There’s very little worse I think, than sick and uneasy feeling that comes from returning to my shelter bubbling over with enthusiasm and ideas, only to have it met with if not open hostility, bemused apathy. I hadn’t realised how quashed I’d become in these last few months. That’s dangerous thinking; they’re pretty extremist ideas <sideways glance at a dispproving look from management> Glad you had fun, but the emails circulating and the meeting we had concluded that we’re on the right track entirely and we shouldn’t take it seriously.

These aren’t bad people – I love nearly all of them, except the ones that I don’t. Just a normal workplace. But how do you, a single lone voice who had her mind blown by inspirational ideas, even begin to relay the breadth and knowledge presented during those three days? Me – whose primary strengths lay in playing Guitar Hero and drinking red wine?

There’s a culture here to support each other and not to rock the boat. Which is great for working relationships. Everyone just follows the rule and gets on with it. But there’s no challenge, no curiosity, no dynamic-ness. Apathy. It’s just a job. Come – do your job – go home. Dedication? Certainly. But no drive to self-develop.

I feel sick to hear that Mike Arms said we’re a decade and a half behind; Nathan Winograd, two decades. We have so far to go! It seems impossible…

But I guess this is where it starts. I will not be afraid. I will speak frankly, but sensitively. Beat my drum, softly at first, but it will get louder every day. I may feel a lone voice right now, but our message is important so I will have the courage to speak it.

Starting now.

How to take an excellent idea and turn it into a bad one;

Pet owner obedience classes
An animal shelter is barring people from adopting homeless dogs and cats unless they first take a course on how to look after pets.

The shelter which runs the X pound – says it has been forced to take a tough line after “one too many” people returned adopted pets.

Manager: “What we were finding is that someone would take home a cute little puppy and three months later bring it back.”

She said while the animals weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary some new owners were not prepared to deal with unexpected issues – right down to the basic stuff like toilet training.

……

Other (owners) refused point blank to take the seminar, which was a “good thing”.

“They’re not the people we want to have (owning) pets,” she said.

“If you want to buy a kitten today and someone says you have to … do a seminar, and you say ‘no, that’s too much effort’ – how much extra effort is it to look after a cat?”

A training course is an excellent idea that every rescue who is supporting new owners should invest in. But to use it as an opportunity to to bash potential adopters in the media doesn’t make people keen to be a part of rescue or adopt a pet, but instead avoid us and our erratic (and likely undeserved) venom and head to the nearest BYB.

News flash! Profit motivated breeders don’t use words like ‘barring’, and ‘tough line’.

Why is this group not WORSHIPING anyone keen to adopt? Why would you not set this program up to attract new adopters? FREE DOG TRAINING COURSE WITH EVERY NEW ADOPTION! Especially if there’s not many good adopters beating down their door?

We beg our adopters PLEASE if this adoption doesn’t work out, or if you’re having problems, contact us. We can help you with training and advice. Whatever you do, don’t drop him in the bush/give him to your mate Steveo/ or sell him the Trading Post. We will always take him back. Returning owners are only doing what we asked them to; which is a good thing.

If you don’t have enough quality homes – market yourself better. If your adoption screening procedures aren’t getting the results you want, talk to other groups to get more effective ones. If pet owners are having the same common problems, give them the resources needed to solve them.

There are a lot of programs every shelter can use to keep pets in homes. And all are based on offering support after adoption, not condemnation before.

PetRescue Team’s video diary from the NDN here: http://bit.ly/18xq76 about 5 hours ago from Tweetie

Last tweet from #NDN: Like a little kid whose been to the show I’m overexcited & exhausted. What an amazing event! Thanks to all@ the AWL! 12:59 PM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: Nathan’s TNR preso was facinating! But the major cat group manager’s have opted not to show. Are new ideas really that intimidating?11:34 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: you will never find 1,000 volunteers to help you kill. But you can win the hearts of thousands of cat lovers if you ask them to help trap, desex and care for their community cats..10:04 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: Since implementing community wide TNR program in 2001, NJ Animal Control has achieved an 80% drop in nusiance complaints.9:57 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: its our movement’s job to lead the way in humane cat solutions even if the largest animal welfare organisations don’t support them9:52 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: tradtional shelter designs overestimate the risk of disease & fighting & underestimate the risks of undersocialisation & frustration8:32 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: why pounds should give pb’s to breed rescue – because it frees up a kennel & a mix gets adopted from you instead, saving two lives.8:17 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: Many shelters open weekdays 9am-5pm. If you want to adopt more you need to be open evenings & weekends when families are able to visit7:56 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: Rangers must door knock around where the pet was collected, cross check with lost reports photograph & upload lost pets to the web7:35 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN; The public have no idea how lost pets behave. Shelters need to provide better information on how to search for a lost pet.7:29 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: Why does one pound seek out rescue groups to take its animals, while another refuses to work with the community and kills instead?7:14 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

#NDN: Nathan W asks: why does one shelter send thousands of animals every year into foster care while another chooses to kill these animals?7:11 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

RT @Desexing: Two days jam packed with motivated, successful, inspirational & amazingly dedicated people! Here comes the change Australia!5:51 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

Thank dog for Hound TV! The guys have done an extrodinary job capturing the NDN. Follow them @houndtv5:48 AM Oct 2nd from Tweetie

RT @jb_petrescue: Mike Arms – “We are a BUSINESS. We are in the business of saving lives.” Hell yeah!3:10 PM Oct 1st from Tweetie

Tnx!:) RT @Desexing: “Woohoo. Nice presentation Shel and the PetRescue gang, I feel more awake now than I have in the last two days..buzzzz”3:07 PM Oct 1st from Tweetie

#NDN: Tim from Pet Foster gave an amazing presentation of how foster carers save lives…2:45 PM Oct 1st from Tweetie

#NDN: back to blaming and bashing the public “if only we had a law” No shelter ever got to no kill by being an adversary to their community8:56 AM Oct 1st from Tweetie

#NDN: lols @jb_petrescue: RT “brilliant to be here! New man crush on Nathan Winograd.”8:52 AM Oct 1st from Tweetie

#NDN: Cat desexing vouchers have enormous success in the Mt Alexander Shire. Kitten intakes down to <10 per month.8:04 AM Oct 1st from Tweetie

#NDN: Sutherland Shire speaking on their no kill programs, healthy cat condos & volunteer programs. Local gvt having huge success!7:48 AM Oct 1st from Tweetie

#NDN; City of Bunbury on their supportive cat owner programs. “Helping disadvantaged owners to have a desexed, M/C’ed cat”. Fantastic!7:44 AM Oct 1st from Tweetie

#NDN: Nathan W opened with ‘the lifesaving matrix’ excellent, lots of heads nodding along7:38 AM Oct 1st from Tweetie

AWL QLD speaking on ‘Getting to Zero’: ask surrendering owners to care for their litters of kittens until they’re 8 wks old.3:37 PM Sep 30th from Tweetie

#NDN: Nathan W brought the house down with his extrodinary presentation – No Kill comes to Australia!3:21 PM Sep 30th from Tweetie

#NDN: If strays are primarily unowned cats, then strategies to reduce cat shelter admissions by targeting owners will have a limited effect1:45 PM Sep 30th from Tweetie

#NDN: huge round of applause for Michael Linke, RSPCA ACT as his org saves 93% dogs & 72% cats11:55 AM Sep 30th from Tweetie

#NDN; all speakers coming back 2 compulsory M/C *sighs* Can’t we skip the things that have never worked anywhere & move onto things that do?10:00 AM Sep 30th from Tweetie

#NDN QLD pet owner survey: 93.5% cat owners have desexed their pet, without legislation!8:23 AM Sep 30th from Tweetie

#NDN Mike Arms presenting; don’t take ‘hard to place’ pets onto tv – take the cutest & most adoptable & get people into your shelter…7:52 AM Sep 30th from Tweetie

I got to hug Nathan Winograd!!!! @ the NDN conference! W00t!7:36 AM Sep 30th from Tweetie

RT @Desexing: NDN Summit Registration starts at 8:00am on Wednesday morning. See you there! Follow http://twitter.com/Desexing5:46 PM Sep 28th from web

+ PetRescue’s video diary!