Allison Black Cornelius hasn't had much time lately to spend with abused and abandoned animals brought to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

The shelter's CEO can usually be found at the Snow Drive facility, walking dogs, talking to volunteers, or sorting donations. Lately, though, Cornelius has been focused on defending her shelter against allegations by the No Kill Movement, an informal coalition of advocates and national "No Kill" organizations.

Cornelius has refuted the allegations of money mishandling and misrepresenting unnecessarily high euthanasia rates. She doesn't debate the fact she wants the shelter to have a lower euthanasia rate-- no one wants to euthanize animals-- but she said communities alarmed by the rates need to work towards a solution to problems GBHS sees daily. Those solutions come in the form of laws and city ordinances, aimed at curbing animal overpopulation and holding pet owners responsible for their animals.

The allegations from No Kill started Oct. 9, when the group published a blog post on GBHS' Live Release Rate and what the group called inconsistencies with what Cornelius said in a March radio interview versus the shelter's reports. No Kill published another blog post about a week later, claiming GBHS has "alarming and serious" problems at the shelter. The issues claimed by No Kill include Cornelius' Facebook videos asking for donations, the shelter's high euthanasia rate, GBHS' animal control contract for Jefferson County, using shelter animals as "fundraising props," and the shelter's misuse of funds.

Mike Fry, who works with the No Kill Movement, said the organization needs new leadership "rather than simply killing animals and then blaming everyone else."

Cornelius denies all of No Kill's allegations, which she refers to as "shaming, attacks, and lies." She posted a video on the GBHS Facebook page during the storm that came from No Kill's posts. "We've tried to go high when they go low, but now its time to say something," she said. She refuted the coalition's claims one by one, including allegations Cornelius and her family misused organization money. "It never happened. Ever," she said about that claim and several others.

Art Edge, Chair of the Greater Birmingham Humane Society Board of Directors, said he and the board stands behind their CEO and all employees "targeted by these baseless accusations."

He said, "Our organization has a system of checks and balances in place...making the crimes that Allison has been falsely accused of impossible to commit...Our opposition, however, has yet to produce any evidence whatsoever that substantiates their defamatory accusations. We have and will continue to defend Allison, the staff and volunteers, and do whatever is necessary to protect the reputation and mission of the GBHS."

Cornelius praised the GBHS staff, volunteers, veterinarians, and donors. "We lose some, but we win most. We win the lives of most [animals]," she said.

Representatives from PETA and the ASPCA have each voiced support for Cornelius and the GBHS. PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said GBHS "is one of the country's many open-admission shelters that's under attack for doing the thankless but vital job of cleaning up after a throwaway society."

She said, "To offer refuge to every animal in need, these shelters must euthanize some animals--but the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of breeders, pet stores, and people who don't get their animals spayed or neutered, not on the shelter."

Census Reports

Animal census reports, which include the beginning shelter count, how many animals were euthanized, and why those animals were euthanized, are published on the GBHS website under the "Frequently Asked Questions" tab. The reports show the shelter intake number is often higher in warmer months, as animals tend to reproduce more in those months. That number correlates to the number of feral animals brought in, the number of sick animals, the number of vicious animals: All which can increase the euthanasia rate, those reports say. The intake also affects the amount of space available.

For example, in January 2017, the GBHS euthanized 328 animals, while they took in 1696. They started with 542 animals that month. In May they started with 790. That month, 687 were euthanized; 1548 were brought in.

"You can't adopt your way out of this problem, you can't euthanize your way out of this problem, you can't transport your way out of this problem... You've got to start dealing with the front end of the problem," Cornelius said.

Some months, the GBHS takes in sick animals found in hoarding situations, or dogs from a drug house that are trained to fight. Those factors affect euthanasia rates, too, as those animals are "largely not adoptable," Cornelius said.

Fry said to AL.com the reports "are buried pretty deeply on the site...When the director makes these false statements, most people believe her and don't bother to look at the reports, or do the math."

Fry also said, "The most important aspect of this story is the fact that the leadership at GBHS has repeatedly misrepresented their Live Release Rate and their euthanasia rates." He said the lack of laws and city ordinances to prevent animal overpopulation is "an excuse for killing."

No easy solution

There's no easy solution to animal overpopulation, Cornelius said. "It's going to take everyone working together."

In April 2017, officials in Montgomery rejected a "puppy mill bill," which sought to put an end to puppy mills, place regulations on dog and cat breeders, and to stop the alleged abuse of those animals.

After the bill failed, Cornelius said she realized change was going to have to start at the local level. "It takes a lot of time and energy, but we're committed to it," she said.

The ordinances and laws GBHS is pushing for to curb things like overpopulation and animal abuse center around a four-prong approach.

A message from GBHS CEO Allison Black Cornelius regarding recent accusations made about the GBHS, our leadership, staff, volunteers and others. Thank you to all who have and continue to support the GBHS and its mission. Posted by Greater Birmingham Humane Society on Thursday, October 19, 2017

Trap, neuter, and return

Often referred to as TNR, the trap, neuter, and return policies are described by the ASPCA as a "method of humanely trapping community cats, having them spayed or neutered and vaccinated against rabies, and then returning them to their colony to live out their lives." Currently, TNR is not allowed in the city of Birmingham. Private citizens can bring in feral cats on their own and pay for their surgeries, but the city does not have a TNR policy and mandates the GBHS euthanize all feral animals captured.

Birmingham City Council President Valerie Abbott said she doesn't support a TNR ordinance. "I don't think it is right to spray or neuter a cat and then throw them back out," she said. Abbott said this leaves the cats without any health care or regular food, and she would rather see groups trap cats and then adopt them out.

Cornelius disagreed. She said, "Trapping and adopting of feral cats is dangerous for the public and for the cats. Adult feral cats are not socialized to people. Even with the best efforts we can possibly deploy, it is nearly impossible to socialize an adult feral cat around humans...GBHS cannot trap and adopt."

In her Facebook video posted earlier this month, Cornelius said that when the GBHS took over the county's animal control contract, she tried to get away with keeping feral cats alive; but, she was quickly disciplined by a certain city councilor and threatened that the contract would be taken away if rules weren't followed.

Vestavia Hills does have a TNR policy. City of Vestavia spokesperson Cinnamon McCulley said the city's policy has worked "incredibly well." A Vestavia policeman is in charge of trapping feral cats, taking them to the GBHS for surgery, and returning them to the wild. "It's an incredible partnership. We appreciate their help immensely," McCulley said. She said Vestavia's cat problem-- specifically in the Cahaba Heights community-- would not have been solved without TNR and the GBHS partnership.

From January 1 through September 2017, an estimated 33 percent of the cats euthanized at GBHS were feral. While 6 percent of euthanasias are performed for lack of space, TNR ordinances can open kennels and allow for more cats to be housed in the shelter. Assuming all feral cats coming in to GBHS are healthy, data states a TNR policies could reduce cat euthanasia by 39 percent.

Leash laws

The Birmingham City Council approved a leash law ordinance in 2007. The ordinance states, "It shall be unlawful for the owner or any person having charge or control of a dog or cat to allow it to be or to run at large." The ordinance further states a dog or cat found "running at large" may be picked up by animal control and taken to a shelter. The animal may be "disposed of in a humane manner" after three days.

The same Birmingham ordinance requires citizens to have a business license for selling, boarding, and breeding dogs and cats.

There is a statewide leash law, but not all counties in Alabama have adopted the law. Alabama's statewide leash law was enacted in 1915, but municipalities typically adopt their own animal ordinances they can enforce on the local level.

Licensing laws

Many cities across the country have adopted licensing laws, requiring all pet owners to license their pet with the city-- including Huntsville. In Huntsville, owners must register all dogs and cats over the age of four months through the Huntsville Animal Services Shelter. Pets must have a current rabies vaccination to be licensed. Huntsville, like many other cities, charges more for a pet who is not spayed or neutered: For example, Huntsville charges altered pets a $35 fee, while 'intact' animals cost $50 to license. Fines for failing to register an animal in the city can be as high as $50.

Spay/neuter laws

Mandatory spay/neuter laws are aimed to prevent animal overpopulation, and are often enacted at the local level. According to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, there are currently no state laws requiring all pet owners to sterilize their animals, but cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, and Las Vegas all have adopted ordinances that require most pet owners to spay or neuter their pets.

Alabama does not have any statewide spay/neuter laws, but it does have a state law requiring shelters and rescues to sterilize dogs and cats prior to adoption.

In Madison County, non-profit Spay/Neuter Action Project, or SNAP, offers spay/neuter surgeries for $5. In Huntsville, the Fixin' Alabama Spay/Neuter program also offers low to no cost spay/neuter surgeries to people on Medicaid, Disability, EBT, and WIC; or people who can show through tax documents they have an income of $25,000 or less.

In Jefferson County, there is one non-profit spay/neuter clinic that charges a subsidized fee for surgeries. GBHS also offers no-cost options for pet owners on some form of government assistance or in need-based situations.

Overcrowded

Even organizations claiming to be animal advocates, like PETA officials, said some animals can't be saved.

Annual reports from 2016 show Huntsville Animal Services took in 5,110 animals. GBHS took in 21,1193. In the same year, HAS euthanized 318 animals; GBHS euthanized 8,296.

"This staff, God bless them. Day in and day out, they see the worst in people sometimes," Cornelius said.

She also vehemently denies any of her staff are "killers" as some of the No Kill Movement blog posts state. "Let's be clear... a killer is a guy in a hotel with rifles, shooting at people at a concert... a killer is a man or woman walking into a school and shooting kids. Calling our shelter workers 'killers' is wrong and dangerous," Cornelius said.

Nachminovitch, of PETA, said the movement to end all euthanasia is "resulting in animals being abandoned, bludgeoned, drowned, or otherwise cruelly killed, just as in the old days before shelters offered a place for all--including animals who were too sick, injured, old, or aggressive to place in a home, even if there were enough homes to go around, which there are not."

Cornelius echoes this sentiment, and told stories her workers see every day: Dogs tied up at the stop sign in front of the shelter, and people threatening to put kittens in their car exhaust pipes if the GBHS doesn't take them. Security cameras have even captured video of people purposefully injuring their animals before bringing them in, afraid GBHS won't take a healthy animal who is being surrendered from an owner.

Shelters that label themselves as "No Kill" shelters often still practice euthanasia-- just at lower rates, The Washington Post reported. These shelters can often qualify the animals they take in, and turn sick or elderly animals away, pointing them to an animal control facility like GBHS.

"PETA urges everyone to rally behind the vital shelters that never turn animals away, no matter how in need they are," Nachminovitch said.

"If GBHS could qualify what we take in... we would be good," Cornelius said, "But we can't. We take them all."