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Reaching a “no-kill” benchmark means a shelter or community has met a save-rate threshold. It does not mean the shelter is empty, that every animal is easy to place, or that the community no longer needs help. Animals with behavioral, medical, or age-related needs still need care, and families still need support to keep their pets. This article explains what the label measures, what it leaves out, and what shelters can do next.
What “no-kill” actually measures
Best Friends Animal Society says it designates shelters that meet a 90% save-rate benchmark as no-kill. Its current materials calculate save rate from live intakes and non-live outcomes, and they apply the organization’s own rules to categories such as owner-requested euthanasia. Best Friends’ FAQ also acknowledges that more than one live-release-rate formula is in use. So “no-kill” is a label attached to a number, and the number depends on how it is calculated.
Other organizations define the terms differently:
| Organization | Metric | How it is defined |
|---|---|---|
| Best Friends Animal Society | Save rate (basis of its 90% no-kill benchmark) | Based on live intakes and non-live outcomes, with Best Friends’ own treatment of categories such as owner-requested euthanasia |
| Shelter Animals Count | Live release rate | Live outcomes divided by total outcomes |
| Shelter Animals Count | Save rate | Total intakes minus non-live outcomes, divided by total intakes |
| ASPCA | Live release rate | Total live outcomes divided by intake, with the included live outcomes specified in its position statement |
Because the formulas and the handling of owner-intended euthanasia differ, two reports can describe the same shelter differently. When you read a rate, check who calculated it and how.
Why one rate can’t describe a shelter
Shelter Animals Count says save rate and live release rate are only part of assessing outcomes and should not be the sole measure of success. For community trends, it recommends looking at community-level live outcomes. The ASPCA’s position statement on data collection names other indicators to track alongside them: intake, length of stay, euthanasia rate, and live release rate.
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The reasons are practical. A shelter can meet a threshold while animals wait a long time for placement. It can also meet the threshold while pet owners in its area can’t afford veterinary care. The rate says nothing about either. In her 2021 article, Best Friends strategist Audrey Lodato (northeast region) says shelters that reach the benchmark should look to other industry measures. She also points to Shelter Animals Count’s effort to track community support for animals who never enter shelters.
Where the challenges remain: a New England view from 2021
The source for this article is Lodato’s “No-Kill Doesn’t Mean No Challenges,” published June 30, 2021. It is a regional perspective from that date, focused on New England. It is not a description of every shelter today. The article calls the share of animals with special needs “substantial,” but it gives no percentage, so none is offered here.
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Animals who need more tailored support
Lodato describes a shelter population that includes animals with behavioral challenges, senior pets, and animals with medical needs. The responses she points to are:
- case management for individual animals
- community cat programs
- behavior and enrichment programming
- experienced long-term fosters
- foster-led direct placement
These are examples from one author, not a formula that suits every community. Enrichment programming might include items such as food-dispensing dog toys. Staff should choose any item for the individual animal and follow safety practice. The article does not recommend any product or brand.
Keeping pets with their families
Part of the work, in Lodato’s account, is helping pets stay in their homes. She describes shelters in the region expanding low-cost medical services. Her examples are dentistry, emergency surgery, and wellness care, and she presents them as being developed at the time of writing. Availability varies by community, so check what your local shelter or clinics offer now.
Transport partnerships
Transport can move animals from communities with too many to communities with capacity. Lodato describes mismatches between the animals needing help and the requirements of receiving groups. Her examples are behavior assessments, individual videos, and lengthy pre-travel quarantine, all of which can be hard for sending organizations to meet. Her conclusion is about communication:
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.“Harmony can be reached when all sides are transparent with what they can and cannot do and are willing to be flexible enough to make saving lives happen.”
— Audrey Lodato, Strategist, northeast region, Best Friends Animal Society
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Current national figures, kept separate
Two organizations published 2025 national data in 2026. They use different measures and terminology, so these figures are not interchangeable counts of the same outcome.
| Source | 2025 figure | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Best Friends Animal Society (2026 report) | 82.5% | National dog-and-cat save rate |
| Best Friends Animal Society (2026 report) | 396,000 | Animals killed in U.S. shelters, as Best Friends reports it. Best Friends describes this as measuring the gap to its 90% benchmark, not every animal death in shelters. |
| Shelter Animals Count (2026 annual report) | 5.2 million | Dogs and cats with community live outcomes |
| Shelter Animals Count (2026 annual report) | 597,000 | Animals euthanized |
| Shelter Animals Count (2026 annual report) | 757,000 | Dogs and cats with non-live outcomes |
The national save rate sits below the 90% benchmark, so many communities have not reached it. Even where a community has, the gaps described above can remain.
How to read a “no-kill” claim
- Ask which organization calculated the rate, and which formula it used.
- Ask how owner-requested euthanasia and other categories were counted.
- Look for intake and length-of-stay figures, not only the headline rate.
- Look at community-level outcomes, not just one shelter’s numbers.
- Ask what support exists for senior, medical, and behavior cases, and for keeping pets in homes.
If you want to help, ask your local shelter what it needs now. Common needs include experienced fosters, enrichment supplies, and support for pets who stay with their families.
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