BTAA maintains no-kill status in 2024
Mandy Evans, Better Together Animal Alliance executive director, is pictured with BTAA team members holding a plaque awarded to the Ponderay-based organization by Best Friends Animal Society.
Photo courtesy BETTER TOGETHER ANIMAL ALLIANCE
Better Together Animal Alliance, North Idaho's largest animal welfare organization, maintained no-kill status in 2024, according to the organization's annual data report.
This means BTAA saved 90% or more of the dogs and cats that entered last year.
"BTAA invests significant resources into keeping pets out of animal shelters, both locally and nationally through our Home to Home program. But when animals have nowhere else to turn and enter our care, we have a team of skilled staff and volunteers who make this accomplishment possible," said Mandy Evans, BTAA executive director.
BTAA also credits the accomplishment to its many programs that help animals outside of the shelter, such as its pet food bank, Pets for Life program and helpline. The organization also provides low-cost spay and neuter services, vaccines and microchips — all of which keep animals out of the shelter so that more resources can be directed to lifesaving.
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters, recognizes this achievement as a positive step forward and one that can be replicated by other shelters in Idaho.
To learn more about BTAA, visit bettertogetheranimalalliance.org.
A 90% save rate is the nationally recognized benchmark to be considered "no-kill," factoring that approximately 10% of pets who enter shelters have medical or behavioral circumstances that warrant humane euthanasia rather than killing for lack of space.
Better Together Animal Alliance is an animal welfare organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of dogs, cats and the people who love them. BTAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with the county or city and receives no tax support. Located in Ponderay, Idaho, BTAA serves Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties. Programs focus on supporting people and their pets to prevent unnecessary owner surrenders, sheltering lost pets and providing a safe and enriching environment for pets to stay in while they wait to find new homes.
BTAA assists approximately 2,400 stray or surrendered animals every year and more than 6,000 pets through its community-based programs. For more information, go to bettertogetheranimalalliance.org.