Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA) Seeks to End Convenience Killing of Homeless Animals in Minnesota Shelters

SAINT PAUL, Minn., May 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA), a bill that would save the lives of thousands of homeless pets, has been introduced in Minnesota by Representative John Benson. CAPA will insure crucial protections for homeless pets in Minnesota, end all "convenience" killing by shelters (killing when there are empty cages) and make it illegal to kill animals if rescue groups are willing to save them.

CAPA mandates simple, life-saving practices that most people would be shocked to know are not already standard operating procedure at our nation's shelters, and which, if implemented nationwide, would save the lives of millions of animals being systematically killed every year.

Among other equally common sense provisions, CAPA bans the common practice of killing animals despite empty cages, and mandates that shelters must allow rescue groups to save the lives of animals they are planning to kill. In short, CAPA requires shelters to implement the programs and services which have already succeeded in creating No Kill communities throughout the nation, but which the majority of shelters in this country have refused to adopt willingly.

"Animal loving Americans would be shocked to know the reality of what goes on in our nation's shelters –including abuse, horrific conditions and unnecessary killings," says Debi Day, Director of No Kill Nation." Most shelters are mired in the status quo and unwilling to change, so CAPA is designed to mandate lifesaving policies at these facilities, and ensure safety, proper care and a chance at a good home for all shelter pets. We are thrilled that this legislation has been introduced in Minnesota, as well as elsewhere across the US. CAPA is a crucial step on our road to a No Kill Nation."

"We have known how to end the killing at our nation's shelters for over a decade now, and in more communities than ever before, we have," says Nathan Winograd, attorney and Executive Director of the No Kill Advocacy Center. "Unfortunately, the vast majority of shelters in this country refuse to follow the proven, life-saving mandates prescribed by the Companion Animal Protection Act, and millions of dogs and cats are killed in our nation's shelters every year as a result. Progressive laws which reform our shelters by requiring them to operate according to the most innovative and progressive standards is the right of every animal entering our nation's shelters, and every animal loving, taxpaying citizen."

We strongly urge all animal-loving Minnesotans to get behind this bill, and tell their elected leaders that CAPA will mean saving the lives of thousands of homeless animals, saving taxpayer money and improving public health and safety. Additionally, this bill is popular with voters.

For more information, visit www.rescue50.org, a nationwide campaign to pass shelter reform legislation in all fifty states.

SOURCE No Kill Nation; No Kill Advocacy Center