The number of pets put down in Nashville has dropped by nearly a third in the past five years. The kill rate is now below 50 percent, down from more than 80 percent.
According to figures from Metro Animal Control, much of the euthanasia decline comes from transferring more animals to other rescue shelters, sometimes out of state. Metro spokesperson Rebecca Morris says agencies outside the region often have fewer pets up for adoption because — unlike Tennessee — they have a culture that broadly encourages owners to spay and neuter.
“We had 23 cats take a transport up to Maine. I know it’s hard to believe being a shelter in the South, but there actually are shelters out there that don’t have animals, that have empty cages and they have families that want to adopt.”
Public criticism prompted Animal Control to adjust its procedures several years ago. Increasing transfers was the primary change.
In 2009, 22 animals were handed over to rescue agencies. Last year, that number spiked to more than 1,200. Morris says the next priority is controlling population.
“We can’t adopt our way out of this problem, we definitely need people to better understand the importance of spay and neuter and what we can do to help animal overpopulation.”
Other initiatives have included increasing micro chipping and starting a pet detective program to help owners find lost animals.
Animal Control’s current manager, Lauren Bluestone took over the post eight months ago and has spearheaded these efforts.
The kill rate so far in 2015 is down to just 25 percent.
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