Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department achieves two major milestones by surpassing the 90 percent No-Kill benchmark for the sixth consecutive year achieving a 93 percent save-rate for 2020 and being named the 2020 FACA Outstanding Agency of Year

Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) announced it has surpassed the 90 percent No-Kill benchmark for the sixth consecutive year, achieving a 93 percent overall save rate with 96 percent dog save-rate and 91 percent cat save-rate in 2020. Based on to the Asilomar Accords’ industry standards this distinguishes Animal Services as a nationally recognized No-Kill shelter. 

“We appreciate our community’s constant support for the County’s Animal Services and the employees working hard every day to protect, save, and provide refuge and care for lost and abandoned animals.” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “It is quite an accomplishment to have achieved this recognition for 6 years in a row and to be selected as the 2020 Agency of the Year by the Florida Animal Control Association.”

Miami-Dade Animal Services has maintained the 90 percent or above save-rate through life-saving programs such as: 

• Comprehensive adoption programs at the Pet Adoption and Protection Center in Doral 
• Expanding the number of Satellite Adoption Centers throughout the County
• Humanely managing the free roaming cat population through Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return programs
• High-volume, affordable spay/neuter services
• Working together with rescue groups for pet transfers
• Proactive pet retention programs including surrender prevention
• Medical and behavioral programs
• Increased staff to improve pet welfare
• Fostering
• Volunteering
• Off-site community adoption and spay/neuter events
• Virtual Adoption programing
• Kitten Cuddlers neonate kittens’ program

As the only open-admission shelter in the County, Animal Services accepts all animals brought into its care. The Department provides refuge to all animals in need, including elderly, ill, aggressive, or injured. Limited admission shelters place restrictions on the animals they are willing to admit focusing on highly adoptable animals that they can rehome quickly.

No-Kill is a nationally recognized guideline for shelters with an average live release rate of 90 percent or more.  Animal Services first achieved No-Kill status in 2015 and has maintained this gold standard milestone every year thereafter. 

In addition to this amazing achievement, Animal Services was also selected as the 2020 Outstanding Agency of the Year, which is the highest honor granted by the Florida Animal Control Association (FACA).

AWARD HIGHLIGHTS

• Along with the improved No Kill rate, Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services Department was commended by the Florida Animal Control Association for its:
• Crime scene and anti-cruelty training and forensics: To better support criminal investigations and prosecutions of animal cruelty, ASD hired an experienced police detective as the newly created Anti-Cruelty Police Liaison to improve evidence handling and methodologies.
• Life-saving programs: Animal Services has continually overhauled programs to improve pet welfare by offering hundreds of community adoption events, transporting animals to other states and Canada, instituting new medical protocols, expanding spay/neuter efforts, and building up volunteer and foster programs.
• Opening a pet wellness clinic in Liberty City: Animal Services partnered with the ASPCA to construct and open a community pet wellness clinic in one of the County’s most underserved areas for veterinary services. ASD acquired and prepared the land for development and serves as the property manager. The ASPCA operates the clinic to provide free or low-cost services to the pets of area residents.
• Curriculum in Miami-Dade’s schools: To ensure future generations are invested in animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, ASD created a unique partnership to increase its reach through public education, with responsible pet ownership curriculum reaching more than 80,000 students annually in 165 schools.

For more information about programs serving Miami-Dade County’s pets and pet owners at Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department’s call 311, visit www.miamidade.gov/animals, or follow Animal Services on social media @adoptmiamipets.

About Miami-Dade County Animal Services

Every year Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) provides care and refuge for 28,000 to 30,000 lost and abandoned dogs and cats. Every day, Animal Services staff works diligently to find life-long homes for these abandoned animals by facilitating onsite adoptions, hosting off-site adoptions at events and locations throughout the community, and working collaboratively with rescue organizations, volunteers and adoption partners.