"Adopt a few and kill the rest"

From Nathan Winograd -- graduate of Stanford Law School, former criminal prosecutor and corporate attorney -- who will be speaking this Wednesday evening at 6:30 at the Barnes & Noble at Ladue Rd. and I-170:

This year, roughly five million dogs and cats will be put to death in our nation's animal shelters... The numbers killed are staggering. And for far too long, we have been led to believe that there is no other way...

There is another way.

In the last decade, several progressive communities have put into place a bold series of lifesaving programs and services which have dramatically reduced the death rate in those communities. Their success proves that there is a formula for lifesaving...

But the challenges are great. From entrenched bureaucrats who are content with the status quo, to uncaring shelter directors hostile to calls for reform; from agencies mired in the failed philosophies of the past to those who have internalized a culture of defeatism...

The roadblocks to No Kill are substantial, but not insurmountable.

We have a choice. We can fully, completely and without reservation embrace No Kill as our future. Or we can continue to legitimize the two-prong strategy of failure: adopt a few and kill the rest.

Winograd is currently Director of the national No Kill Advocacy Center. He was director of operations for the San Francisco SPCA and executive director of the Tompkins County SPCA, two of the most successful shelters in the nation. He has recently authored a book, Redemption:

Redemption is the story of animal sheltering in the United States, a movement that was born of compassion and then lost its way. It is the story of the "No Kill" movement, which says we can and must stop the killing. It is about heroes and villains, betrayal and redemption. And it is about a social movement as noble and just as those that have come before. But most of all, it is a story about believing in the community and trusting in the power of compassion.

Winograd's visit to St. Louis this Wednesday evening is part of his "No Kill Community Tour." If you're looking for me this Wednesday at 6:30 PM, I'll be at the Barnes and Noble at Ladue Rd. & I-170 listening to Winograd. Please consider joining me.