JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In the past 12 months, ACPS has taken in about 9,000 animals across Duval County. Our viewers wanted to know if it is a no-kill shelter. So let's VERIFY.
THE QUESTION
Is Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services not considered a no-kill shelter?
THE SOURCES
Michael Bricker, Division Chief at Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services (ACPS)
David Owens with the animal welfare organization, Best Friends Animal Society
THE ANSWER
Yes, Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services is not currently considered a no-kill shelter because its save rate is under 90 percent.
WHAT WE FOUND
David Owens with Best Friends Animal Society says to qualify as a no-kill shelter 90 percent of the dogs and cats a shelter takes in must be saved. The city says the last year ACPS was above the 90 percent threshold in 2021.
“We will get back to that number again, for sure,” Bricker said. “With everything that happened in COVID, we had an influx of adopters and fosters. It was way easier to save the amount of animals that we needed to save to be over that 90 percent threshold. Now that everybody's back to work, it's a little bit more difficult.”
In March, the City of Jacksonville launched a transparency dashboard. It shows the save rate over the last 30 days. It's currently 86.2 percent as of March 13, 2024.
According to ACPS's data, the save rate last year was 85 percent and in 2022 it was 88 percent.
How many animals have been euthanized?
Of the roughly 6,100 animals the city says it took in in 2022, Bricker says 288 dogs and 223 cats were euthanized.
Last year just shy of 5,400 animals were taken in, and Bricker says 346 dogs were euthanized along with 241 cats.
In the five months he's been on the job, Bricker says his leadership team carefully considers which animals will be euthanized.
“The animals that are euthanized in our care are either behaviorally challenged, or there may be a risk to public. They have bitten. They will bite, those types of things. Or it could be medically,” Bricker said. “We never know what's going to come in. We get animals, unfortunately, that have been hit by car or injured in some other way. So, some of these animals have to be euthanized for medical reasons.”
Right now, Bricker says the shelter is over capacity. While there is open space for cats, he says about 300 dogs fill the 265 kennels.
“Our focus is getting them out of that kennel. It's not so much the kennel space. It's what we can do to get them out. We need more volunteers to help us with walks. We need foster parents that want to take dogs, you know, for the day, the week or the month or whatever, so that’s where our focus is,” Bricker said.
So we can VERIFY - ACPS is not currently considered a no-kill shelter because its save rate is under 90 percent.
“To get over 90 percent and to increase the amount of lives saved, it's really easy. You know, we just need their help,” Bricker said. “We need volunteers, we need fosters, we need more people, we need more adopters.”
ACPS is holding a Lucky Adoption Event on March 16 and 17, 2024.
Adoptions are free for all dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. There is a $20 city license fee. On March 23 and 24, 2024 ACPS will bring adoptable pets to PetSmart Regency in support of National Adoption Week.
CLICK HERE to see pets available for adoption.