My thesis is an experiment on the influence of new methods and the public opinion. The compelling question is: If there are animal rescue operations that obtain the ability to function fully, increasing revenue and the number of animals they save daily, then why is euthanasia still utilized as a means of population control within other shelters? Instead of our shelters progressing in a direction that eliminates euthanasia, there is a number of recently innovated shelters that are uprising today with this dreadful sequence to fulfill vacated cages, once reached capacity— euthanize, replace the deceased, and repeat. This is a global issue that can be eliminated by mocking the success of no-kill shelters in existence today.

This thesis explores how we can harness new technology to improve our relationship with companion animals and promote shelter animal welfare. The study looked into using the photo-sharing application Instagram to increase adoption rates at the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA. An Instagram page was created and managed for the shelter, and data was collected regarding the impact the page had on adoption rates. The results were mixed, but overall it was determined that the Instagram page has unique value for the shelter.