Governor Kelly Declares August as Kansas No-Kill Shelter Month

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Best Friends PR Team prteam@bestfriends.org
Best Friends Animal Society and Governor’s Proclamation Aim to Take the State No-Kill

Governor Laura Kelly has proclaimed August as Kansas No-Kill Shelter Month, a critical initiative aimed at making the state no-kill* this year. With this proclamation, Kansas joins 14 other states across the country in an effort to unify and mobilize the public to help save the lives of homeless pets and make every shelter in the state no-kill. Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, welcomes this pivotal step in Kansas' pet lifesaving efforts. 

“Governor Kelly’s declaration significantly propels the no-kill movement, encouraging the community to actively participate in helping save the lives of pets throughout the state’s shelters,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “We commend Governor Kelly for leading this lifesaving initiative to help safeguard the lives of Kansas' dogs and cats.”  

Data from Best Friends indicates that nearly two out of three U.S. shelters are already no-kill, and hundreds more are within reach of that goal. Of those that have not yet achieved this benchmark, nearly half are less than 100 pets away from the milestone. In Kansas, 53 of the state’s 71 shelters maintained or achieved no-kill in 2024. Of the 18 Kansas shelters that are not yet no-kill, 14 of them had less than 100 pets to save to achieve this milestone.  

“Kansas is making substantial progress in pet lifesaving, but requires a collaborative approach among community members, elected officials, and animal welfare organizations to achieve no-kill,” said Castle. “In 2024, Kansas saved 86% of pets in shelters across the state, higher than the national average. However, 2,400 dogs and cats were still killed in Kansas simply because they didn’t have a safe place to call home. We are urging Kansans to work together and adopt, foster, volunteer, advocate, and generate awareness for homeless pets in their communities to help take the state no-kill in 2025.”  

Individuals can contribute to the no-kill movement by adopting, fostering dogs and cats in need, spaying or neutering their pets, volunteering, donating, sharing adoptable pets on social media, 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 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 5,500 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®.