Madison County Sheriff’s Office
Contributor
Madison County Sheriff David Harper and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Animal Services Division is honored to be recognized by the Best Friend’s Animal Society by receiving the no-kill recognition award for saving more than 90 percent of the dogs and cats in our care in calendar year 2023. The Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters in 2025, recognizes this incredible achievement as one that can be replicated by other shelters.
“This award represents extraordinary leadership, both within your organization and the broader animal welfare movement,” said Julie Castle, CEO of the Best Friends Animal Society, “I want to acknowledge and thank the organizations around the country who work tirelessly to save lives, helping move us closer to ending the killing of cats and dogs in shelters in 2025.”
“Since assuming animal services responsibility from the county July 1, 2022, my staff and I have worked extremely hard to improve the welfare of animals in our community,” said Sheriff Harper. “This accomplishment represents more than just a statistic. It represents the tireless efforts of my dedicated staff and steadfast supporters. We continue to make progress while providing a positive outcome for many animals that have been neglected, abused and abandoned. While 615 government organizations received this recognition, only about 20 nation wide were law enforcement agencies. I am very proud to be one of those 20.”
The Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the country no-kill in 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to 415,000 last year. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 4,700 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.
For more information on pet adoption from the MCSO Animal Services Division, please visit their Facebook page or the website at madisonflsheriff.org/animal-services-division/.