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When we hear that animals are sent to a "no-kill" shelter, it often makes us feel better, doesn't it? When I hear about people "releasing" their pets, we think it's better if the shelter they go to is a no-kill one. I try not to judge people who have to find new homes for animals, as I've had to help my mom do the same when my father suffered a near-fatal accident that left her unable to care for a pet, and after my daughter came home from the NICU 13 years ago on an oxygen tank with a hose that had to go through the house that our beloved cats would have destroyed. Circumstances can often be beyond our understanding so even though it sounds awful to abandon a pet who knows and loves you (and honestly it is and feels awful, for everyone involved, no matter what), I do empathize with some people.

That said, making sure a shelter is "no-kill" isn't all it's cracked up to be. No-kill does not mean "never euthanize," for example, but that the shelter doesn't kill 90% of the time. It's like saying something is no-calorie when there are really just under 5 calories and legally they don't have to admit to any on the nutritional label. Geriatric animals that are in pain or suffering, for example, are sometimes euthanized. There's some gray area that many no-kill shelters seem to exist in that may make you want to research them before giving up an animal.

I've found that finding family and friends who can care for your animals if you can't is best, but that's often not possible. Have you ever had to rehome a pet? How did you go about it?