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Progressive Animal Control Series

Part One: Animal Shelters: The move towards “no-kill”

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Today’s Presenters

Scott Trebatoski

Department DirectorPet Resource CenterHillsborough County, Florida

Holly Sizemore

Director National ProgramsBest Friends Animal Society

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Agenda

• Brief Comparison of Animal Shelters in

1980s and Today

• Overview of Policies and Key

Strategies To Achieve “No Kill”

• Questions

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Are there attendees today who work directly in the animal control department?

A. Yes

B. No

Polling Question

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How many animals are estimated to die annually in U.S. shelters?

A. Four Million

B. One Million

C. Two Hundred Thousand

Polling Question

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What Does “No-Kill” Mean?

• No healthy or treatable animal killed

• No-Kill Shelter: No healthy or treatable animal killed in that particular shelter

• No-Kill Community: No healthy or treatable animal

killed throughout all animal welfare agencies

community-wide

• Benchmark: typically 90% Save Rate/Live Release

Rate

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What No-Kill Isn’t:

• Labeling shelter workers murderers

• Saving truly dangerous or irremediably suffering animals

• Hoarding

• 90% save rate

• Turning away animals truly in need

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1980s

Est. 16 M annual shelter deaths(shelteranimalscount.org)

Approx. 67 deaths per 1,000

population

More animals off street = safer communities

Animals deserve a humane death

Today

Est. 3.5 M shelter deaths (shelteranimalscount.org)

Approx. 11 deaths per 1,000

population

Solve for Why animals are on the street

Animals deserve to live

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Lack of available homes for homeless pets is a primary reason for animals dying in shelters.

A. True

B. False

Polling Question

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17 Million

The number of people looking to bring

a pet into their home each year

(Maddie’s Fund)

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1980s

Shelter pets are damaged goods

Public is irresponsible

Facilities built to hold/kill

Today

Shelter pets are cool

Public wants to do the right thing

Facilities built to house/adopt

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1980s

Some pet owners spayed/neutered their pets

Funding for government shelter/animal control based on animal intake numbers

Zero No-Kill communities

Today

Most pet owners spay/neuter their pets

Funding based on multiple factors (Thanks ICMA)

> 230 No-Kill communities(outthefrontdoor.com)

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So, if your shelter isn’t no-kill does it mean…?

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Other Barriers

Lack of Resources: $, Time, Expertise,

Technology, Etc.

Lack of Collaboration

Lack of Political Will

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Public Sheltering & Animal Control

• Protect public health

& welfare

• Safety for people & their pets

• Positive outcomes for animals in your care

• It’s now a community

effort – and a community concern

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Filling Community Needs

• Gov’t provides for needs of the community where

no one else does

• Citizens now demand services for pets

– Sterilization programs

– Affordable access to veterinary care

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Resources for Communities of all Sizeswww.petsmartcharities.org/pro

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Resources for Communities of all Sizeswww.humanealliance.org

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Think BUSINESS principles

• Sunk costs – you can’t recoup

• Stop the bleeding

• The goal isn’t $, but positive outcomes

• Name your own price

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Marketing, Marketing, MARKETING

• Pet adoptions ARE a retail function

• Know your competitors & your

customers’ needs/desires

• Old ‘dog catcher’ &

‘pound’ imagery is well

entrenched – be creative

to show your new brand “The First Place for Pets”

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Marketing Resources: No More Homeless Pets Networknetwork.bestfriends.org

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Do you know where

most of the animals

in your shelter come

from and why?

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Target Services & Programs

• Focus on need, areas of high intake or

high complaints (often overlap)

– Unsterilized cats in poverty level areas are 26 times more likely to be intact(targeted spay/neuter)

– Dogs & cats 4 times more likely to be relinquished in poor areas (retention programs)

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Targeted Spay/Neuter

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Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Good or Bad Policy?

Affordability and Accessibility are Critical

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Investment in Services

• Expenses like sterilization and IDs (and

scanners on ACO vehicles) can

reduce future costs

– Fewer ‘repeat offenders’- hormones No.1

– Return to owner increased

– Identifies specific problems for focused

attention

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Dangerous Dog Laws and Stray/Community Cats

Check out Tomorrow’s Webinar

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Puppy Mills

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Retail Pet Sales Bans Enacted:

Albuquerque, NM Los Angeles, CA San Diego, CA Chicago, ILSo. Lake Tahoe, CA Opa-Locka, FL Aliso Viejo, CA Phoenix, AZWest Hollywood, CA North Bay Village, FL Huntington Beach, CA Randolph, NJHermosa Beach, CA Glendale, CA Mississauga, Canada Hypoluxo, FLTurlock, CA Toronto, Ontario Brick, NJ Hudson, QuebecEl Paso, TX Irvine, CA Manasquan, NJ Jupiter, FLRichmond, B.C. Dana Point, CA Palmetto Bay, FL Homestead, FLAustin, TX Chula Vista, CA Burbank, CA Chino Hills, CALake Worth, FL Hallandale Beach, FL Aventura, FL Palm Beach, FLFountain, CO Laguna Beach, CA Pinecrest, FL Long Beach, CAFlagler Beach, FL Kingston, Ontario Point Pleasant, NJ Waterloo, OntarioCoral Gables, FL Oceanport, NJ Wellington, FL North Miami, FLHoboken, NJ Juno Beach, FL No. Palm Beach, FL Oceanside, CAMargate, FL Toledo, OH No. Miami Beach, FL Garden Grove, CANo. Brunswick, NJ Ventura County, CA No. Lauderdale, FL Lauderhill, FLCoconut Creek, FL Surfside, FL E. Providence, RIPoint Pleasant Beach, NJ Greenacres, FL Bay Harbor Islands, FLWilton Manors, FL Miami Beach, FL Palm Beach Gardens, FLPompano Beach, FL Dania Beach, FL Bal Harbour Village, FLVaughan, Ontario Cook County, IL New Westminster, CanadaCutler Bay, FL Sunny Isles Beach, FL Montgomery County, MDRancho Mirage, CA Tamarac, FL Rosemont-La Petite Patrie, Canada

Retail Pet Sales Bans Enacted

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Community Policing Enforcement

• Look at outcome based not output

tallies – solve the issue the first time out

• Proactive education & help find

resources – break the cycle

Todd Stosuy & Santa Cruz, CA

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Community Approach

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Community Approach

Outsourcing/Privatization

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Community Approach

Public/Private Partnerships

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Transporting animals to other areas is a

great community approach to no kill.

A. True

B. False

Polling Question

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Transporting Animals?

• Focus on transporting from high to

very low euthanasia areas

• Remember supply and demand

• Output resources - cost per life

saved

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Community Approach

Getting Animals to the Public

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Community Approach

Incentives to Reduce Shelter Bottlenecks

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STATS – Know Them, Share Them

• Gauge progress through objective

measures (remember outcomes vs. output where possible)

– Show comparisons, graphs, charts – visual

– Explain outliers or events affecting measures

– Learn what people want to see or can

understand

• Transparency – publish your stats

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Pet Limits – Are they outdated?

• Is it the numberor the waypeople keep pets?

• Hoarders aren’t reduced by limits

• Changing pet ownership

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Funding Sources

• Public shelters must be able to seek

funding other than fees/taxes

• Captive trust funds & friends groups

(501c3 status)

• Keep some of your charity dollars in

your community

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Shelters Can Fundraise

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Polling Question

Why do you take every animal?

A. Required by law

B. Mission of government

C. Traditionally what’s been done

D. They will become abandoned

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Open Admission Policies

• Open admission doesn’t mean you

have to take everything immediately

– Historically owner surrenders did not

come to the public shelter, nor did ‘pocket pets’

– Don’t negate personal responsibility &

pet owners need to use all resources (make them pay for impacts)

– Intervention & resource referrals reduce

intake in a positive manner

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Summary- Reduce Intake

• No breed specific policies

• Return To Field (R2F)

• Nuisance laws vs. pet limits

• Managed admission

• Pet retention programs/resources

• Targeted S/N in the right volume for right price AND accessible to most in need

• Licensing - easy, affordable and focuses on

getting a lost pet home

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Summary- Increase Live Outcomes

• Restrict puppy sales options

• Transparency of data - know which animals are

dying and create programs to save them

• Access to at-risk pets for rescue

• Adoptions: Retail principles

• Adequate shelter facility/animal care

• Volunteers

• Collaboration

• Differential minimum hold periods when resulting in

live outcomes

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Typical Road to No Kill

• Community Demands Change

• Government Resolves to Increase Lifesaving

• Analysis of Current Reality (Find Gaps)

• Strategic and Tactical Plans Created

• Partnerships Formed (with ground rules)

• Partner Roles/Goals Created

• Oversight and Accountability Plan

• Analyze and Adjust

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Final Point

Transitioning culture to no-kill may

involve a grief period for shelter/ACO

staff and/or resistance

This is not because they like killing

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Resources

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of

Change, by William Bridges

Mitch Sneider, Reno Nevada, ICMA

network.bestfriends.org

humanenetwork.org

target-zero.org

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Resources

petsmartcharities.org

millioncatchallenge.org

petcofoundation.org

Best Friends Puppy Mill, Cat, and Pit Bull Terrier

Initiatives

Best Friends No Kill Playbooks

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Questions?