On January 15, 2018 the open admission Lake County Animal Shelter celebrated one year of No Kill with a 92% Live Release Rate. Now they can claim official status as a No Kill shelter. How did they do it? The Campaign: In the Beginning In 2012, Steve Shank, a former volunteer at Lake County with no prior experience in advocacy, decided he wanted to see better outcomes for the animals at the shelter. He began to write to the county commissioners in charge of the shelter, cha

It was the late 70’s —probably around 1978. By this time one thing about me was clear: I loved animals. At the time we had three cats, a dog and we leased a horse. I loved horseback riding above all else in the world and I absolutely lived for time spent riding, taking lessons and even competing. Our kitchen table was the meeting place for my family. We had so many great conversations there and my parents always encouraged me to participate in the discussions they had.

If ever there was an influential dog, it has to be "Sido." Sido was eleven years old when she was surrendered to the San Francisco SPCA in 1979. In most animal shelters at that time, dogs over five years old didn't stand a chance. Even worse, her owner had just committed suicide and it was written in her will that Sido should also die. Richard Avanzino refused to kill her, and a lawsuit followed that put Avanzino in personal jeopardy. Most people even today would simply