We will be holding our first No Kill Study Group meeting on September 24th, Wednesday, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the foyer of the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2000 S. Solano Dr.
What this group will hope to achieve is monumental and will take alot of work. We will be taking an in-depth look at each program and service of the No Kill Equation, listed at left and described in more detail at the No Kill Advocacy Center's website (also available from the links at left).
What we hope to accomplish is first research-based. From all of my reading and investigation into sheltering and No Kill successes, what is very clear is that very little detail exists in writing about how it is done. I'm hoping to write detailed reports, or one large detailed No Kill report with an awesome executive summary. The intended audience is our local leaders and maybe a resource that could be used nationally.
I'm a technical writer, but I work full-time. I've had this idea for some time, but I don't have the time to do all the research myself. Because little is in writing, what we'll need to do is get on the phone, talk to people, and gather the information piece-by-piece. All I need help with is this information gathering; I will personally write the report, which we will then all review and finalize.
From that, I hope that in this group we start discovering as individuals which programs we'd like to start working on locally and find ways to implement them through existing groups, as individuals, or exerting pressure on our shelter's leadership to implement some of the programs. If we can implement each program, we can start tracking our own progress and how this starts impacting our community's kill rate.
Some of these programs are happening here to a certain degree. Some are in the works, such as the pet retention efforts I am starting with HSSNM via a pet help line. We have some transplants that have come here who have extensive experience and expertise in some programs, such as TNR, along with locals that have a program we can also model (NMSU's program).
The toughest battle we have ahead of us is reaching our city and county leaders with a concrete message and with factual data that we hope they will adopt because it is overwhelmingly clear the programs work. We have to prove that the current catch and kill philosophy of our shelter and AC departments is not the only way to go. It's not necessarily the most cost-effective, and it will never lead to the kind of community support and buy-in that can lead to huge monetary contributions. We need to give our state and local leaders objective data that their staff can then follow up on if they don't trust the numbers.
Sheltering is a hard nut to crack when it comes to the numbers. Shelters do not necessarily keep statistics nor share them willingly, or they all don't keep them the same way. Categories can be defined differently (unadoptable vs. adoptable, for example), and in many cases thorough assessment is not being done, so dogs and cats are arbitrarily thrown into the unadoptable heap and killed (hence, the high kill rates). This is what makes it difficult to compare from one area or shelter to another.
What we are especially interested in is the shelters and communities that have implemented or are in the process of implementing the No Kill Equation's full list of programs and services and trying to learn how anyone can export that model in their area. I'll have the list of places and contacts we can begin to call to gather the data. The good news here is that from the few I have talked to so far, these progressive shelters and directors are more than willing to share the knowledge and their materials/statistics in hopes other areas will adopt the model programs and services.
It will be alot of hard work and long hours, and I understand if people's time is limited. We'll try to divide the work up as evenly as possible, and if you can only do so much, that is still something. We still welcome your help and input.
If anyone has questions about this group, please e-mail me at cheressemm@gmail.com.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
It's time to start asking the tough questions
First of all, thanks LCSN!
In my last blog, I was extremely remiss to not thank and mention the Las Cruces Sun-News for hosting this blog and for being so supportive. I especially want to thank Jason Gibbs, the online editor, for his encouragement. The LCSN has also printed my blog in their stories as a place to read more about animal sheltering, and that is much appreciated.
Defeatism is a self-fulfilling prophesy
I am a firm believer in being analytical and looking constructively and critically at the way things are done and asking ourselves the tough questions: Why do we do it this way? Is this the only alternative? What else could we do, and what would it hurt to try?
With our shelter still at a kill rate of 70+% and facing issues with providing the basics of care in a facility that is old and outdated (don't get me started on the ongoing issues with things like the air conditioners and horrible ventilation, etc.)--we need to start asking more tough questions ... mainly, what is taking so long for progress? How long can we be stuck in transition, and what was the reason for the lack of progress before this transition at our shelter from being run by a non-profit to now being run directly by the City and County?
Even many animal-welfare people will point to another great myth that keeps us from moving forward: "everything takes money, and we just don't have enough funding" ... we all reapeat that one all the time ... it takes more funding. Well, I'm sorry, but I beg to differ that all things hinge on just this. The most successful no kills of recent history started off from a place of near bankruptcy, and by doing good work, grew into rich organizations. Even big, successful places like Best Friends Animal Society didn't start off with millions of dollars landing on that group's lap.
Moreover, didn't our shelter just get funded for approximately $1.2 million a year vs. the roughly $500K a year it previously operated with? And, didn't we get state capital outlay funds for shelter improvements of about $50K, including $10K allocated to updating our ventilation system? When will that happen so we can start meeting the HVAC standards of sheltering, which ensure that clean air is circulated on a constant basis. This helps combat common ailments our animals face and die for on a daily basis, such as kennel cough in dogs and upper respiratory infections in cats. When animals are stressed, too, their immune systems are stressed ... much of this is Sheltering 101 and many of these ongoing issues at our shelter were pointed out in the HSUS review and report a couple of years ago ... so, again, what is taking so long to address the worst of these issues and new issues that are arising?
And, what is our County's progress on putting their MARC van purchased months ago to the much-needed efforts of spay/neuter in low-income, outlaying areas? We need to start putting some of our own actions where our words are ... namely, fixing more animals so that our shelter is not pelted with as many litters of kittens and puppies next Spring.
For too long, our nation's animal-welfare agencies and shelters have been hiding behind the badge of public irresponsibility and that the only thing they can do is "humanely euthanize" our community's unwanted animals for lack of space, yet this horribly simplifies a very complicated issue and removes all accountability from the shoulders of the shelter's leadership and our municipal leaders.
If we just rest on our laurels and accept this sad "fact" and become defeatist, does that not stop us from finding and working on other alternatives and efforts/programs? Is this rate of killing really the only choice, or have we already prophesized ourselves into that outcome? Or, even more sinister, is it that as humans, we truly don't think that our homeless companion animals deserve any better treatment while in shelters or are worth the sheer hard work and effort it takes to think outside the box? I don't think anyone would agree to this; studies and polls have shown that most of the general public will come out in droves and with big dollars to support shelters that choose a different path.
In the end, in the state our shelter is still in and has been in for years now, it can't hurt to ask the questions and speak up, whether you are an average citizen who cares about animals or an animal-welfare advocate that dedicates most of your time to helping animals or someone that has something to say about their personal experiences at our shelter. Pick up the phone; write letters and e-mails to your local and state leaders, including the City and County managers. All their contact information is available online or is a phone call away.
It is one of the biggest ironies of animal sheltering that, first of all, the ASPCA took on the sad role of basically running and operating city pounds those decades ago and started humane societies on this path. It is understandable that they cared about the atrocities and lack of any care for animals in pounds at that time. And, we have come a long way from the days of animals not being given food, water or any care at city pounds and ultimately meeting inhumane deaths.
Yet, on the other hand, and especially in this day and age (the year 2008!), we've also stagnated. It is very hard to preach to anyone from this shelter platform of high kill rates. How can shelters chastise the general public for treating animals like throwaway objects when that's exactly how our animal-welfare system treats animals themselves? By being accepting of the status quo, we are still filling our landfills with the 900 or so killed each month--many of which were healthy or treatable.
It is no wonder the shelter and public cannot come to peaceful terms with each other ... people cringe at the thought of shelters, and then shelter staff hate everyone who makes them do this awful work ... this horrible, unhealthy cycle needs to be broken, and now, with the No Kill movement, there is a light at the end of this dark, long tunnel.
So, I know this posting is darker and seems more negative than my previous ones, but the hope and light and possibilities are out there for us, too. We can look to other models that are having success right now, and we can learn from them. There are many people working in animal welfare that are happy to mentor and network with us if we reach out to them.
In closing, look to the left for even more links to people doing great work for animals, including those most discriminated against and misunderstood, even among us animal lovers -- feral cats and pitt bulls.
There are many opportunities for change and innovators to emulate.
In my last blog, I was extremely remiss to not thank and mention the Las Cruces Sun-News for hosting this blog and for being so supportive. I especially want to thank Jason Gibbs, the online editor, for his encouragement. The LCSN has also printed my blog in their stories as a place to read more about animal sheltering, and that is much appreciated.
Defeatism is a self-fulfilling prophesy
I am a firm believer in being analytical and looking constructively and critically at the way things are done and asking ourselves the tough questions: Why do we do it this way? Is this the only alternative? What else could we do, and what would it hurt to try?
With our shelter still at a kill rate of 70+% and facing issues with providing the basics of care in a facility that is old and outdated (don't get me started on the ongoing issues with things like the air conditioners and horrible ventilation, etc.)--we need to start asking more tough questions ... mainly, what is taking so long for progress? How long can we be stuck in transition, and what was the reason for the lack of progress before this transition at our shelter from being run by a non-profit to now being run directly by the City and County?
Even many animal-welfare people will point to another great myth that keeps us from moving forward: "everything takes money, and we just don't have enough funding" ... we all reapeat that one all the time ... it takes more funding. Well, I'm sorry, but I beg to differ that all things hinge on just this. The most successful no kills of recent history started off from a place of near bankruptcy, and by doing good work, grew into rich organizations. Even big, successful places like Best Friends Animal Society didn't start off with millions of dollars landing on that group's lap.
Moreover, didn't our shelter just get funded for approximately $1.2 million a year vs. the roughly $500K a year it previously operated with? And, didn't we get state capital outlay funds for shelter improvements of about $50K, including $10K allocated to updating our ventilation system? When will that happen so we can start meeting the HVAC standards of sheltering, which ensure that clean air is circulated on a constant basis. This helps combat common ailments our animals face and die for on a daily basis, such as kennel cough in dogs and upper respiratory infections in cats. When animals are stressed, too, their immune systems are stressed ... much of this is Sheltering 101 and many of these ongoing issues at our shelter were pointed out in the HSUS review and report a couple of years ago ... so, again, what is taking so long to address the worst of these issues and new issues that are arising?
And, what is our County's progress on putting their MARC van purchased months ago to the much-needed efforts of spay/neuter in low-income, outlaying areas? We need to start putting some of our own actions where our words are ... namely, fixing more animals so that our shelter is not pelted with as many litters of kittens and puppies next Spring.
For too long, our nation's animal-welfare agencies and shelters have been hiding behind the badge of public irresponsibility and that the only thing they can do is "humanely euthanize" our community's unwanted animals for lack of space, yet this horribly simplifies a very complicated issue and removes all accountability from the shoulders of the shelter's leadership and our municipal leaders.
If we just rest on our laurels and accept this sad "fact" and become defeatist, does that not stop us from finding and working on other alternatives and efforts/programs? Is this rate of killing really the only choice, or have we already prophesized ourselves into that outcome? Or, even more sinister, is it that as humans, we truly don't think that our homeless companion animals deserve any better treatment while in shelters or are worth the sheer hard work and effort it takes to think outside the box? I don't think anyone would agree to this; studies and polls have shown that most of the general public will come out in droves and with big dollars to support shelters that choose a different path.
In the end, in the state our shelter is still in and has been in for years now, it can't hurt to ask the questions and speak up, whether you are an average citizen who cares about animals or an animal-welfare advocate that dedicates most of your time to helping animals or someone that has something to say about their personal experiences at our shelter. Pick up the phone; write letters and e-mails to your local and state leaders, including the City and County managers. All their contact information is available online or is a phone call away.
It is one of the biggest ironies of animal sheltering that, first of all, the ASPCA took on the sad role of basically running and operating city pounds those decades ago and started humane societies on this path. It is understandable that they cared about the atrocities and lack of any care for animals in pounds at that time. And, we have come a long way from the days of animals not being given food, water or any care at city pounds and ultimately meeting inhumane deaths.
Yet, on the other hand, and especially in this day and age (the year 2008!), we've also stagnated. It is very hard to preach to anyone from this shelter platform of high kill rates. How can shelters chastise the general public for treating animals like throwaway objects when that's exactly how our animal-welfare system treats animals themselves? By being accepting of the status quo, we are still filling our landfills with the 900 or so killed each month--many of which were healthy or treatable.
It is no wonder the shelter and public cannot come to peaceful terms with each other ... people cringe at the thought of shelters, and then shelter staff hate everyone who makes them do this awful work ... this horrible, unhealthy cycle needs to be broken, and now, with the No Kill movement, there is a light at the end of this dark, long tunnel.
So, I know this posting is darker and seems more negative than my previous ones, but the hope and light and possibilities are out there for us, too. We can look to other models that are having success right now, and we can learn from them. There are many people working in animal welfare that are happy to mentor and network with us if we reach out to them.
In closing, look to the left for even more links to people doing great work for animals, including those most discriminated against and misunderstood, even among us animal lovers -- feral cats and pitt bulls.
There are many opportunities for change and innovators to emulate.
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