CA Supreme Court Upholds Right of Rescue

News and headlines for December 9-15, 2023

In a victory for dogs and their rescuers, the California Supreme Court ruled against Los Angeles County’s bid to kill dogs rescue groups are willing to save. When rescuers offer to save them, shelters cannot kill dogs by claiming that "the animal has a behavioral problem or is not adoptable or treatable.” That is now binding law throughout the state, and every California shelter must comply. The No Kill Advocacy Center filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to deny L.A. County’s petition. As we explained to the Justices, shelters are not competent — and ought not to be trusted — to determine that a dog is “unadoptable.”

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

Coming soon: The No Kill Companion. 

The definitive guide to animal shelter issues, The No Kill Companion is a reference manual for legislators, policymakers, shelter managers, media, advocates, and other stakeholders. With short encyclopedia-like entries, it covers the definition of No Kill, its history, opposition, challenges, controversies, threats to No Kill success, the state of the movement, costs and benefits of No Kill animal control, model legislation, shelter assessment tools, a glossary, and a primer on various sheltering issues, including temperament testing, community cats, and more.

It will also be available in packs of five or 10 to send to your city council or county commission.

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