Shelter’s Edge

Nothing quite says “Adopt Me!” like, well, an “Adopt Me!” vest.

Store-bought or handmade, these vests look great on and act as conversation starters—check this one modeled at Asheville Humane Society’s offsite Mega Match-a-thon event earlier this spring. Says AHS President/CEO Katherine Shenar, “We love our  ‘Adopt Me’ vests because they showcase the amazing dogs with a call-to-action message right on the side. Passersby definitely get the message, and it’s such an effective way to engage potential adopters.”

Where to get ‘em? We’ve seen some available for purchase online—just Google “adopt me vests for dogs” and see what comes up. If you’re lucky enough to have nifty, thrifty volunteers who can sew, check out this website for sewing instructions for making “Adopt Me” vests, materials needed and project costs.

Come back every Monday for tips we’ve gleaned and seen that may make your life a little easier, make a routine process go a little faster or deliver some extra comfort for the animals in your care.

Photo: Dave Betournay

Related links:
Instructions for Making “Adopt Me” Vests
“Tip of the Week: Color Your World”

When it comes to high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter, it’s important to develop strategies that allow for safe and efficient procedures.

Drug charts that show amount of drug to be given based on an animal’s weight are a useful tool for busy medical staff. Of course, a veterinarian should determine the type and amount of drug to administer based on evaluation of the animal patient. However, such drug charts show a recommended starting point for volume of drugs to be given. Similar charts can also be created for drugs used in emergency situations.

What else have you got in your toolkit for maintaining safety and efficiency in a spay/neuter clinic?

Come back every Monday for tips we’ve gleaned and seen that may make your life a little easier, make a routine process go a little faster or deliver some extra comfort for the animals in your care.

Related links:
What Is High Quality-High Volume Spay Neuter?
“Tip of the Week: Tat’s All, Folks”
Webinar recording: Increasing Capacity for Spay/Neuter Before Big Events”

Effective sanitation is key to infectious disease control in a shelter. Many shelters use bleach as a disinfectant after cleaning, because it is inexpensive and effective against common shelter disease agents like parvovirus and panleukopenia. However, like this sign reminds us, in order to be effective, bleach needs to be diluted properly and made fresh daily. It’s a great idea to discard daily leftovers on outdoor gravel areas.

For more tips like this (and a handy bleach calculator!), visit our Shelter Sanitation section.

It’s Monday morning—do you know where your daily batch of bleach and water is? Please share your solutions for effective sanitation in the comment box.

You can find us here every Monday as we share tips we’ve gleaned and seen that may make your life a little easier, make a routine process go a little faster or deliver some extra comfort for the animals in your care.

Photo: David Wintz, Humane Strategies, Inc.

Related links:
Shelter Sanitation
Humane Strategies
“Tip of the Week: Color Your World”

When our furry feline friends flip over to show us their adorable bellies, many of us make the assumption that they’re looking for a tickle or a rub…and end up with scratch or bite wounds as a result!

While there are some cats who do enjoy a friendly belly rub, there are probably at least as many who are rolling over in an effort to communicate that they’re not interested in affection at all. A cat may be rolling over to show you the weapons he has at the ends of those velvety paws. And he may follow up with his teeth if you don’t heed his initial warning.

Next time you’re thinking you have a belly-rub inclined kitty on your hands, look first at the other body language the kitty might be sharing–such as a swishing tail, pinned-back ears, dilated (round) pupils, whiskers pulled back or extending forward. These can all be signs that this particular kitty isn’t in the mood for attention at the moment.  He may be trying to tell you he is feeling overly excited/stimulated, fearful or aggressive.

If a cat is trying to tell you to back off, simply remove yourself and find another way to show your affection. Try giving the kitty some quiet time to calm down, provide him with an appropriate wand toy to chase, or give him a bit more time to acclimate.

P.S. For a less, ahem, scientific version of this, check The Oatmeal’s “How to pet a kitty” post.

Have your adopters asked you about this tricky feline communication? Belly up to the comments box and share your experiences with us.

Meet us here every Monday for tips we’ve gleaned and seen that may make your life a little easier, make a routine process go a little faster or deliver some extra comfort for the animals in your care.

Related links:
Canine Communications Webinar Series
Recognizing Feline Body Postures
Meet Your Match: About Feline-ality
“What Did He Just Say?”

Photo: Marie Stordahl

After Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana SPCA modified a reading-to-dogs program specially for the very frightened dogs entering the shelter after the storm. Staff identified dogs who had been behavior-evaluated and deemed nonaggressive, but who were also exhibiting fearful body language (hiding in the back of the run, not looking at people, etc). These dogs were selected for a two-week program that was coordinated by the staff and run by trained volunteers.

The dogs were moved to a quiet part of the shelter labeled “rehab tent,” and put on a daily schedule of being read to—three times a day for at least one hour. Volunteer readers sat at the dog’s level outside the front of the run and simply read aloud—anything they wanted to read, the book they were working on, People magazine, etc. They would take notes if the dog showed interest in them, solicited attention or began to come out of their shells. Based on benchmarks created by LA/SPCA on the improvement they hoped to see, the majority of dogs who went through the program got to the point where they could be put into adoptions. The program also worked great for the litters of feral puppies that were common after Katrina.

Could this program help you write some storybook endings at your agency? Already have something similar in place? Please share your experiences in the comment box.

See you here next Monday for more tips we’ve gleaned and seen that may make your life a little easier, make a routine process go a little faster or deliver some extra comfort for the animals in your care.

Related links
Tip of the Week: Helping Those Canine Wallflowers Bloom
Enrichment in the Shelter: Read and Relax Program