To: The animal-loving community of Houston and the leadership of the City of Houston
Bring no-kill to BARC!
Houston is blessed with a vibrant community of animal lovers working tirelessly to save lives — and our city’s largest shelter needs our help.
Out of 390 Texas shelters, more animals were killed at the City of Houston’s BARC Animal Shelter in 2025 than anywhere else in the state. While five of Texas’s largest cities are either already no-kill or saved more pets in 2025 than in 2024, BARC’s save rate has moved in the wrong direction — declining from 79% to 72% since 2023.
But here’s the hopeful news: Houston already knows how to do this. Thirty-five Houston-area shelters have reached at least a 90% save rate — the no-kill benchmark – and BARC nearly reached no-kill in 2019 with an 86% save rate.
A recent survey found that 82% of Houston respondents want BARC to adopt policies that reduce the killing of healthy or treatable animals. The community is ready, and the path forward is clear.
BARC can implement data-driven strategies now that have worked in communities across Texas and nationwide. Best Friends Animal Society and other Houston animal welfare organizations stand ready to work alongside BARC, because with all of us working together, we can bring about positive change.
Act now: Join your neighbors in calling on the City of Houston to make lifesaving a priority at BARC.
Next Steps: After signing, share this petition on your social media channels and neighborhood pages. Together, the City of Houston can achieve no-kill!
Why is this important?
To become a no-kill shelter, at least 90% of the animals need to leave the shelter alive. BARC is currently at 72% — and falling — even as the national no-kill movement has reached an all-time high: 68% of U.S. shelters are no-kill, and the national save rate hit 82.5% in 2025.
That gap represents thousands of healthy, treatable pets losing their lives every year in a city full of people who want to help. Houston is falling behind, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Communities across Texas and the country have shown that no-kill is achievable when leadership commits and the community shows up.
