The Second Chance Ranch Interview: Making a Case For No-Kill

By Katie Merwick

Second Chance Ranch is a nonprofit animal rescue sanctuary dedicated to the rehabilitation of abused, neglected, and unwanted horses and dogs. Katie Merwick and her partner own and run the sanctuary. The Abolitionist approached Katie to make a case for no-kill. Here is that article about their pain and suffering - the animals. There is much work to do in order to give them the respect, dignity and love they all deserve.

Konig, a sleek German Warmblood horse, has a stall just below my office and he whinnies every morning when he hears the door close. Dutchess, a Thoroughbred, gives the best back rubs ever with her wriggling lips.

Daisy, a pony in her mid-20's, stood shaking and terrified with her mother at a feed lot, just hours away from being slaughtered after a life time of packing a kid around the show ring. She is blind but still the first one to find and greet me in the pasture.

No kill shelters are not just for dogs.

Second Chance Ranch saves dogs, horses and wolves. If we had room for cats, we would welcome them too!

We are a refuge for abused and unwanted companion animals; a valuable resource for the kill shelters who transfer adoptable animals to us when they are short on room; and a popular choice and highly sought out by responsible, loving animal owners who take the time to look for help in the transition of re-homing a companion animal.

We take in as many "homeless" or abused horses and dogs as possible, but obviously our space and funds are limited here are the ranch. A large percentage of animals being surrendered to kill and no kill shelters are only being dumped because the owners are not aware of other options.

SCR is unique in that we have a number of solutions so that no animal will drop through the cracks of the system. Some of the options are;
Private placement from the owners home; fostering; education/training so the
animal can stay in it's current home; consignment (for horses); posting on our virtual adoption page; and referral to other no kill shelters.

These programs take the financial burden off of the owner, place the animal in a safe environment, and allow the owner to be involved in the adoption process if appropriate.

Is there a time to kill?

In December of 2005 our no-kill shelter (SCR) was involved in a raid of a hoarder's property, resulting in the confiscation of 27 animals. Three horses came to our ranch, one did not make it, the other two are thriving. The mare (horse) who did not make it was a 26 year old mare with a broken knee and severe arthritis growing in the joint. She was 600 lbs underweight and had such severe dental problems that she couldn't chew even the softest food. There was absolutely no treatment, she was in agonising pain as she could not lay down and could no longer walk.

Even "no-kill" shelters will not tolerate an animal enduring a slow, painful and inevitable death. The two horses that are thriving were those that everyone said "put them down, they will never make a comeback". It's has been 9 weeks and these curious, playful, loving, and extremely grateful horses are romping in our pastures, nearly back to full health!

Choosing a Shelter: The hoarder, charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty was Paula Nichols who posed as rescue farm and operated a kid's riding camp. It's important to note that not everyone who claims to be a rescue organization is legitimate!

A couple of quick tips on how to investigate a shelter in question; check with local authorities to see if complaints or warnings have been filed; ask the shelter for a written program, guidelines and standards; do they have an adoption contract in place, or are they just selling animals; check references with their veterinarian.

Websites can be deceiving, be sure to visit in person and observe the care and handling of the animals. Second Chance Ranch was the first no-kill rescue operation in the Northwest who offered a cage and kennel free environment for dogs and a natural habitat for the horses. The dogs live in our home, which was remodeled to accommodate up to 30 dogs in the house. It is spotless and has features such as numerous dog doors for access to a large fenced property. This environment allows us to socialise the dog properly, work through any issues and assure the adopter that when they meet our adoptable dogs they seeing the dog's true personality. The horses have 21 acres of gorgeous pasture turn out, a large barn with automatic watering buckets, the finest feed and blankets for Washington's wet and cold weather.

We use the best veterinarians and farriers in Western Washington, as well as numerous alternative therapists (acupuncture, Reike, Bowen and massage).

The job is 24/7, 365 days a year. It requires a great deal of planning, management and knowledge of training and vetting animals to really be effective in rescue. Most of all, it will consume your life and your cheque book. Konig, Dutchess and Daisy mentioned at the top of this article are just three reasons why we do what we do.

Tens of thousands of animals pass through no kill shelters every year and move on to enrich someone's life. Kill shelters are put in the unenviable position of killing wonderful and amazing animals every day, due to lack of room and/or adopters.

Some will criticise that I take in fewer animals and adopt less because we refuse to kill them. What time limit do you put on a life? At what point to you say to an animal "I saved your life by bringing you here, but I need to help someone else so I guess I will kill you after all".

There will always been millions of homeless animals. Mass euthanasia to lower the shelter population is not the answer. Education and more spay/neuter is. No kill shelters set an example of the level of commitment, patience, and undying loyalty to animals that we would like to see back from the community.

Check out: www.SecondChanceRanch.org