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No More Homeless Pets Forum
June 30, 2003 Quality of Life for Shelter Animals |
Francis Battista of Best Friends Animal Society will answer your questions about long-term animal sheltering. Shelters that hold animals for longer periods need to be sure that the animals are happy and healthy.
Introduction from Francis Battista:
How can you provide good quality of life for animals at your shelter? As one of two directors of animal care here at Best Friends (Faith Maloney is the other), I am charged with making sure that the animals are provided the highest quality of care possible in a sanctuary setting. To do this, we assess facility design, staff procedures and general clinic operation. Over the years, we have worked under circumstances ranging from a small staff and little money to a large staff and an ample budget.These standards have continued to evolve over the years, just as veterinary medicine, training techniques and the benchmark for acceptable care has evolved. What Faith and I do, as two of the founders of Best Friends, is to make sure that the upper level of sanctuary management is in touch with day-to-day operations and that any staff member has access to senior staff if they have any concerns related to a specific animal or general care protocols.
We also address questions and concerns from volunteers who might have a negative interaction with a staff person or an objection to a particular sanctuary protocol.
I'll be happy to answer your questions this week about caring for animals long-term.
Questions
Keeping kennels clean
How long is too long to cage an animal?
Cageless areas and social living situations
Shelter designs
Outdoor space for dogs
Giving animals "chill time" when they first come in
Exercising dogs on cruelty hold
Set up for cageless cat rooms
Proper shelter
Determining policies for a shelter
Handling other species at a shelter
What to feed animals
Cutting down on vet expenses
Going from all volunteer to paid staff
Keeping kennels clean
Question from Tad:
I volunteer at the local county animal shelter. I head up a couple of volunteer programs that are designed to help the animals get some one-on-one attention and I organize most of the adoption events and fundraisers. I spend a lot of time at the shelter.The question is quality of care. I do what I can to help and solicit others to volunteer and help out. My problem is the shelter manager who does very little to make sure the runs and cages are kept clean. Hours go by that animals are left with feces in their cages. They clean in the morning and not much else... leaving dirty runs during adoption hours. They often leave at the end of the day thinking someone has checked on the animals' water and cleanliness. Since no one MANAGES so to speak... the others just don't bother because it will all be there in the morning... so why bother now.
This is disgusting to me and screams poor quality care. It has been brought to the manager's attention that something needs to be done to supervise... not a whole lot of luck here other than the usual yeah, yeah, yeah. Some of the other staff do care and do strive to do a good job but it is not their position to manage.
In the end, it is the animals who suffer. What does a volunteer do in a situation like this? I usually will request someone come clean an area when I am there but that is only a short fix.
Response from Francis:
Tad, you are right to be concerned. Dirty cages are a disease concern, a public image problem, and a detriment to behavior. One of the reasons that the public avoids municipal shelters is because they find them depressing. Dirty cages are themselves depressing and reflect a lack of care by the staff. The cleaner and better-smelling the shelter, the more likely the public will come there to find a pet.Dogs and cats are, by instinct and human training, clean animals. They would prefer not to soil their sleeping area and when confinement forces them to do that they frequently get frantic or depressed... both conditions that work against their likelihood of adoption.
Preventing the spread of disease should be a primary concern of any shelter operation, and sanitation for shelter animals, just as for humans, is the number one way to control disease.
The larger problem here is to effect change in the management without alienating the manager or jeopardizing your volunteer position. Your best approach may be via a third party to a sympathetic county commissioner. A clean, well run shelter will cost the county less to operate than a dirty, poorly run operation for several reasons: 1) an animal that is adopted for a fee brings in money, while an animal that languishes at the shelter runs up costs on top of which is the cost to euthanize and dispose of a dead animal. That is all rather grim, but it's the kind of dollars and cents issue that commissioners understand and can get behind; 2) as a matter of community pride, a clean, bright shelter is much more appealing than a dirty one. Bottom line, the shelter staff are presumably being paid to do a job that they aren't doing.
Sadly, Tad, your shelter is not unique. What you describe typifies the difference between volunteers and time serving staff and is often a sore point.
How long is too long to cage an animal?
Question from a member:
I volunteer for a no-kill shelter and love that we are no-kill, but worry that some of the animals have been there way too long and now it is very difficult to place them. We have some dogs that have been there over a year and some cats that have been there 3 years. I feel this is too long to keep an animal in a cage even though we do try to give them exercise and socialization. What are your thoughts on how long we should keep animals in a shelter?Response from Francis:
A clear distinction needs to be made between shelter and sanctuary. A shelter really is a facility intended for short term occupancy that serves as a way station between at-risk situations for animals and a permanent home. A sanctuary is an appropriate environment for the long term and possibly lifetime care of animals.How long an animal should stay in a cage environment is a good question, but I would not be comfortable with more than a few months. If a program has animals staying long-term in cages, then they really need to make placement in foster or permanent homes their number one priority.
I realize this isn't always easy given that some animals have special needs or behavioral problems, but that is what the work of rescue is all about.
Depending on the location of your program, it may be possible and perhaps easy to create much better environments for the animals than cages, especially for the cats.
One organization, with which I am familiar in New York, had a bunch of dogs in small cages for years. It was very sad. A new director decided that job #1 was to rescue these dogs from their own program! They focused on training, trades with appropriate sanctuaries, special needs adoptions, and even acquired property in upstate New York to serve as a sanctuary facility for the most difficult. They recently ripped out those cages and have created a play area in its place.
The point of no-kill is not to simply keep animals alive. It is a commitment to whatever is required to find or create an appropriate alternative to killing animals as a means of population control. I don't believe that life in a cage constitutes an appropriate alternative.
Any program needs to be realistic about what it does well and stick to it. It is very easy to be led off-mission by well meaning volunteers, the promise of a big donation, or any number of pressures to handle a situation for which the program is not suited. Keep in mind that simply because we can't save every animal doesn't mean we shouldn't save the ones we can. However, if we overreach and try to save every at-risk animal we come across, we will soon be unable to save any at all.
I realize my answer goes beyond the scope of your question, but you raised a very good point. Another angle on this is that as a movement, the no-kill or no more homeless pets movement is moving beyond the concept of no-kill shelters to no-kill communities. Viewing the shelter in the larger context of the community in which it is located tends to change the way we think about the task at hand and the resources available. It also pushes us beyond the traditional boundaries of kill vs. no-kill into the territory of coalitions and broader community involvement which may create new opportunities for long-term animals in short-term facilities.
Cageless areas and social living situations
Question from a member:
I've been to Best Friends and really like how you have the dog and cat areas set up where it is cageless and the animals live in social groups. It seems like a very positive and enriched environment and I've heard it can reduce stress. We would like to do something similar in our shelter but don't have the space that you do or the facilities. Do you have any suggestions on how we could create a social living situation with dogs and cats in a small shelter setting? We want this to be positive and don't want to spread disease, create more stress, and have serious fighting.Response from Francis:
Good question.Without knowing the specifics of your facility, it is difficult to make specific suggestions. In answer to the previous question, I described how one urban shelter changed the dynamics of their operation by renting some property in a rural area that allows them to provide appropriate long-term care for dogs that have some issues. When they are adequately trained or have outgrown their problem, they are returned to the smaller city shelter for adoption.
With regard to cats, remember that cats make much better use of vertical space than dogs or people do, so cat facilities can be significantly enhanced by creating walkway and climbing areas that go floor to ceiling. It is also possible to build safe, inexpensive outdoor extensions to catteries that can be accessed through a cat door or window, depending on the building.
For dogs, it might be worth looking at the "doggie daycare" model for some ideas of providing an enriched environment in a limited space. In many daycare facilities, dogs are given extended playtime in compatible groups under close supervision and then returned to their kennels while other dogs get a chance. This is a high maintenance activity, however, and needs plenty of "human pack leader" presence, so that the dogs don't decide to work out leadership issues amongst themselves! If you don't feel your animal facilities are appropriate, then focus your energy on adoption and foster. The most positive thing we can do is to ready our animals for adoption, and then do our best to find new homes.
Sometimes a group can only afford a moderate-sized facility in an urban location so that it is easy for the public to find them or come by for an adoption. This usually means small animal areas. It may make sense to split resources and get something more rural as a place for the animals to live, along with an even smaller storefront operation to serve as an adoption outlet only.
The best way to prevent disease is to incorporate an intake area for animals with an unknown health background. This could be done with a helpful vet. If you don't have a solid history on a dog or a cat, or if you just pulled him or her from a shelter, you need to wait 10 days to two weeks before integrating that animal into your program as a disease preventive measure.
Shelter designs
Question from Kathleen:
I work with a rescue group that has been assisting our local county animal shelter in a variety of ways, from fostering, to volunteer staffing on weekends, to publicity. An expansion of the shelter facility is planned for 2005-2006, and I'm wondering if you can provide some suggestions on facility design that will: (1) help to minimize transmission of infectious diseases from sick to healthy animals; (2) enhance adoptions; (3) allow for a spay/neuter facility and medical treatment area that will be developed in the future.P.S. I'm from Albany, NY and graduated from NYU too!
Response from Francis:
Upstate New York is beautiful! A bit chilly in winter, but beautiful!Here are a few design tips from our experience:
1. All new animals coming from situations where you have no idea what they have been exposed to -- i.e., off the street, out of a shelter or arriving with no vet records -- should be separated from your general population for as long as two weeks, which is the outside incubation period for most viruses. In municipal shelters this is not always possible, but that is really the only way to control disease. Vaccination upon arrival helps, but isolation is the way to keep bad bugs from getting a hold in your facility. At the very least, puppies and kittens should be kept in clean areas with strict observance of vet-approved sanitation standards. It is also a good idea to have a quarantine area for treating and containing really bad stuff like parvo and distemper if it does appear. It's also a good design point to make sure that concrete floors are sealed and that individual holding kennels are isolated from neighboring kennels so that if a dog in kennel "A" breaks with parvo and has diarrhea, you can wash out that kennel without the fear of flushing contaminated water into adjoining kennels thus compounding your problem. I recommend getting in touch with a veterinary teaching college in your area (Cornell) and ask for a tour of their veterinary hospital. It will be a real eye-opener regarding procedures for disease prevention. If that isn't realistic, ask any recently experienced vet to look at your situation and draw up his or her ideal facility from a health point of view. Obviously, you won't be able to build to that standard, but you can aim in that direction.
If you are a small group working out of one or more private homes, health standards can be enhanced by designating certain rooms for certain uses and observing health precautions, like putting on a dedicated smock when handling sick animals or bottle babies and having a step-through disinfectant tray to prevent tracking disease on your shoes (a cat litter tray with a towel soaked in a mild bleach solution works great). Frequent use of disinfectant soap scrub or the use of disposable gloves will also help a lot.
2. Adoptions are enhanced by a) clever, proactive promotions using the media; b) very friendly facilities; and c) courteous, helpful staff and volunteers - not necessarily in that order. The use of glass walls rather than wire caging in adoption areas helps cheer things up. A "get acquainted" area that is homey and informal helps people and animals relax, as does an outdoor play area where a dog can get to know their new person in a more realistic way, or get to meet the other dog of the house on neutral territory. A cat adoption room with toys, cat furniture and climbing areas will help the cats to show better than they do in a cage. A great model for a pet adoption center is the Maddie's Adoption Center of the San Francisco SPCA. They show animals for adoption in glass-walled rooms furnished like your living room and feature details such as a small hole in the wall near the door where a dog can get a chance to sniff a guest before they enter the room. All potential adopters are accompanied by staff or volunteers who make the introductions. Shelter design (FYI, Best Friends operates a sanctuary, not a shelter) has made quantum strides in recent years and there are some great examples of wonderful new facilities out there. A little Internet research will go a long way.
3. Regarding plans for a future vet facility, I would recommend visiting various new vet clinics in your area and getting an idea of what you want and will be able to include. You will also need to decide whether the proposed clinic will serve the public with low-cost spay/neuter, etc., or will only serve shelter animals. If you plan to serve the public, then you will need a waiting room and be able to recover public animals in a dedicated area. If you are only serving shelter animals, then a waiting room is not necessary. If the proposed veterinary facilities are not expected to take shape for 5 to 10 years, then allow room for what may not be a must-have component of an adequate facility today, but may well be regarded as standard in 10 years. Also, plan for more offices than you think you will need and for more parking.
Hope that helps.
Outdoor space for dogs
Question from Mary:
In terms of outdoor space for groups of dogs, what size fenced area do you feel is adequate? For instance, let's say we have four 50-lb. dogs that get along well together. How large a fenced area should they be maintained in if they spend the day outdoors?? Can you give us general guidelines & tips on how to keep the dogs happy & healthy? Any tips on handling fence jumpers and diggers? How does Best Friends maintain their large population of dogs?Response from Francis:
Ideally, you would want a space large enough for a dog to be able to get up to a full speed run for a few seconds at a time... think modest back yard. At the sanctuary where we have lots of space, we try to make sure that all runs are 80' long. Since our dog facilities are octagon shaped, the runs that go off from them are sort of pie shaped...narrow at the building end and wide at the far end with 80' from the octagon to the far end of the run. While it would be nice to provide something in that range, it is not necessary. An idea that we have found that greatly enhances a dog's sense of fun and quality of life is to add a common run accessed by several compounds via gates. This serves as an exciting "recess" area that breaks the monotony of a single compound, however large, and gives them an opportunity for either group play or for sniffing around after other dogs. You'd be amazed at the effect this has on the dogs! The opportunity to tear through a gate is just like a bunch of kids in school when the bell rings! Arrangements like this that break up the routine are really more important than sheer size, once you get beyond basic adequate space, so that an interesting small environment can be more enriching than a very large dull one. Other things that enhance life for a sanctuary dog is regular training and walks, even if they have large runs. Since Best Friends is blessed with so much space, one of the best things we have added this year is a 2-acre enclosed park where dogs can get to run off-lead without the danger of them chasing deer or heading off into the White Cliffs. Obviously, 2 acres is a lot. In New York City, fenced neighborhood dog parks can be as small as 50' by 25' and people and dogs love them.Healthy, happy dogs depend on high standards of cleanliness and attentive staff that not only maintain facilities and walk dogs, but also have a knowledgeable eye in terms of early warning signs related to health issues. A dog's weight, coat condition and ease of movement should be a part of the staff's daily observations. If an animal is in one's care for life, then we need to make sure that she gets the kind of veterinary care that she would if she were a household pet, as well as having an interesting and stimulating life.
With regard to jump-proofing a fence, the best thing to come along in this regard is a product called the Coyote Roller. It is designed to keep coyotes from climbing into your fenced yard, but it also keeps escape artist dogs from climbing out. See the design at www.coyoteroller.com. Very clever and probably something that one could make a reasonable facsimile of rather cheaply if you can't afford the real thing. The other successful design is a high fence with a top section that is tilted inward to prevent a climbing dog from making it up a straight fence.
The easiest anti-digging design is to bury a 3 foot section of fencing alongside and perpendicular to the main vertical fence and a few inches below the surface so that when the tunneler goes up to the fence and begins to dig down, he quickly hits another fence that prevents him from heading further to China.
Giving animals "chill time" when they first come in
Question from a member:
One of the things I always worry about in our shelter is that when a new animal comes in, we give the animal his shots, do a medical check, temperament test him, and throw him back in a kennel or a cage.The animals don't have any "chill" time to adjust to the noises and smells and I feel that temperament testing them and putting them immediately in a kennel with a bunch of barking dogs or a cage with other cats isn't fair to them. How do you handle your introduction process of new animals and do you have any suggestions on how we can improve ours?
Response from Francis:
We have separate intake holding areas for dogs and cats. Depending on what we know of the health history of an animal (see one of the previous questions), the dog or cat will stay in this halfway situation for up to two weeks. Since most of our arrivals are from other organizations that have had the animal for a while and we have relatively complete medical records, our intake period is usually shorter and aimed at observation and acclimation where they get a chance to adjust to a new diet and we get to see if they have any surprise behaviors once they get used to all the noises and smells.I agree that temperament testing in the conditions you describe can be misleading and can unfairly label an animal. Temperament testing is only a tool that points to what areas may need working on, or what type of situation an animal may be best suited for. It should never be used to condemn a dog.
Here are two brief stories:
Godfrey came from a city shelter. The person who adopted him did so because Godfrey was the most calm and well-behaved dog in the entire shelter. Well, as soon as Godfrey came home, his full personality was unrolled for all to see. It was quickly evident that Godfrey was a frantic, neurotic fruitcake -- totally lovable, but a complete fruitcake! Although she didn't get the dog she thought she adopted, she came to love and cherish Godfrey for years.
Navajo was the last dog remaining unadopted at the LA City shelter booth during a recent super adoption that we hosted in Los Angeles. She didn't have a name then, but was just a small, hyper female shepherd mix who, while on lead at the adoption fair, lunged and barked at every dog that passed by... not a good sign. It was so bad that the volunteer who was handling her, a man with a lot of adoption experience to his credit, took her back to the truck to sit in the cab with him and wait for the inevitable ride back to the pound. Her lunging and barking not only worked to her disadvantage, but also set off other dogs, which wasn't fair to them. When they were packing up and getting ready to leave with this one poor dog heading back to the city shelter, I was asked to take a look at her as a candidate for Best Friends. I recognized her behavior as identical to my own Alpha female shepherd, Roxy, who is completely obnoxious to strange dogs. I took her back to the sanctuary and after the requisite holding period and a name change to Navajo, she is doing wonderfully well in a group of 5 energetic young dogs. She is beautiful and highly adoptable.
Exercising dogs on cruelty hold
Question from a member:
I volunteer at a humane society that does cruelty investigations. They do not allow the dogs being held for cruelty to be walked, because they are afraid of liability and because the dogs are part of a case. But sometimes the cases go on for 8 months to a year and the dogs never get out of their cages during that time. I think that is as cruel as the reason the dogs were taken in the first place! Do you have any ideas on how I could change the Director's mind about this and allow the dogs to be walked at least for a small amount of time. Also, do you have any recommendations for much exercise each dog should get each day?Response from Francis:
The obvious answer would be an enclosed play area on the humane society property. Another possibility might be to find out what the cost of a rider on the humane society's standard public liability insurance policy would be to cover off-site activities. If the organization doesn't feel it can afford such additional coverage, then it might be worth making the raising of the money a special volunteer project. Small, stand-alone kennels comprised of multiple panels of chain link, available in various heights, can be set up in a parking lot if necessary and with appropriate shade covering would at least be a change of scenery!If the concern is that the impounded animal is being boarded by the city/county attorney's office and is therefore someone else's property, you might look into boarder's insurance.
As far as recommended exercise is concerned, it is impossible to generalize across all types, ages and health conditions of dogs. Some dogs can get all the exercise they need in a few minutes of furious free-play several times a day, while less motivated characters may need to be walked for twenty minutes to a half-hour twice a day. By nature, dogs are diurnal animals, which means they are most active twice a day... in the early morning and the early evening. So, minimally, some vigorous exercise at those times, as appropriate to size, age, and health of the dog, is advisable. Don't think that just because a dog sleeps most of the day that he is automatically bored. Someone once called the sanctuary concerned that she wasn't able to give her dog enough exercise because she lived in an apartment. Several times a day she would look at her dog and feel guilty that the dog looked bored and would take him for increasingly longer walks. Eventually she was taking the dog on 5-6 hours of walks per day and the poor thing still appeared bored. Well, he wasn't bored, he was exhausted! While a young, healthy dog could work virtually all day, it is not necessary for the health to do more than the need. Also, small breeds burn up energy faster than large breeds and need proportionally less exercise.
Set up for cageless cat rooms
Question from Jaime:
Can you explain how you go about doing a cageless area for cats? Specifically, I would like to know how you introduce new cats, how you know which cats will get along, how many cats is a good number to have in one room, and how you clean/disinfect things, because it seems like if one cat got sick, you have exposed all the others who use the same beds, food dishes, etc. How do places that use cageless areas successfully do this?Response from Francis:
The key to successful cageless facilities is:Thorough health screening before admission to the group and multiple areas or colonies based on health issues. Best Friends has health specific areas to prevent the spread of disease and to facilitate special care for each condition. So, cats with kidney problems are in the same area so that diet can be easily controlled and so that daily treatment is streamlined. All FeLV cats are together and isolated from other cats, etc.
If a cat is admitted into general population, we are pretty confident of its health profile so as to minimize any disease risks. At Best Fiends, all arriving cats are isolated for a period of time, up to two weeks depending on what we know of their history. This is to allow any viruses that they may be carrying to manifest. They are also screened and tested for FIV/FeLV. They are then integrated into the colony appropriate to their health/behavior profile, so we don't mix known carriers of a virus with healthy cats. Likewise, if a cat is very dominant or aggressive, we will shuffle him around until we find the colony that works best. In some cases, not uncommon with de-clawed cats, a new cat is so stuck into fear/aggression that they can only function well in a staff office and need to be adopted as an only cat.
As far as space is concerned, we average around 25 cats per colony or area. The average area consists of a 14' x 16' interior area with lots of vertical build out, including elevated kitty walkways, cubbies and climbing posts; and a 20' x 24' outside area that has a sealed concrete floor, 1"x 2" mesh fencing to a height of eight feet, and an open rafter area -- again, with lots of vertical access and climbing posts. There is a human sized door and two cat doors, one at ground level and one at about 9' up accessible via a kitty walkway indoors and a platform in the rafters outside. Lots of toys, beds, litter trays, etc. Also, lots of cleaning! A good floor surface for interiors is high quality (I think they call it hospital grade) vinyl flooring or linoleum sheeting. It should be coved or curved up the walls to at least 1 foot and caulked at the top. This prevents litter or cat spray from collecting in corners and makes cleaning much easier. A very mild bleach solution (one oz. bleach to 1 gal. water) will kill all relevant viruses and will not harm the cats.
Proper shelter
Question from Mary:
I have volunteered at a local animal sanctuary for a very short time, about 2 months, mainly cleaning pens. It was started by an individual, is still run by him, and carries his name. He means well, but the animals (dogs and cats), are not getting proper vet care or shelter. The dogs are kept in a large fenced area, half of them loose together, and half of them kept two per kennel, with one doghouse; the row of kennels runs along one side of the dog yard. The dogs in the open yard have no shelter (there is a row of doghouses along the opposite fence, but I have never seen the dogs use them).The cats are all in one fenced area together, with several small sheds/buildings that are actually quite comfy, except when it gets really cold. He has grand plans in his mind, but is not a "detail oriented" person, and as far as I know, makes no solid long-term plans. He just figures things will happen. The Board of Directors is essentially nonexistent, with no power. There is a small group of us volunteers that have come to understand his personality, and are working on projects without waiting for him to participate, like advertising in the newspaper, putting up posters, etc. Our biggest concern is proper shelter for the animals this winter. We live where we get A LOT of rain (no snow, thank goodness). We do not know how to tackle the issue of getting shelter/heat for the animals. Is there anything we can do, short of actually building a facility, for which there is no money, to get through the winter?
Response from Francis:
Not having a firsthand experience of the situation you describe, it is difficult to comment knowledgeably, so please excuse me if I am offtrack. Clearly there are problems here, but at least this is not a situation where the animals have a pseudo life in small cages.A couple of observations and a couple of points:
If you live in an area where it doesn't get cold enough to snow, then I would be less concerned with heating for the winter than with some type pf shelter that provides cover from the rain; raised, dry sleeping areas; and protection from wind. A great improvement could be made for not much money. Historically, dogs as working animals... hunters, herders, guard dogs, etc., survived for thousands of years in the Northern Hemisphere without heat and often without what we would regard as adequate shelter. Obviously, older dogs, or very short-coated breeds need special consideration.
Lack of protection from the heat and the sun is another matter and could be more of a problem, but something that offered wind/rain protection could also provide adequate shade, if oriented properly. However, the dogs do absolutely need a place to keep dry if they want to. While such marginal habitat may disturb the domesticity in you and me, it is not really a critical issue for the average healthy dog. Of course, we want our friends to have the best possible lives and all the benefits of home. Until that is a reality, adequate, insulated dog houses can be easily and inexpensively built by sandwiching plywood and one inch foam insulation for the walls, a slanted roof with roofing material and a floor that is raised off the ground on 2x4's. There are also the insulated doggie igloos that work well. Another idea is straw-bale housing. These are less functional in the rain, but can be covered with tarps. Leo Grillo at D.E.L.T.A. Sanctuary has perfected a straw bale design dog habitat. Look him up on the web.
Living as a pack is not a problem for the dogs unless there are serious fights. It is a problem in terms of readying the dogs for adoption and helping to move them along to permanent homes, which raises another point: the environment you describe doesn't sound like it is very user-friendly for the pet-adopting public, which again doesn't help the animals. Moving the animals into permanent homes should be a priority
Group living for cats is fine as long as every cat is fully health-screened before being integrated into the colony, but that doesn't sound like that is your protocol here. Again, in the climate you describe, cover from the rain is more important than heat.
Inadequate vet care is distressing and should be addressed. Even a monthly visit from a farm vet would go a long way.
The larger problem here seems to be lack of planning and a lack of understanding of what the public expects and will support as opposed to what the animals need to live adequately in their own terms.
If a sanctuary only offers marginal care, then why should the public give money to support facilities? If everything the sanctuary strives for, however, is first class, then people will happily support new and better facilities. Dogs and cats, and people too, can survive in marginal environments, but we expect more and want to give them more. If a facility is clean and well run, the animals will thrive and people will want to adopt and support it which will make room to rescue more animals.
I hope that helps.
Lack of vet care is another question.
Determining policies for a shelter
Question from a member:
How do you determine your policies such as euthanasia, adoption, transferring animals to a rescue, etc.? Do you have a group of people who decide this and, if so, who should be on that committee and what criteria should they use to determine these policies?Response from Francis:
Euthanasia is a decision that is made by the kennel, cattery, bunny, horse or bird manager, the primary caregiver of the animal in question, and one of our staff veterinarians. The opinion of our veterinarians is given great weight since they are fully onboard with our mission.We have three adoption coordinators at dogs and three at cats. The kennel and cattery managers determine which dogs or cats are ready for adoption, and then the adoption team works to find them homes. Of course, every dog, cat, horse or bunny is potentially adoptable given the right person and situation, but animals with no behavior or health issues are normally what we mean when we talk about adoptions.
Animals are exchanged with high adoption local rescues based on our assessment of suitability of their animal for sanctuary life and our confidence in their program to place the exchange animal appropriately.
The policies guiding these decisions are based on the founding principles and practices of Best Friends, which is to always relate to animals as individuals and to always strive to improve their quality of life. So, getting them off the street or out of bad situations and into the group care of the sanctuary is an improvement. Getting them into a situation of more personal attention in a home should be another improvement if the adoption coordinator does their job well, exchanging an animal that is a problem for a local, adoption-oriented, rescue with several highly adoptable animals from the sanctuary should be an improvement for all concerned. And, finally, when it comes time to say goodbye to an animal that no longer has an appropriate quality of life, that too should be a good, if painful, thing to do.
While you don't need a committee to establish such basic principles, it may often require several individuals who share those principles to make a decision about a particular animal to help insure that personal agendas or emotions don't cloud important decisions.
Handling other species at a shelter
Question from a member:
We get a lot of other species, in particular rabbits and birds, surrendered to our shelter but don't have the room or knowledge to adequately care for them. Do you have any recommendations for how we can provide the least amount of stress and best care while they are with us when we have limited room and resources?Response from Francis:
This is a growing problem and I am glad that you raised it.More and more bird and rabbit rescue organizations are coming into existence in response to the need. One of the problems with birds is that unequipped shelters have frequently passed surrendered birds to breeders who frequently place that bird into their breeding program. This is not good for the bird or for the growing bird population.
I suggest that you go to the websites of the House Rabbit Society and the Avian Welfare Coalition and request guidelines for minimum appropriate care and recommended adoption procedures.
For guidelines you can also send an email to: rabbits@bestfriends.org and birds@bestfriends.org.
What to feed animals
Question from a member:
We can't afford to buy premium pet food and often have to resort to broken bag donations from grocers and pet supply stores. Some of our group have a problem with grocery store food. What does Best Friends feed the animals?Response from Francis:
After many years of being dependent on donations from the larger pet food companies and a fair share of broken bags, etc., Best Friends began purchasing a premium brand several years ago. While this certainly makes us feel better, I am not yet sure of the actual health benefits, since most of the animals that were eating whatever we could round up lived long, healthy lives and died of old age!We used to laugh when we would stop by some kind old lady's home who wanted help with a feral cat. We'd see her own groups of ancient healthy cats and ask what she fed them. Invariably, she would name a standard grocery store brand that most rescuers would turn their nose up at.
That being said, I personally believe that a high quality diet is very important. I think that raw diets and vegetarian diets for dogs are great although unpractical when feeding hundreds of animals. A diet has to be palatable and the animals have to eat it. Remember, if they won't eat it, it ain't food!
Bottom line - avoid generic food like the plague, but most major grocery store brands are fine. Move up scale as you can afford it.
Many food purists will be horrified by this advice. Sorry, I've seen too many animals around here outlive the dirt to be too fussy.
Cutting down on vet expenses
Question from a member:
We visited Best Friends and were very impressed with your veterinary clinic. Vet care is our biggest expense (we are always running up bills) and would really like to know if there are ways to cut down on vet expenses.Response from Francis:
Glad you asked! In some states, it is illegal for anyone but a vet or vet tech to give a vaccine or injectible medication, so check on your state and local laws before pursuing this suggestion.A vet who is onboard with your program is your best asset. In our early years, we were so remote that we had to learn basic nursing procedures because the vet lived almost 2 hours away. Our vet at the time was very generous with his knowledge and taught us how to do basic nursing care which meant that we saved on all the usual boarding and per pill or shot anti-biotic shots that usually cause bills to skyrocket.
There are also any number of less glamorous "old school" remedies that are cheap and effective. What you should absolutely learn, if you don't already know, is how to give fluids and vaccinations (if permitted by local law). Many transient problems that rescuers encounter, i.e., mange, URI, minor wounds, ringworm, can all be treated at home rather inexpensively under the supervision of a helpful vet. Most of the meds or home remedies for these problems cost a fraction of what treatment at a walk-in vet would cost.
If you are a good customer and pay your bills, most vets will be glad to help you save money because they are confident that a rescuer (unlike some actual owners) will spare no expense when life saving treatment or surgery is needed. A responsible rescuer should be a vet's best customer so a little help in keeping costs down isn't out of order.
Going from all volunteer to paid staff
Question from a member:
We are an all-volunteer rescue/adoption organization and we recently began renting an out-of-business boarding facility as a shelter and adoption center. As an all-volunteer operation we are finding it very difficult to keep up with all the cleaning and be able to manage public adoption days. Any advice?Response from Francis:
Transitions from one type or size of operation to another are always very difficult because they challenge us to think in new ways and often highlight the fact that skills and virtues that made for success at one level don't work at another. Being an all-volunteer operation is wonderful. It means that all your resources go directly to the animals. The problem is that volunteers usually have other lives and jobs, meaning that some aspect of the animal operation may get shortchanged. If the public that is coming to adopt a pet starts to be regarded as a nuisance or an obstacle to all the work that needs to be done, then you really have a problem.My advice is to hire quality kennel staff to make sure that the day-to-day work gets done, and to be sure that the adoring, adopting public is well taken care of by your volunteers.
You may say that you can't afford kennel staff. If that is the case, then I would recommend that you rethink having a kennel facility and consider going back to an all-foster or boarding rescue format. If you have a kennel then you can't afford not to have paid kennel staff. The new job for the founder/volunteers who used to clean and mop is now to fundraise and promote the organization. Transitions to new models usually mean new jobs for everyone involved, which is why transitions are difficult.
Probably more than any other thing, Best Friends owes its success to an ability to transition from one phase of our growth to another. There was a time when we had no paid staff, almost as many animals as we do now, and all of us who are the founders of the organization were on deck with the animals everyday. It was great, but it was not a viable long-term model. So, we had to transition into a new mode that put most of us into fundraising or outreach work and we had to hire kennel staff. It was difficult, but it worked. It worked for the animals.
