What does it mean to be a No-Kill Shelter?

Portage Animal Protective League is a limited admission, unlimited stay shelter -- often referred to as a "no kill" shelter. This means that adoptable animals are not euthanized to make room for new animals. No time limits are set for how long an animal can stay at Portage APL.

Adoptable animals are those that:

  1. are healthy or medically treatable,
  2. temperamentally sound, or
  3. have behavioral issues that respond to modification.

Portage APL has a dog trainer on staff who helps to evaluate all incoming dogs and works with our shelter staff and volunteers on eliminating behavioral issues that are standing in the way of a safe adoption.

We place all incoming cats and dogs in isolation areas until a proper medical diagnosis can be made, and a treatment plan developed.

We do not sell or give any animals to individuals or institutions for research.

Our goal is to find safe and loving homes for all creatures great and small.

We are proud of the fact that we have found homes for thousands of abandoned animals since our beginning in 1955.