Michigan Is Now Considered A No-Kill Shelter State
Michigan shelters have been working hard toward the goal of becoming a no kill state, and they finally achieved it.
The Michigan Pet Fund Alliance started working toward the goal of becoming a no kill state back in 2009. Back then, there was only one county in the state that was considered no-kill. Progress has been made every year since, and now Michigan is officially a no-kill state.
The requirements to be considered a no-kill state are pretty straight forward. 90% of all animals in all of the shelters in Michigan must be returned to owners, adopted, or transferred to other shelters.
This doesn't mean that all animals find a forever home, but the number of animals killed in shelters has dropped dramatically in the last decade. About 10 years ago, the number of animals euthanized was approximately 120,000. Now that number has shrunk down to around 13,000.
That shows the progress that we've made, but there is still a long way to go. Make sure that if you are looking for a pet, you start at your local shelter.