Shelter’s Edge

We’re thrilled to chat about shelter medicine today with the woman who wrote the book on it. Literally. A pioneer in the field of animal sheltering, Lila Miller, DVM, is a graduate of the veterinary college at Cornell University and has over 30 years of experience at the ASPCA. A co-founder of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, Dr. Miller taught the first-ever shelter medicine class at a veterinary college (Cornell, 1999), and lectures extensively on shelter medicine and anti-cruelty topics at universities and conferences. In 2008, she received the American Veterinary Medical Association’s prestigious Animal Welfare Award. And yes, Dr. Miller is the co-editor of the only two textbooks on shelter medicine: Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff and Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters.

Shelters’ Edge: What was your first job as a veterinarian?

Dr. Lila Miller: My first job as a veterinarian was in 1977, working for the ASPCA in the shelter to improve the conditions and medical care for the thousands of animals then under their care.

[Editor's note: From 1894-1994, the ASPCA was contracted to provide animal control services in New York City.]

Shelters’ Edge: Over the years, what’s changed most for animals in shelters?

Dr. M: In addition to better physical conditions at many shelters, most animals have a better chance at leaving shelters alive—the euthanasia rate has decreased substantially over the last 30 years.

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your current role at the ASPCA

Dr. M: As Vice President of Veterinary Outreach and Veterinary Advisor, currently my primary role is to provide knowledge about shelter medicine and how to manage animal cruelty to both veterinary and shelter professionals through teaching, writing, advocating and by providing grant money to other organizations and individuals to help educate others.

Shelters’ Edge: In terms of veterinary medicine, what are the two most important things that shelters can do for the animals in their care?

Dr. M: 1. ) Provide timely and routine preventative care (vaccinations, deworming, grooming) that includes attention to their individual emotional and physical needs.

2. ) Respond quickly to medical and behavioral problems that cause illness, pain, distress, anxiety and discomfort.

Shelters’ Edge: You’ve met—and helped to save—so many animals throughout your career! Are there any whose stories still stick with you?

Dr. M: When the ASPCA was performing animal control duties for the City of New York, as an open admission shelter we took in every animal who was brought in. A friendly young female pit bull was brought to us by a family who had lost their home due to a fire, and they needed to leave her with us until they could find a new home. The dog had been burned in the fire and so we undertook treatment for what seemed to be fairly minor burns.

However, new lesions kept surfacing and  requiring surgery and treatment, and the dog had to stay in our hospital for several weeks. The staff all fell in love with this good-natured dog and volunteered their time for weekend care for feeding, walking, changing dressings and giving meds. The family had been visiting the dog fairly regularly but the visits became less frequent, and we began to fear they wouldn’t be able to find a new place where they could take her with them. It was a very happy day for us all when they called to say they had finally found a new home where they could also take her. What a joyous reunion when they came to get her and she realized that this time when the family left, she was going home with them!

Shelters’ Edge: What advice do you have for veterinary students interested in shelter medicine?

Dr. M: Try to volunteer at a shelter, especially one that has a veterinarian on staff who can be a mentor, and be sure to join the student chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. You can also try to get the veterinary school administration to start a shelter medicine program or work with the local shelter, and look for shelter medicine externships.

What are your questions for Dr. Miller? Please type them in the comment box.

Related links:
Association of Shelter Veterinarians
Pediatric Spay/Neuter
Canine Parvovirus
Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff
“Getting to Know Dr. Kathleen Makolinski”
“Getting to Know Dr. Miranda Spindel”

Ever wonder what life is like for a feral cat? Or if there’s a definitive way to determine if a feline in your shelter is feral or just frightened? The ASPCA’s Dr. Margaret Slater, DVM, PhD, Senior Director, Veterinary Epidemiology, focuses much of her work on these questions and others surrounding free-roaming cats. Prior to joining the ASPCA in 2008, Dr. Slater taught epidemiology at Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and today her emphasis is on research, including assessing fee-waived cat programs and the impact of spay/neuter on shelter intake. Today we pick her brain about recent developments in the ASPCA’s “Is That Cat Feral?” research project and what shelters can do to help free-roaming cats.

Shelter’s Edge: So what is life really like for a feral cat?

Dr. Margaret Slater: I think that depends a lot on where the cat lives and who is looking after the cat. Cats in well-managed colonies where they are neutered, vaccinated, fed regularly and looked after with shelter and health care live rather good lives. Even in big cities or northern climates. I’ve seen fat feral cats in northern Canada. And I’ve heard a lot of stories about how ferals who are well cared for will play and sun themselves a lot and just hang out now that their health and food and social needs have been met.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s the latest update on your “Is That Cat Feral?” research project?

Dr. S: We are actually working on three different parts of this enormous project! First, we are looking at our owner/caretaker survey, which helps us determine a cat’s level of socialization toward people in his/her familiar environment. We are working to decide how accurate and consistent this survey is, so we are comfortable that the caregivers’ assessment is sound.

Second, we are working on summarizing, analyzing, presenting and writing up our results from our evaluation of more than 250 cats in the Humane Alliance facility in Asheville in a shelter-type in-cage setting. From this, we know that the more we interact with these cats safely (like touching or stroking with a rod or dangling a string), the more they show their true colors and their real socialization. We also found that a number of behaviors like ear, body and tail position and attention toward the person are associated with being more or less socialized.  I’m still working on the statistics part to try to develop as accurate a scoring system as possible for use in shelters to correctly identify the least socialized cats who would best be handled through a TNR program. Third, we are in the process of repeating the three-day in-cage assessment to validate our previous work and our draft scoring system. It’s been a gargantuan project with many folks helping with it.

[Editor's Note: Read more about the ASPCA's "Is That Cat Feral?" research here.]

Shelters’ Edge: Have you been surprised by anything you’ve discovered during this research?

Dr. S: I think the biggest thing is that is hasn’t been MORE surprising. That’s a good thing, in that it means that our ideas about predicting socialized cats in a shelter are tending to be correct. But it is a bad thing because we also figured this would be a really hard research question.  That is true, and it is proving to be difficult to accurately separate out the frightened and non-valiant cats from the truly feral cats in a shelter setting within 3 days’ time.Shelters’ Edge: What’s one thing that shelters can do to help feral cats?

Dr. S: Don’t accept them in for euthanasia unless they are really ill or injured. Really, if shelters are able to partner with a local TNR organization and/or spay/neuter group, keeping ferals out of the shelter in the first place is the best for the shelters and the cats.

Shelters’ Edge: You must have met lots of feral cats in your work… are there any in particular who stick out in your memory?

Dr. S: I “met” (from quite a distance, she was very feral still) a 16-year-old orange tabby female (and one of her litter sisters) happily climbing trees in a Massachusetts colony.  She had been born on that location and cared for all those years and was living what really seemed to be a great life. Another feral cat was born and lived in a feral colony for a couple of years before the colony had to be relocated.  He actually went into his caretaker’s home for socialization and after a year of skilled handling became completely friendly with ANYONE. This took so long and so much patience on the part of the caretaker, it amazed me. The caretaker also had a couple of more typical feral cats who were only friendly with her or her husband. Even she doesn’t recommend socializing feral cats, however, due to the time and resources needed that could be better spent helping many other cats…she is a strong supporter of TNR!

Got questions? Catch Dr. Slater during her sessions at these upcoming conferences or leave your questions and thoughts in the comment box.

Related links
Feral Cats
Is This Cat Feral?
ASPCA On the Road
“Busting the Cat Collar Myth”

Who knows animal sheltering? Pam Burney, ASPCA Vice President, Community Initiatives, does! Pam joined the ASPCA in 2003, after 25 years with the City of Richland Hills, TX, Animal Control. She’s also served as president of the Texas Animal Control Association, the National Animal Control Association and the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy. Here she tells us, among other things, what she found in a garage on her first big call as an ACO…

Shelters’ Edge: What was your first job in animal sheltering?

Pam Burney: On May 1, 1978,  I went to work for the North Richland Hills Police Dept. as their only ACO. I had 30 minutes of training, which comprised of a Lieutenant driving me around to show me the boundaries of the city – which 3 years later I found were not correct! I spent the first two weeks figuring out how to use the radio, and they would have to send out police officers to find me until one finally took the time to teach me how to use the radio. My first “big” call was that a man was keeping two Himalayan black bears in his garage…and sure enough, that is exactly what he was doing! I gave him 3 days to move them to a safe place…had no idea if I had that authority or not, but he did move them – so I guess I did!

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your current role at the ASPCA.

PB: I am currently Vice President of Community Initiatives, which encompasses five areas of expertise: ASPCA Partnership (formally known as ASPCA Mission Orange); Shelter Outreach; Animal Relocation; ASPCA Equine Fund grants and Fundraising for Shelters. Most of my time is spent keeping these five programs moving forward, and I am blessed to have an amazing Senior Team that I rely on and an equally amazing team who do the work of saving lives every day.

Shelters’ Edge: What are some services that the ASPCA offers shelters around the country?

PB: Our mission is to bring resources and programs that help save more lives to shelters around the country, as well as to our partners in the ASPCA Partnership communities. We visit shelters around the country, bringing info on life-saving programs and ways to improve current shelter practices so that animals are moved through the system quickly and out into good homes or prevented from entering the shelter system in the first place. We offer expertise in spay/neuter, shelter flow, fundraising, adoption, fostering and shelter design just to name a few. Our team provides workshops and trainings at state, regional and national conferences around the country.

Shelters’ Edge: What are the two most important things that shelters can do to ensure the most positive outcomes for the animals in their care?

PB: 1. Ensure that they are providing the very best level of care (physical and mental) for each animal who enters their shelter so that the animal can move out into a good home as quickly as possible.

2. Treat people with respect when they come to the shelter for help…understand that compassion is much more effective than confrontation in handling difficult situations.

Shelters’ Edge: You’ve met – and helped to save – so many animals throughout your career. Are there any whose stories still stick out for you?

PB: “Oscar Ray Leonard” was the first cat to enter our brand-new shelter that opened in January 1987. He was a wild, thin, scruffy tom cat with oil stains down his back who was brought in from a local apartment complex where he had been living for several years and eating out of a McDonald’s dumpster. He would have been classified as a feral had we used the word back then. There was just something about this cat who would hiss and slap at us when we approached the cage – but when we opened the door to move or feed him, he did nothing to resist. I told the staff that if we could bathe him, we could keep him – thinking that there was no way this cat would ever allow such a thing. As it turned out, I was the only one who had ever bathed a cat, and when I placed him in our brand-new bath tub, not only did he not fight us, he actually enjoyed it…blowing bubbles out his nose!Oscar became our shelter mascot, greeting every person, cat and dog who graced our doors. When we formed our Helping Hands pet therapy program, we decided to try him out. He was a huge success for us, visiting four convalescence centers each week and sitting on residents’ bedsides, laps, whatever, perfectly happy to just be touched. He was credited with saving the life of an elderly woman who had given up communicating and eating until she met Oscar one afternoon. As they were leaving, she said, “Bring the cat back,” much to the shock of the staff and her family! For this, he was nominated for and won the International Delta Society Jingles Award (the first cat to be honored!) and was flown to Montreal to accept his award in style. I will never forget this remarkable cat and how lucky we were to share him for 14 years.

What are your questions and comments for Pam?

Related links:
ASPCA Partnership
ASPCA Equine Fund
Fundraising section on ASPCApro
National Animal Control Association

Looking to raise more funds so your agency can keep up the good work? (We know, we know  – who isn’t?) We know someone who can help – the ASPCA’s Heidi Miller, Senior Director, Fundraising Strategies.

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your role at the ASPCA.

Heidi Miller: For the last four years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with our ASPCA Partnership agencies on their fundraising and communications programs. I spent seven great years in the ASPCA’s Development department and then jumped on board with Community Initiatives, where I’ve had the exciting opportunity to share what I know about fundraising with our partners. The work is very rewarding and this is truly my dream job.

Shelters’ Edge: Do shelters need a lot of money to begin a fundraising program?

HM: Not necessarily, especially in the online age. Set up a Facebook page and use Facebook Causes to collect donations. Create an online newsletter – and make it easy to sign up for this on your website. Be sure to clearly mark the donate area of your website. Put “Donate” on your menu and include all of the different ways people can give in a drop-down. Send out email fundraising appeals and ask people to help you recruit new supporters by forwarding the email on. And there may be email lists that you haven’t considered using, such as staff, clients, adopters and volunteers.

Shelters’ Edge: What are the top three fundraising resources you share with shelters?

HM: The Foundation Center has a ton of free educational resources, such as online training, training videos and webinars. You’ll find information on these trainings in the “Get Started” section. You can also sign up here for a free 24-hour trial of Foundation Directory Online.

Fundraising Success is a free magazine with great articles covering a wide variety of fundraising areas. It is available in print and online. You can sign up as many people in your organization as you wish here. Oh, and be sure to sign up for their free daily e-newsletter, “Today in Fundraising.”

I would also recommend signing up for a free Linkedin account. There are a great many fundraising discussion groups that you can join. Invite people from other nonprofits to join your network. You can even start your own discussion group.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s one important thing that a shelter interested in ramping up their fundraising efforts can do?

HM: I recommend taking a look at the donate area of the ASPCA’s website. We offer a variety of ways for people to give, so you might get some ideas for new programs. Take into consideration what will be required in terms of human resources, and only take on what you can handle. One simple thing to do is start a vehicle donation program. We work with V-DAC (Vehicle Donations to Any Charity). Visit their website to find out more.

Shelters’ Edge: Thanks so much, Heidi. Is there anything you want to ask our readers?

HM: Do any of you know of any great free or low-cost fundraising or communications products or resources? If so, please share them with us in the comment box, and let us know why you like them. Let’s all work together to make this world a better place for the animals we work so hard to help every single day!

What are YOUR questions for Heidi? Please type them in the comment box.

Related links:
ASPCAPro.org: Fundraising Section
ASPCA Partnership
“Are Your e-Blasts Click-Worthy?”
“Get Back to Basics”

Last year, The ASPCA granted more than $7 million for animal welfare and anti-cruelty in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the District of Columbia. If your agency’s looking to apply for funding, here’s someone you’ll want to meet—Michael Barrett, the ASPCA’s Vice President, Grants Management.

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your role at the ASPCA.

Michael Barrett: I work with various departments within the ASPCA to help create and administer diverse grant programs to improve the welfare of companion and farm animals in the United States. I personally review every inquiry and application, and I oversee the strategic planning, implementation and procedures for all grant categories.

Shelters’ Edge: What kinds of grants are you offering to sheltering agencies around the country?

MB: Our current funding priorities for sheltering agencies are for spay/neuter projects, animal cruelty response, disaster response, live release initiatives and programs that keep animals from entering the sheltering system, such as ID tagging and community safety net programs. We also provide scholarships and travel stipends for shelter employees to attend trainings and conferences. Our grant budget nearly doubled in 2011 compared to 2010—and we have a knack in our department for getting even more dollars thrown into our budget during the year so that we can give more money to shelters that administer high quality, life-saving programs.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s a great day at work for you?

MB: Advocating for and getting approval from the CEO or the board of directors to add grant dollars to the budget so that we can meet the needs of shelters and the animals they serve all over the country! And then there are those cupcake parties…thank goodness for birthdays and retirements!

Shelters’ Edge: Any advice for shelters applying for a grant from the ASPCA?

MB: Follow instructions at “ASPCA Grants” on ASPCApro.org carefully. Grant proposals that identify a clear plan of action for a project, including a detailed project budget and anticipated outcomes, will stand the best chance of getting approved. Our administrative staff consists of just two hard-working souls, so it helps us and our applicants tremendously if we all follow the guidelines and processes outlined on the website. Also, be sure to diligently submit grant requirements (receipts, reports, etc.) online and on time!

Shelters’ Edge: We know your dog has an incredible story. Please share!

MB: Binah was rescued by the ASPCA’s Field Investigations and Response team from a particularly grim and dreary puppy mill in January 2010. She was unable to walk due to a congenital defect in both of her hind legs, so she spent the first three years of her life inside a dirty cage bearing litters of puppies. On the day of the raid, Binah stood out as a little dog with a huge spirit. She apparently had a big impact on her rescuers, and because she was such a severe medical case, they brought her to the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York to operate on her legs and give her a chance to adjust to life outside a puppy mill. Since adopting her in May 2010, Binah has become the light and love of my life, and she finds most of her enjoyment taking me for runs and walks in the streets of New York City, hanging out with her ever-expanding family of squeaky toys, and furthering her mission to change the world’s perception of Chihuahuas by making as many people as possible smile and see the love that dogs can give and deserve in return.

What are your questions for Michael? Please submit them in the comment box.

Related links:
Applying for ASPCA Grants
ASPCA Interactive Grants Map
Press Release: ASPCA Establishes Emergency $500K Grant Fund