No Pet Left Behind (page 2 of 2)

Saving Lives

His methods "aren't exactly rocket science," he admits. But they work -- mostly, he believes, because they center around one basic rule: Get the animals seen. Upbeat ads in local newspapers and on TV and the Internet feature photos of potential pets. Adoption centers are open seven days a week, including evenings, so people who work have time to get there. Inside, they employ what Winograd calls a supermarket strategy, placing the kittens and puppies in the back and putting the older, less desirable animals up front.

"And guess what?" he says. "People often fall in love with the ones they see first and adopt them."

Blind dogs, strays with missing limbs -- all find homes. "There is no dog or cat too old, too ugly or too undesirable not to be adopted by someone," says Winograd.

Today, Tompkins County, which comprises the city of Ithaca and surrounding communities, is considered the only no-kill county in the United States. Nine out of ten dogs and cats that come through the shelter doors are saved. Only animals with incurable injuries or illnesses, and the truly vicious, are put down. The national average is half of all dogs and 70 percent of cats, totaling more than four million animals last year alone.

And Winograd is taking his nontraditional methods to facilities around the country, representing his No Kill Advocacy Center (nokillsolutions.com), a nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving what he calls a no-kill nation. Cities that once had high euthanasia rates, like Philadelphia and Charlottesville, have seen pet adoptions jump 300 percent. Requests for assistance come from as far away as Ireland and Australia.

Even though he drives a 1998 Honda Civic that leaks when it rains, and his family lives on a tight budget while his classmates from Stanford Law earn six-figure salaries, Winograd says he's doing what he'd always wanted to do when he grew up: run an animal shelter and save all the animals. "Just like a five-year-old," he acknowledges. "And like a five-year-old, I believe I can do it."

Even as a young district attorney, he kept his goal in mind, starting when he prosecuted his first animal cruelty case. "It was my baptism by fire, literally," he says. A man was accused of intentionally setting his brown tabby cat on fire. Winograd made his case, and the abusive owner was sentenced to prison.

It was the first of many such cases, and he prosecuted each with vigor. But the senseless violence, neglect and ignorance never failed to shock him. He decided simply, "I need to get to the other side and start saving these animals."

Now, Winograd is helping to save thousands, even millions. He's convinced that a no-kill nation is possible. "I'm just here trying to shorten the time until it arrives."

From Reader's Digest - November 2006

 

• Heroes
• • Inspiring Stories
• • Amazing People
• Hero Pets

• True Stories of Hero Pets
• We asked for your stories. Here are our picks for best in show.
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• More Hero Pets: More Than a Best Friend
• These animals will amaze and inspire you!
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• A New Pet Inspires the True Meaning of Love
• Sometimes all love requires is an open mind, and a willingness to risk being bitten.
• 
• A Piglet Reunites a Family
• How an unwanted pet came to stay and fixed a family's troubles.
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