Communities across the nation, including right here in South Carolina, have shown what’s possible when lifesaving becomes a shared priority. Best Friends maintains a national dashboard of shelter outcomes here.

It is important to note that the true measure of lifesaving success varies from community to community, with no one-size-fits-all metric being universally appropriate. Each community is different, and data must be viewed through a local lens for a fair and accurate understanding. Many in the animal welfare field look to the widely referenced 90% live release benchmark, often called “No Kill,” as an aspirational goal for all animals who enter the system. We measure our success by lives saved and by the well-being of pets in our community.

The City of Columbia Animal Shelter ended the 2024/2025 fiscal year with a Live Release Rate of 84%, 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 89% in that time as well.

Sterilization is the proven best method of population control for domesticated animals. It is Animal Mission’s position that every pet should be sterilized, except in cases where it is medically advisable to not perform the surgery, or in the care of responsible breeders. We oppose all forms of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) regarding sterilization in favor of comprehensive sterilization laws for all domesticated animals.

Euthanasia should be reserved solely for humanely ending the suffering of animals in irredeemable medical situations, or whose behavior obstacles make them unsuitable for rehabilitation.