The No Kill Advocacy Center

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The No Kill Advocacy Center

The No Kill Advocacy Center is the leading organization working to end the killing of animals in shelters. The Center was founded in 2004 by Nathan J.

Through legislation, litigation, consultation, education, direct assistance, and rescue, The No Kill Advocacy Center has been the leading force in the creation of hundreds of No Kill communities across the country for the better part of two decades. Winograd — who serves as the Executive Director.

08/29/2026

Recent recalls have impacted both feline and puppy milk replacers. These products were found to have significant nutritional deficiencies or inconsistent vitamin levels that pose severe health risks to neonatal animals. They are not the only ones of late, as pet food recalls are not uncommon and have increased in recent years. Here’s how to protect your animals: https://news.nokilladvocacycenter.org/p/protecting-animals-from-tainted-products

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08/28/2026

“In the wake of the Miranda’s Rescue scandal, California kill ’shelters’ and their lobbying arm, the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals), are proposing a new statewide oversight body. They claim it will prevent future tragedies. Some reformers are cautiously optimistic, provided the agency remains independent. I believe this is naive. The idea that expanding California’s government bureaucracy will prevent such crimes is not just wishful thinking — it is a dangerous pretext for consolidating power": news.nathanwinograd.org/p/exploiting-tragedy-for-power

(From Nathan Winograd)

08/26/2026

We’re celebrating a birthday!

This month, The No Kill Advocacy Center turns 22. And we are asking our supporters to join us in celebration by sending just $22: donorbox.org/the-no-kill-advocacy-center.

In many ways, we are still a young organization. But we have accomplished a lot. When we started, mass killing in shelters was the norm. Only one community saved healthy and treatable dogs, cats, community cats, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, and other shelter animals. It didn’t matter if they were young, old, blind, or missing limbs. It didn’t matter if they were healthy, sick, injured, or traumatized. They were all guaranteed a home, and they all found one. Our director created the No Kill community, and we have successfully replicated its success in communities across the country. But we face increasing pushback.

Despite tremendous gains over the last 22 years in bringing transparency, accountability, and improvements to the pound industry — including a 95% decline in killing thanks to our No Kill Equation model of sheltering — the last few years have seen those gains slowly but increasingly eroded. With communities across the country in need of reform, we need your support more than ever.

Please consider a birthday gift in any amount: donorbox.org/the-no-kill-advocacy-center.

Or subscribe to No Kill Sheltering, our magazine for saving lives. All back issues are also available for download: news.nokilladvocacycenter.org.

08/24/2026

Which illnesses or injuries are treatable? How can shelter staff feel confident they are doing everything possible for every animal every time?

We developed a model animal evaluation matrix to help shelters answer those questions (and for rescuers and advocates to hold them accountable if they don’t).

Our “Animal Evaluation Matrix” includes medical and behavior protocols, diagnostic tools, and end-of-life protocols, with forms and checklists to increase accountability and improve performance.

We developed these protocols in collaboration with some of the most successful shelter directors in the country, including those running municipal and animal control-contracted shelters with placement rates of 98%-99%.

Download the FREE guide and checklist forms for shelters: https://nokilladvocacycenter.org/the-toolkit/animal-evaluation-matrix.

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08/21/2026

Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) is facing fierce backlash after killing Bruce, just as his legal team filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite internal shelter records describing Bruce as a “model citizen” and the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (SPARC) offering to fully fund a transfer to a qualified sanctuary, VCAS rejected all non-lethal alternatives.

Compounding public outrage, the agency abruptly cancelled its subsequent Advisory Commission meeting over unverified “safety concerns,” leading advocates to accuse leadership of dodging public accountability. This was the first meeting after Bruce’s killing and Bruce’s killing was going to loom large with members of the public.

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08/17/2026

Cat killing is up 32% compared to last year, kitten killing has increased 43%, and even dog killing is up.

It doesn’t matter if intakes go up or down at a mismanaged pound like Los Angeles Animal Services, killing will still go up.

- Dog intakes down? Killing goes up.
- Long-term kitten intakes down? Killing goes up.
- Cat and kitten intakes up? Killing goes up.

Why? And what can we do about it? Learn more: https://news.nokilladvocacycenter.org/p/even-when-intakes-go-down-killing.

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Get news from The No Kill Advocacy Center delivered straight to your inbox: news.nokilladvocacycenter.org/

08/14/2026

"Bruce is dead.

"On August 12, Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) ended his life — just as his rescuers and legal team were actively seeking emergency relief from the United States Supreme Court": news.nathanwinograd.org/p/the-short-life-and-tragic-death-of-feb

08/10/2026

Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS) is being sued to prevent it from killing Bruce, a dog ordered destroyed after being declared “vicious.” The lawsuit was filed by the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (SPARC), which argues that it retained contractual rights to Bruce under the adoption agreement executed when the dog was adopted in 2023.

According to SPARC, ownership reverted to the rescue organization after Bruce’s adopters became homeless, Bruce began acting out aggressively, and they relinquished him to VCAS. SPARC contends it was never notified of the proceedings that resulted in the destruction order and was denied an opportunity to assert its contractual and property rights before the County ordered Bruce killed.

The litigation also challenges the factual basis for killing Bruce. Although the County relied on prior incidents to classify him as dangerous, records from Bruce’s months in the shelter describe him as a “model citizen” who behaves well with kennel staff and adapts successfully to a stable, controlled environment.

As a compromise, SPARC has offered to send Bruce to a sanctuary, where he can live out his life without threatening the safety of the public. VCAS has rejected the offer.

Learn more: news.nathanwinograd.org/p/in-the-interest-of-justice

Address

P.O. Box 182
Oakland, CA
94516

Website

http://NoKillAdvocacyCenter.org/

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