Governor Reeves Declares January as Mississippi Loves Shelter Animals Month

Governor Tate Reeves has proclaimed January as Mississippi Loves Shelter Animals Month, a critical initiative aimed at making Mississippi a no-kill* state this year. This effort underlines Mississippi's commitment to the state’s homeless dogs and cats and its resolve to end the unnecessary killing of healthy and treatable shelter pets.

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 Mississippi’s pet lifesaving efforts.  

“Governor Reeves’s declaration significantly propels the no-kill movement, encouraging the community to help Mississippi become a no-kill state,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “Mississippians are known for their compassion, and adopting a shelter pet is a profound way to express this. We commend Governor Reeves 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 status 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.

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