Lehigh Valley Humane Society 2023 Impact
2023: A Year of Exceptional Challenges
In 2023, the Lehigh Valley Humane Society faced an exceptional challenge – a 34 percent surge in stray, abandoned, and surrendered animals, amounting to nearly 900 more animals compared to the previous year. These animals were abandoned in heartbreaking ways: left at our doorstep in boxes, tied to trees or poles, left behind in empty apartments, or left to fend for themselves in the streets. This alarming surge can be attributed to factors such as inflation, the soaring cost of living, the growing scarcity of affordable, pet-friendly housing, and an increased amount of animals born through irresponsible breeding by hobbyists and puppy mills.
Throughout the year, we found ourselves in crisis mode, facing immense strain on our staff and resources. Nevertheless, we remained steadfast in our mission to provide care and shelter for every animal in need. In response to this crisis, we pivoted constantly, creating animal houses space where there was none, launching free adoption campaigns, and actively engaging our community to foster or adopt shelter animals. Despite the challenges, our perseverance yielded remarkable success, reflected in our exceptional adoption rates throughout the year.
Still, we are often asked the question, “Are you no kill?”
Understanding “No-Kill”
The term “no kill” holds significant sway in community support for animal shelters. But despite its frequent usage, the phrase is not well understood. Its meaning is constantly misconstrued and inconsistently applied. Even some animal welfare organizations use the term loosely, further blurring its understanding and significance. We so often hear people say that they will not support an organization that does not label itself as no kill, thinking this means an organization does not euthanize animals for space or does not euthanize animals at all- but that is not the case. It is undoubtedly important to define this influential term and how the no kill designation is measured.
The widely-accepted definition of no kill as it is used in modern animal welfare standards is actually a measurement. To be no kill means that your live release rate (also called a save rate) is 90 percent or greater (Source: What does no-kill mean?) 1.
What is a live release rate? This is the percentage of animals that leave the shelter with a live outcome, such as being transferred to another shelter, adopted out, returned to field, or returned to the family that lost them. Again, to be considered no kill, an organization must find placement for at least 90 percent of their animal population.
Becoming a no kill shelter certainly isn’t as simple as deciding to stop euthanizing animals. The volume of animals coming to your door for help certainly will not change overnight, nor will your budget, your staffing, or your programs.
Most organizations that are labeled “kill shelters” struggle to meet a 90 percent live release rate because the extraordinary volume of animals coming in far exceeds the kennel space they have available, and transferring animals out to other shelters or rescues is not always an option, particularly if the dogs they are seeking placement for are breeds that are difficult to adopt out, such as Pitbulls. Unfortunately, many rescues will not accept these dogs as transfers. This can lead to a difficult choice about whether to euthanize animals for space. Sadly, these struggling organizations are also often lacking in support from their community, when that support is exactly what they need in order to increase adoptions improve their programs, and collaborate with other organizations to rise above the difficulties that they face.
LVHS’ Performance
In order to overcome the many challenges of a high-volume animal shelter and ensure that we do not reach the point of crushing over-capacity, the LVHS focuses tremendous effort on supporting struggling pet owners with affordable services, reuniting lost pets, and adopting pets into new forever homes. We also launched our Community Cat Program, which focuses on trapping, neutering, vaccinating, and returning (TNVR) community cats to live out their lives in the territory that they have made their home. Cats entering our Community Cat Program are unable to be handled by humans or adopted out into traditional homes. TNVR is considered the best practice approach across the country for the management of feral, outdoor, and community cats (Source: Protecting Community Cats)2.
We have given our all to these efforts over the last five years, and it has transformed our organization. We have created new training, enrichment, and medical programs, forged collaborative relationships with other organizations, and modernized our foster and adoption processes. By the end of 2023, we increased our live release rates by over 24 percent since 2021, with an 81 percent live release rate for cats and a 91 percent live release rate for dogs, exceeding the no-kill benchmark of 90 percent. But we don’t stop there. What we mean is that our goal is always to save as many animals as we can, and not simply aim for 90 percent as a ceiling to be met, or a box to be checked. In the first month of 2024, our live-release rate for dogs came in at 94 percent- significantly exceeding the 90 percent no kill benchmark- and our live release rate for cats was 86 percent.
Despite these major improvements, we cannot always predict what challenges await us. 2023 was an extremely challenging year for shelters nationwide, with nearly a 400% increase in purchased pets and a quarter million more homeless animals taken in compared to 2022 (Source: Estimated 245,000 additional dogs and cats…)3.
The Method Behind Our Success
It is very important to note that our approach to measuring live release rates has evolved significantly. In the past, our rates were measured by the percentage of animals designated as “healthy” and “adoptable” according to the Asilomar Accords, a standard in animal welfare management (Source: Asilomar Accords: Definitions)4. While some shelters still use the Asilomar Accords standards in the management of their shelter population, the Lehigh Valley Humane Society does not. Instead, our shelter statistics now adhere to a “noses in” versus “noses out” approach. That means that each and every animal is counted, from the anti-social cat to the high-energy Husky to the senior Pitbull. No excuses, no exceptions, no matter the temperament or health of the animal. This approach is the most honest and transparent method of reporting a live release rate. We aren’t successful with every animal, but we’re getting better every year. LVHS reluctantly accepts that there are circumstances in which humane euthanasia is a necessary course of action, such as cases of terminal illness or injuries, or dangerous behaviors. To learn more about our policies and decision-making as it relates to humane euthanasia, please visit our full Euthanasia Statement on our website.
We take immense pride in what we have achieved in these last five years. We do things the hard way, because that’s what the animals of the Lehigh Valley deserve. We pride ourselves on putting the animals of our community and their needs first. That means a very significant portion of our canine population is made up of Pitbull-type dogs rescued from the streets of Allentown. Unfortunately, due to breed stereotypes and housing discrimination, these dogs often spend months in our care before finding their forever homes. People often ask how long we keep animals in our care. Our response remains unchanging: they stay until they are adopted. There is no time limit on how long animals stay with us, and it is very common to have dogs, cats, and bunnies wait patiently for their forever homes for six months, nine months, or even over a year, all in the hope of finding their perfect match.
Looking Ahead: Challenges & Opportunities in 2024
We expect that 2024 will be another challenging year for Lehigh Valley Humane Society as the only remaining shelter in the area providing essential animal control services and responding to rescue calls at all hours of the day or night. Additionally, we remain the only agency enforcing animal cruelty laws in Lehigh County through our dedicated Humane Society Police Officer. Too, we will continue to actively collaborate with our local government officials to advocate for changes to archaic laws and policies to improve animal welfare in our community.
One of our greatest values and highest priorities at the Lehigh Valley Humane Society is self-reflection. By that, we mean that we are constantly looking within and seeking to improve our programs, elevate our people, and grow our impact in the community to serve as many pets and their owners as possible. We have come a long, long way in these past few years, and we will always look for new and innovative ways to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals with diligence and compassion.
The Lehigh Valley Humane Society team is very grateful for your continued support. We love to show our community the great things we’re doing! Our doors are open seven days a week, and everyone is welcome. Do you want to support us? Learn how you can get involved through volunteering, attending events, or donating to help support our mission. Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Here's to an even bigger and better 2024!
Works Cited
1“What Does No-Kill Mean?” BestFriends.Org, Best Friends Animal Society, www.bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025/what-does-no-kill-mean.
2“Protecting Community Cats.” BestFriends.Org, Best Friends Animal Society, www.bestfriends.org/advocacy/protecting-community-cats.
3“Estimated 245,000 Additional Dogs and Cats in the Shelter System This Holiday Season.” ShelterAnimalsCount.Org, Shelter Animals Count, 13 Dec. 2023, www.shelteranimalscount.org/estimated-245000-additional-dogs-and-cats-in-the-shelter-system-this-holiday-season/.
4“Asilomar Accords: Definitions.” ASPCA.Org, ASPCA, www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/asilomar-accords-definitions.
