Austin Animal Center says: “There was quite a bit of backlash about our transport program, even though we were ensuring that these animals were going to other no-kill shelters,” Cler said. “Some people felt that we should have been able to adopt out those animals ourselves. So we struggled to get that program off the ground. We had a change in staff and now we’re trying to rebuild that program back up.”

Its unfortunate, but the no-kill shelters will probably always be overloaded. Perhaps migrating the animals to other counties will help to spread the need to other areas that might have more people to adopt.

At what point does the low quality of life of a long-ignored dog necessitate euthanasia? What amounts to essentially lifelong imprisonment for an uncomprehending creature who just wants love seems cruel. I don’t have all the answers, but the current state of things seems unsustainable. I wish all these dogs could be adopted right away, assuming they aren’t dangerous, but it seems like real harm is being done in the name of avoiding harm.