Shelter’s Edge

New England Federation of Humane Societies’ conference…it’s not just for New Englanders anymore! More than 265 shelter professionals—the highest attendance yet!—from more than 13 states and Canada convened in Portland, ME, on April 9-11, to learn the latest in sheltering programs and processes and to talk dogs, cats, trends and stats.

“Shelters that isolate and don’t take advantage of what’s out there are the ones really struggling,” said Dr. Sandra Newbury, National Shelter Medicine Extension Veterinarian, UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, in her opening remarks. “Take advantage of having so many colleagues in the room! Any little thing that one shelter did to make a difference is something you can do, too. Think it doesn’t apply to you? Dig deep—there’s always something there.”

Dr. Newbury encouraged us to seize the opportunity to share ideas with our colleagues…

….and did we ever! The gentleman in the photo is our very own Dave Betournay, ASPCA Community Initiatives Director—also president of the New England Federation of Humane Societies and a Shelters’ Edge guest blogger!

And in that spirit of inspiring each other, here’s what we learned from our colleagues and wanted to pass on:

Tips for meeting animals’ needs in shelters (and some great bumper-sticker slogans, too!)
Courtesy of Dr. Newbury and Dr. Martha Smith, ARL Boston:
- Most cats come pre-packaged with the herpes virus. As soon as stress is added, the virus is activated.
- No matter the setting, an animal’s needs remain the same—the Five Freedoms.
- 2-3 kittens maximum per cage: any more and you can’t monitor them for eating and other welfare markers.
- Shelters who put animals up for adoption while the animals are still in their stray hold are decreasing overall length of stay. These animals can go home as soon as their hold time is up; strays go home faster, and other animals get to the adoption floor faster as a result.
- Increased length of stay=decreased shelter efficiencies.
- For kitten cages: Place food bowl and water bowl in a dishpan. That way, when kittens inevitably tip them over, you don’t have to replace both the dishes AND the messed-up bedding. (One caveat: The kittens have to be big/agile enough to reach the food/water over the sides of the dishpan.)

How can we help you?
A bunch of juicy tidbits from Kit Jenkins’ day-long Customer Service Boot Camp:
- Accept that customer service is a part of caring for animals, not an extra.
- The public views shelters as social service agencies—we can’t provide services to animals without providing services to people.
- The difference between ‘assertive’ and ‘aggressive’ in customer interactions: ‘assertive’ is using power under control; ‘aggressive’ is power out of control.
- Hot tip from a boot camp participant: Have crayons and coloring materials on hand to keep young kids busy while waiting in the shelter or while parent and staff are in conversation.

We worked together in small groups to tackle some trending topics, including kitten intake numbers across New England and the benefits and challenges of dog transfer/transport.

Strategic thinking
- Leadership tips from Stacy LeBaron, President of Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, a thriving organization that strategically targets spay/neuter and TNR efforts throughout eastern Massachusetts:
1.) “When recruiting,” says Stacy, “I figure four fund-raising people for every operational person—and I make sure ALL of the volunteers are fully informed and immersed in ongoing fundraising efforts.”
2.) Especially for EDs and Presidents: Identify one thing every week you can delegate to someone else, so that you are continually clearing your plate for the new things that will come your way. This is also a great way to continually develop the leadership capacity of your team.
- Keep on trainin’! Find a good sheltering article, make copies and bring it to a staff meeting and have everyone discuss. [Where to find one? We know a GREAT place: http://www.aspcapro.org.]
- You know how to share compelling adoption success stories with your supporters—but what about the story of a family who works with you to keep their pet in the home? What a wonderful message to spread to the community!

Working together
- Cool list-serv for folks working on TNR in Massachusetts: http://www.masscats.org/. Members add info to a Google map to keep track of managed colonies! (See the website’s homepage for a link to New Hampshire’s group.)
- Thinking about a partnership—be it a merger or other formal affiliation—with another agency? Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society’s ED Leslie Harris suggests you check out this webinar on strategic restructuring.

FOUND: Majorly cool lost pet signage, as featured in the ASPCA's Pam Burney's workshop, "Show Me the Way to Go Home."

- Great idea mentioned during the ASPCA’s Pam Burney’s “Show Me The Way to Go Home” workshop: When citizens call or come to Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society about a stray who’s shown up in their yard, Dakin staff explains the cat or dog most likely belongs to someone nearby—and provides the person with a temporary collar and instructions to write, “Do I belong to you? Please call [finder’s name]. “So many benefits to this approach,” adds the ASPCA’s Bert Troughton, “The cat remains in his/her neighborhood, the shelter doesn’t fill up, neighbors meet each other, pet owners learn about what their pets are doing and how important it is to have ID, and residents learn how to provide a safety net for the animals in their community.”

Related links:
New England Federation of Humane Societies
NE Fed on Facebook
ASV Shelter Standards
Five Freedoms downloadable poster (.pdf)
Light My Fire

Tags: customer service, Feral Cats, Shelter Management, training

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