BringingYourShelterintothe21st CenturyModernDayBasics

Thankyou

• Tooursheltermedicinetracksponsors– VCAAnimalHospitals• ToHSUS• ToBeckyStuntebeck• Toourfellowshipgroup• Toourfellowship mentor–Dr.SandraNewbury• ImagescourtesyofGoogleImagesandShelterMedicineFellowship

Whywearehere

• Toomanyanimalsintheshelteratanyonetime?• Welfareandflowissues?• Strugglingtofind attainable21stcenturygoals?

Introductions

• Whoweareandwherewecomefrom

• SarahFrei – KansasCityPetProject Lead Veterinarian,UW/UCDMaddie'sShelterMedicineFellow• RachelleSaelor – LosAngelesCountyDepartmentofAnimalCareandControlShelterVeterinarian,UW/UCD EslingerShelterMedicineFellow• JenDalmasso – CityofOaklandShelterVeterinarian, UW/UCDShelterMedicineFellow

• All 3ofusareinnewjobsoranewshelterwithinlastyear• Eachshelterisinadifferentplaceintermsofstandardsandpractices• Reflectingonnewpositions– weallhadthingswewantedtoadvance

Introduction– EachShelterisUnique

GuidingPrinciples

The5freedomsplus11. FreedomfromHungerandThirst– byreadyaccesstofreshwaterandadietto

maintainfullhealthandvigor2. FreedomfromDiscomfort– byprovidinganappropriateenvironmentincluding

shelterandacomfortablerestingarea3. FreedomfromPain,InjuryorDisease– bypreventionorrapiddiagnosisand

treatment4. FreedomtoExpressNormalBehavior– byprovidingsufficientspace,proper

facilitiesandcompanyoftheanimal’sownkind5. FreedomfromFearandDistress– byensuringconditionsandtreatmentwhich

avoidmentalsuffering

TheSixthFreedom

• Freedomfromunnecessaryeuthanasia

Achallenge…

OurAudience

• Whoisattendingthisseminar• Thinkofthetop2changesforyourshelter• Writethemdown– sendyourselfa “destinationpostcard”• Challengeyourselftouseandapplythese strategiestoreachyourgoals• Payoffsandrewardsarebigforanimalsandstaff

"TheKittensintheStorm Drain"• Thisisouranalogyadaptedfrom"TheBabiesintheRiver"fable.

RescuethekittenWarmthemDrythemFeedthem

KeepthemcleanSocializethem

GivemedicalcareFindsuitablehomes

Reallocatesomeresources

andsendthemupstream!

StormDrainKittens

Whatdoeseachoftheseindividualsneedtohaveasuccessfuloutcome?

Recognizeandrespondtoneedsasearlyaspossible!

StormDrainKittens

• Abilitytosavelivesandmaintainanimalwelfare(5Freedoms)correlatestoanimalflow throughshelter(lengthofstay)• Giveeachanimalthetimeitneedstoreachasuccessfuloutcome(butdon’tgetintheway)

Whatdoeseachoftheseindividualsneedtohaveasuccessfuloutcome?

IdentifytheCommonProblems

• Toomanyanimalsintheshelteratanyonetime• Moreanimalsthanyoursheltercanhumanelyhouse• Animalsstay longerthantheyneedtoorshould–increasedLengthofStay• CapacityforCare(C4C)• OperatingbeyondC4Ccompromisesanimalwelfareand bringsflowthroughtoastandstill.

DefinetheSolution

Limitnumberofanimalsincareatanygiventime3primaryareastotargetsystemicchange• Proactivelymanagewhoiscomingintotheshelter• Proactivelymanagewhoisleavingtheshelter• Optimizeanimalflowthroughshelter – optimizelengthofstayfortheindividualanimal**

THEC4CMAGICEQUATION:

• Av.DailyIntake XAv.LengthofStay=Av.DailyPopulation

OneWeek

THEC4CMAGICEQUATION:

• Av.DailyIntake XAv.LengthofStay=Av.DailyPopulation

TwoWeeks

LearningObjectives

• Thenegativecycle– movetowardC4C• Basicsofshelterwelfare• Definecommoncriticalflowthroughpointsofanimal's pathwayfromintaketooutcomeandidentifybottlenecks• Strategiesto optimizeflowofanimalsanddecreaseaverageLOS• Embracechange– shelterteamstrategiestofacilitateanimalflow• Reachcapacityforcare• AchieveShelterBliss

NegativeCycle

ShelterWelfareandFundamentals

• Whatisanimalwelfare• Basicfundamentalsforshelterwelfare• Whatdidshelterslooklike20or30yearsago?• 80'sand90'sBasics

• Shortlengthofstay• Fewadoptioncenters• Spay/neuter• Vaccinateonintake• Shelterprotocols

ShelterWelfareandFundamentals

Whatdoshelterslookliketoday?• 2000sbasics

• WorkingwithVeterinarians• Medicalprotocols• Infectiousdiseaseprotocols• Humanehousing• Populationmanagement

• 21stcentury/Modernbasics• ASVguidelines/standardsofcare• Lengthofstay• Managedintake• Capacityforcare

ShelterWelfare• Usethe5freedoms asaguideindecisionmaking• Taketourofyourownshelter– doanin-houseevaluation• virtualconsultant.sheltermedicine.com• aspcapro.org/checklist

• Behonest– aimhigh• Prioritize yourshelterrequirements• Taylorprotocolsandmakechangestomatchyouranimalneedsandshelterresources

ShelterWelfare– Basics

• Usethesetobuildafoundation• Intakescreening• Sanitationprotocols• Feedingprocotols

• Medicaltreatmentprotocols• Whatareyouabletodoinyourshelter

• Infectiousdiseaseprotocols• NecessarybutifmaintainC4Cnotoftenused

ShelterWelfare– BasicsMoving Forward

• Humanehousing• Doublesidedkennels• Portalsincatcages

• Dailymonitoringandmedicalwalkthrough• Activepopulationhealthmanagement–medical,sheltermanager,adoption,behavior• Meetingneedsoftheindividualanimal

• ASVShelterguidelines

ShelterWelfare– BasicsMoving Forward

ShelterWelfare– 21stcentury“NewBasics”

• Leadingedgeshelterwelfarebasics• Organizedpathwayplanning• Managedintake• Decreasebottleneckstoflow

ShelterWelfare– 21stcentury“NewBasics”

• Leadingedgeshelterwelfarebasics• Removebarrierstoflowandadoption• Reduceaveragelengthofstay• Capacityforcare

ShelterWelfare– 21stcentury

• Payattentiontowelfare – letthe5freedomsbeyourguide• Buildfromtheshelter basics• Usesheltermanagementtools• Practicethe“NewBasics”• Fasterflow=helpmoreanimalsifoptimizeLOS• Achievecapacityforcare– animalwelfareismaintainedandlifesavingismaximized

AnimalFlowThroughtheShelter

ORGANIZATION

ANIMALPEOPLE

AnimalFlow-throughplanning

• Yourshelterhas"busstops"eachanimalmustvisitpriortoreachingtheirfinaldestination(shelterrelease).• Intakestop,behaviorstop,surgerystop,etc.• Whatdoyourbusstopslooklike?

AnimalFlowThroughtheShelter

• Criticalflow-throughpoints="busstops"ananimalmustvisitfromshelterintaketodeparture.• Whendemandforacriticalflow-throughpointexceedscurrentresources,itbecomesabottleneck.• Evenwhenbottlenecksareundercontrol,unforeseeneventscantriggeranegativespin.

AnimalFlow-throughplanning

Bottlenecks: someexamples...• Intakes- staffingresourceslimitedorperhapsprocessistooarduous?• Veterinarycare- Vetclinicon-siteorprovidedbyvolunteers/privatepractice?• Behavior- Mandatoryevaluation?Arewecertainthisisofbenefit?• Back-of-housevs.Front-of-house- Whendoanimalsbecomevisibletolikelyadopters?• Adoptionscreening- References,Landlords,Home-visits...OhMy!!!

AnimalFlowThroughShelter

• Bottlenecksgotchadown?Neverfear,thereishope!• RemembertheC4Cequation

AnimalFlowThroughPlanning

Optimizingflow- revisitingstrategiesalreadydiscussed(thanksJen)!

• Identifyapathwayplanatintake- lookforsignsofhealthorbehaviorproblems!

• Utilizeprotocolsanddelegateroutinetaskstotrainedstaff

• Providesafeandhumanehousing

AnimalFlowThroughShelter

Optimizingflow:Morestrategies!

• DailyMonitoring- "He/shedidn'tlooklikethisyesterday!"

• PopulationManagementRounds- The"majorplayers" convenetoshowcasetheneedsofeachanimalincare.

• Openadoptionandredemption- Reducebarrierstoliveoutcome

AnimalFlowThroughPlanning

• DailyMonitoring

AnimalFlowThroughShelter

• PopulationManagementrounds

1.Whoareyou?

2.Howareyou?

3.Areyouwhereyoushouldbe?

4.Doyouneedsomethingtoday?

5.Doyouneedsomethingscheduled?

AnimalFlowThroughPlanning

• AdoptersWelcome,OpenSelectionandreclamation

Diseaseprevention

OpenSelection=FastTrack

Diseasetreatment

Commonmisconceptions toanimalflowthrough

• Resourcelimitations(probablecapacityoverload)• staffing• financial• facilities

• Changeishard!!• “becausethisisthewaywehavealwaysdonethisis“• Manyreasonsastowhytherearemisconceptions(toobusy,overwhelmed)

Common misconceptionstoanimalflowthrough

• Legalholdingperiods• Notenoughhousingunits• Notenoughstafftoperformintakevaccinations,moveanimalstoadoptionfloor,schedulesurgery• Timefordailycare

• Everyoneeventuallygetssick• TOOMANY!• “Don’tcare”

Commonmisconceptionstoanimalflowthrough: Solutions!

• Legalholdingperiods >(openselection)• Notenoughhousingunits >(notenoughflowthrough)• Notenoughstafftoperformintakevaccinations,moveanimalstoadoptionfloor,scheduleneutersurgery >(staffscheduledforflowthrough)• Timefordailycare,nomore >(revisitC4C)

• Everyoneeventually getssick >(providehumanehousing,decreasestress)• TOOMANY!

ØHumanehousingØOptimizeLOSØManagedintake

• “Don’tcare”>(shapethepath)

ShapingthePath

“Whatcanwedotomakeit easier todothe‘right’thing?”

Howto shapethePathUseshelter basicstodecreaselengthofstay1. Knowyourpopulation• FastTrackvsSlowTrackAnimals• "Whatistheplan"for eachanimal• Transport,Rescue,AdoptionCenter,Transfer

• Constantdiscussion/communication• Communicatew/rescueregardingwhichonesneedtoleaveASAP??• Knowwhichanimalsneedtobetakenactionfor

• Workingtowardthesamegoal/ Whatisthegoal?• Thegoalistooptimizeeachanimal'sindividuallengthofstay

Howto shapethepath2. OrganizeDailyPopulationRounds• Isaplanbeingdesignedtofittheneedsoftheindividualanimal?• Identifywhattheanimalis"waitingfor".Isthereabottlenecksomewhere?

3. Ensuringintakeexamsaredonewillhelptokeeppopulationhealthier• Isthatanimalgettingwhatitneedsasitentersyourshelter• Doesthatanimalhave tocomeintoyourshelterrightnow? ManagedIntake

Howto shapethepath

4. Maximizepositiveoutcomeoptions• Reachouttopotentialreceivingshelters DURINGpet'sstrayperiodtomaximizechancesofgetting outfaster. (openselection)

5. Communication• Constantlytalkingabouttheanimalsandknowwherethey'regoing• Understand HOWtocommunicate, learninginWHICHmannertocommunicate,and WHATneedstobecommunicated• Stayinyourlane

Shelterteamstrategies

Waystohelpyoustayonthepath• Express YourVoice• Rememberthatyouaretheadvocatefortheanimals

• OrganizeDailyRounds• Know yourshelter population• Buildstaffrelationshipsbasedonmutualrespect andunderstanding ofindividualanimal'sneeds.

• Communication• Alwaysmakesurecommunicationisopen

UltimateGoal

• Usemodernsheltermanagementtools• Rememberthebasics– foundationandmodern• Optimizeindividualanimal'sLOS• Allowsheltertooperatewithinit'sC4C• Achieveanimalwelfareandmaximizelifesavingefforts• Shelterbliss