raising the bar bringing tnr programs...
TRANSCRIPT
RAISING THE BAR:BRINGING TNR PROGRAMS FROM ZERO TO HERO
Stacy LeBaronMerrimack River Feline Rescue Society
animalsheltering.org/expo#AnimalCareExpo
Karen LittleAlley Cat Advocates
Thank you!!!
HSUS Animal Care Expo 2016
• HSUS Staff• Katie Lisnik, Director of Cat Protection and Policy• Danielle Bays, Community Cat Program Manager
Shout Out to…..
• TNR Guru• Bryan Kortis, Neighborhood Cats
Today’s Presentation
• Zero to Hero • Alley Cat Advocates’ Story
• Zero to Hero• Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society’s Story
• Worksheet Scenarios• Resources
Alley Cat Advocates Presentation Outline
• Introduction
• 4 Essential Ingredients
• 6 Awesome Programs• Ultimate Result• Resources
Introduction to Alley Cat Advocates
• In the beginning … Louisville State of animal welfare Our group
Introduction to Alley Cat Advocates
In the beginning … Louisville State of animal welfare Our group
Our goal “Making Louisville the safest city in the
country to be a community cat.”
Introduction to Alley Cat Advocates
In the beginning … Louisville State of animal welfare Our group
Our goal “Making Louisville the safest city in the
country to be a community cat.”
Our progress …
A Culture of Caring
4 Essential Ingredients
4Essential Ingredients
Grassroots Support
Targeted Support
Shelter Support
GovernmentSupport
Scattered Satisfies immediate, short term needsDirect contact with caretakers key
#1
Grassroots Support
• Targeted Satisfies immediate and strategic
long term needs Impact on caretakers plus other
stakeholders
#2
Targeted Support
Feralville
100 cats20 s/n’s
Feralville
No targeting
Low colony sterilization
rates
Feralville
Colony level targeting
High sterilization
rates in targeted colonies
Feralville
Community level
targeting
High sterilization
rates in targeted colonies
+
Negate the vacuum effect
Choosing the geographic area
Data collection
Impact on stakeholders
#2
Targeted Support, cont.
Shelter Director
Shelter Staff
Respect, support, trust
#3
Shelter Support
Ordinance goals and impact
Financial support
#4
Government Support
4Essential Ingredients
Grassroots Support
Targeted Support
Shelter Support
GovernmentSupport
6 Awesome Programs
6Awesome Programs
BIG FIX and
Quick Fix
Medical Care
Program
Animal Control
Ride-Alongs
Animal Control Colony Alerts
Working Cat
Program
Shelter Neuter Return
Getting it done
#1
BIG FIX and
Quick Fix
Sick and injured
Through Big Fix/Quick Fix
All strays at Shelter
#2
Medical Care
Program
Community support
Respect for both agencies
Conflict resolution
Trapping Partnership
#3
Animal Control
Ride-Alongs
Onsite visits
Conflict resolution
Deterrents, etc.
#4
Animal Control
Colony Alerts
Shelter cats, only
Relocation
#5
Working Cat
Program
“Operation City Kitty”
Return To Field
Stray/Confined
Combining SNR with TNR key
#6
Shelter Neuter Return
6Awesome Programs
BIG FIX and
Quick Fix
Medical Care
Program
Animal Control
Ride-Alongs
Animal Control Colony Alerts
Working Cat
Program
Shelter Neuter Return
Ultimate Result of Community-Wide TNR?
Ultimate Result of Community-Wide TNR?
A Culture of Caring
Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS)Presentation Outline
• About MRFRS?• Case 1: Newburyport• Reaching out to other organizations• Case 2: Lowell• Mentoring and why we focus on targeted
About MRFRS • Volunteer Based Organization
• Founded in 1992 as a TNR program along Newburyport waterfront
• 300 free-roaming cats & kittens were vetted, fed and sheltered
• The last cat passed away in 2009
• A successful, large scale TNR project
MRFRSMilestones
• 1996 Adopted out first
Feline Leukemia+ cat
• 2000 Free s/n clinic for ferals
• 2003 First Cageless Shelter
• 2008 First Catmobile hits the road
• 2011 Merged with FARS & SCFAW
• 2012 Second Catmobile hits the road
MRFRSMission
The MRFRS is a nationally recognized, nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization committed to ensuring the health and welfare of feral and domestic cats and kittens
by promoting proactive, compassionate, no-kill programs.
MRFRSPrograms
Adoption Program Feral TNR Program The Catmobiles Foster Program Sunday Spay/Neuter Clinics The Captain Courageous Fund FARS Program The Bridge Program Spay Mass HotlineMentoring Program
MRFRSSuccesses
OVER 105,000 SERVED!
20,000+ cats adopted
35,000+ feral cats s/n
50,000+ tame cats s/n
A “Kitten Free Zone”
MRFRSNewburyport Case Study
How we began
How decisions were made in the beginning (the kitchen table)
How policies and guidelines are made
Service area
No more cats, hard on the group
Why Targeted? Resource conversation at the
board level early on and the need for business support in the community.
Completion of a PetSmart Charities grant application for funding of a larger community
MRFRSLowellCase Study
2008 Traditional Humane Society Low Cost spay/neuter clinicGrassroots TNR groupOther partners From 2009-2014: A 61% drop in
intakes of cats and kittens 100% TNR is very important why?Data collection; mapping Total trapped from 2009 to now
MRFRSMentoring Program
Started in 2009Worked with 67 groups and more Focus on spay/neuter and target
areasCapacity BuildingCurrent support by the Red Acre
Foundation and past support by PetSmart Charities
Worksheet Scenario –Large Sized Community
Community Louisville Population: 740,000
Organization Alley Cat Advocates S/N capacity (annual): 4000
Free-roaming Cat Estimate: 8000 Population/20: 37,000 Reality: fewer than 37,000
Too big? Too small? Year 6 = Stabilization and 90% shelter LLR
Worksheet Scenario –Medium Sized Community
Community Lowell Population 108,000
OrganizationMRFRS S/N capacity: 1000
Free-roaming Cat Estimate: 3000 Population/20: 5400 Reality: fewer than 5400
One wants to have capacity to fund and complete over 50% of cats in your target area Too big? Too small? Year 3 = Stabilization
Worksheet Scenario –Small Sized Community
Community Newburyport Population 17,800
Organization MRFRS S/N capacity: 200
Free-roaming Cat Estimate: 400 Population/20: 890 Reality: fewer than 890
One wants to have capacity to fund and complete over 50% of cats in your target area Too big? Too small? Year 6 = Stabilization and 100% TNR
Worksheets
1) Targeted Free-Roaming Cat (FRC) Project2) Budget for Targeted FRC Project
Guides and Resources
Guides and Resources HSUS, Managing Community Cats:
A Guide for Municipal Leaders.
HSUS, Pets for Life: Community Outreach Toolkit
Kortis, B., Community TNR: Tactics and Tools,PetSmart Charities 2014
Kortis, B., Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook: The Guide to Trap-Neuter-Return for the Feral Cat Caretaker (2nd ed.), Neighborhood Cats 2014
Thank You!
STACY LEBARON, DIRECTOR OF MENTORING(978) 239-2090 [email protected]
animalsheltering.org/expo#AnimalCareExpo
KAREN LITTLE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR(502) 634-8777 x8 [email protected]