The 90% benchmark
Across the sheltering field, a community is considered no-kill when at least 90% of animals entering shelters leave alive — through adoption, return to owner, transfer or return to field. The remaining cases are animals whose suffering can't be relieved or who pose a real danger.
- Live-release rate = live outcomes ÷ total intake
- Counts every dog and cat, including neonates and seniors
- Publicly reported so donors can see the numbers
How a foster-based rescue keeps the promise
Overcrowding is the engine of euthanasia. We avoid it by never holding more animals than we have loving homes for — every foster home is a kennel that doesn't exist yet.
- Pull animals at risk from Southern California shelters
- Place each in a matched foster home with full medical support
- Rehome through questionnaires, meet-and-greets and follow-up
What you can do this week
No-kill isn't a policy a shelter adopts alone. It's what a community does together.
- Adopt or foster instead of buying
- Spay/neuter and microchip your own pets
- Share adoptable animals — visibility saves lives
Part of a national movement
The No-Kill 2025 movement, led by Best Friends Animal Society, is a nationwide effort to make the entire United States no-kill for dogs and cats. Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal follows the same model — spay/neuter, strong foster programs, behavioral support, proactive adoption marketing and community support services — to help our corner of Southern California reach and hold that 90% benchmark.
Help us keep the no-kill promise for one more animal.
Foster an animal