shelter diversion COMBATING ANIMAL WELFARE ……. Jen Clarkson + Kelly McLaughlin
MEET YOUR PRESENTERS! Jen Clarkson Kelly McLaughlin
WHAT IS SHELTER DIVERSION? Taking a SOLUTIONS ORIENTED APPROACH to keeping pets with owners and out of ‘the system’. ➔ An emerging area of animal welfare ➔ This happens in MANY ways and there are many pieces to the puzzle ➔ Most effective with a collaborative, multi-agency approach ➔ EDUCATION > RESOURCES > ENFORCEMENT
MAIN REASONS ANIMALS ENTER THE AW SYSTEM. Stray (may be free roaming) ● Confiscate ● Bite Quarantine ● Owner Surrender ● Abandonment ● Emergency Situations ● Adoption Returns ● Housing issues ● Lack of access to resources ● Lack of funds ● No ID on animal ● Behavioral Issues ● Medical Issues ● “Disposable” dog ●
TYPES OF DIVERSION. ➔ Community Outreach Sterilization ◆ Medical Assistance ◆ Supply Distribution ◆ Information Sharing ◆ ➔ Field Response Strategy Education > Resources > Enforcement ◆ ➔ Owner Surrender Counseling and Support Can we provide you the solutions to ◆ keep your pet? ➔ Post-Adoption Support Are we doing everything in our power ◆ to keep adoptive pets in homes?
COMMUNITY OUTREACH. Community Outreach is taking a proactive approach to getting out into the community and offering education and resources to assist individuals with keeping their pets and elevating their quality of care. Can take many forms: Sterilization ➔ Permanent Identification ➔ Information Sharing ➔ Food Distribution ➔ Supplies ➔ Medical Assistance ➔ Behavioral Counseling ➔ Transportation ➔ End of Life Assistance ➔
COMMUNITY OUTREACH. WHY RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP IS IMPORTANT AND SHOULD BE A KEY FOCUS OF RESCUE AND SHELTERING ORGANIZATIONS. Responsible owners are: EMPOWERED! ● A resource in their community/neighborhood ● Less likely to surrender their animals, freeing up valuable resources ● More likely to pay fees to have their animals returned to them, generating ● shelter revenue More likely to spay and neuter, reducing overpopulation ● More likely to vaccinate their animals, reducing disease ● More likely to properly contain their animals, reducing free roaming ● population and overpopulation Increasing responsible ownership over time means less animals that need ● Animal Control, sheltering and rescue intervention Provide annual revenue stream through renewal of licenses and ● participation in animal health and activity programs
COMMUNITY OUTREACH. CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS . Trust is everything! ➔ Be kind - nobody has to allow you on their ➔ property or in their lives. Talk to people like adult human beings - not like ➔ babies or criminals. Do not enter private property without ➔ permission. In plain view! ➔ Agreement? S/N and no additional pets? ➔ Build a relationship, be seen as a partner and ➔ resource. Do not over-promise and under-deliver. ➔ Be honest! Offer what you can and offer it ➔ consistently.
REQUESTING ENFORCEMENT. Build meaningful relationships with PD and AC. There are times when we must involve enforcement entities to remove animals and/or issue citations. While these animals may populate the shelter/system initially, if we do not work to ‘fix’ the problem, they will continue to offend with future animals. When do we request enforcement? When animal is in imminent danger ● When animal is a public safety risk ● When information and resources have not been utilized and quality of care ● continues to decline Examples: Animal is at risk of freezing to death ● Animal is severely injured ● Animal is not restrained and is a bite risk ● Animal is not receiving Adequate Care as defined by MCL 750.49 or local ● ordinances and quality of life continues to suffer
REQUESTING ENFORCEMENT. Build meaningful relationships with PD and AC. Know the law! ➔ MCL 750.50 ◆ MCL 750.49 ◆ Local Ordinances ◆ Speak Intelligently and Constructively! ➔ Nobody listens to a whack-tivist ◆ The more accurate information you give PD and AC, the more efficacious their ◆ response will be Build rappor through trust ◆ Always operate within the law. Investigations and action is weakened and ◆ ruined at times by well meaning NPOs in the field KEEP IT OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA! ➔ Facebook is no place for animal cruelty ◆ You don’t want to see it. Other people don’t want to see it. It solves nothing. ◆ Rewards highly outweigh the risk ◆ Cases are compromised ◆
FIELD RESPONSE STRATEGY. SHELTERS! Your officers are in the community every day! USE THEM! Do not just ‘clear the call’ - fix the problem! RTO in Field ➔ Microchip in Field ➔ Share information with citizens about the ➔ law and proper husbandry of their pets Integrate Community Outreach ➔ Distribute Flyers with Community ➔ Resources Knock on doors! Attempt to find the ➔ owners! Ask questions! Solve the problem! Identify potential outreach liaison staff ➔ even if no personnel are specifically designated
SURRENDER COUNSELING. It is imperative that the owner take responsibility for the wellbeing of their pet to combat disposable pet mentality. WHY are they surrendering the animal? ● Is the animal theirs to surrender? ● Humane euthanasia vs. owner surrender ● “Strays” are not always strays ○ Can you offer resources to help the owner keep their ● pet? Can animal be held at home while foster/rescue is ● found? Housing resources ● Honest conversations about possible outcomes ●
POST ADOPTION SUPPORT. We want to be the source of acquisition for pets in our communities! Ensure every animal is Ensure every animal is sterilized! ➔ ➔ permanently identified! Provide adoption counseling! ➔ Provide resources! Be honest with your adopters! ➔ ➔ Informational packets ◆ Food pantries ◆ Food ◆ 1st year free license ◆ How to get low-cost medical ◆ care Local ordinances ◆ Behavioral information ◆ Hotline ◆ 72-hour check-ins ◆ The list goes on … ◆
HOW DO YOU GET STARTED? Market research. ➔ Who is doing what. ◆ Needs assessment. ➔ Is there a need? Shelter stats. Bite statistics. Community resources. Etc. ◆ Relationship building. ➔ Can you collaborate with existing entities to do MORE good? ◆ What resources do you have? ➔ Stay within them! Identify needed resources! ◆ Meet the community where the community is. ➔ Be honest with yourself and with your team. ◆ Make sure goals are relevant and impactful and continue to reevaluate. ➔ Mission morph is real and necessary as the community advances. ◆ As a shelter, what resources do you offer if you are out of space (sign on ➔ door)? What connections have you made for assistance? People feel helpless - they need solutions and communication. ◆ Long term planning vs knee jerk response. ➔ Nothing good comes out of lack of planning. ◆
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS. Follow the law. ● DO NOT STEAL ANIMALS! DO NOT STEAL ANIMALS! DO NOT STEAL ANIMALS! ○ If an animal is in imminent danger, demand presence from authorities. ○ Keep yourself, and your team, safe. ● Compassion fatigue is real! Self care is KEY! ● Account for potential language barriers. ● Prioritize and strategize. ● The less you touch an owned pet, the better. ● If you come across animal cruelty, do NOT say anything to the owner! ● Social Media - Are you being honest and respectful? ● Rogue Rescuers are not cute anymore - this does not solve the problem. ● You can not ‘hate people’ and be effective in shelter diversion ● Shelter bashing organizations are NOT a part of the solution. ● Educate yourself ○ Experience the field ○ Experience the shelter ○ There is no way to do diversion well without collaboration. ●
Questions? Concerns? Complaints? Thank you for joining us! Go forth and divert like crazy!
TEDDY! Then and Now
Recommend
More recommend
