If I was a poundkeeper ...
Ya ha deedle deedle bubba bubba deedle deedle dum...
If I ran my "Ideal Animal Shelter / Pound", I’d likely be poorer than the Fiddler on the Roof’s Tevye because here is what I see an ideal sheltering system as including. It's my “Top 20”:
1. OPEN ADMISSION – takes every animal regardless of the ability or willingness of the surrenderer to pay. Don't forget, if a person cannot afford the fee or doesn’t want to pay it, they could otherwise simply abandon it.
2. DISCOURAGES SURRENDER OF OWNED ANIMALS – yet takes every animal regardless of how full. At the same time, educates the surrenderers of the likelihood of adoption. (With unfixed adult cats that would be close to zero; even fixed ones have a hard time finding a new lover.) Given the stats, the owner may change his/her mind and arrange adoption privately.
3. HUMANE EUTHANIZING – Ideally the life of the pet would be terminated with an overdose of barbiturates. At this time no shelter in Ontario is allowed to do this unless they have a vet on staff or under contract. Not an easy thing to afford or purchase - no one likes euthanizing furry friends. So I'd like to see shelter managers band together to fight this Health Canada regulation which is unhelpful to companion animals and shelter works alike.
4. RESPECTFUL DISPOSAL OF ANIMAL BODIES – preferably in an environmentally friendly way.
5. LOW ADOPTION FEES FOR ADULT ANIMALS - $50 for a fixed adult cat; $100 for a fixed dog. Of course, more would be charged for kittens and puppies – but part of that fee would be used toward spay/neuter costs.
6. REDUCED RACK – for animals who have been there for their full allotment of time. (In an overcrowded shelter in an overpopulated area, this could be as short as a week.) These are the animals that have to be otherwise “put down.” What you are hoping for is that someone will say “oh what the heck – what’s one more cat (or dog)…”
7. Volunteers are given the OPTION OF ADOPTING PETS – NO FEE - that will otherwise be terminated. If anyone takes a “death row” animal that is not fixed – they must give assurance that the animal will be sterilized asap.
8. CENTRAL LOCATION – or extensive advertising. Ideally both.
9. OPEN VIEWING – Potential adopters or visitors have access to the entire shelter except for rooms with sick animals. This reduces gossip about what happens behind closed doors – cuz there ain’t any!
10. MONTHLY AUDIT OF NUMBERS AND FIGURES – numbers of animals taken in, redeemed, adopted or euthanized, and how public money was used.
11. UP TO DATE FACILITY – This means things like good ventilation, cats separate from dogs, healthy animals separate from sick, cages in good repairs, no dogs kept in small cages, etc.
12. *TRIAGING – a. highly adoptable, b. likely adoptable, c. not adoptable due to age, temperament or illness. When supply far exceeds demand, the animals in the latter category would be euthanized asap. Why prolong their suffering? Put the money into spays and neuters!
13. VACCINATION AND DELOUSING ON ADMISSION – of highly adoptable and likely adoptable animals.
14. SEPARATE BUDGET LINE – CONTROLED BY CITY – FOR VETERINARY CARE of animals that face special circumstances. For example, survive a house fire, have a broken bone that can easily be repaired, etc. This money could be a preexisting "pot" of community donations.
15. CITIZEN’S PATROL – These are folks who are trained by the SPCA on the minimum standards, and are asked to drop by unannounced to do regular checks. Their report goes to the City, so that the situation can be followed up and corrected.
16. EXTENSIVE USE OF VOLUNTEERS – to help keep costs down, to get more community buy-in, to walk dogs and cuddle cats, etc.
17. A CONCERTED EFFORT TO REUNITE OWNERS AND ANIMALS – especially if the shelter takes in from other municipalities. Found animals should be posted immediately on a separate webpage.
18. LIMITED BOARDING OF OTHER PEOPLE’S ANIMALS - so that the shelter does not have to “reduce” the inventory of pets to make room for these - ie 10 spots for boarders; 30 spots for found dogs. Because cat flu is so contagious, shelters/pounds should not board cats.
19. NO ANIMAL IS EVER KNOWINGLY GIVEN TO A LABORATORY, guard dog company, or unqualified or cruel guardian.
20. The shelter / pound will maintain an UP TO DATE WEBSITE OF ALL ANIMALS IN CARE, including found animals.
21. And most importantly it will support a SPAY / NEUTER CLINIC similar to the one being offered in Newmarket.
I highly recommend this site: http://www.helpinganimals.com/ga_helplocalshelter.asp
If I ran my "Ideal Animal Shelter / Pound", I’d likely be poorer than the Fiddler on the Roof’s Tevye because here is what I see an ideal sheltering system as including. It's my “Top 20”:
1. OPEN ADMISSION – takes every animal regardless of the ability or willingness of the surrenderer to pay. Don't forget, if a person cannot afford the fee or doesn’t want to pay it, they could otherwise simply abandon it.
2. DISCOURAGES SURRENDER OF OWNED ANIMALS – yet takes every animal regardless of how full. At the same time, educates the surrenderers of the likelihood of adoption. (With unfixed adult cats that would be close to zero; even fixed ones have a hard time finding a new lover.) Given the stats, the owner may change his/her mind and arrange adoption privately.
3. HUMANE EUTHANIZING – Ideally the life of the pet would be terminated with an overdose of barbiturates. At this time no shelter in Ontario is allowed to do this unless they have a vet on staff or under contract. Not an easy thing to afford or purchase - no one likes euthanizing furry friends. So I'd like to see shelter managers band together to fight this Health Canada regulation which is unhelpful to companion animals and shelter works alike.
4. RESPECTFUL DISPOSAL OF ANIMAL BODIES – preferably in an environmentally friendly way.
5. LOW ADOPTION FEES FOR ADULT ANIMALS - $50 for a fixed adult cat; $100 for a fixed dog. Of course, more would be charged for kittens and puppies – but part of that fee would be used toward spay/neuter costs.
6. REDUCED RACK – for animals who have been there for their full allotment of time. (In an overcrowded shelter in an overpopulated area, this could be as short as a week.) These are the animals that have to be otherwise “put down.” What you are hoping for is that someone will say “oh what the heck – what’s one more cat (or dog)…”
7. Volunteers are given the OPTION OF ADOPTING PETS – NO FEE - that will otherwise be terminated. If anyone takes a “death row” animal that is not fixed – they must give assurance that the animal will be sterilized asap.
8. CENTRAL LOCATION – or extensive advertising. Ideally both.
9. OPEN VIEWING – Potential adopters or visitors have access to the entire shelter except for rooms with sick animals. This reduces gossip about what happens behind closed doors – cuz there ain’t any!
10. MONTHLY AUDIT OF NUMBERS AND FIGURES – numbers of animals taken in, redeemed, adopted or euthanized, and how public money was used.
11. UP TO DATE FACILITY – This means things like good ventilation, cats separate from dogs, healthy animals separate from sick, cages in good repairs, no dogs kept in small cages, etc.
12. *TRIAGING – a. highly adoptable, b. likely adoptable, c. not adoptable due to age, temperament or illness. When supply far exceeds demand, the animals in the latter category would be euthanized asap. Why prolong their suffering? Put the money into spays and neuters!
13. VACCINATION AND DELOUSING ON ADMISSION – of highly adoptable and likely adoptable animals.
14. SEPARATE BUDGET LINE – CONTROLED BY CITY – FOR VETERINARY CARE of animals that face special circumstances. For example, survive a house fire, have a broken bone that can easily be repaired, etc. This money could be a preexisting "pot" of community donations.
15. CITIZEN’S PATROL – These are folks who are trained by the SPCA on the minimum standards, and are asked to drop by unannounced to do regular checks. Their report goes to the City, so that the situation can be followed up and corrected.
16. EXTENSIVE USE OF VOLUNTEERS – to help keep costs down, to get more community buy-in, to walk dogs and cuddle cats, etc.
17. A CONCERTED EFFORT TO REUNITE OWNERS AND ANIMALS – especially if the shelter takes in from other municipalities. Found animals should be posted immediately on a separate webpage.
18. LIMITED BOARDING OF OTHER PEOPLE’S ANIMALS - so that the shelter does not have to “reduce” the inventory of pets to make room for these - ie 10 spots for boarders; 30 spots for found dogs. Because cat flu is so contagious, shelters/pounds should not board cats.
19. NO ANIMAL IS EVER KNOWINGLY GIVEN TO A LABORATORY, guard dog company, or unqualified or cruel guardian.
20. The shelter / pound will maintain an UP TO DATE WEBSITE OF ALL ANIMALS IN CARE, including found animals.
21. And most importantly it will support a SPAY / NEUTER CLINIC similar to the one being offered in Newmarket.
I highly recommend this site: http://www.helpinganimals.com/ga_helplocalshelter.asp
* Please don't talk to me about No Kill shelters unless you are also lobbying for No Kill slaughterhouses. Here is a neat site about cats and chickens.
Contact SNeRD at [email protected] or (705) 586-7828. |