Ever since we got our puppy, Jewel, who topped 107 pounds the other day at the vet and turns 1 year old July 9, I’ve been much more tuned in to material coming across my desk regarding animals.
Pat has had big dogs before, but I haven’t had many dogs. Living in Newberry, we were right on Main Street with no fence, and I could just see a tragedy in the making. We lived in Greenville when I was a kid and my dad adopted a neighborhood boxer - the boxer didn’t mind, my dad sold meat for Oscar Mayer. The family had a mutt, Buddy, for a while on the Isle of Palms, but he was kind of my brothers’ dog. Both the boxer and Buddy got in trouble and had to go. Just dogs, being dogs.
So, it interested me the other day when I saw an e-mail touting this line, “South Carolina has an 86% save rate for shelter dogs and cats, according to annual data report from Best Friends Animal Society. Basically, it says, counties, if you are running a kill-shelter, you are out of step.
The subline is, “49% of state shelters are now non-kill.”
In 2022, shelters in South Carolina took in 102,673 dogs and cats, and saved 88,068 - killed were 5,800 (down from 7,169 in 2021).
“We are at the tipping point of taking the country no-kill,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society.
A 90% save rate is the nationally recognized standard for becoming “no-kill”; the society says, “approximately 10 percent of pets who enter shelters have medical or behavioral circumstances that warrant humane euthanasia rather than killing for lack of space.”
We did not acquire Jewel from a shelter, but we support and admire the work of shelters and rescues. The Society recommends, “Individuals can help save lives by choosing to adopt from a shelter or rescue group instead of purchasing from a breeder or store, spay or neuter their pets, foster kittens or an adult dog, volunteer, donate, and advocate for proven lifesaving programming for pets.”
Laurens County has had, and continues to have, some horrific cases of animal abuse. Sadly, sometimes these people think they are really helping, saying of the animals “at least they have a place to stay.” But that’s no Life, chained and starving - come on people, get real, most of the time that’s just rationalizing bad behavior. We have a Scriptual calling to have dominion over animals - that does not include torture.
Vic MacDonald is Editor of The Clinton Chronicle. In June, 2025, he will observe his 50th year in community journalism. Reach him at 864-833-1900.
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to around 378,000. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 4,200 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.
A No-Kill Shelter in Clinton here.
