Los Angeles now a No-Kill City thanks to NKLA Coalition

03/11/21 • 45 min

Launched in 2012, The NKLA (No-Kill Los Angeles) Coalition set out to do what many believed to be unattainable. Bring the combined save rate for Los Angeles Animal Services (LAAS) across the 90% threshold for a full calendar year.

With a 2020 save rate of 90.49%, it’s now official: Los Angeles is a no-kill community. L.A. is now the most populous, most racially and economically diverse, and largest community geographically to attain no-kill status.

This epic achievement results from ten years of blood, sweat, tears, and collaboration between LAAS, Best Friends, and more than 150 rescue organizations who together made up the coalition. In this episode, we celebrate this momentous occasion in the history of the no-kill movement and share some of the lessons learned in L.A., which can help every community in America still on their quest to achieve no-kill.

Previous Episode

Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in animal welfare

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May reignited the Black Lives Matter movement and catalyzed a long-overdue, nationwide conversation about racism, social justice, biases, and privilege. Animal sheltering and animal welfare have long suffered from a lack of diversity, and we know that has negatively impacted both the people and pets in the communities we serve.

Change starts from within, so Best Friends, like many others, set out to understand how to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts. DE&I are foundations of building a strong company culture, one that empowers everyone to do the work and allows us to reach every animal lover—especially those who have historically gone unrepresented in our movement. Best Friends is committed to continuing to work to acknowledge and dismantle the deep-rooted systems in animal welfare that prevent our movement from being truly and deeply diverse, equitable, or inclusive.

This week's episode shares conversations from two recent Best Friends Network Town Halls where we shared our approach to DE&I work and provided actionable next steps you can use for your organization.

Next Episode

When leading requires a push

When a community implements lifesaving programs, and the shelter, rescue organizations, and the public all come together as one, it's a beautiful thing! But the road to achieving no-kill can often feel anything but beautiful.

Societal change is challenging. It often requires agitation but in a movement driven by kindness, how do you find the right balance while lives hang in the balance every day?

This week we talk with Jamie Case from American Pets Alive! who shares lessons she learned in her career as both the agitator and the agitated.