A little ‘tush push’ is sometimes all it takes
Right now, the NFL is debating whether to ban one of the most talked-about plays in recent history: the “tush push.” Perfected by Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, the play takes the traditional quarterback sneak and supercharges it. A few powerful players line up behind an even bigger wall of teammates and push the QB forward for that critical one-yard gain needed for a first down or, better yet, a touchdown. Minimal yards gained, maximum reward. The play, as executed by this uniquely talented and synchronized team, is virtually unstoppable.
On an entirely different playing field but in the same spirit, the push for no-kill nationwide is just inches away from the goal line. Nearly 2 out of 3 shelters in this country are no-kill. Of the shelters that aren’t quite there yet, 46% need to save 100 (or fewer) more animals each year to reach that lifesaving benchmark. That’s fewer than two more lives saved each week. And just like in football, we can offer a little “tush push” by empowering our communities to take pride in their own no-kill victories and connecting resources with those who need it most.
Take Johnney Ehrlich, the animal control officer at Sam B. Coffey Animal Shelter in Junction, Texas. When he stepped into the role, he quickly realized that their approach to communicating with city council members about trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) programs wasn’t going to cut it. Year after year, TNVR was proposed — and year after year, it was vetoed.
But Johnney came ready with a game-changing approach.
“These are people who are looking at the bottom line: What's it going to cost? How much are we going to save? They don't want to hear the sob stories about sick kittens,” Johnney explains.
So, instead of leading with an emotional plea, he led with data and storytelling.
First, he hit them with the facts:
“When you remove a cat from a colony — or wipe out an entire one — the food, water, and shelter remain. As long as those resources are there, something else is going to move in.” A single cat can have three litters a year with four to six kittens per litter — and the cycle repeats.
Then, he closed the deal with a real-world success story:
“Newburyport, Massachusetts, was one of the first cities to implement TNVR. They started with roughly 300 cats. Sixteen years later, the last cat in the colony passed away — and to this day, there are no feral cats there.”
That was all it took. The council members immediately and unanimously voted to make TNVR an official program in Junction.
With the community in support, Johnney got to work. He started doing TNVR by himself in June 2023. In just six months, the shelter’s save rate jumped from 72% to 85%. In 2024, after a full year of TNVR, the shelter’s save rate skyrocketed to 91%. That’s an incredible success — all led by one person with the right push at the right time.
But here’s the thing: Keeping the momentum isn’t easy. With fluctuating admissions numbers and a limited budget, Johnney needed an extra boost to keep Junction on its no-kill path.
That’s when he reached out to Best Friends Animal Society. After sharing his data and goals, we provided Sam B. Coffey Animal Shelter with a $7,500 grant in September 2024 to help with TNVR and other lifesaving programs.
“We were already at around a 90% save rate,” Johnney recalls. “The grant helped push us that little bit further — and that little bit further was exactly what we needed.”
So, whether the NFL decides to ban the “tush push” or not, there’s a bigger lesson to take from both the gridiron and the grassroots: The power of teamwork and a well-timed push can be unstoppable.
We’re on the one-yard line of no-kill. And just like the Eagles’ play, sometimes all it takes is a little push to get over the goal line.
Let’s push together.
-Julie
Editor’s Note: The NFL is set to vote on the tush push on Tuesday, April 1, the day after this blog was published.
