We were thrilled to learn that Shelby County has been chosen as a Mission: Orange community.

Mission: Orange, which is sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, works to reduce the number of animals put to sleep in shelters.

Here in Shelby County, the number of animals euthanized is at 60 percent. While that number is extremely high compared to some other communities, it’s actually an improvement over what the county’s kill rate used to be.

That’s just unconscionable, and is yet another indication Shelby County citizens have not learned how to be responsible for the animals in this area.

The Mission: Orange program may provide the spark county officials need to keep the pet population under control.

Workers from the Shelby Humane Society and the Environmental Services department will spend a year working with consultants from ASPCA and traveling to Richmond, Va., to see how to operate a no-kill community.

We agree wholeheartedly with the Shelby Humane Society’s goal of eventually going no-kill. It’ll take a lot of hard work and community education to get there, but with dedicated leadership from county officials and open hearts from county citizens, we can make it happen.

However, we urge you again to make sure your pets are spayed or neutered. You can save the lives of a lot of other animals that way.