A plan has been formulated and will be discussed at the "No-Kill Conference" in Washington, DC. The plan is to make the US a no-kill country by 2015. So how can a country that euthanizes approximately 4 million dogs and cats each year become a no-kill nation? The plan is to do the same thing that Richard Avanzino did in San Francisco in 90s. And he credits the no-kill movement to one dog, Sido.

Sido was a beautiful dog, who in 1979 was sentenced to death. She was not to die for the standard reasons like aggression or illness, no she was to be euthanized because her owner said so in her will. Yes, Sido was owned by a woman who committed suicide, and in her will she stated that the dog should be euthanized because no one could provide the same level of care.  A legal battle ensued over the death of the dog. In the end it was ruled that while animals are possessions, they cannot be subjected to death for no reason, they too have rights. Lucky for Sido, she was able to live out a happy life until the age of 16.

Avanzino said that the support to save this dog's life showed him that there had been a shift in thinking about animals. Luckily for the animals in San Francisco, Avanzino set to work to keep them from needlessly dying in shelters. His hard work and devotion helped create new laws where the SPCA could take any animal they thought was adoptable from the shelters to prevent euthanasia. He also encouraged spay and neuter programs, made veterinary care more available to strays and encouraged animal adoption. These programs were successful and resulted in a large drop in euthanasia.

So the question is can other cities and states see the same results? Well they are already showing marked improvements in Austin, TX, Charlottesville, VA and Reno, NV. How Avanzino plans to spread this message across the US in five years is beyond me. So be on the lookout for a no-kill movement in your area. And if you can, volunteer your time and energy to making it a success.