The Murray-Calloway County Animal Shelter has reached no-kill status after maintaining a 92% save rate over the past 12 months, an achievement shelter officials credit to several new programs.
Emily Cook, Murray-Calloway County Animal Shelter manager and a Calloway County animal control officer, credited the achievement to assistance from Best Friends, a national nonprofit organization that works with thousands of shelters and rescue groups across the country.
“They came to us and did presentations and training. They’ve just done so much,” said Cook, who meets with representatives of the nonprofit every Thursday via Zoom.
Best Friends started in 1984, when a group of friends rescued some 200 animals in Utah and began a nationwide no-kill movement for homeless pets. Many members of the group had been involved in various forms of animal advocacy and had been saving animals from high-risk shelters for years. By 1990, the group built an animal sanctuary in the canyons of Utah with some 1,500 dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, horses and pigs.
According to Best Friends, a shelter qualifies for no-kill status when it achieves and maintains a save rate of at least 90% over a 12-month period. That does not mean animals are never euthanized. Animals that are suffering from severe illness or injury, or that are considered dangerously aggressive, may still be euthanized. The goal of a no-kill shelter is to avoid euthanizing healthy animals because of issues such as overcrowding or time limits.
Best Friends also provided funding that the shelter has used to establish several programs aimed at increasing its save rate, including foster and foster-to-adopt programs.
“People can take a puppy home for a week to make sure it’s going to work out with their animals,” Cook said of the foster-to-adopt program.
Cook noted that the biggest contributor to the no-kill status has been the community cat program.
“Cats were the most euthanized animal in our shelter. We’re a small facility, we just can’t house a bunch of cats, especially feral cats,” Cook said.
Under the Community Cat Program, if a Calloway County resident finds a healthy, uninjured stray cat, an animal control officer will collect the cat to be spayed or neutered and then return it to the place where it was found. Cook said healthy cats found outside are often already being fed by someone in the area.
Since September 2025, the shelter has spayed or neutered at least 213 cats through the program. It is funded through Best Friends but also accepts donations, which must be made directly to Paris Veterinary Clinic and designated for “Calloway Community Cats.”
The shelter has also implemented a diversion program, primarily for animal control calls involving people who don’t want to surrender their animals but believe they have no other choice.
“We want to help you keep your animal,” Cook said. “If the only thing keeping you from keeping your dog is getting her fixed, let’s get her fixed.”
In the past, the shelter took any animal that came in the door, but it has now implemented an owner-surrender process that requires owners to go through various steps to try to keep their animal.
Cook said it is important for owners to take a step back and ask, “Okay, I’m frustrated. What can I do to understand what my dog needs so that I can keep it?” Keeping animals in their homes, she said, also reduces shelter intake and, in turn, euthanasia.
Cook said education has also been a game changer for the shelter, both in learning how to better operate the facility and helping owners understand what their animals need.
“Understand what you’re getting before you get it,” Cook added. “Certain breeds have certain characteristics. Research vet care. Do some homework.”
Volunteers have also played an important role. Volunteers must be at least 18 unless accompanied by an adult. They include retirees, Murray State students and KTAP participants, who Cook said have been especially valuable. In a few cases, volunteer work at the shelter has led to employment.
Volunteering is just one of the ways people can help the shelter in addition to adopting a pet. Cook said she spends $50 a week on dog food herself and understands that not everyone can adopt a pet because of financial constraints.
She said spaying or neutering can cost $300 to $400 and noted that Murray Animal Hospital has provided several spay and neuter clinics.
“I would love for all the vets to step up,” Cook said. “Let’s run some spay and neuter clinics, some rabies clinics. Let’s make a difference in our community.”
Cook added that all the veterinarians in the area have helped the shelter in various ways but said more is needed to keep animals from being surrendered or abandoned.
Taking care of animals is a big part of who Cook is. She started as an animal control officer in 2013 and later took over leadership of the shelter after the previous director retired. She still works as an animal control officer along with her shelter management duties.
“I’m very passionate about the shelter, I always have been,” Cook said. “It doesn’t feel like work to me. I love my job.”
The Murray-Calloway County Animal Shelter is participating in Clear the Shelters throughout August with reduced adoption fees. Animals that have already been spayed or neutered can be adopted for $20. For animals that still need to be spayed or neutered, an $80 refundable good-faith deposit will be collected and returned by check with proof of the procedure.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here