Shelter’s Edge

As some of you know, I am a pretty data-focused person. When someone tells me they are doing X or Y to affect change, I want to know how they know it is working. Successes in spay/ neuter programs are often measured by the number of surgeries – which may not be the right, or only, goal or measure. I have noticed that our field has done an absolutely amazing job at refining procedures to enable us to conduct low-cost high-volume spay/neuter. With models for both mobile units, such as the ASPCA’s mobile spay/neuter clinics, and brick-and-mortar facilities (Humane Alliance model), the field has truly measured and made a science of sustainable low-cost S/N.

Many communities have embraced the high-volume model and are conducting a significant number of spay/neuter surgeries. However, many of these communities are not seeing a decrease of intake into the sheltering system. At the ASPCA, we believe that the animals who enter the sheltering system are most at risk. If we start with this agreement in philosophy, and given that our resources for S/N are not unlimited, we may need to slightly shift our model from high-volume, low-cost S/N to a truly targeted high-volume model.

What do I mean by truly targeted?

I will start with what I do not mean. I do not mean targeting a particular income level, and I do not even mean targeting a particular zip code. What I am suggesting is a deep dig into an organization’s intake to first identify the populations most at risk, and then to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to help us better target those populations.

Dr. Gary Patronek from Animal Rescue League of Boston recently published an article using GIS to track risk for incoming cats. This research piqued our interest in the tool.

To truly target we need to have data from both the intake facilities and the S/N facilities. The ASPCA Partnership in Asheville served as our pilot community for the use of GIS for targeting at this level. How incredibly cool to use the community where Humane Alliance lives!

When Humane Alliance began their work in Asheville, they achieved impressive intake decreases in the community sheltering system. Even here, where a high-volume model has had impact on intake, there are still opportunities for better focusing the resources toward the areas of highest risk – meaning the areas where intake is highest. There is still a significant population at risk in the community. This motivated the partners in the community – and us at the ASPCA – to begin to look toward an additional focus for targeting: using GIS.

Here you can see an example representing the intake of free-roaming cats.

Click image to enlarge

And this represents the spay/neuter of cats in that same area.

Click image to enlarge

This image shows the overlay of intake and S/N:

Click image to enlarge

This is a good way to visualize where intake and S/N overlap – and where they do not – to better focus targets.

Asheville has entered baseline data, studied the GIS maps, made initial location target decisions, and is starting targeted S/N. We will be analyzing the intake numbers monthly and entering their data quarterly into the GIS system to monitor progress at the targeted locations. We are working with Toledo and Erie, along with a few of our ASPCA Partnership communities, to potentially add their data to the system, and will continue to test and grow the program.

We are hopeful that in the future this tool will be able to help cities across the country better target S/N programs toward the areas of high risk. In order to move toward that, we need to continue to message the importance of clean data. Be sure those addresses represent accurately the locations those animals came from. Be sure to enter estimated dates of birth so we can track effect of S/N programs by intake of juveniles and even neonates.

We are so excited about the prospects around this new tool – what are your thoughts?

Tags: ASPCA Partnership, GIS, intake, spay/neuter

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.