Sometimes lifesaving happens on the road, not in a shelter
What I love most about the no-kill movement is how it shows up in real life — in moments that could have gone another way, but didn’t, because someone chose compassion. That’s exactly what happened in Walterboro, South Carolina, when the Colleton County Animal Services (CCAS) team crossed paths with a frightened hound named Missy.
Laura Clark, director of CCAS, spotted Missy walking along a highway, making her way toward an even busier road. The speckled hound dog had been evading capture and on the run for several days. Animal Services Officers Girardeau and Bridge joined Laura in her efforts to catch Missy and ensure her safety away from traffic — and in doing so, they showed us all how lifesaving can happen before a pet ever reaches the shelter.
By considering what was right for this individual dog, Officer Girardeau met Missy’s fear with patience and compassion. She lay on the ground, stretched out her treat-filled hand, and let Missy slowly come to her. After about 30 minutes of trust building, Missy was successfully caught and out of harm’s way.
And instead of bringing Missy directly to the shelter, where she likely would have been overwhelmed by the unfamiliar environment, Officer Girardeau went door to door in the nearby neighborhood to find Missy’s home. Before long, she reunited the little hound with her person, and the joy on both sides was immediate. Missy’s person was older and shared that she wouldn’t have been able to canvas the neighborhood searching for Missy or get to the shelter every day to browse recent admissions. This reunion was made possible because the Colleton County team went above and beyond for both people and pets.
But wait — there’s more. CCAS implanted a microchip, scheduled a spay appointment, and provided support to prevent future escapes. They did everything possible to keep Missy safe at home with the person who loves her. By working with Missy’s person instead of placing blame for the escape, CCAS reunited a family and proved to the community that animal services are here to help.
When you do what is right for the individual animal, everybody wins. When CCAS chose to reunite Missy right there in her neighborhood, the team prevented an unnecessary shelter admission. That matters. Every pet who avoids entering the shelter frees up space, staff time, and resources for the animals who truly have nowhere to go. It’s a simple but powerful truth: Keeping pets outside of shelters saves lives inside shelters. This is no-kill in action.
This kind of work — preventing pets from entering shelters and instead focusing on reuniting the pet in the community — isn’t a one-off either. It’s happening all across the country. In Madera County, California, for example, a good Samaritan recently found a microchipped dog running loose. Rather than admitting the dog to the shelter straight away, Madera County Animal Services (MCAS) asked the finder whether they’d be willing to hold onto the dog while MCAS tried to contact the dog’s person. The finder happily obliged, the person got in touch with the shelter within a couple hours, and they were reunited with their dog — all without the dog ever needing to step foot in a shelter kennel.
Around the same time, another dog was found stray in Madera County. The finder in this case once again held onto the dog, who was freshly groomed but not microchipped. MCAS posted the pup on its lost dog Facebook page, the dog’s person responded, and once again there was a happy reunion without direct shelter intervention.
These stories show the no-kill philosophy in motion — when we focus on doing what’s right for the individual animal in front of us, we can do what’s best for pets and people. Pets stay safe, families are reunited, and shelters can focus on animals with no other options. It’s a reminder that lifesaving doesn’t happen only within shelter walls but also out in our neighborhoods when officers, volunteers, and community members step up to keep families together. Hats off to the entire Colleton County and Madera County teams. You’ve shown us all what it means to lead with heart.
-Julie
