Dear Nerd Wallet, Here is Why Long Beach's Kill Rate Matters

Recently, the website NerdWallet ranked Long Beach as the 10th best city to be a dog guardian in. We respectfully disagree with this characterization. Why? Because the writer of the article, Sreekar Jasthi, did not take into account the kill rate of dogs at the Long Beach city animal shelter, which reached 29% last year for dogs generally, and according to ACS's own Facebook page, is a whopping and troubling 50% for pitbulls.  He also didn't take into account the cost of getting one's dog back out of the shelter if he or she is unfortunate enough to be impounded there - that fee ranges $169 - $269 and up, and there is no reduced fee structure for people who have difficulty paying that fee, leaving them with the very real possibility that their canine companion will be killed.

We sent a letter to  Mr. Jasthi at Nerd Wallet explaining that Long Beach is a great place for dog guardians -- unless they lose their dog.  At that point, a 29-50% kill rate for dogs is a serious problem for the well-being of Long Beach's dog guardians and their animals. We would argue that it's a serious problem for all of Long Beach.  You can read our letter to Nerd Wallet here and Mr. Jasthi's article here.

Once again, we are compelled to say: Please don't forget the shelter dogs, cats and other animals.  Tell Long Beach City Council you want a comprehensive adoption program, foster program and the programs of the No Kill Equation in the Long Beach city shelter.

---