaving programs. In addition, community-based programming and progressive leadership led to huge progress for Harrison County Animal Control from 2023 to 2024, when the number of pets killed dropped from 1041 to 119 and the save rate increased from 45.8 to 83.8 percent.  

“West Virginia has made substantial progress in pet lifesaving over the past year, and with a collaborative approach among community members, elected officials, and animal welfare organizations, we believe the Mountain State can achieve no-kill,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “Governor Morrisey’s declaration significantly propels the no-kill movement, encouraging the community to actively participate in helping West Virginia become a no-kill state. We commend the Governor for leading this lifesaving initiative to help safeguard the lives of West Virginia's dogs and cats.”   

To help propel West Virginia to no-kill, Best Friends is urging residents to foster dogs and cats from local shelters and rescue organizations to help make space for homeless pets. In addition, West Virginians can help by calling on elected officials and promoting ordinances that allow for community cat programming. Individuals can also contribute to the no-kill movement by adopting from shelters or rescue groups, spaying or neutering their pets, volunteering, and donating.  

To learn more about Best Friends data and how to help take West Virginia no-kill, 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 Data 

Best Friends Animal Society has the most comprehensive and accurate dataset in the industry, providing key insights and analytics from more than 10,000 shelters and rescue groups across the United States, and sharing it in the most transparent way possible. This data is publicly available through our pet lifesaving dashboard down to the shelter level. Best Friends believes trusting the public with this level of data transparency is critical for a community to achieve no-kill. Our lifesaving dashboard is the ONLY centralized place where you can go see individual shelter data, including data that Best Friends actively sought out through open records requests and publicly accessible sources to provide the most complete picture possible. 

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America's shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 5,000 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®.