No-kill shelter doable if community wants it

Bravo to Beaufort County Councilman Rick Caporale for publicly addressing the alarming kill-rate in our county shelter. The number of innocent animals destroyed in our county shelter is unacceptable. Our organization does not believe death-by-lethal-injection should be the method used to control the animal population.

"Building a Community Where No Animal Is Left Behind" has been Palmetto Animal League's vision since 2002. We are truly committed to this goal.

In May, Pam Dyer, our board chairwoman, and I attended a national no-kill conference in Washington. We were inspired by meeting shelter directors from all over the country who have faced every challenge to achieve a no-kill status. We can do the same.

Palmetto Animal League has been implementing the components of the no-kill equation for years through foster care, comprehensive adoption programs, spay and neuter programs, medical and behavior rehabilitation and by helping communities and individuals care for feral cats responsibly.

Palmetto Animal League will be opening its first adoption center in 2010, and we are excited that we will then be able to implement even more programs that are key elements to the no-kill equation. We have met with Caporale on numerous occasions and will continue to work with him and other rescue and animal advocacy groups to reduce the number of animals destroyed in our county. We hope the public will support this initiative.

Amy Campanini, executive director

Palmetto Animal League

Bluffton