Want to get people to change their behavior? Take away the excuses.
Andy Sernovitz

The Red Cross wants people to donate blood. They let me register online, picked me up from work and took me to the clinic, and dropped me back when I was done.

What do we want the public to do? Desex? Adopt? Go to training?

How can we make it super easy for them?

For years rescue has seen the public as the problem, not part of the solution.

However, modern rescuers realise that the way to reduce the number of pets killed in shelters isn’t by criticising, browbeating or coercive laws; but calling on the community to support rescues and save a life.

When a family, excited by the concept of adopting at the local shelter, is given the third degree and is made feel defensive and inadequate, what should be a happy experience can turn into an ordeal. If the place they visit is dirty, loud, or not children friendly, then they naturallly turn to other places like pet shops; the very places we beg people not to support.

Thankfully, more groups are realising that providing a great client experience is essential to an effective rehoming program. Introducing the RSPCA NSW Care Centre:

Shelters aren’t always the most customer friendly environments. Many people avoid going to shelters because they find it too emotional. Instead, they go to pet shops or breeders. There is also a perception that if an animal is at a shelter, there is something wrong with the animal.

The RSPCA Care Centre at Rouse Hill is a shelter outreach facility that includes an adoption centre and outpatient veterinary clinic. Its main aims are to rehome more animals in a welfare friendly environment and educate the community about responsible pet ownership.

The goals of the RSPCA Care Centre:

* Decrease euthanasia and increase adoptions
* Promote responsible pet ownership through education
* Provide expert advice that is accurate and in keeping with our policies
* Provide a service that is of the highest standards for both Animal Welfare and Customer Service

But what if you haven’t got the budget to build a rehoming centre? How do you get your animals in front of the families you need to adopt them?

Why not check out the PetRescue and PETstock In-store Adoption Program

The in-store events allow people to meet and greet rescue dogs and exclaim ‘but they’re just like, you know, dogs…’

Exactly.

If you would like to be part of the program, drop PetRescue a line

Set the scene. Channel 7’s Sunrise program broadcasting to thousands of regular families – the topic? ‘Dangerous dogs’.

This could be the point we’d all *headdesk* and watch as hysteria is churned by an irrational media obsession with ‘pit bulls’. Are you ready?

Imagine that! I’m so proud of us right now!

I’ve seen a lot of heated debate about the best way to manage the feral cat issue in Australia; with neither the ‘for cats’ side or ‘the for natives’ side giving the other an inch, I’ve always wondered how we’d ever move the issue forward.

This new article from Animal Sheltering Magazine is one of the best I’ve ever read on the issue. It outlines the history of the TNR movement in the US and demonstrates how groups from both sides of the debate have come together in 2009, to realise that in fact they both want the same things.

Feral cats emerged from the shadows in the mid-1980s with a grassroots movement to control their numbers nonlethally. The trap-neuter-return (TNR) method gradually diminishes cat colonies, as kittens and tame adults are typically removed for adoption, and the remaining animals age and die off.

It’s an innovative solution to a dilemma that continues to this day. Though euthanasia rates have steadily declined since the 1970s, even socialized lap cats often face slim chances for adoption. Meanwhile, tens of millions of street cats occupy the fringes of urban, suburban, and rural areas, subsisting on handouts or scavenging around dumpsters. They and their offspring often end up at shelters, adding more lives to an already crowded lottery for too few homes.

TNR’s pioneers recognized that cat overpopulation wouldn’t be solved without addressing the needs of ferals. They argued that removing the cats based on nuisance complaints created a vacuum for more cats to move into the territory and begin the breeding cycle anew. And they questioned the ethics of expecting shelters’ originally established as havens for homeless pets to euthanize an endless stream of healthy but untame animals.

But these early advocates received little praise for their efforts. The most heated criticism initially came from animal welfarists who worried that the presence of managed cat colonies would encourage people to abandon pets at colony sites. And TNR seemed to sanction life on the streets at a time when shelters were trying to change the cultural mindset, encouraging people to view dogs and cats as cherished family members not objects to be chained in backyards or allowed to roam at will.

“We considered it condoned abandonment, says John Snyder, vice president of The Humane Society of the United States’s Companion Animals section, referring to the organization’s early opposition to TNR.

“It was hard to reconcile our ideal of the safe indoor home with the TNR model, which lets the cats live outside and take their chances.

But just five years after the Feral Cat Coalition of San Diego launched an aggressive TNR program in 1992, a local animal control agency reported a nearly 50 percent decrease in the number of cats impounded and euthanized. Other projects across the country began to show similarly impressive results, while veterinarians Margaret Slater and Julie Levy wrote convincingly about the benefits of nonlethal feral cat management.

It became obvious that TNR was helping to combat cat overpopulation, says Snyder.

At the time, The HSUS was a microcosm of the larger debate. The organization’s wildlife staff were concerned about protecting all wild species, not just the rare and endangered ones, while the pet experts were thinking of the cats. “People were literally in tears over this issue,” says Stephanie Shain, the former director of outreach for The HSUS’s Companion Animals section who now heads the organization’s Stop Puppy Mills campaign. “What kept us pushing forward together was the fact that we all wanted to find a way to protect cats and wild animals, understanding that there are generally no simple answers to complex issues like this.”

I work for a shelter who lobbies local government for stronger cat laws, while offering nothing in the way of discount desexing, community outreach or TNR, simply because of community opposition to the programs. It can be overwhelmingly depressing to see just how far we have to go.

But this article is the blueprint to how we’ll get there. We may be running half a decade behind, but once cat people and native animal people realise the way forward is through mutual respect and cooperation, that’s when the full benefits of TNR will begin to be realised.

“It’s not about natives versus cats; it’s about protecting natives and cats.”

One of the things they talk about repeatedly in ‘donations 1.01 class’ is letting people know what you’re looking to spend their donated money on.

This set of videos from the RSPCA UK does that, but also gives a glimpse into the life of an animal shelter worker and puts a personal face to the call for support.

These are not big budget, hard hitting or even describing anything that isn’t the normal day to day work of a shelter. But if you can break down those barriers – show people you’re just a bunch of people doing great work and they’ll absolutely want to be a part of it.

What does a No Kill shelter do when it has twelve long-termers that just can’t seem to find the right match?

Call on its community to help of course!

Shrek’s been waiting half his life for a loving owner

HE’S arguably as good-looking as his movie namesake, which may be why Shrek the boxer-cross has been waiting more than half his life to be adopted.

And fashion designer Melanie Greensmith doesn’t mind whether it’s a princess or family of four who fall for the pugly five-year-old.

Ms Greensmith is patron of the Shenton Park Dogs’ Refuge Home, and says for the princely sum of $300, Shrek could soon wake up in a family home — at the same time saving the lives of many more homeless hounds.

Due to the refuge’s no-kill policy, Shrek’s accommodation is assured. But the boofer with a funny nose has racked up 2 years at the kennels and, along with another 13 canine ‘long-termers”, has tied up a valuable percentage of the 100 kennels.

“We turn over about 500 dogs a year,” Ms Greensmith said. “These long-termers slow up the works, stopping the processing of other dogs. And those other dogs may end up on death row at other pound facilities in Perth.”

Read more…

Not only does a feel good story from the local paper give some invaluable exposure, the resulting photographs would get anyone adopted!

I just love this positive approach that Shenton Park have taken, with nary a mention of ‘irresponsible owners’. Bravo!

Some of the best of the web today;

Shelters acting as shelters; helping the homeless and their pets;

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Each year, more than 40,000 animals enter Animal Care & Control of NYC, said Patrick Kwan, the New York State director for the Humane Society.

“In almost all cases, it is cheaper to help people keep their animals using the free or low-cost services rather than surrender them and allow the shelter to pay for an animal’s care until they are adopted, sent to rescue groups or euthanized,” he said.

The program also provides support and information to help people find homes for stray animals instead of surrendering them to the shelter system.
‘Homelessness, man’s best friend and a hard choice‘

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Also, Christie Keith writes on how to find homes for big black dogs:

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The good news is that black dogs have a lot of friends. Petfinder launched a campaign telling adopters that dark furred pets make it easier to accessorize. “After all,” said Saunders, “black goes with everything!” The Black Pearl Dogs Web site offers rescue groups a place to list their available black dogs and tries to educate the public about the problem. And last month, PR and marketing expert Heather Rosenwald launched Start Seeing Black Dogs, which offers free marketing and PR services to help shelters and rescue groups put their available black dogs in the best possible light to potential adopters.

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Are people allowed to take photos in your shelter?

Chances are the answer is no. Which is an enormous shame, as your visitors are an enormous untapped resource of people who could start an online conversation about you.

From Pedigree Adoption Drive Aust’s Facebook group some pics entitled ‘Rescue Shelter Dog Walking’.

They’re cute – people walking dogs in the rain. But it’s the response which is remarkable; comments, ‘likes’ and conversation about this group’s work.

What’s that? You don’t know anything about social networking and wouldn’t know a faceplant from a myplace?

Well, you don’t have to. The people coming into your shelter do.

So why aren’t you letting them talk about you?

See also; Let the camera’s roll!

When you work in rescue, it’s assumed you unquestioningly support mandatory desexing. And should you dare to point out the very genuine problems inherent in this legislation, you’ll likely find yourself up against one oldest and most revered of all rescue mantras; people are irresponsible and we must punish them”.

Ignoring those studies which have shown time and time again that the public is actually overwhelmingly compliant and that the majority of family pets are already desexed, proponents of mandatory desexing doggedly insist these laws are vital to bringing down the kill rates of shelters. Animals groups gleefully demonize those who don’t desex as ‘irresponsible’, despite the fact most undesexed animals are owned by the poor and disadvantaged, most of whom would desex their pets if they could a) afford it, and b) get their pets to a clinic to have it done.

Rather than look to fund free and accessible pet desexing (something that has proven results in bringing down surrenders and impoundments), they champion legislation that on its own does nothing to help animals. Mandatory desexing theoretically gives owners two choices; a procedure they can’t afford, or to give up their pet. While the third unspoken and often disastrous option for owners is to go ‘underground’; dooming that pet to a life without vet care, community involvement or training.

However, in the face of some of the most regressive legislation in the country, one local council is bucking the trend of developing bigger and more elaborate punishments, and is instead looking to implement programs that actually support disadvantaged owners in their community.

Recognising that the biggest hurdle to owner compliance is simply cost, Logan City Council is working with veterinarians to offer discount desexing and putting together community programs focussed on responsible pet ownership and rescue pet adoption.

Pretty much every single program and policy that No Kill advocates and opponents of mandatory desexing have always suggested instead of expensive, punitive legislation.

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Scheme aims to cut animal euthanasia

Logan battlers will be offered discounted veterinary services under a pilot program designed to cut soaring dog and cat euthanasia levels.

Shocking figures show almost three out of four cats impounded by Logan City Council last financial year were put down. About one in four impounded dogs were euthanased.

The council hopes to slash the figures with a new community clinic targeting pensioners and financially disadvantaged people. Council staff are in final negotiations with 21 veterinary clinics that want to become partners in offering cheaper microchipping and desexing procedures.

Animals and city standards committee chairman Graham Able said the non-profit clinic would likely open in September at the council’s Animal Management Centre on Queens Rd, Kingston.

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Combined Vets of Logan City co-director Joe Grose said the project would target people who ordinarily struggled to afford microchipping and desexing services.

Dr Grose said the vets would also focus on rehousing impounded animals.

“Nobody likes the idea of these animals having to die just because they are excess,” he said.

“We want pet owners of Logan to look seriously at the option of an animal from the pound rather than a puppy or a kitten.”

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Mandatory desexing sounds like a good idea, but these laws have been a complete and utter failure in every place they’ve been tried, doing nothing to save animals lives or even increase the number of desexed animals. It is programs such as those proposed by this council that should be at the forefront when battling pet homelessness.

I’ll say it again,