Most dogs available for adoption at shelters are of the ‘great aussie mutt’ variety; mixed breeds of unknown parentage made up of a few, or sometimes lots of, different breeds. Shelter staff do their best to make a guess of the breeds that make up the dogs based on appearance and this ‘best guess’ is what is used to identify the dogs to the public.

Whether accurate or not, these breed labels have ramifications on the dog’s new life. Breed lables are often used to make predictions about the dog’s future behaviour and suitability for a particular family situations. Potential adopters use breed as a way to define what they are looking for, and ‘breed suitability tests’ are often used by adopters as part of their pre-adoption research.

But not everyone is so convinced breed is the key to great adoption matches. PetRescue doesn’t feature breed specific searching on the website, preferring visitors to replicate the experience of walking through a shelter ‘meeting’ individual dogs. PetRescue focuses on personality and matchmaking, rather than preconceived notions of breed, citing;

… nearly all rescue animals can be excellent companions and family members when appropriately matched to their new home. In this respect (often inaccurate) breed generalisations do little to serve individual animals and many lesser known breeds would actually be disadvantaged if we brought in the ability to search in this way.

When searching for your new pet try to look past the way the animal looks, the way that some breeds are portrayed in movies, even look past animals of a certain breed you’ve known in the past.

Every rescue pet is a unique individual, just as you are. The best match is one tailored to you by a knowledgeable rescue worker who knows that animals personality and is concerned for its well-being. Find a rescue group you trust and can build a rapport with and you’re on the way to finding your perfect furry friend.

However generally, breed identification makes up a significant portion of both a shelter’s daily operations and their animal promotions. But just how accurate are these breed ‘guesses’?

From January’s Journal of Veterinary Behavior, ‘The American Shelter Dog: Identification of dogs by personality’ a study of 20 mixed breed dogs, from 17 agencies were DNA tested for their breed make up. Sixteen of the dogs had been identified by the adoption agencies as a ‘type’ of dog (eg. terrier), and as having 1 or 2 specific breeds in their ancentry. The shelters got it right only 4 of the 16 times, and in 3 of these 4 cases, the breeds specified only made up a tiny fraction of the dog’s genetic make up.

In short – shelters, nearly always got it wrong.

So black dogs with floppy ears weren’t necessarily labradors; the shepherd mixes had no evidence of GSD and long haired black and white mixes, weren’t border collies. And unsuprisingly, the pit bulls mixes weren’t pit bulls at all.

This startling result has causes a bit of a revolution about how US shelters think of ‘breed’ in regards to dog placement;

The Center for Shelter Dogs now identifies dogs not by assumed breeds but rather by appearance and individual personalities. Instead of using inaccurate breed labels, dogs are profiled by personality based on their results from the MATCH-UP Behavior Evaluation, a standardized evaluation currently undergoing validation. This approach provides information about the dog’s personality traits as well as likely reactions in real-life situations. Staff are able to select appropriate behavioral and enrichment programs and owners learn about each dog in terms of their personality and unique needs. (ref)

Dr Amy Marder, Animal Rescue League of Boston and Director for the Center for Shelter Dogs, has proposed that dogs adopted from shelters in the U.S. simply be identified as “American Shelter Dogs”. This might solve a lot of problems, as well as promote pride and ownership of an “American Shelter Dog.” (ref)

If we needed another reason to stop judging breeds by looks, rather than behaviour this would be it. The idea that people who identify dog breeds for a living, only get the actual makeup of the dog correct a fraction of the time makes it clear that personality much more of a valid measurement, than breed.

Breed generalisations can lead to personality mismatches with new owners and set the new relationship up to fail if the dog doesn’t live up to expectations. Worse, dogs may be overlooked for being the ‘wrong’ breed, despite having fantastic personalities and lots to offer the right owner.

The future will see a lot more emphasis on ‘who this dog will suit’ rather than ‘what they are’. And the benefits to shelter dog kind and adoptive families will be enormous.

Further reading on the study topic can be found here on KC Dog Blog and Nathan Winograd’s blog here.

If you’ve ever tried to engage a mandatory desexing zealot in a reasonable discussion of the population dynamics of cats in Australia, you’ll know the meaning of pointless. They are driven to show the world that everyone else is wrong, that the public is evil and the only path to salvation is the legislated removal of the reproductive organs of every owned animal.

No matter how. much. evidence. you are able to present on just where stray cats come from – they consider their methodology unquestionable; “of course it will work, you silly person,” they chant. “more desexed cats mean less kittens born and less have to be killed in shelters!“. All animal lovers must join them in their fight to target the ‘irresponsible masses’.

But ‘punishment dogmatists’ choose to ignore a truth, that those who study pets and their owners are able to measure time and time again; Australian pet owners are incredibly compliant and compassionate towards companion animals.

Last year, a report for the Victorian Bureau of Animal Welfare, by The Animal Welfare Science Centre, sampled Victorian veterinarians and their clients profiling owners, pets and ownership practices, especially in how they manage the reproductive behaviour of their pets. ‘Characteristics of pets who visit veterinarians’ (Martson, Bennett), interviewed 51 veterinarian surgeries and 588 owners and found the majority of pet owners are doing what we asked them to;

Overall, the level of desexing was high, with a greater percentage of cats (94%) being desexed than dogs (89.7%).

And that they are also remarkably considerate to those cats that they don’t own;

37.9% of the sample fed cats that they did not own (cat semi owners), indicating not only that responsible cat owners engage in this behaviour, but that they may do so at a greater level than the general population.

Despite what is commonly claimed, the small number of owned cat litters that happen ‘accidentally’ aren’t abandoned, but are considerately placed;

Very few litters were presented at the participating clinics. Most of the progeny of these owned animals were rehomed directly by their owner in some way. Very few were taken to shelters. This suggests that the progeny of veterinary clients are not contributing significantly to shelter admissions.

47.7% of cats were obtained at no cost, from the stray population, from friends, relatives and neighbours.

Cats acquired at no cost were likely to be owned for as long as those that had been acquired at considerable cost.

Meaning cat owners are not only not contributing to the ‘kitten flood’ but are actually pretty efficiently absorbing cats from the unowned population by adopting neighbourhood strays. They are helping, not hindering cat welfare in Australia.

Rather than legislation targeting owners, the study pointed towards targeted desexing programs as the key to reducing strays and ferals;

Rural and regional practices saw significantly more unowned, feral cats compared to urban practices. Lower client income levels were associated with a higher percentage of feral cats being presented at clinics which suggests that providing low cost/no cost desexing in low income areas might be effective in reducing feral cat numbers.

As most of the cats which enter shelters as strays display some evidence of having been socialised to humans, it is likely that many of them are semi-owned cats. Increasing the proportion of cat semi-owners who desex the animals they feed therefore could reduce shelter admissions.

Outreach, not criticism. Support and assistance, not fire and brimstone. It’s only when animal welfare groups stop taking a ‘moral high ground’ with cat owners and start working with them as partners will there be any hope to reduce cat problems here in Australia.

While ‘mandatory desexing’ targeting owners sounds constructive; what is suggested by this study is that, like many other previous studies, cat owners are the solution, not the problem when it comes to caring for cats. And since their compassion extends to the stray and ferals in their community, if we engage them and simply ask for their help we can start to reduce the flow of cats and kittens into shelters.

Cat owners are our allies, not our enemies.

See also: Last of 300 strong managed cat colony dies

One of the most frequently used measures of the success of suburbs and cities is the is the income earning capacity of its residents. Basically, a good income can provide a ‘buffer’ against natural, societal or personal disaster and determine a communities capacity to cope with adversity. Without this buffer, there can be a dangerously fine line for individuals to cross into loss of health, loss of income, mental health problems or poverty.

So what do you call a law that is used to target these vulnerable and disadvantaged people? One that effects those people living in poorer suburbs exponentially more, because they are overrepresented as to be breaking the law?

Discrimination.

The WA government is calling for new cat legislation, requiring cat owners to desex their pets. They’re doing this because the local Cat Haven is swamped with cats;

The eastern Perth suburb of Cannington reported nearly twice the number of dumped cats and kittens in the peak month of December than the next worst performing suburb of Willagee.

According to statistics collected by the Cat Haven, 63 felines were dumped in Cannington, 32 in the southern suburb of Willagee, and 31 in the northern suburb of Balga.

In December, the Cat Haven was inundated with almost 1000 unwanted felines during the biggest cat dumping period of the year.

Cat dumping rife in Perth’s eastern suburbs

But to put these ‘eastern suburbs’ in context, they are some of the poorest suburbs in Perth. According to REIWA real estate profiles WA,, the mentioned suburbs had the following median weekly household income;

Cannington ($794)
Willagee ($750)
Balga ($644)

For comparison, the Perth median weekly household income is $1,086, and my own suburb, a relatively average place, is $1,235 (Karrinyup). While a ‘exclusive’ suburb like Subiaco is $1,502.

Comparing the major sources of cats, with the communities they are coming from, it’s obvious that this is a law that primarily targets the poor and disadvantaged; pensioners, low income families and people with mental or physical health issues.

What’s more, studies have shown the primary reason people don’t desex their pets is cost. To target poor owners with legislation, does little to help them afford the surgery.

A study conducted by Harris Interactive for Alley Cat Allies came up with some interesting data. To start with, nearly all pets cats in America — more than 80 percent — are already desexed (note for Australians: studies here have shown we Aussies are up around 95% of owned cats being desexed). And the ones that aren’t didn’t have the misfortune of being owned by deadbeat, idiotic, irresponsible or callous people. No, they’re owned by poor people.

In fact, the single most influential predictor of whether or not a cat is altered is the income level of his or her owner.

Eighty percent of cats in U.S. households are neutered, according to a new, nationally representative study conducted by Alley Cat Allies and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association, a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The study, “Population characteristics and neuter status of cats living in households in the United States,” found that family income was the single strongest predictor of whether pet cats living in households are neutered. Over 90% of cats in households earning $35,000 or more per year were neutered, compared to 51% of cats in households earning less than $35,000.

As the study points out, it’s not pet cats (the only ones who would be affected by a mandatory desexing law) who aren’t being altered; it’s unowned strays. And cats represent the largest group of animals being killed in shelters.

It’s worth noting there is no large scale, low cost cat desexing program in WA.

Identifying these sections of society, and offering extra support from government to ensure the populations basic needs are met are always going to have more success than just slapping a new law on a section of the community already struggling with hardship. If we really wanted to cut down on shelter deaths, how about looking to funding targeted desexing Community Cat programs and mandatory assistance to low income pet owners.

If that doesn’t work THEN get giddy with legislation. Chances are it won’t be needed. But don’t put the cart before the horse by bringing in legislation, before enacting the community support to ensure that the poor aren’t targeted and their pets seized and killed for a lack of personal resources.

Thanks to Margaret for the tip!

With the now irrefutable evidence that it’s the unowned cat population that is the major cause of cat shelter overpopulation, and the growing failure of mandatory desexing to reduce shelter kill rates as promised, mandatory desexing advocates are on the hunt for another ‘good reason’ to be allowed to have the legislation they so desire.

So they’ve made up another theoretical benefit;

According to Canobolas Family Pet Hospital veterinarian Geoff Freeth, brawling undesexed cats help spread diseases such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the cat equivalent of human AIDS.

“The incidences of FIV sits at around 15 to 20 per cent in Australia, although there are places such as Goulburn where 30 per cent of cats have FIV so it’s impossible to know how many local cats have the disease,” he said.

“The majority of people see it as the responsible thing to get their cats desexed, however there is a small percentage of people who don’t do it because they’re lazy or lack education (on the issue).”

Dr Freeth says feral cats are also an increasing problem in the region and while desexing won’t have an immediate impact on feral cat numbers, he believes there will be long-term benefits.

Mandatory desexing purr-fect – Central Western Daily

I really don’t understand how the straw man argument that cat owners are to blame for ongoing feral cat problems continues to be given credence. Of course there are health and behavioural benefits to cats if they are desexed; that was never under debate. But oversimplifying the issue by suggesting that targeting ‘lazy and uneducated owners’ is the key to curing all of the ills of cat kind, is just so, so unhelpful, keeping the public all looking to the government for a legislative solution, rather than empowering them to take genuine action that would reduce the number of homeless cats.

We need to stop all these efforts to ‘get’ owners. And start real discussion about how we can ‘get’ some solutions to the actual problem – a large population of breeding, unowned animals.

When I say it, please understand it’s wild speculation. When they say it; there’s you know, science and shit.

Major cruelty to myna pests

They’re territorial pests who threaten native wildlife, but Indian myna birds are being shot, electrocuted and tortured by those who refuse to use baited traps.

More than 100,000 Indian mynas have been killed using a legal, do-it-yourself trap and several NSW councils have introduced eradication programs.

But the RSPCA is concerned about cruelty to the introduced species by those using weapons such as air rifles, poisons and other unsanctioned methods to kill them.

It has warned that those destroying and disposing of the birds illegally could face heavy fines or jail time.

Several people on an online forum offered “simple” suggestions to eradicate mynas.

“I have shot, poisoned, trapped and electrocuted them, but the most effective way is to shoot them with an accurate air rifle,” one user said.

Another posted: “An excellent result was achieved by sprinkling dog food with an aphid poison. They’re dead within minutes.”

Birds caught in legal traps are usually destroyed after being administered euthanasing gas, usually from the exhaust pipe of a car while the engine is cold.

But RSPCA inspector Matt French said he believed only pest-control companies should destroy the birds.

“If you catch a Indian myna bird, you shouldn’t take euthanasing into your own hands,” Mr French said.

“If people connect a tube to the exhaust pipe of a car, depending on the make, model and age of the car there could be an uncontrollable mixture of gases.

“If the engine is hot, the birds’ lungs can be burned and scalded.

“Obviously, they’re not a native bird and many people find them a pest, but there’s no justification for people to take matters into their own hands.

“Regardless of a personal opinion on these birds, the damage they do or the noise they make, they’re still animals that deserve to be treated with respect.”

Cat bounty off after rat sightings

The McKinlay Shire Council in north-west Queensland has placed a moratorium on its cat bounty across the shire after sightings of rats in Julia Creek.

The bounty has been suspended for an indeterminate amount of time.

McKinlay Shire Council CEO Shane Cagney says the cause of the rats coming into the shire was unknown...

Really.

Vets and pet research advisory groups resisted cat legislation in various forms throughout the nineties and noughties.

Research study after research study showed the ineffectiveness of owner-targeted legislation, demonstrated that the population dynamics of cats entering shelters meant few had ever had owners and explained that while it sounds lovely rolling off the tongue in a soundbite, “compulsory desexing” is little more than a free pass for councils to round up unowned cats.

After nearly two decades, nothing much has changed except that the debate has gotten old. In 2010 science is nice, but dead cats and emotional blackmail speak volumes;

It is a small and sparse room, no bigger than 3m by 4m with a small bed in the centre.

It is here where up to 11,000 cats are destroyed each year.

Dr Carol Webb, executive director of the Cat Protection Society of Victoria, is quiet when she takes the Diamond Valley Leader to the room as part of a tour of the organisation.

“Cats who are deemed as wild, suffering of serious injuries and ill are taken here and we put them to sleep,” Dr Webb said.

She said this in a matter of fact way and indeed, the way cats are euthanased in the centre is similar to falling asleep.

One cat at a time is placed on the bench.

The veterinary assistant would raise the cat’s leg, exposing the necessary vein where Dr Webb would inject an overdose of barbiturates.

It only takes a moment and the cat is dead.

No anguished moan or pleading purrs.

The cat’s eyes close and silence returns to the room. (ref)

And that my friends is the how animal welfare groups get legislation without proving efficacy.

Landcare has this month put together an anti-cat article outlining cat legislation Australia wide. What is really interesting is the obvious the march towards more and more draconian legislation. There is no such thing as ‘a cat-friendly compromise’; once one piece of legislation is enacted, and the kill rooms stay as full as ever, cat groups go right on advocating for more laws.

Just starting out

Western Australia – no statewide laws

Western Australia has no state-wide legislation specifically addressing domestic cat management. However, the Local Government Act 1995 provides for councils to enact their own local laws. Of the 141 council areas in WA, 13 have introduced cat laws relating to various issues including desexing, confining, microchipping, trapping and limiting the number of cats an individual may own.
….

However, it is anticipated that all councils will soon have the obligation to administer compulsory sterilisation regulations. Joe Francis, Jandakot MLA, is currently drafting a Bill which would require cat owners across the state to sterilise and microchip their pets by the time the animals are six months old.

With no statewide laws it’s been up to individual councils to take the heat from the community when enacting new laws. When Joondalup attempted compulsory desexing, the backlash was so strong it was forced to abandon its efforts. Groups working in the community have been able to lobby their individual councils to bring about the best results for the cats in their community

An attempt at statewide cat legislation means, if passed, councils will be forced to bring in compulsory desexing legislation, regardless of their local requirements. The result will be much less ability for local advocacy groups working with free-roaming cats (and against laws that target cats without owners) to influence local law outcomes.

On the merry-go-round

Queensland – new statewide compulsory registration

The Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 was passed on December 11 2008 and is designed to encourage responsible pet ownership by introducing compulsory registration and identification. The Act took effect throughout south-east Queensland councils on July 1 2009, with the rest of the state scheduled to come in line within two years.

Along with this new legislation are the trialing of approved breeder schemes and the emphasis on cat containment, but animal welfare groups are already beginning to up the ante. The AWL QLD is calling for “compulsory desexing in all pounds and shelters, compulsory confinement (unless under effective control) of all undesexed animals and pilot studies in compulsory desexing and compulsory desexing prior to sale or transfer”. While the RSPCA says it will continue to lobby for compulsory desexing.

Giving powers to council

South Australia – statewide legislation, leads to desexing and confinement

In South Australia laws relating to the management of cats generally come under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995. The Act provides for non-compulsory identification of cats and enables councils to introduce laws to manage cats in ways consistent with the needs of their area. The Dog and Cat Management Board of South Australia, the only statutory authority of its kind in Australia, was also established under the Act.

Once being handed free reign, councils in South Australia rapidly developed more and more draconian legislation. Kangaroo Island Council has enacted by-laws requiring that a cat be confined desexed, microchipped and registered. Roxby Downs Council requires that cats be registered, microchipped and desexed, confined, plus a two cats limit. The City of Tea Tree Gully and the Council of the City of Mitcham have sought bylaws which would require cat owners to microchip their pet and would limit the number of cats that could be owned.

South Australia is rapidly heading towards a future where free-roaming cats fall foul of the law. With protection for these animals removed, we can expect to see many more sweeps by animal management departments targeting cats without owners and an increase in shelter killing.

Actively taking out colony care

Victoria – councils with unlimited powers target unowned cats

In Victoria the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994 gives councils the responsibility for registering and controlling cats. The Act promotes the responsible ownership of cats and the protection of the environment by providing for the registration and identification of cats and for the implementation of a scheme to protect the community and the environment from feral and nuisance cats.

Individual councils can also introduce local laws to further enhance domestic cat management.

Of the 79 Victorian councils, 24 have made cat confinement laws, five have made microchipping laws and 10 have introduced mandatory desexing. The former Shire of Sherbrooke (now part of the Yarra Ranges Shire Council) was the first in Australia to introduce a cat curfew. Yarra Ranges has additional local laws requiring that cats be confined at night. Two cats per person.

In addition, an offence has been created to the effect that it is unlawful for people to feed or encourage feral or stray animals onto their property. This eliminates the potential for cat colony care and allows them no protection at all from council as they are collected as strays.

Not content with the devastation variations on compulsory registration, desexing and confinement legislation has caused, with some of the highest kill pounds in the country and a 40% increase in cat impoundments in 2008, animal welfare groups in Victoria are now campaigning local councils for the mandatory desexing for all domestic cats over 12 weeks of age, effectively removing an owners right to choose to listen to the advice of their vet on matters of their cats reproductive welfare. And with the planned continuation of the Who’s for Cats campaign in 2010, they’re also targeting unowned cats for removal.

It’s a slippery slope

When you start ignoring science and start giving weight to personal belief – then start mandating those personal beliefs into law, then you’re on a very slippery slope to giving a few people ultimate power without accountability or audit. “Because we say so” should never be the basis for legislation.

It’s worth noting that none of the councils above have seen any noticable drop in pound euthanasia rates of cats. And all have rolled out new legislation, on top of the legislation before it that failed to work.

Unless start demanding groups calling for these regressive laws to show some proof of the soundness of their ideas, we will never get out of this endless loop of killing. Because something that doesn’t work yesterday, won’t work today and won’t work tomorrow, but it may just wrap us up so tightly in ineffective legislation it will be nearly impossible to get the whole lot undone. We’re headed towards a future where owned cats are indoors and outdoors cats are fair game.

Don’t go quietly into the legislative approach thinking that ‘a little bit of necessary legislation’ now will lead to a future where we all hold hands and sing koom-by-ya. Those who lobby for their beliefs to be made into law now – need to be challenged. And we must know that the law of unintended consequences means no new piece of legislation comes cost free.

And the cost might ultimately be to programs that do have a chance of being effective.

When a small white dog was impounded at The Lost Dogs Home, it would have been barely noticed by management. Just one of dozens of similar small, white dogs with matted hair, bad teeth and smelly ears. A small white dog that no one cared about and who’s death could have been no more meaningful than to add a single digit to the annual euthanasia figures of the Home, of more than 3,500 dogs a year.

But as it would turn out this little dog, dubbed Phoenix by those who worked to save him, would not only have his life spared, but would mark the beginning of a revolution at The Lost Dogs Home.

The saving of Phoenix

At best guess Phoenix was over 10 years old. That put him outside the Lost Dogs Home criteria for adoption. The belief that people didn’t want to adopt ‘old pets’, that they wouldn’t be willing to pay to have surgery to get the pets well, and that the often shy nature of elderly animals made them unsuitable for adoption, had lead to a near blanket rule to kill older pets.

But Phoenix was about to change all that.

When rescue groups around Victoria were given a photograph of Phoenix, they went to work finding him a great new home. Sharing his details over email, on pet forums and spreading his story on Facebook.

News of his plight was shared by literally thousands of people as the community rushed to save his life. The compassion that spilled over for a shy, little white dog with matted hair and bad teeth made it immediately evident that rather than people rejecting older pets, they are instead willing to open up their hearts and homes to them.

As the online community waited breathlessly for news of Phoenix; would The Lost Dogs Home management bend their rules and allow him to leave the pound? His new potential parents went to the LDH to visit him;

He has been clipped off and he will not be available to come out to them until tomorrow.  He is a tiny maltese boy, very withdrawn and timid, and cuddled into my arms.

I told the staff we will take him despite ANY assessment and they have written that on his sheet. We will go back in first thing tomorrow and collect him.

No photos yet at this stage, there are security cameras throughout The Lost Dogs Home and no cameras or mobile phones are allowed to be used. He has a little bed in his pen and he hopped back into it when we left and they locked up behind them.

And then…
On January 20, Phoenix went to his new home.

Which prompts the question…

If the power of the community can find a seemingly ‘unadoptable’ animal like Phoenix a home with dozens of families willing to take them, why are The Lost Dogs Home still killing them?

If there are rescue groups standing by willing to take and rehabilitate animals who fail to be immediately adoptable, why are The Lost Dogs Home still killing them?

If special needs pets like Buckely can be saved with foster care, why are The Lost Dogs Home still killing them?

We’re seeing time and time again, when The Lost Dogs Home work with their community with a life saving focus, they save lives.

The key to stopping killing is to do something other than killing.

Make no mistake, the positive changes taking place at The Lost Dogs Home are being forced onto the management of this organisation, not being driven by them.

Maverick staff members who get sick of being told to kill and start feeding information to the media.

Information being released to rescue groups so they can take action.

The community demanding more from the organisation they helped build, requiring that they use their massive resources to do what they claim to do; act as a sanctuary for pets.

After decades of killing, the biggest contribution current management can make is step aside this new culture of life-saving sweeps over their organisation.

Congratulations to all who helped with the saving of Phoenix, with a special shout out to Rescued With Love.

… From KC Dog blog – Improving Customer Service Imperative to Increasing Adoptions

The problems many people have in getting approval to adopt has actually hit the mainstream — and it is becoming a bit of a joke among the general public. Just last week I caught this clip of a comedian talking about the adoption process. I think even more disappointing than the comedian’s jokes, themselves, is the fact that the woman in the audience that he keys in on is so adamently agreeing with him about the hoops that she had to go through for adoption. Watch the video – -it’s only a couple of minutes long.

And from the comments;

It’s sad how accurately that guy’s joke sums up the problem with the value system a lot of shelters have — in other words, that death is better for an animal than a lifestyle that is less than perfect in every way. We need some more realists and fewer idealist ‘my way or the highway’-types in the shelter world, it seems.

Go here to read the whole thing and watch the vid.

Blacktown pound’s god-awful ‘bidding’ system is under fire from their local community.

Bidding madness riles locals at Blacktown Pound

More animals are killed at Blacktown Animal Holding Facility than anywhere else in the state, yet it continues to use an archaic system where people have to bid to rescue a homeless pet.

The system allows the council to make money but puts some popular animals usually the cute puppies beyond the reach of an average family.
…

Early this month, a little female terrier at the pound grabbed so much attention she was bid for by a dozen people and eventually sold for $400.

The Castle family, who missed out on the dog despite entering a bid of $150, 2 times the minimum sale price of $60, are outraged, saying 11 other dogs could have been rescued.

Instead, 11 families went home empty-handed.
…..

A Blacktown Council spokeswoman said the bidding system was introduced to discourage semi-professional and backyard breeders who would go to the pound every morning and buy the desirable animals.

She said animals within the pound’s seven-to-14-day holding period could be bid for.

“When the animal is due out, the highest tender is contacted and offered the animal,” she said.

Cr Russ Dickens, a Blacktown vet, said the ‘worthless’ system should be eliminated.

He introduced a no-kill policy late last year and said removing the tender process would help save animals on death row.

In 2008, 1419 dogs and 3146 cats were put down at the council facility.

“We don’t want to make money out of them,” Cr Dickens said. “We want to get them out of there and into a positive environment.”

Now I’m not going to give Blacktown too much of a roasting here, because I genuinely believe there is change underway at their pound. But if they’re serious about their pledge to become No Kill, then they absolutely have to make overhauling their processes a priority.

Below is an outline of the programs needed in any community to take it toward a No Kill future.

A huge thanks to Fred of One Bark at a Time for putting a list together for his community, that allows us to all to build one for our own.

Desexing

With a full pound and a high euthanasia rate, the present system of releasing undesexed animals to the public must be stopped.

- Modern adopters expect to pay an adoption fee that includes desexing, so develop variable or set adoption fees which includes the cost of vet work.

- Reach out to local vets to desex adult pets before adoption.

- Reach out to rescue groups, allowing them to use their own veterinarian to do the surgeries.

- Provide a voucher to all kitten/puppy adopters so they can get their pet desexed free when their pet reaches 6 months of age.

- Follow up with people who have adopted a kitten/puppy to ensure the animal is desexed at six months of age.

- Partner with local councils to lobby support from the community to help open a low cost desexing clinic at Blacktown.

- Invest all revenue from pet registrations back into animal care and outreach.

Reducing intakes

- Target vulnerable sections of the community with outreach pet desexing programs

- Identify areas where people have pet behavioural problems. Work to increase the numbers of single use dog off leash areas in those area. Engage local behavioural trainers and vets to increase puppy pre-school opportunities.

- Implement the policy that lost pet who are wearing ID or who have a microchip, are taken straight home by council officials, to decrease the impounded shelter population. (If there is a problem with the percentage of pets registered, see the Calgary model, offering service in return for compliance).

- Work with and assist local cat colony carers to offer an alternative to impoundment to unrehomable cats.

Getting pets adopted

Pre–adoption

- Give pets a thorough health and behavioural assessment before they are put in the adoption program.

- Any health issues should be identified and a treatment plan put into place to get the animal healthy and adoptable.

- Any behavioural issues (food aggression/dog aggression) should be identified and a treatment plan put into place to get the animal healthy and adoptable.

- A basic obedience program should be implemented for every dog admitted, using trained volunteers under the direction of a behavioural trainer.

- A puppy school should be offered for puppy socialisation and basic training.

- A socialisation program should be implemented for all animals admitted.

- Ensure pets available for adoption should be promptly listed in all available media; local newspapers, PetRescue and on the Blacktown Council website.

Adoptions

- Implement clear, concise, and consistent adoption protocols (a screening process)

- Adoption staff should have access to animal information (behaviour, health) so that match can be made between potential adopters and animals.

- Partner with local pet supplies stores to adopt out pets from their stores, or promote animal adoption in store.

- Expand partnerships with reputable local rescue groups to allow them to take animals and adopt them out.

- Promote open days at the shelter in conjunction with special times of the year (valentines day, christmas etc) and join existing local pet events to showcase animals.

- Develop a committee that will be in charge of creating an adoption strategy (specific to each animal) for animals that have been overlooked for adoption for an extended period.

- Implement a ‘secret shopper’ style program to audit staff behaviour towards potential adopters to identify any problems with customer service. Reward staff who offer a great adopter experience.

Adoption After-Care

- Help adopters access local pet care information; an adoption kit provided to all adopters with information on how to help their new pet adjust to their new home, introducing a new pet to an existing pet, where to get help with behavioural issues, exercise, how to find a vet, grooming, etc.

- Create a hotline for people to call if they run into issues with their new pet. The shelters involvement with an animal shouldn’t stop once the animal has left the building. Many return adoptions are related to behavioural issues and a system needs to be put into place to help adopters with the issues that lead to return adoptions.

- Partner up with dog trainers, grooming facilities, and veterinary clinics. These businesses may be willing to donate services or offer a discount to Blacktown animals in exchange for free advertising or promotion opportunities.

- Start a low cost basic obedience program in conjunction with local behavioural trainers. This will foster good relationships with members of the community, prevent surrenders due to minor behavioural issues, and provide revenue for the shelter. These basic training classes should be free for all adopted dogs.

Working with Rescues

- Expand and develop relationships with reputable rescue organisations.

- Contact rescues as soon as a potential candidate for transfer is identified.

- Create a links page on the Blacktown website profiling these rescues groups.

- Assist rescues with low-cost veterinary care and access to free desexing.

- Encourage the community to donate to local rescue groups.

- Organize all-in-rescue Adoptathons.

Working with Other Animal Shelters

- Identify shelters willing to work to with Blacktown in both regional and metropolitan areas.

- Create an animal trading program. If animals that are best suited to live in a rural environment, send those animals to a partner shelter in a rural environment in exchange for animals that would be well suited for an urban environment.

- Offer to help relieve overcrowding in other shelters when resources are available.

- Develop a positive working relationship between major shelters in the state.

Foster Program

- Create an active and continuous foster family recruitment strategy. Call for foster carers on the Blacktown Council website.

- Give these foster carers access to a behavioural training program and ongoing support.

- Allow foster parents to adopt their foster animals.

Volunteers

- Create an active and continuous volunteer recruitment strategy. Call for volunteers on the Blacktown Council website.

- Create a list of every specific role a volunteer can play at Blacktown, from laundry to cat grooming, to fundraising. Post this list on the website (with the details of each role) so that the public is aware of how their skills and interests can be used to help the animals.

- Work to match potential volunteers with areas of the shelter that match their interests.

- Create a volunteer training program for every aspect of the shelter; eg. Volunteers who work with animals should be given an animal behaviour course.

- Recruit volunteers who can help with specific jobs. Graphic designers, photographers, event planners, professional writers, etc can offer their specific skills to improve the website, information packages, plan fundraisers, etc. Create a list of these people and their skills so that the volunteer coordinators know who to call when specific jobs need to be done at the shelter.

Community Outreach and Public Relations

- Create a section of the website dedicated to keeping the public up to date on changes being made to improve policies and procedures in the shelter.

- Revamp the adoption aspect of the website. There should be images of the animals available for adoption, and good descriptions of them (can be done by volunteers).

- Create a section of the website dedicated to the distribution of information on how to deal with behavioural issues, the exercise needs of animals, the nutritional needs of animals, how to socialise animals, how to pet-proof your home, animal safety, the importance of veterinary care, etc.

- Create a listing of local animal rescue organisations.

- Create a volunteer section of the website with a list of ways volunteers can get involved.

- Use social media; a blog or a facebook page to promote animals at Blacktown. Allow the community to take control of promoting available animals themselves.

- Once a month do a write up on a staff member so that the public can get to know the people that work at the shelter. Do the same for a volunteer each month to encourage participation.

- Keep the public up to date on new programs and existing programs.

Create a Second Facility for Long-Term Animals

Work with the community to build a facility for animals with behavioural issues that need more work than can be provided at the pound. The goal of this facility would be to rehabilitate animals that are unsuitable for adoption. Animals would stay at this facility until their behaviour has been modified and they can be safely put into the adoption program.

In the case of animals where the behaviour cannot be modified enough for public adoption, the new facility would become an animal sanctuary for these “unadoptable” animals where they can live for the rest of their lives.