As the largest No Kill animal welfare organization in the Midwest, and one of the largest in the nation, PAWS Chicago is uniquely positioned to support the City of Chicago on its No Kill objectives.
In line with the Spring 2016 Resolution proposed by the Aldermen of the 14th and 15th Wards in Chicago, PAWS Chicago makes the following policy recommendations:
- Establish the goal of Chicago becoming a No Kill city where all healthy and treatable pets are saved.
- Encourage all private animal shelters to adopt No Kill policies, requiring mandatory reporting for all shelters based on national reporting best practices.
- Collect and publicly report animal statistics for each shelter in the City of Chicago and for the community as a whole.
- Ensure that the city impoundment facility, or Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC), continues to assume the responsibility for taking in all stray and unwanted animals in Chicago and increase the reunification of lost pets with their families. Due to its unique government responsibilities, Animal Care & Control will be the barometer of No Kill success for the city.
- Establish a minimum standard of care for all animals to ensure humane conditions while at CACC, including medical and behavioral programs to treat and rehabilitate homeless animals. To this end, the city should evaluate funding to institute shelter medicine, behavior and volunteer programs; and establish volunteer positions in all areas to provide animals with quality care.
- Operate a simple and streamlined transfer process for all transfer partners with the goal of moving animals out of CACC as soon as possible.
- Ensure adoption pavilions have a ready supply of animals awaiting adoption.
- Institute or advocate for programs that are essential to building No Kill communities, including informational diversion programs that support people keeping their pets rather than turning them into the shelter; free and low-cost spay/neuter and veterinary services; Trap-Neuter-Return; and community outreach programs that support under-served communities.
- Evaluate alternatives to the existing animal court case laws that currently keep animals impounded at Chicago Animal Care & Control for years.
- Provide oversight that any euthanasia performed meet acceptable veterinary standards.
Read more about Chicago's push to become a No Kill city in the Chicago Tribune.
