Asheville Leads the Way in Pet Reunification Efforts for the No-Kill 2025 Goal

Asheville --  As June 2025 unfolds, Best Friends Animal Society is in the critical final push to achieve its ambitious "no-kill" goal for the entire nation.

Right here in Asheville, the Asheville Humane Society stands as one of only 25 shelters nationwide actively participating in a pioneering program, which critically prioritizes reuniting lost pets with their owners before they ever enter the shelter system. This initiative is a vital component of the national effort to make the country no-kill by the end of this year.

The premise behind this innovative approach is rooted in a compelling statistic: studies show that the vast majority of lost pets are found within a mile of their home. Despite this proximity, countless animals still end up in shelters, contributing to overcrowded conditions and, tragically, euthanasia. Best Friends Animal Society highlights that lost and stray animals constitute the largest percentage of intake in U.S. shelters, with nearly 1.5 million dogs entering as strays in 2024 alone. While only a meager 20% were successfully returned to their homes that year, this new program, intensified for 2025, seeks to dramatically reverse that trend.

The initiative, bolstered by programs like "Paws in the Field Challenge" and "Network Neighbors," empowers animal services officers and the broader community with the tools and strategies necessary to significantly boost return-to-home (RTH) rates.

"Our goal is to keep pets out of shelters and with their families where they belong," explains a representative from Best Friends Animal Society. "As we approach the culmination of our 2025 no-kill target, every reunification, every pet diverted from shelter entry, is absolutely critical. By focusing on immediate reunification, we prevent unnecessary stress on the animals, reduce the burden on shelter staff, and ultimately save more lives."

Key strategies being urgently implemented by the Asheville Humane Society and other participating shelters include:

Field Returns: Equipping animal services officers with microchip scanners allows for immediate identification and contact with owners in the field. This direct intervention bypasses the shelter system entirely for many lost pets.
Community Communication: When a stray pet is picked up, flyers containing information about the animal and instructions for reclamation are left at the nearest intersection to where the pet was found. This direct, localized communication aims to reach owners quickly.

Leveraging Technology: The program heavily utilizes platforms like Petco Love Lost, a free online tool that employs facial recognition and artificial intelligence to facilitate connections between found pets and their owners. Some pilot programs are even distributing bilingual yard signs with QR codes linking directly to this powerful reunification tool.

Waiving Reclaim Fees: In a compassionate move, some participating shelters, such as "It Takes a Village Animal Rescue" in Iowa, are waiving owner reclaim fees. This removes a potential barrier that might prevent owners from retrieving their lost companions, especially crucial as shelters push to maximize positive outcomes this year.

This initiative is a crucial, final component of Best Friends Animal Society's ambitious goal to make the entire country "no-kill" by the close of 2025. A "no-kill" shelter is defined as one that achieves and maintains a 90% save rate for animals entering their care, ensuring that no healthy, treatable, or rehabilitatable animal is euthanized. Best Friends has been instrumental in this movement, having significantly reduced the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to approximately 425,000 annually in recent years, with nearly two out of three shelters nationwide currently operating at a no-kill level.

Through robust collaboration with a network of over 5,100 animal welfare organizations, Best Friends Animal Society provides essential resources, grants, marketing support, and training to bolster the lifesaving efforts of shelters nationwide. As the calendar counts down to year-end, the urgency and effectiveness of programs like Asheville's are paramount. By keeping pets out of shelters and fostering swift reunions with their loving families, the Asheville Humane Society, in partnership with Best Friends Animal Society, is playing a vital role in achieving the 2025 no-kill vision for the entire nation.