Wyoming is Now a No-Kill State

Using the most current shelter data available, national nonprofit Best Friends Animal Society just declared Wyoming the latest state to reach no-kill*, which means every shelter in the state saved 90% or greater of the pets in its care for 12-consecutive months. The state now joins five other no-kill states, Delaware, Idaho, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, in saving every healthy or treatable pet in their shelters. 

Wyoming reached no-kill at the end of August 2026, saving 92% of all pets in its animal shelters for 12 consecutive months. The state follows neighboring Idaho in the achievement, which reached no-kill in January 2026. 

“Wyoming reaching no-kill shows what’s possible when community members, alongside animal shelters and rescue groups, work together to save the pets lives,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “Today, Best Friends Animal Society celebrates Wyoming’s achievement and encourages every community across the country to continue working to bring about a time when no healthy, treatable pet in an animal shelter is unnecessarily killed.” 

Wyoming’s pet lifesaving gap was dependent on saving more cats’ lives. Local animal shelters and rescue groups, like Second Chance Sheridan Cat Rescue, played a unique role as a special-needs cat shelter. The animal rescue group’s veterinary capabilities allowed them to take in vulnerable cats from shelters across Wyoming including medical cases, kittens, pregnant cats, and other high-risk cases.  

“Wyoming is an example of what saving every healthy or treatable pet can look like in rural and frontier areas. The state got here by understanding what its local communities needed and creating realistic options for those pets and residents,” said Castle.  

Now, community action remains critical as Best Friends Animal Society and its network of more than 6,000 shelter and rescue group partners work towards a time when no dog or cat dies in a shelter simply because they don’t have a safe place to call home. Best Friends Animal Society encourages everyone to get involved by adopting, fostering, volunteering, and advocating for homeless pets. 

To learn more about what communities across the country need to save more pets’ lives, visit Best Friends’ Pet Lifesaving Dashboard. 

*No-kill is generally defined as a save rate of 90% or higher for dogs and cats entering a shelter, a widely recognized benchmark for measuring lifesaving success. The 90% threshold reflects the reality that a small percentage of animals enter shelters with severe medical or behavioral conditions that prevent rehoming. However, no-kill is not a one-size-fits-all standard. Some shelters may reach no-kill at save rates above 90%, while others that provide specialized services, such as neonatal kitten care or compassionate end-of-life support, may fall slightly below that benchmark. Ultimately, reaching and sustaining no-kill requires collaboration among shelters, rescue groups, local governments, and community members, all working together to save lives while protecting public safety and animal welfare.