The walk down the hallway of an animal shelter is something many don’t think twice about, yet the animals cling onto your eye contact like it is truly their last hope, and for some it might be. The warm air smelling like a wet dog, the overwhelming sound of barking and whining, and the constant strain of trying to find comfort is nothing but everyday life for many animals. The journey of adopting a pet is never easy, but by choosing to take on the challenge simply means another life is saved. Many now understand that adopting should almost always be the number one choice, rather than shopping from a breeder. However, something that many fail to understand is the importance of selecting the shelter, whether it be a no-kill shelter or a kill shelter. As the name suggests, a kill shelter often does not have a good reputation, and individuals who begin their adoption process typically turn away from these shelters simply because they don’t want to support a place that must euthanize animals. Although understandable, there are numerous misconceptions about kill shelters and often people are uneducated in how kill shelters operate, resulting in further issues. For those who may be unfamiliar, kill shelters are open-admission, meaning they accept all animals and there are no appointments or long processes to surrender an animal. On the other hand, no-kill shelters are typically more selective and will only accept animals that fit within a certain age or health/behavioral requirement. Due to the open-admission, kill shelters will run out of space and funding if they kept every single animal that was admitted to the shelter, which then forces the shelter to euthanize animals in order to make more room for incoming pets. One element that people do not understand regarding kill shelters is the strict regulations put in place by city and state legislation to control the admittance of animals. Specifically for the state of Colorado, there are multiple bills that have been created to set requirements for pet animal facilities before the facility resorts to euthanisa. One specific bill (HB24-1114) requires the shelter to notify all other shelters/rescues in the state before euthanizing an animal in order to ensure no other location has the available space or resources to admit the animal. This specific bill demonstrates how kill shelters do everything in their power to save the animal before they resort to euthnasia. For some pet owners, they will only adopt from kill shelters in hopes to save more animals, while others rely on no-kill shelters for a more “ethical” adoption. For Christina Schnese, she has adopted all four of her dogs from a kill shelter. “I used to go visit my mom in New Mexico pretty regularly, and there is a dog shelter near her house that I would always visit,” explained Schense. “It was always a dangerous game to play because almost every single time I would walk out with a new dog.” On her visits to this dog shelter, there would be a list of dogs that were scheduled to get euthanized within the next few days, which would always grab Schense’s attention. She would ask to go see these listed dogs to figure out if she could take any of them home with her. “One year I visited, I adopted a dog that was scheduled to get put down that night, I couldn’t leave that place without taking him home with me,” said Schense. “Seven years later, I still have him in my life and he’s truly one-of-a-kind.” Now living with four dogs, she has never once regretted adopting from the kill shelter, and urges others to do the same. “I just don’t think people understand that these shelters have no other choice,” said Schense. “Nobody wants to see an innocent animal die, …but (the shelters are) overpopulated all the time, they’re left with no choice.” For other families, a kill shelter is sometimes more work than a regular no-kill shelter due to the overwhelming number of options. The Zubieni family recently adopted a puppy from the Colorado Puppy Rescue, and explained that this specific shelter was the best fit for them. “We all were kind of itching for a puppy,” said Heather Zubieni, mother and new puppy owner. “Obviously we wanted to adopt because that just feels like a no-brainer, but we did have a few requirements. We wanted a puppy that was a similar energy level to our other dog, Winston, but also was about the same size, if not smaller than Winston.” For no-kill shelters, they are often picky about which animals they accept, often sticking to certain regulations in order to stick to their rescue’s branding. The Colorado Puppy Rescue is no different, just like the name suggests, this specific rescue focuses on sheltering puppies and their mothers, hoping to keep litters together. “I liked the (rescue) because they were really strict about ensuring the puppies traveled with their moms until they were ready to be separated, which is something I feel like other places don’t really worry about too much,” said Heather Zubieni. When asked about the potential of ever using a kill shelter, the Zubieni family was indifferent. “I don’t think I could ever really support a place that chooses to kill animals, but I also understand that by adopting from a shelter like that, it would be saving a life,” said Alex Zubieni, daughter of Heather Zubieni. “I don’t know, it's kind of a difficult answer.” By conducting adequate research for their personal choices and lifestyle, it’s ultimately up to the individual to make the decision that suits them best. Regardless of whether a person chooses to adopt from a no-kill versus a kill shelter, that individual is still saving an animal’s life and choosing to give an animal a second chance – which is the only thing that truly matters at the end of the day.