About No Kill
The true measure of no kill varies from community to community with no one size fits all metric being universally appropriate. Each community is different, and data is viewed through a local lens for a fair and accurate understanding. The widely accepted benchmark is 80% and above live release for all animals who enter the system, and the City of Columbia Animal Shelter is on target to achieve a live release rate of 78% for FY20/21. This is up from only 21% when we began our spay and neuter program in 2006.
Euthanasia due to lack of space or resources has decreased by over 85% in that time.
The Darla Fund
Sometimes, special needs cases come through the doors at Columbia Animal Services, and we want to make sure each one has a chance to recover and find their next adventure. Darla was our first, but she won’t be the last. Contribute to the medical fund established in her honor and read about those we’ve helped.