[News] Is Pet Overpopulation Really Killing Our Cats and Dogs? Part I An estimated 6 - 8 million homeless animals, primarily cats and dogs, enter animal shelters across the U.S. every year. Approximately 4.4 million of these innocent creatures are euthanized. But the rate of euthanasia is not the same in every community. While one city saves the lives of 90 percent of its homeless cats and dogs another town euthanizes 60 percent of their abandoned pets. Have you ever wondered why some communities are more successful than others? The No Kill Advocacy Center says they have the formula to save every healthy and treatable pet languishing in every animal shelter in the country and they want to share it with you. I’ve always had a gut feeling that putting a stop to the euthanasia of homeless animals was possible. And after interviewing Nathan Winograd, director and founder of the No Kill Advocacy Center, I am certain the goal is achievable. In the first part of this story, I hope to share the basic concept of the No Kill program and the simple changes shelters and rescue groups can make to drop their euthanasia rate. In the second part of the story I will discuss the infrastructure changes that must be made for communities to bring their adoption rates to 90 percent or more. Cities such as Reno Nevada, Richmond Virginia, San Francisco California and Charlottesville Virginia have already achieved this goal and Kansas City is well on its way. Winograd is a graduate of Stanford Law School and the author of two books on the animal shelter system: Redemption and Irreconcilable Differences. He left law to write animal protection legislation and in 2001 he became the Executive Director of the Tompkins County SPCA. When he left that job in 2004, Ithaca “was the safest community in the nation to be a homeless dog or cat.” In 2004 he started the No Kill Advocacy Center, dedicated to the concept of a No Kill nation for healthy and treatable pets. Winograd wasted no time getting to the point of the No Kill movement. His first sentence was to dispel the myth that pet overpopulation is responsible for the killing of 4.4 million cats and dogs. He said instead it’s a combination of municipal animal shelters that do not have a primary goal of re-homing pets and a lack of marketing skills. Winograd said, “Shelters must get their share of people looking to adopt a pet.” Winograd: “It’s kind of a numbers game and most animal shelters and rescue groups are not getting their ‘market share’ of the large number of people looking for a new pet. There are 17 million people that add a new pet, or replace a deceased pet each year. There are 8 million animals that enter the shelter system. This should translate into a home for every healthy animal. But 80 percent of the people do not get their cat or dog from a shelter or rescue group.” Winograd: “Shelters must focus on marketing and adoption. If they increased their adoption rates by only 3 percent, all of the savable, healthy and treatable pets would find a new home. This is why HSUS and Maddie’s Fund have started the Shelter Pet Project. They understand how important it is to increase awareness and get homeless pets adopted.” How does a shelter begin to attract more potential adopters? Winograd: “They need to be more customer-friendly. They have to make it easier for people to adopt new pets and reclaim lost pets. The shelter in Reno used to close its doors at 4:30p.m. Then they did a study and found that most people worked until 5:00p.m. Now they stay open until 5:30p.m. and their adoption and reclaim of lost pets skyrocketed to 93 percent.” Reuniting lost pets is a big part of the No Kill movement, isn’t it? Winograd: “When Reno decided to stay open for an extra hour a day, they found that many of the animals believed to be strays were actually lost. They currently reunite 60 percent of the pets in the shelter with their owners.” Winograd: “Lost cats are an even bigger problem. Missing Pet Partnership.org says that it takes two-weeks for most lost cats to get caught and sent to a shelter. They hide until they are practically starving and when they are finally caught by Animal Control; most owners have stopped looking for their pet. And to make matters worse, many frightened pet cats act like wild feral cats and are euthanized before they ever get near the adoption area.” What other concrete things can shelters do to increase adoptions? Winograd: “They can do two specific things: bring adoptable animals closer to where people shop and live and simplify the adoption process. Most shelters are on the outskirts of town. It’s hard for people to get to them. People are more apt to adopt if the pets are in retail areas that are easy to find and pleasant to be around. That’s why stores like Petsmart and Petco are great. They let shelters adopt from their stores.” “The next part is something rescue groups could change. They need to rethink their adoption policies. Some groups make it so tough to adopt that they scare people away.” Part II of the No Kill story will discuss the infrastructure needed in a community to lower euthanasia rates. Is Pet Overpopulation Really Killing Our Cats and Dogs? Part I |
I ran across this guy's name (Nathan Winograd) last year while researching animal rights groups. I definitely think he is on the right track as far as the problem of pets in shelters goes. For anyone that's interested, here's the link to his web page....Nathan J Winograd |
Thanks for the info, Woogie Man! |
Part II In Part I of this story I shared excerpts from an interview with Nathan Winograd, director of the No Kill Advocacy Center about his equation to end the senseless killing of an estimated 4.4 million cats and dogs in our country’s animal shelters every year. The interview included some simple changes shelters and rescue groups could make to increase adoptions and drop euthanasia rates. Part II of this story will discuss the “mandatory programs” a community must implement to raise adoption rates to 90 percent and higher. One of the main principles of the No Kill equation is that animal shelters reject “kill-oriented” ways of doing business and implement innovative programs. Too many shelters refuse to try new ideas. They don’t see themselves as a service to re-home pets. They get accustomed to the idea that euthanasia is part of their job and lose sight that every life is precious. Animal shelters are needed to lead the way to get a community excited and energized. The No Kill website states, “The decision to end an animal’s life is an extremely serious one, and should always be treated as such. No matter how many animals a shelter kills, each and every animal is an individual, and each deserves individual consideration.” Currently there are No Kill communities in California, Utah, Virginia, Nevada, Kentucky and Indiana. Each has achieved a 90 percent or higher rate of adopting homeless pets and reuniting lost animals with their owners. These are the two key principles of the No Kill equation. Here are the mandatory programs and services prescribed by the No Kill Advocacy Center: Feral Cat TNR Program A comprehensive trap-neuter-release program is needed to stop feral cat colonies from multiplying. High-Volume, Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Clinics Sterilizing pets is crucial to the program. Spay/neuter clinics must be located in areas that are easy for the public to reach. Rescue Groups Animal rescue groups are needed to take hard to adopt pets from municipal shelters in order to free up space for incoming cats and dogs. Foster Care Volunteer foster families are critical to the success of a No Kill city. They rehabilitate pets that are sick, injured, have behavioral challenges or are too young to be in a shelter. Comprehensive Adoption Program Animal shelters must meet the needs of the community so the highest number of pets gets placed into new homes. This may mean being open more hours, having offsite adoption centers, offering incentives, making adoption policies more flexible and improving overall marketing of homeless pets. Pet Retention Shelters must take an active role in keeping animals with their human families. They need to be a resource center that can solve behavior problems, give advice and do whatever it takes to keep companion animals in their homes. Medical and Behavior Programs Animal shelters need to implement policies for vaccinating, handling, cleaning, socializing and sterilizing pets. They must also provide for the veterinary care of sick and injured animals. Public Relations/Community Involvement This boils down to educating the public through ongoing marketing that there are lots of pets to adopt. Community involvement encourages partnership with local agencies that can assist a shelter meet their goals. Volunteers Volunteers are needed in every department of an animal shelter. Their expertise can make the difference between the success and failure of a program. Proactive Redemptions One of the most overlooked areas for reducing euthanasia rates is reuniting lost animals with their families. Shelters that actively work to return pets have seen the most dramatic change to their lifesaving numbers. A Compassionate Director To complete the No Kill equation a humane shelter director is needed. That person must be willing to lead a community and implement new policies and programs in order to save lives. If your community would like to adopt the No Kill equation, the organization offers seminars to show you how to get started. Currently seminars are planned for: Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Washington. Click here for details. To summarize, the No Kill Advocacy Center dispels the myth that pet overpopulation is the cause for the euthanasia of 4.4 million animals in shelters annually. They claim 17 million Americans add a new pet to their family every year, but 80 percent do not adopt from a shelter. If shelters put more effort into marketing the cats and dogs in their care, they could get a larger portion of the public to adopt from them, instead of buying animals from places like retail pet shops. This would dramatically drop the number of animals euthanized. As a result it would also decrease the demand for puppies and kittens that are purchased from pet shops and ultimately lower the number of animals born in large-scale breeding facilities such as puppy mills. If you live in a community like mine, the No Kill concept may seem like a fairytale. But there are cities that have achieved this goal and I hope you will be inspired to start the program in your area, as well. Is Pet Overpopulation Really Killing Our Cats and Dogs? Part II |
GREAT article. I'm going to check out this guy's books right now. |
Wow, this guy has some great ideas. I really hope we can be successful in implementing them. |
The part about rescues making it easier to adopt is also true of many rescues over here. Many people have gone to adopt a pet only to find themselfs classed as unsuitable due to working, young children etc. One person on another forum was refused because they were a, not active enough. b, too active. c, not enough land [ 5 acres is not enough]. d, no experience of the breed, even though they already owned one. Forsome people their faces just dont seam to fit. |
I don't want to start a big debate here, but I agree. One poster here was rejected for an adoption, but then ended up getting selected because the first choice adopter did not even show up to pick up the dog. So that rescue's criteria may have been very stringent, but apparently did not screen out someone who wasn't very interested in adopting and not even responsible enough to notify anyone of their change of heart. I've ordered Winograd's latest book off of amazon: Amazon.com: Irreconcilable Differences: The... It looks like he has two books out. |
Hmmm...I agree with the ideas this man has except for the part about rescues being more lenient. Rescued dogs IMO, are different than any other dogs. Dogs that have been through a rough life (and most rescues have) often don't have many chances left. It's imperative their new adoptive home be their last home.....one in which they are loved, cherished, and provided for in the most stable of homes. |
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I so agree with this! The following info is quoted from Valley Dogs Rescue, with whom I worked to place Ambrey (the pit bull :), love her!): The national average: Only one in ten animals remains with its adoptive family for life. That is a staggering and unacceptable statistic. The remaining nine get tossed around through multiple homes, taken to the pound, lost, or worse. It is so tough on these animals to be "tossed around". Omg, when I left Ambrey at her new, forever home...she went crazy when I left, bc we became so attached to each other. A rescue dog should not have to go through this over and over, and that's why it's so important that rescues find the *right* home. So, I don't think rescues should change this practice -- perhaps they just need to do a better job of communicating WHY they are so choosy, so that their choosiness doesn't alienate clients - rather, it helps the client identify w/ the fact that the choosiness is about the *animal*, not the client. This article is GREAT! |
Well, let's keep in mind that not all rescues have been traumatized. I remember a recent ad from the ASPCA that featured a talking dog who had just been abandoned (loosely quoting): "I'm not neurotic or sick. That's a stereotype. I just belonged to a total loser." I think different rescues can have different goals and different placement criteria. The rescue I volunteer at does not have particularly stringent criteria, but it still has an excellent permanent placement rate. I believe this is (1) because they have the right criteria, and (2) because generally, while they will take dogs with severe physical problems if they are fixable, the most of the dogs have good temperment. I agree that dogs that have emotionally scarred need careful placement. I also believe that it's relatively easy to assess this if the dog is in good physical health. There are multiple sides to this issue. Of course the dog's wellbeing is the most important thing. I think that can be acknowledged while also acknowledging that a lot of rescues are not professionally run, and do turn people off to what can be a very positive experience (not pointing any fingers here). I've seen other people get put through the wringer for rescues. When I first joined here, I was thinking about getting Thor a sister, and I emailed a rescue explaining that I wanted a female yorkie that was smaller and younger than Thor so they'd have the best chance of getting along. I'm sure I sounded dumb, and like a million other people looking for tiny female yorkie puppies, but the person I emailed took it upon herself to inform me that as a small yorkie, Thor would die young. I did not in any way ask for her opinion on this matter - it was just her way of discouraging me from looking for a teeny. Again, I am all for rescues. I know that I personally will ONLY get a "pre-owned" pet. However, I think it's really important that everyone in animal care understand where they can do better. Nobody and nothing is above criticism. Why would a rescue not want to learn where they can do better, and why would they not consider whether their screening process could be improved? Two key words in "my" rescue's motto are Respect and Humility. I think this is so important. This doesn't mean that staff members have not gotten nasty Yelp! reviews from disapointed adopters, because they have. In any situation where people are rejected, there are going to be hurt feelings. I think it's even more important because of that to be gracious, conscientious, and fair. Also, just to be fair, Thor falls into that 9 out of 10 statistic, because I am his second owner. However, I would not characterize him as being "tossed around". |
Excellent post, Quicksilver...:thumbup:....and good on you for your volunteering. Also, your quote, "I'm not neurotic or sick. I just belonged to a total loser." would make a great t-shirt for some shelter/rescue dogs :D The national average that Ann cites is scary to think about. I truly hope that it's way off. |
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I agree with everything being said here. I think that adoption centers need to be stringent - if it was me, I would be too. But I think another big part of the solution would be to employ an animal behaviourist who could work with the new owner and explain the dog's behaviour. Then maybe the new owners would be able to make sure that the dog fit with them and they with the dog. When Cash was about 5 months old, he drove me insane. He peed on my pillows, he would get into the garbage and spread it all over the flat, he would run away with my clothes when I try to get dressed (it's only cute when you are not in a hurry!) and he never listened to me. I very nearly gave him away. I was so close to the breaking point. But I decided to use half of my allowance (student) to get Cash some more training. We joined a clicker training class and now he is my best buddy. Btw, he came from a terrible breeder who hacked off his tail with a blunt knife, so he had his fair share of issues! Sorry for the long post. My point is this: We need to educate the community on dog behaviour and dog training and then maybe the new owners will be able to keep their new dogs. |
yessss i work in an animal shelter... poor little babies who dont get adopted and euthanized! :( |
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