Shelter’s Edge

Do you have an overabundance of animals? Do you sometimes have empty cages that need filling? Would you like a more diverse selection of animals on your adoption floor? Welcome to MAP, a free, searchable database that lets you connect with both source and destination shelters.

The ASPCA Animal Relocation and Transport Team is debuting this cool new tool at HSUS Expo today through Friday. Make sure to stop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall for a ten-minute demo of the MAP. Times and locations are listed here:

P.S. Not at EXPO this year? No worries! Check out our FAQ for all the deets on this cool new online tool.

Related links:
Animal Relocation and Transport
FAQ about MAP—Moving Animals Places

A sad run this morning… for weeks, I have passed a pair of sand hill cranes on my running route. They would turn and watch as Que, Sea and I ran by, a nice way to say good morning. Yesterday I only saw one of the pair, and I hoped that the partner was simply out of view. But this morning still only just one crane…

Where I live, cranes stick around most of the year, and are well loved and protected by the community. On my run this morning I thought about why the crane holds a place in the hearts of so many, while so many other animals do not receive the same level of empathy. As an example, I stood cringing through a story shared on a grocery store line, during which there was celebration over running over a native snake in the road. Why the empathy for one?

Cranes pair bond… and so do we. We tend to be empathetic, patient and kind to those who are more like us. The fact that cranes pair bond is known by most everyone where I live. We stop traffic to ensure a family stays together…

When it comes to empathy and understanding, we tend to have the same inclusion/exclusion process for the human animal as we do for others – the more “like me” they are, the more likely we are to apply empathy and kindness. The more “them” as opposed to “us,” the less likely we are to feel an emotion involving empathy. We all have these tendencies, with some of us having a larger lens for inclusion than others.

I am a huge fan of the HSUS Pets for Life program – the philosophy of this program is to serve the pet needs of clients in underserved communities. By starting with respect, we learn that these clients too love their pets and eagerly take advantage of services to improve their quality of life (from vaccines and food to spay/neuter).

Sometimes the best way to get to “We Are Them” is to simply spend some time (with an open mind) with “them.” I recently heard the experiences of some shelter professionals who had the opportunity to ramp up a Pets for Life program in their community. The shift from “Those people don’t believe in spay/neuter” and “It’s not safe to go there…” to “They just needed the access to the resources” and “All it took was going directly to them” was profound. Now… Pets for Life is much different from putting up fliers, setting up a table at a community event or speaking at a local church. It is connecting one on one.

The inclusion/exclusion behavior happens right within the shelter doors, too – I have shared my experiences as “them,” in which I was considered an inappropriate candidate for pet parenthood by the shelter I had interacted with. Being dumped into the “them” pool in this case was due not to how I looked, but because of assumptions based on characteristics such as age, home ownership, etc.

“They” can look just like “us,” and we make assumptions that put them into the “them” pool. At a recent shelter visit I listened as a staff person noted that “those people” told her they would keep their dog outside for 8 hours a day, and completely discounted them as appropriate adopters for the shelter.

In a situation like that, how do we begin to open up to the possibility that “they” are “us”—that “We Are Them?” “Us” respects that while the dog may not live in that potential adopter’s home the way they would when in your home, they will care for their pet and provide humane care. “Us” understands they came to the shelter because they care… because they want to add that gift of a dog or cat to their lives.

“Us” also understands that not everyone has the same access to services and support, and that does not mean they do not want their animals in their lives… “Us” is kind not just to cranes and “Us,” but to “Them” as well.

Related links:
“I Was Them”
“Forget ‘Them’”
HSUS: Pets for Life Program

I have been watching the progress of the Adoption Ambassador program at a few shelters with great interest. As you may have heard me explain before, the program empowers volunteers to become “on the road” adoption counselors for your shelter. They take the dog home and campaign him within their community for adoption, and once an adopter is found, the volunteers have the tools to finalize the adoption so that neither the dog nor the adopter needs to step foot into the shelter.

Many people love dogs. When they see a dog and a welcoming friendly person, they are likely to approach. But how do we transition that approach into an adoption? For years, organizations have used the “Adopt Me” vest to attract potential adopters. I would like to challenge this as being the way to attract adopters – I think the words on that vest matter.

To understand what I mean, please take a look at this video. I promise it is worth the click.

Yes – words do matter. Whether you are a fan of Mad Men or remember jingles, you know the power of words in marketing. People can be compelled to approach, give, buy or avoid based on powerfully placed and worded messaging.

When I first saw that video I thought there must be something we can do with the messaging on those handy but not-so-compelling “Adopt me!” vests. Compelling messaging is not always my strong suit – as an example, when we geared up to do work around ID tagging, I brainstormed the tagline ‘Tag ‘em or bag ‘em!” (yes – it is ok to cringe). The creative team at the ASPCA found ID ME might be more appropriate… Agreed.

Given my challenges around messaging, you will not be surprised that I have not yet come up with the message to drive those who may have passed by to potentially make the impulse to adopt. “It is a great day to cozy up at home… and I have no home to go to” is the best I could do…

However, I suspect that one of you likely has the perfect message to start the dialogue that could lead to another life saved… Maybe we can even test your message together! Please share it here!

Related links:
Adoption Ambassadors Program
“Don’t Think… Adopt!”

Earth Day is just around the corner on Monday, April 22, and no one knows how to implement their three Rs like animal sheltering staffers. Donors are impressed with a nonprofit’s ability to stretch dollars because they know that means more of their money is going to the cause to which they’re giving;  for our field, that means saving animals’ lives. Because we want to practice what we’ve preached, we recycled some of the best tips from our site – all about reusing materials for shelter animals’ enrichment and comfort.

Save Your Big Containers
We’ve seen some agencies get unbelievably creative when it comes to providing their animals with a place to chillax, hide from shelter excitement or catch some Zs.

• At Coulee Region Humane Society, three plastic storage totes feature cut-out “windows” and have been bolted together to make an easy-to-clean tower – providing a place for play and a little privacy for the more reserved feline residents in your shelter. Inexpensive…and aesthetically appealing, too!

• Milk crates and other types of inexpensive cubbies can be zip-tied in place to allow cats to climb, perch or just find the perfect vantage point. Cable ties (zip ties) were used to secure the crates in the photo below – they’re super-sturdy and can be easily removed for deep cleaning periodically. As you can see from the pic below, this technique maximizes vertical space, which creates more room for cats in your enclosures.

• Don’t throw away those old pet carriers! Take a tip from the resourceful folks at Charleston Animal Society (CAS) and use either the top or the bottom for puppies. They love to snuggle in them, as demonstrated by the little guys here.

• CAS does the same with desktop file holders, turning them into great cat and kitten beds. And when turned over, they make great hiding places/chill-out spaces. Give it a try… you can, ahem, rest assured that you’re maximizing your resources.

• Greenbrier Humane Society turned to their Facebook fans for suitcase donations to make bunk beds like this one (P.S. If you Google “cat beds and suitcases,” you’ll see the ideas are limitless!):

Save Your Little Containers
Don’t throw away your empty yogurt cups, ice cream tubs or other food containers. Here are some other uses for them:

• The resourceful folks at Wisconsin Humane Society are recycling yogurt cups as treat cups! A simple hole punch and a zip tie allows you to fasten the cup to the kennel. Next, fill with soft tasty treats and be sure to hang a sign with simple instructions for visitors, like the one shown here. In no time your shy and fearful pooches will be looking forward to their next visitor. When it comes to clean-up, simply cut the zip tie and place in the recycling bin.

• Skip the food bowl and give cats a piñata party; after all, kids around the world have proven the excitement of batting tasty morsels down from overhead. Here’s a low-tech version that the ASPCA’s Dr. Katherine Miller made from yogurt containers and a knotted cord:

• Freezing food and chew toys in a simple container of broth or water allows for hours of pooch-perfect entertainment. This is also a useful tactic to help a dog who is a known “toy-eater” learn that his playthings are those that smell like food.

Here’s a how-to video from Animal Farm Foundation for making a hanging iceblock food toy.

Save On Gas
Some shelters have discovered alternative, more, er, Earth-friendly methods of transportation.

• These little guys are on their way to SPCA of Wake County’s spay/neuter clinic!

• Pet Helpers’ puppies are headed for the spay/neuter clinic, too, only these guys travel by way of laundry basket.

P.S. Since you’re using your laundry basket as a vehicle, go ahead and use a swimming pool as a laundry basket – like they do over at N.O.A.H. Adoption & Spay/Neuter Center.

Save the Trees
Some of the most effective enrichment tools can be found right in your recycling bin.

• Paper Bags – what cat doesn’t love playing in a paper bag? This item has the added bonus of providing a hiding place for the cat, as called for in The Association of Shelter Veterinarians Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.

• Toilet paper/paper towel rolls – hide kibble in them to give dogs a fine hunting expedition…  just  flatten or fold the ends of the tubes to increase the challenge of extracting the noms. You can also cut up the tubes for cats to bat around!
• Paper balls – wad up some scratch paper and you have a great toy! Use those phone messages you’ve already returned or ask your community to bring in their used wrapping paper after the holidays – just make sure to check that there aren’t any choking hazards, such as ribbons or bits of tape, still on the paper.

Save the Earth…
… by making it more beautiful, thanks to donors doing a little home redecorating.

• At Charleston Animal Society, donated carpet turns into scratching posts for the kitties. “This is a great project for Boy Scouts or school groups,” says CAS. “Simply cut into 3- by- 8-inch pieces, use a hole punch to make a hole at the top, and attach to the cage with a plastic shower hook. When a cat or kitten is adopted, we send it home with them.”

• Said Greenhill Humane Society on Facebook, “Grandma didn’t include a gift receipt with that “lovely” sweater she gave you for Christmas and now you’re stuck with it? Turn it into a bed!” You might turn to your volunteers for help with this project:

Photo: Facebook.com/SedonaDIY

What thrifty magic have you worked at your shelter? Let us know in the comment box!

Related Links:
Kennel Enrichment for Kitties 101: Fun on the Cheap
Tips for Canine Enrichment

This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at the New England Federation of Humane Societies conference. I shared some of the data from the ASPCA’s “Why This Pet” research, where we surveyed new adopters about their adoption choice.  One of the powerful findings of that study was the discovery that behavior is the most important driver for choosing an adult cat. And for all adopters, the dog or cat they picked was likely to have engaged with them in some manner.

We discussed the idea of training adult cats to do a simple behavior of either approaching the front of the cage when someone approaches or, even better, to put a paw forward through the cage bars to touch the hand of their next potential parent. There were some concerns that this would drastically increase disease transmission – it was great to see the recent news from the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program about who the disease transmitters may be.

Training to approach and training to present a paw are easy to do – just remember kitties do not see well directly in front of their noses, so present the food reward either from the side, or dropped on the cage floor.  For glass-fronted cages, you may want to consider drilling a sniff hole for some of the cat cages to allow for the training of this behavior – and for the opportunity for your clients to take a feather toy and actively play with the cat by inserting the toy in the sniff hole.  We know that in zoo environments, opportunities to engage directly with the animal will increase the time they spend at the exhibit.  I developed opportunities to play with many of the animals in zoos – one of my favorites was tug of war with an orangutan (the orangutans always won!).

So how do you teach a cat to reach out with their paw?
- Step one is to pair a sound – like a kiss sound, a verbal “yes,” or a clicker made especially for cats (as some clickers can be too loud for the up-close cage training done with cats) – with a food reward, just as it would be for dogs.
- Do remember that kitties have trouble seeing right in front of their noses, so to make the association happen quickly, be sure to present the food to the side of the cat’s mouth or dropped on the cage floor.  A small spoon or tongue depressor can be used to insert the food to the cage if using your fingers slows things down too much.
- Once the association is made, you will be capturing the paw lift behavior – place your hand toward the cage front and wait. As soon as that kitty reaches even slightly for your hand, click and treat.
- The rest is the same as shaping a paw shake in a dog – you will slowly increase the amount the cat has to reach until he is reaching out to touch your hand.
- Once this is accomplished, you can start to teach the cat to trigger the behavior when someone is walking by.

This is a great task to give to your cat socializers – not only are they engaging with the cats, as they signed up as what they wanted to do, the engagement is focused on increasing the likelihood the cat goes home soon.

Based on the results of the research we conducted, what do you think about this idea? Please share how you are giving your potential adopters opportunities to engage with the cats in your shelter.

Photo: Monmouth County SPCA

Related links:
“Why Do Adopters Choose The Pet They Do?”
ASPCA Research: What Draws Adopters to Particular Pets
UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program: “The Scrub Top Study: Disease Transmission Risks in a Typical Shelter Adoption Ward”