I just returned from two weeks of visiting shelters in TN, VA, GA, and NC (including Memphis Animal Services). We saw exactly this everywhere we went. Several of the shelters we visited had recently returned to open intake practices after a few years of managed intake. They realized that managed intake was exacerbating the crisis. They are in a much worse position now than prior to starting managed intake practices. It will take some time for shelters to recover and they will need to be transparent of the situation and invite their communities to be a part of the solution through volunteering, fostering, and advocating for more resources (especially to fund spay/neuter).
Thank you, Cara, for sharing your on-the-ground insights. It’s telling that some shelters are now reversing course after seeing the real consequences of managed intake. Transparency and community engagement are key to rebuilding trust and finding real solutions. Appreciate your work and perspective! Thanks again for sharing your real time updates!
Wow! I'll bet you have the stories, it's been a joy to follow your journey.
As you probably know, Best Friends, UC Davis Koret, Maddie's Fund have all banded together to stay the course on "managed intake", "return to field". Literally locking animals and the community out by setting up multiple barriers, or flat out refusing to take animals in. And isn't telling, they sure don't mind collecting millions from the taxpayers for their "services".
We've seen the promotional pieces...this scheme started during COVID, they used a pandemic to springboard into causing all of this havoc.
I heard, LA City Shelter director Annette Ramirez announce last month at the LA Shelter Animal Commissioners meeting: When asked, she said: YES, WE ARE DUMPING ALL THE CATS out of our 6 shelters~ in fact, LA City Council sanctioned it!
My letter to the Dean at UC Davis Vet school, letting him know his cat dumping scheme was ruled illegal, I even sent him the ruling from the judge.
Dean Mark Stetter answered, letting me know they had absolutely no intention of stopping their MillionCatChallenge . org ... dumping cats all across the country to their deaths. They've brag they've already dumped FIVE MILLION cats. He also said: ALL THE ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS recommend it. I happen to know, he is talking about very organizations that funded an illegal, inhumane and cruel scheme. Best Friends and Kristen Hassen, Outcomes Consulting are going full tilt boogie on selling this deadly scheme to shelters here in Southern California. We watch as they move and brag to each shelter. To call them carpetbaggers would be an insult to carpetbaggers. The small shelters are so volunerable to their grift. We need to share what we know has happened in the communities they have infiltrated. Thank you for your voice!
We need more people speaking up. It’s MADDENING that they are able to dictate the national narrative. Sadly, it will take more communities like Memphis being pushed to their breaking point for anyone to finally put a stop to this. And by that time the number of animals will be so massive that euthanizing for space will be necessary everywhere.
Thank you for your continued reporting on this. After adopting a livestock guardian breed from Best Friends (advertised as a friendly Lab), I struggled with his behavior. My trainer shared the heartbreaking reality that many dogs like him are abandoned in the desert because shelters won’t take them in.
The 'No Kill' philosophy sounds ideal, but visiting Los Angeles shelters and seeing dogs who had been there for years made me realize that sometimes euthanasia is the kinder choice. Instead of transporting rural dogs to urban shelters, Best Friends could make a bigger impact by focusing on spay and neuter education in rural areas. While 'Save Them All' is a nice tagline, I’ve seen firsthand the cruelty behind this pipe dream. Real solutions require transparency and a genuine commitment to animal welfare—not just statistics that drive donations.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Bev. It’s heartbreaking to hear about the realities you’ve encountered, and your point about focusing on spay/neuter education in rural areas is critical. As you’ve observed, real solutions need to prioritize animal welfare over just the numbers. Appreciate your thoughtful perspective and support for this important conversation.
You're absolutely right, M. Accurate and complete data is essential for crafting effective policies. Without it, we risk making decisions that may not address the real issues at all. Thanks for highlighting this important point!
Thank you for this article. As the operator of a very small species-specific shelter, I see the effects of "managed intake" every day. We TRY to refer surrenders to the statewide humane group and most of the time, callers come right back at us saying the big org says they are "full." Really - how much space do small pets take? They seem to have plenty of space for imported dogs. And these groups are absolutely not publicizing how many animals are turned away. So where do the animals go? On Craigslist, Facebook, or NextDoor if their owner is willing to attempt rehoming. On the street if the owner situation is desperate. Or to us, if the owner hasn't given up in frustration at being sent back & forth. "Managed intake" is just another way to deflect surrenders and bury your head in the sand about the needs of animals in a community. If you can't see the problem you can't even begin to start to solve it.
Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing your firsthand experience. Your perspective underscores exactly why transparency is so crucial in these discussions. When large organizations deflect responsibility without tracking outcomes, the burden falls on small rescues like yours—and, worse, on the animals themselves. We need real solutions, not just policies that make the numbers look better. Appreciate the work you do!
Thanks, Ed! I go to humane conferences and hear too many half-baked concepts pushed out into the field. What's lacking, too often, is the lived experience of those on the ground AND diverse voices. You'll only realize the turned away animals end up elsewhere if you talk to those accepting them, who hopefully are not hoarders or substandard facilities.
BTW, been following your work for a few weeks, once I became aware of it, and appreciate your thoughtful viewpoint and good writing. Not enough people really take a hard look at the big humane groups. Thanks for what you're doing, also.
Thanks again, Vanessa! Your point about the importance of diverse voices and real-world experience is spot on. We need more open conversations about the true impacts of these policies. I really appreciate your kind words and support—it's great to have thoughtful advocates like you in the conversation! Keep up the great work!
Some of us are old enough to remember when a form of "managed intake" was widely espoused as the solution to Southern California's perpetual water shortage: put a brick in your toilet tank so as to use less water per flush. Most people learned rather quickly that all this really did was disable the system & produce a backup of excrement. The Best Friends people, however, may not have been in the U.S. at the time.
I operate a small dog rescue in North Georgia. The county we're in is impoverished and very large. The municipal shelter went "no kill" five years ago and by the end of last year was triple capacity with crates set up in every spare corner! We are inundated with calls from ppl begging us to take the stray dog they helped a week ago but are now stuck with it. Others need to rehome their dog due to moving, job loss, whatever the case may be and cannot find anywhere that will take their animal and they are out of time! Now animals are abandoned, confused and we are having to step in where the shelter resources should have been used! When will the people in power listen and make legislation and put the resources into spay neuter, something we know works?
Thank you for sharing your experience, Kelley. It’s incredibly frustrating when the system fails to provide the support that communities need. You’re doing critical work, stepping in where shelters should be, and it’s clear that spay/neuter programs are a key part of the solution. We need more action from those in power to truly address the root causes and provide resources to shelters and rescues like yours. Keep up the amazing work!
This seems to be the key, as you stated, "Animal welfare professionals must remain committed to approaches that genuinely serve both animals and communities—not just improve metrics." Do shelters even keep data on the animals they turn away? Let alone follow up on them? In NYC the ACC doesn't appear to be following up on ANY animals that leave their facilities. When I adopted a dog--no one ever called. And some of the dogs that have been handed out to rescue partners have been left in horrendous facilities. Hence the one cruelty case going to trial this week in Westchester...Elizabeth Hess
Great point! Without tracking what happens to the animals they turn away or hand off, shelters are failing in their duty of care. It’s not just about getting animals out the door—it’s about ensuring they end up in safe and responsible placements. That Westchester case is a tragic example of what happens when accountability is ignored.
I just returned from two weeks of visiting shelters in TN, VA, GA, and NC (including Memphis Animal Services). We saw exactly this everywhere we went. Several of the shelters we visited had recently returned to open intake practices after a few years of managed intake. They realized that managed intake was exacerbating the crisis. They are in a much worse position now than prior to starting managed intake practices. It will take some time for shelters to recover and they will need to be transparent of the situation and invite their communities to be a part of the solution through volunteering, fostering, and advocating for more resources (especially to fund spay/neuter).
Thank you, Cara, for sharing your on-the-ground insights. It’s telling that some shelters are now reversing course after seeing the real consequences of managed intake. Transparency and community engagement are key to rebuilding trust and finding real solutions. Appreciate your work and perspective! Thanks again for sharing your real time updates!
Wow! I'll bet you have the stories, it's been a joy to follow your journey.
As you probably know, Best Friends, UC Davis Koret, Maddie's Fund have all banded together to stay the course on "managed intake", "return to field". Literally locking animals and the community out by setting up multiple barriers, or flat out refusing to take animals in. And isn't telling, they sure don't mind collecting millions from the taxpayers for their "services".
We've seen the promotional pieces...this scheme started during COVID, they used a pandemic to springboard into causing all of this havoc.
I heard, LA City Shelter director Annette Ramirez announce last month at the LA Shelter Animal Commissioners meeting: When asked, she said: YES, WE ARE DUMPING ALL THE CATS out of our 6 shelters~ in fact, LA City Council sanctioned it!
My letter to the Dean at UC Davis Vet school, letting him know his cat dumping scheme was ruled illegal, I even sent him the ruling from the judge.
Dean Mark Stetter answered, letting me know they had absolutely no intention of stopping their MillionCatChallenge . org ... dumping cats all across the country to their deaths. They've brag they've already dumped FIVE MILLION cats. He also said: ALL THE ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS recommend it. I happen to know, he is talking about very organizations that funded an illegal, inhumane and cruel scheme. Best Friends and Kristen Hassen, Outcomes Consulting are going full tilt boogie on selling this deadly scheme to shelters here in Southern California. We watch as they move and brag to each shelter. To call them carpetbaggers would be an insult to carpetbaggers. The small shelters are so volunerable to their grift. We need to share what we know has happened in the communities they have infiltrated. Thank you for your voice!
We need more people speaking up. It’s MADDENING that they are able to dictate the national narrative. Sadly, it will take more communities like Memphis being pushed to their breaking point for anyone to finally put a stop to this. And by that time the number of animals will be so massive that euthanizing for space will be necessary everywhere.
Thank you for your continued reporting on this. After adopting a livestock guardian breed from Best Friends (advertised as a friendly Lab), I struggled with his behavior. My trainer shared the heartbreaking reality that many dogs like him are abandoned in the desert because shelters won’t take them in.
The 'No Kill' philosophy sounds ideal, but visiting Los Angeles shelters and seeing dogs who had been there for years made me realize that sometimes euthanasia is the kinder choice. Instead of transporting rural dogs to urban shelters, Best Friends could make a bigger impact by focusing on spay and neuter education in rural areas. While 'Save Them All' is a nice tagline, I’ve seen firsthand the cruelty behind this pipe dream. Real solutions require transparency and a genuine commitment to animal welfare—not just statistics that drive donations.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Bev. It’s heartbreaking to hear about the realities you’ve encountered, and your point about focusing on spay/neuter education in rural areas is critical. As you’ve observed, real solutions need to prioritize animal welfare over just the numbers. Appreciate your thoughtful perspective and support for this important conversation.
In order to have good policies, we must rely on good and COMPLETE data. Bad metrics generate misguided (even if well-intentioned) policies.
You're absolutely right, M. Accurate and complete data is essential for crafting effective policies. Without it, we risk making decisions that may not address the real issues at all. Thanks for highlighting this important point!
Thank you for this article. As the operator of a very small species-specific shelter, I see the effects of "managed intake" every day. We TRY to refer surrenders to the statewide humane group and most of the time, callers come right back at us saying the big org says they are "full." Really - how much space do small pets take? They seem to have plenty of space for imported dogs. And these groups are absolutely not publicizing how many animals are turned away. So where do the animals go? On Craigslist, Facebook, or NextDoor if their owner is willing to attempt rehoming. On the street if the owner situation is desperate. Or to us, if the owner hasn't given up in frustration at being sent back & forth. "Managed intake" is just another way to deflect surrenders and bury your head in the sand about the needs of animals in a community. If you can't see the problem you can't even begin to start to solve it.
Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing your firsthand experience. Your perspective underscores exactly why transparency is so crucial in these discussions. When large organizations deflect responsibility without tracking outcomes, the burden falls on small rescues like yours—and, worse, on the animals themselves. We need real solutions, not just policies that make the numbers look better. Appreciate the work you do!
Thanks, Ed! I go to humane conferences and hear too many half-baked concepts pushed out into the field. What's lacking, too often, is the lived experience of those on the ground AND diverse voices. You'll only realize the turned away animals end up elsewhere if you talk to those accepting them, who hopefully are not hoarders or substandard facilities.
BTW, been following your work for a few weeks, once I became aware of it, and appreciate your thoughtful viewpoint and good writing. Not enough people really take a hard look at the big humane groups. Thanks for what you're doing, also.
Thanks again, Vanessa! Your point about the importance of diverse voices and real-world experience is spot on. We need more open conversations about the true impacts of these policies. I really appreciate your kind words and support—it's great to have thoughtful advocates like you in the conversation! Keep up the great work!
Some of us are old enough to remember when a form of "managed intake" was widely espoused as the solution to Southern California's perpetual water shortage: put a brick in your toilet tank so as to use less water per flush. Most people learned rather quickly that all this really did was disable the system & produce a backup of excrement. The Best Friends people, however, may not have been in the U.S. at the time.
Brilliant analogy!
I operate a small dog rescue in North Georgia. The county we're in is impoverished and very large. The municipal shelter went "no kill" five years ago and by the end of last year was triple capacity with crates set up in every spare corner! We are inundated with calls from ppl begging us to take the stray dog they helped a week ago but are now stuck with it. Others need to rehome their dog due to moving, job loss, whatever the case may be and cannot find anywhere that will take their animal and they are out of time! Now animals are abandoned, confused and we are having to step in where the shelter resources should have been used! When will the people in power listen and make legislation and put the resources into spay neuter, something we know works?
Thank you for sharing your experience, Kelley. It’s incredibly frustrating when the system fails to provide the support that communities need. You’re doing critical work, stepping in where shelters should be, and it’s clear that spay/neuter programs are a key part of the solution. We need more action from those in power to truly address the root causes and provide resources to shelters and rescues like yours. Keep up the amazing work!
This seems to be the key, as you stated, "Animal welfare professionals must remain committed to approaches that genuinely serve both animals and communities—not just improve metrics." Do shelters even keep data on the animals they turn away? Let alone follow up on them? In NYC the ACC doesn't appear to be following up on ANY animals that leave their facilities. When I adopted a dog--no one ever called. And some of the dogs that have been handed out to rescue partners have been left in horrendous facilities. Hence the one cruelty case going to trial this week in Westchester...Elizabeth Hess
They are called Ghost dogs, the unaccounted for animals turned away from shelters and then disappear into oblivion!
Right you are, Kelley! Let me know what you think of this article: https://open.substack.com/pub/animalpolitics/p/ghost-animals-the-unseen-casualties
Great point! Without tracking what happens to the animals they turn away or hand off, shelters are failing in their duty of care. It’s not just about getting animals out the door—it’s about ensuring they end up in safe and responsible placements. That Westchester case is a tragic example of what happens when accountability is ignored.