Analysis of BSL on shelter dog killing, adoption, redemption, and public safety
In other news: No Kill Companion (2026 Edition). Smell-induced chronic tension in shelter dogs. California to slaughter deer. Hawaii threatens to slaughter cats. Addressing trauma in hoarding rescues.
These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:
No Kill Companion (2026 Edition)
The 2026 edition of The No Kill Companion is now available.
The definitive guide to animal shelter issues, The No Kill Companion is a reference manual for legislators, policymakers, shelter managers, media, advocates, rescuers, and other stakeholders.
With short encyclopedia-like entries, it covers the definition of No Kill, its history, opposition, challenges, and threats, as well as the state of the movement, costs and benefits of No Kill animal services, model legislation, shelter assessment tools, and a primer on various sheltering issues, including temperament testing, community cats, and more.
There is also a 10-pack for shelter board members, legislators, and others.
Please note: 10-packs will begin shipping in early April.
Smell-induced chronic tension in shelter dogs
Ozzy, our pup, treated others as they treated him. He was nice to everyone he met — people, other dogs, cats — with some small, rare exceptions. After a quick sniff of some new dogs, he would get angry and go into defensive, and sometimes offensive, mode. A little guy, he was not much of a threat and easily restrained with his harness and leash, but we could never quite figure out what he saw — and we didn’t — in the other dogs that set him off. A new study suggests it wasn’t something he saw, but rather smelled.