How Can We Save 90% of Animals at the Shelter?

What do you think needs to be accomplished for Hillsborough County to become a no-kill community? Tell us in the comments section below.

Submitted by Linda Hamilton:

Hillsborough County commissioner Ken Hagan announced recently that our county will become a .

Hagan spoke before an audience of 250 people during a conference held recently at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa.

The Alliance to Save 90 is an activist group whose.

Hagan said that the no-kill movement will save lives and change the paradigm and way of doing business in Hillsborough County and that he was proud to be playing a small part in this movement.

"I am inspired by your great work,” he said addressing the Alliance to Save 90 members.

Hagan explained that Hillsborough County is in the process of hiring a new Animal Services director and that "our new director simply must have and believe in a no-kill philosophy."

Also, he said that he is "100 percent supportive of Hillsborough County becoming a no-kill county" and that "the killing must stop." He pledged to work to accomplish this goal.

Hagan closed by thanking the audience for being involved, passionate and committed and said that "the best is yet to come here in Hillsborough County for Animal Services."

Frank Hamilton, president of Animal Coalition of Tampa (ACT), discussed the 11 steps to no-kill by Nathan Winograd, founder of the No Kill Advocacy Center.

Kris Weiskopf, director of Manatee County Animal Services, explained how Manatee became the first county in Florida to announce that it would become a no-kill shelter and how it has increased its live release rate to over 80 percent in less than 6 months.

The conference ended with a call to action emphasizing the importance of large numbers of volunteers to accomplish this goal.

Save90 meets at 6.30 p.m. every first Wednesday of the month at the Tampa Tribune building, 202 S. Parker St. For more information, visit save90.org.