On January 15, 2019, Lake County, Florida celebrated the 2 year anniversary of its transition to no kill. When they did, it was like switching on a light. On that day, the Lake County Board of County Commissioners took control of the open-admission animal control shelter and immediately, the killing of healthy and treatable animals stopped. As exciting as that is, the real story began five years before that day, when local advocates, inspired by two teen-aged sisters, set out

I first walked into the Lake County Animal Shelter in Tavares, Florida a little more than a year ago. As my reports to the County clearly indicated, I found a building that was in desperate need, a staff that was exhausted and over-worked, and to a degree, demoralized. For various reasons, control of the shelter operations had been moved around from one entity to another, which is not uncommon. Animal shelters are often hot potatoes that get passed around. Running them well i

We recently celebrated the 2017 Winter Solstice, the shortest daylight of the year. And as the year comes to a close, the long nights and cold/cool temperatures outside make this the perfect time for some reflection on the year that just passed. Looking back at 2017 in animal shelters in the USA is insightful, inspiring and frustrating all at the same time. It was a year full of stunning successes worthy of celebration as well as challenging struggles that, unfortunately, per

Photo: The Bell of New Beginnings hangs in the lobby of the Lake County Animal Shelter. Each time an adoption occurs, staff there ring the bell. The bell is a symbol of a new beginning for each new pet adopted. It is also a representation of a whole new beginning for this shelter. On January 15, 2017 new leaders took the keys to the municipal animal shelter in Lake County, Florida and walked into the building with a new staff and a new mission: save the lives of every healthy