FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does Shelby Humane euthanize animals?
We receive emails, phone calls, Facebook messages, and in-person questions regularly whether we are going to euthanize a cat or a dog being surrendered.
Shelby Humane does conduct humane euthanasia in three very specific situations:
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An animal is actively suffering AND medical intervention will not relieve the suffering.
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An animal exhibits behaviors which create a safety risk AND those behaviors have not shown improvement after a reasonable intervention effort by a certified dog trainer.
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We are directed to do so by a governmental agency.
To the contrary, we utilize every tool, technique, and resource available to us in an effort to save and/or rehabilitate as many animals as possible.
Dee Dee is a perfect example of what a proactive animal welfare organization can accomplish. She was surrendered to Shelby Humane with a congenital defect which rendered her rear legs malformed and unusable. Thanks to the generosity of our community, and the dedication of our staff, Dee Dee was given a set of wheels and a whole new future.
In an effort to be as transparent as possible, all of our intake and outcome data - to include euthanasia numbers - is publicly available on our website at https://shelbyhumane.org/shelter-data.