Amazon abandons animal protection charity work

News and headlines for January 15 - January 21, 2023

Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) killed a one-year-old friendly dog slated for rescue. “It was devastating, devastating,” said the rescuer. “He was a baby; he had his whole life ahead of him.” This is the second such killing in two months. MCACC called it an “honest mistake,” but that is a lie. It’s not a “mistake” when it happens repeatedly. While nothing can bring the dog back, we must work to ensure that this kind of tragedy never happens again. And we do that by firing those involved, implementing proven policies that prevent this, and making killing healthy and treatable animals illegal.

These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:

Amazon has informed animal protection groups, such as The No Kill Advocacy Center (NKAC), my organization, that it is shutting down the Amazon Smile program at the end of February. Amazon Smile raises thousands of dollars for individual groups like NKAC every year. Now that it is ending, that means fewer resources to help animals.

For those who want to help, there is still a little time left. Until February 20, whenever you shop on Amazon, Amazon will donate a percentage to NKAC if you list “No Kill Law & Advocacy Center” as your Amazon Smile recipient or click here. You do not pay anything extra, NKAC does not get any information about you or what you bought, but in doing so, you help save lives. 

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Fu Fu is available for adoption and waiting for you at Montgomery County Animal Care & Adoption Center in Virginia.

As more people turn to rescue and adoption and more shelters embrace progressive policies, the number of communities placing over 95% and as high as 100% of the animals is increasing.

• Fremont County, CO, reported a 99% placement rate for dogs, 96% for cats, and 100% for rabbits and other small animals.

• Montgomery County, VA, reported a 96% placement rate for dogs, 94% for cats, and 97% for rabbits and other small animals.

While there is room for improvement in these communities, their achievements and the national data prove that animals are not dying in pounds because there are too many, too few homes, or people don’t want the animals. They are dying because people in those pounds are killing them. Replace those people, implement the No Kill Equation, and we can be a No Kill nation today.

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Rarely do communities that are placing 95% or better fall below that. Rarer, still, are communities that fall even further, such as below 90%. But Huntsville, AL, managed to do that. Instead of placing above 95% as it has the last several years, it fell to the 80s, despite a decline in intakes.

If Huntsville proves anything, it is that success yesterday and today do not ensure success in the future. To prevent that from happening, The No Kill Advocacy Center encourages communities to codify the programs of the No Kill Equation — and hence current and future success — into law by passing the Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA). And that is exactly what Huntsville residents are urging the City to do. 

When it comes to those animals people love as members of their families, legislation such as CAPA will ensure that communities like Huntsville always remain successful. As it stands, Huntsville no longer is.

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A Texas lawmaker has introduced legislation to help families with pets find affordable rental housing. The bill limits “what landlords in Texas can tack onto a pet owner’s lease.” If it passes and is signed by the governor, the legislation “would allow landlords to either cap a monthly pet fee at $20 or collect a one-time refundable pet deposit at the outset of someone’s lease. However, the proposal would prevent them from doing both.” It is long overdue, as is an outright ban on housing discrimination for families that include an animal companion.

A Columbia Law Review article noted that landlord-imposed pet restrictions in the United States are widespread: