Maricopa County Animal Care and Control received an award from Best Friends Animal Society after saving more than 90 percent of the dogs and cats that came into the shelter last year.
July 12, 2024 (Phoenix, AZ) – Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) maintained its zero kill record in 2023, according to Best Friends Animal Society. Annual Data ReportShelters that receive the No-Kill Certified award saved more than 90% of the dogs and cats they placed in their care in calendar year 2023.
Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization whose goal is to end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters by 2025, recognizes this incredible achievement as one that can be replicated at other shelters in Phoenix, Arizona.
“This award represents extraordinary leadership within the organization and the animal welfare movement as a whole,” said Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society. “We want to thank organizations across the country who work tirelessly to save lives and bring us closer to our goal of ending the killing of dogs and cats in shelters by 2025.”
“I've been a part of the MCACC team for over a year now, and I couldn't be more proud of all the hard work all of our team members put in to care for the thousands of animals that come into our care each year,” said MCACC Director Debbie McKnight. “Achieving a rescue rate of over 90% for seven years in a row would not be possible without the collaboration of all the people who give so much of their time to MCACC. It truly takes a village.”
MCACC is on track to achieve a rescue rate of over 90% this year, with a 95% reintroduction rate in 2023. MCACC staff work diligently and with the utmost dedication to caring for the animals and finding them forever homes, but caring for animals is teamwork, and without the cooperation of the community, nonprofits, fosters, and adopters, the positive trends would not continue.
For more information about Maricopa County Animal Care and Control, visit Maricopa.gov/pets
*A 90% rescue rate is a nationally recognized standard considered “zero kill” considering that approximately 10% of pets entering a shelter have medical or behavioral conditions that require humane euthanasia rather than euthanasia due to lack of space.
**Award eligibility required the brick-and-mortar shelter to exist as of April 2024 and have 12 months of 2023 data available.
About MCACC:
MCACC is a municipal shelter committed to achieving positive outcomes for all animals that enter its shelter and provides a vital resource for pet owners in Maricopa County.
About Best Friends Animal Society:
Best Friends Animal Society is a leader in animal welfare, working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters and achieve zero kill nationwide by 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends pioneered the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million annually to 415,000 last year. Best Friends is the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary and operates lifesaving programs across the country. Best Friends works with a network of more than 4,700 animal welfare and shelter partners and community members nationwide to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.
