Utah’s path to no-kill: A 2023 data review from Best Friends Animal Society

If you’ve ever looked into adopting a furry friend, you may already be aware of Best Friends Animal Society. It’s the largest companion animal sanctuary in the United States, headquartered in Kanab, Utah. Alongside Best Friends Animal Society, KSL Classifieds aspires to create a platform that gives animals the safe homes they deserve, one adoption at a time. We spoke with Chief Mission Officer Holly Sizemore about Utah’s no-kill status for 2024, and what else needs to be done to become a no-kill country by 2025.

Utah is doing the work

In order for us to be considered a no-kill country by 2025, around 415,000 cats and dogs must be saved per year. That may seem like a daunting task, but that number actually shows how far we’ve come. Consider 2016, when the amount of cats and dogs killed was around 1 million. 

The benchmark for a shelter to become no-kill is 90% of animals saved. And we’re almost there, with an 87.6% save rate in Utah. Sizemore noted that Best Friends Animal Society has been making offers to help shelters find more humane solutions since the 2000s. 

“Most shelters in Utah are doing that. It’s hard work. It’s never not hard work. But most shelters in Utah do continue to want to improve and incorporate new ways of doing business,” she said. 

One of those improvements includes implementing contemporary no-kill practices in shelters such as Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return programs for community cats. This program enables beloved neighborhood cats to be humanely captured, neutered/spayed, vaccinated, then returned to the location where they were found. Programs like these have been successful across the state, but some extra focus is needed in Utah County shelters right now, as their current save rate for cats is only about 50%. 

Embracing modern methods

When Sizemore first started evangelizing TNVR programs to shelters, most were skeptical about the programs’ efficacy. “For decades, we’ve said the best way to handle cats out in our communities is to round them up and kill them. But what everyone could agree on, was that it wasn't working,” she said.

So Best Friends Animal Society got to work on a pilot program to humanely keep the feral cat population in check. And it worked. West Valley City, for example, was an early adopter of a TNVR program in 2001. After over 20 years of seeing it in action, there are fewer stray cats, fewer nuisance behaviors and fewer complaints from the public. 

“What has been part of the pinnacle of my career is seeing the entire sheltering system transform from one that was highly skeptical of this method, to now one that sees that it is really the only humane and effective way to actually reduce cat populations,” Sizemore said. And the data shows it.

Utah’s numbers

Happy news for Utah’s fur babies — dogs and cats continue to be adopted across the state. In fact, if only 2,000 more people adopted per year, we’d reach a no-kill status. That could help us reach Gov. Spencer Cox’s goal for 2024 to be a “No-Kill Shelter Year.” Additionally, if the shelters in Utah County adopted TNVR policies, it would greatly reduce the amount of cats killed in shelters. So, how close are we really to becoming a no-kill state?

2023 data: Utah

Check out Utah's data according to Best Friends.

*Shelters reporting: 58 of 59

2023 data: Utah County

Check out Utah County's data according to Best Friends.

Nearly two-thirds of all pets killed take place in these two Utah County shelters. You can help by sending a message to North Utah Valley Animal Shelter to show your support for TNVR programs in place of euthanasia. 

An enthusiastic partnership

Through ongoing collaboration with Best Friends Animal Society, KSL Classifieds continues to make pet lives a top priority. “We are very passionate about continuing to be a voice for Best Friends, and to continue to help spread this message,” said Tiffany Rhodes, senior marketing manager for KSL Classifieds.

In recent years, KSL Classifieds has sponsored fur-tastic events like Best Friends’ Strut Your Mutt — a dog walk/adoption fest/fundraiser all in one. KSL Classifieds also strives to make the platform safer with features like Petfinder to help with adoptions, and listing fees for cats and dogs to discourage unethical breeding practices. 

While there is still work to be done, Sizemore offered a reminder of the dramatic improvements over the years, “Our industry has almost completely transformed compared to what it looked like 50 years ago.”  Together, Best Friends Animal Society and KSL Classifieds will continue to advocate for animals so we can become the first no-kill state in the West and help you find that four-legged companion you’ve always wanted.