In September 2023, outcry from the Dekalb County Animal Shelter resonated all over the state of Georgia when news on the conditions of the animal shelter brought into question the effectiveness of the no kill policy currently implemented. Post Covid repercussions of pet adoption and abandonment did nothing to quell the rising concerns of overcrowding and sickness harming the animals in the shelter. While I myself saw the measures people across the state were taking to relocate as many animals from the shelter as possible, not all of them managed to be saved. A debate which sparked between PETA and the No Kill Advocacy center ended with Dekalb County CEO Michael Thurmond reconsidering the No Kill policy and as a result the shelter resorted to euthanasia. While 90% is the record number of animals this shelter has been able to save, Lifeline Animal Project, the nonprofit in charge of this shelter, must be compensated with all the resources to save every healthy and treatable animal from a cruel fate. Tracking further legal developments from this crisis have led me to find a proposal that Michael Thurmond announced a 10 million dollar comprehensive strategy to address the overcrowding in the shelter and help aid pet owners and fosters with resources. However, the latest article I could find to date about the progress of this proposal or sign of any future support for the shelter, found in "The Champion" Dekalb county news, says that the request for an external audit to evaluate current conditions of the shelters operations and practices has yet to be carried out.

Conditions at the animal shelter had been building up to this point for the past 3 years, yet until they reached its critical breaking point in October there was little to be said about the rise of inhumane conditions of the shelter previously. Without a doubt it is hard for nonprofits like Lifeline to maintain the proper upkeep of their facilities without financial support, but what about legal support? The No Kill equation is part of the No Kill Advocacy Centers' model legislation called the Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA) which aims to reform issues such as life-saving, breed/species discrimination, adoption potential, quality care, volunteer services and transparency with legal protection. Many pet owners and animal lovers across the state of Georgia can agree that the No Kill equation, designed to replace killing with programs and services to save every animal, should be the foundation of our current animal rights efforts. I propose with my petition that we forward this proposal, along with the completion of the external audit for the Dekalb county animal shelter, in order to seek justice for every animals life lost back in October 2023 and to better the future for pets and owners across the state of Georgia.

Links to get informed/involved:

https://nokilladvocacycenter.org/

https://lifelineanimal.org/