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No More Homeless Pets Forum
January 6, 2003 Working With Animal Control |
What is the role of animal control? Ed Boks, director of Maricopa County Animal Care and Control in Phoenix, AZ, discusses his revolutionary vision of the lifesaving role of animal control and shares advice on working more effectively with your local animal control agency.
Introduction from Ed Boks:
Without question, every municipal animal control program in the nation should take the lead to transform their local jurisdictions into no-kill communities. Too often, local animal controls resist a leadership role, citing inadequate staffing and budget. In Maricopa County, we've found those arguments don't hold up. When a local animal control program commits to the no-kill vision, their community will respond in the most amazing ways, in volunteer hours, donations, grants, and many other ways.In the same way, local residents, non-profits, and corporations wanting to achieve no-kill in their community must align their efforts and resources to support the efforts of animal control. If you want to stop the killing, help the agency where the killing occurs, which is also the agency that can't stop the killing without your help!
Not long ago, Maricopa County was considered the worst county in the United States as far as animal care and control. We were despised by the community, viewed as ineffective, and even cruel. Today, Maricopa County Animal Care & Control is seen as one of the most progressive and innovative programs in the nation. We've become the number one pet adoption agency in the world (22,000 adoptions annually), and our euthanasia rate is the lowest it's been in the 30 years we've tracked that number. We are on track to transform Maricopa County, home to 3.3 million residents and 24 of the fastest growing cities and towns in the country, into the first major metropolitan no-kill region in the United States. If it can be done in Maricopa County, it can be done anywhere.
Questions
Mediating disputes between arguing groups
Working with animal control instead of against
Costs to pick up, house, and euthanize animals
Another method for determining costs to pick up, house, euthanize
Is "no-kill" term misleading and confusing?
Soliciting donations as Animal Control
Creating a trust fund for AC
Roles of animal groups and meeting community expectations
Focusing on the Care in Animal Care and Control
Pet limit laws
Gaining support of county government and the community
Getting county government to enact change
How do you get the right person as a director?
Convincing officials "no kill" is cost effective
Adopting pitbulls
AC promoting spay/neuter
Getting groups to the table to begin talking
Members Respond: Comments on various topics
Working with rescues and animal control
Mediating disputes between arguing groups
Question from Member:
I'm an Animal Control Officer from a small town. I have a small pound with very limited space but we are no-kill because animals are released from the pound to an animal rescue group after being held for 5+ days. We do not take in surrendered animals and I'm the sole person that takes care of the animals.I'm constantly in the middle of a war between the city (and the police dept that animal control is run from) and the animal rescue group. The rescue group thinks that the city is uncaring. The city on the other hand thinks the rescue group is a bunch of bleeding hearts.
At some point these two groups came together and worked out the deal for the rescue group to take the animals in return for a small amount paid to help cover cost (about $7 per animal).
Things are starting to reach a boiling point between the two groups and I don't think I can stop it anymore. If it isn't stopped, animals that don't have to will die.
What more can I do? How can I get them to see again that they are helping each other still and that they don't have to personally like each other for this to work?
Response from Ed Boks:
Your situation reminds me of the final line of Casablanca, when Rick says, "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."To maintain this friendship everyone must stay focused on how far you've come. You've already achieved the goal! Now everyone needs to recognize the fact that they have transitioned into a maintenance mode. Most organizations don't realize the difficulties they will encounter when transitioning from battle mode to maintenance mode. This is a military truth. It's one thing to take possession of a strategic hill on a battlefield; it's entirely different to maintain that hill after it's won. Maintaining a victory requires a totally different skill set.
Too often organizations, and individuals, are so conditioned to winning ground through combat that they continue to use those skills long after they have lost their value. The consequence of this pitfall is that they stand to lose everything they've won.
You have won the battle! Now it's important you don't lose the war because the victors don't know how to handle the victory!
You don't give any details as to the issue causing the relationship to reach a "boiling point". You do indicate, however, that this is a recurring problem.
My experience tells me the difficulties probably relate more to personalities than to process. The relationship between animal control and rescue organizations is not unlike a dysfunctional marriage; husband and wife stay together for the kids. In our case, of course, the "kids" are the animals. Things can become testy as both sides feel they have an exclusive on how things ought to be done. There will always be the temptation for one or the other partner to walk away, or to threaten to do so, but as long as the kids need them, it is unlikely either of the loving parents will do that.
But that doesn't mean the parents don't need help. As many dysfunctional marriages have discovered, mediation is a powerful tool for helping parties find resolution where none seems apparent. A certified mediator has many tools for bringing parties into a win/win agreement. I would suggest you ask the leader from each organization to agree to participate in a formal mediation. Select a certified mediator that both leaders agree to. This process will allow them to resolve whatever the recurring issue or issues are once and for all. Only then, I think, will you be able to get back to your beautiful friendship without these petty distractions! Congratulations on achieving no-kill!
Working with animal control instead of against
Question from Member:
I live in a community where Animal Control is hostile to citizens who call in complaints. One person was actually told that his name would be given to the dog owner (who was a pretty aggressive individual) if he ever called in again.People call in to Animal Control about dogs with "shelters" consisting of a barrel with ice slush in it; or a carport with wind and snow coming in on all four sides; or a doghouse far too small for a large dog to get into, and they are told by Animal Control that these are acceptable shelters. The system is so dysfunctional; I don't even know where to begin attempting to change it. Any ideas?
Response from Ed Boks:
I suggest you get more involved with your animal control. Does your animal control have a volunteer program? If so, join it. Schedule a meeting with the director or shelter manager. Ask them directly about the "complaints" you've heard. Complaints against local animal controls often take on a mythical, urban legend quality. Animal control tends to be the agency most people love to hate. I suspect that each one of these complaints can be explained if given the opportunity.I'm not saying there are no uncaring people in animal control. But I will say this: if a community is constantly attacking their animal control without understanding the constraints and restraints they labor under, then that animal control is being forced into a defensive mode where their reactions and responses may very likely appear uncaring. This happens when a community shifts animal control's focus away from animal care to having to defend themselves all the time.
I find prompt communication alone can dispel the misperceptions that seem to swirl about local animal control programs. Most programs don't have the resources to defend themselves against the onslaught of misunderstanding and misinformation. But that's not to say they don't have a responsibility to try. I recommend every animal control release a monthly newsletter in which they separate fact from rumor. Perhaps this is where you could help. Become a detective for animal control instead of against animal control. Find out how an allegation originates, and then report the facts to the community; explain why animal control can't always respond the way a community would like them to, or indeed, the way they, themselves would prefer to respond. Is it a staffing issue? A budget issue? A training issue? Only when you understand the reasons will you be able to identify a solution to the issues.
Sometimes rumors originate from a lack of training. An under-trained or new animal control employee dispenses inaccurate information. When a community is poised to believe the worst of their animal control, that mistake can take on a life of its own. When you multiply that by the number of complaints you cite, you can understand how an entire department is suddenly forced into deploying more and more of their insufficient resources into trying to counter act all the misperceptions rather than focus on the day-to-day duty of saving lives. Eventually, animal control people may take on a "hunkered down" mentality. That is, they will be reluctant to peak out of the foxhole for fear they'll be attacked again. This mentality is conducive to even more mistakes being made. When this happens, a community may find they have created a vicious cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies in which every negative thing they believe about animal control appears to be true.
If a community is serious about becoming no-kill it is imperative that their resources focus on helping the agency where the killing occurs, as opposed to attacking it. And that is the rub. Because helping is hard, attacking is easy.
Can your community help animal control develop a better training program? Or help develop a vibrant volunteer program? All the complaints you cite originate around the phoning in of complaints. Can the community, can you, help animal control develop a more sophisticated "call center" equipped with the resources and referral information they need to better triage and communicate to the community what they are able to do as well as what they cannot do?
To sum up, I suggest you not be so quick to believe every negative thing you hear about animal control. As your letter demonstrates, believing all those negative things has a very demoralizing effect. Get yourself into a position where you know and understand what is going on in animal control so you can help refute vicious rumors with facts, and as appropriate, help them find the resources they need to overcome and change the negative facts when they prove to be true.
Costs to pick up, house, and euthanize animals
Question from Member:
How does Animal Control determine how much it would cost to pick up, house and euthanize one animal? We are trying to find out how much it would cost our county per animal. They are going to need a lot of convincing that change is possible.Response from Ed Boks:
There is probably no more important exercise an animal control department can undertake than the analysis of service costs. It is the foundation of our success in Maricopa County. It is impossible to make critical business decisions without understanding how those decisions are going to be paid for. Only after you understand how funds come in and how funds are expended, can you begin to develop strategies for raising additional funds to cover the shortfall between what you are doing and what you know needs to be done.Because of the importance of this exercise, we contracted with a reputable accounting firm to conduct a cost analysis of all the services provided by our department. The objective of the analysis was to determine animal control's total costs of providing each service. We use an activity based cost methodology to analyze our services in accordance with general accepted accounting and costing principles.
Principal components of the methodology are identification of total animal control costs by activity, allocation and/or assignment of activity costs to services, determination of the total cost of providing a service, and division of total service costs by the number of units performed or projected to be performed to determine an average cost per unit of service.
Every service incurs both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are those which can be specifically or readily identified with a particular activity/service. Indirect costs are those incurred for a common or joint purpose benefiting more than one activity/service, and not directly assignable to activities/services benefited without effort disproportionate to results achieved. Indirect costs include department, division, and section administration and support costs.
All direct and indirect costs associated with providing services are identified in order to determine the total cost of providing services. Costs are analyzed and identified by activity and allocated to services which benefit from each activity. An allocation base is utilized for each activity that most appropriately represents the level of benefits provided or derived from the activity by each service. Costs allocated to each service are tabulated to provide the total costs of performing each service.
An average cost per unit of service for each service is then determined by dividing the total services costs by the projected number of service units to be performed.
If this sounds complicated, trust me, it is. That is why we contracted with professionals to conduct this analysis for us. Another benefit of letting the pro's do this for you is that it provides you with irrefutable numbers, which was key for us in renegotiating our contracts with the cities and towns in Maricopa County.
Another method for determining costs to pick up, house, euthanize
Response from a Humane Society in Florida regarding the costs to pick up, house, and euthanize animals:
Take total budget expenditure and divide by number of animals that come through the door, or take total budget and divide by number of days animals are there. Use the amount of money that fits your needs.
To determine euthanasia: total number of cc's that are needed for X number of animals then take an average + costs [payroll, building maintenance utilities, length of stay, treatment, vet bills ++]. I have seen costs average from $35 to $135.
Is "no-kill" misleading and confusing?
Question from Member:
I love the idea of no-kill, but there seems to be a downside to it, in practice. There is the 'fuzzy' definition of no-kill.For instance, no-kill means not killing the 'adoptable' animals, it does not mean "NO kill". People active on animal issues know the meaning of the term but it is a bit deceiving to the average person.
And, this causes a mixed, sometimes wrong message to come across. What is even more vague is the definition of 'adoptable'. That word is subjective, there are no standards followed by everyone as to what is adoptable. So, you can see that no-kill can become anything that anyone wants it to be, losing the true idea behind it.
Another thing that seems to be cropping up is the use of 'no-kill' as a way for rescue groups to sprout up that should not be rescue groups as they take in too many animals and eventually there is the need to then rescue those animals. Anyone can become a rescue group and they answer to almost no one. Animal collectors use the no-kill idea to validate their efforts, and now that no-kill is getting so much public support, these collectors, in turn, are supported by well-meaning people.
So, again, I love the idea, but it seems that charging ahead the way it is being done, and not establishing universal guidelines (or restrictions) first, has allowed for new problems.
Response from Ed Boks:
You are correct--in many communities the no-kill rhetoric has created an atmosphere of smoke and mirrors. In Maricopa County we are committed to eliminating the slight of hand by dealing with words with specific definitions and numbers that mean what they say. In Maricopa County, no-kill means no-kill.We have established guidelines and definitions for our community that I believe will work in any community. Our Guardian Angel program evaluates animals into five status levels. These five status levels are clearly and distinctly defined, as are the various strategies that address the needs of the animals in these different levels. Different status animals require different solutions. One size does not fit all. Not all animals fit the generally accepted definition of "adoptable", so we've expanded the definition to include the most animals possible.
Maricopa County does not focus on saving only "adoptable" (as defined by most no-kill organizations) animals. Our view is that most animals are or can be adoptable. We foster sick, injured, and sucklings, until they are adoptable. We enlist the public at large and relinquishing pet owners specifically to foster animals until they are adoptable. We provide dog obedience and agility training, and behavior counseling to help keep pets with behavioral problems and their people together.
Interestingly, we have not euthanized a treatable injured animal in over a year. We are much more successful in saving and placing injured animals than we are healthy, so called "adoptable" animals. As we tightened up the definitions and the guidelines, no-kill did not become a loose or fuzzy concept, losing the "true idea behind it"; it actually crystallized and became an achievable goal.
Maricopa County Animal Care & Control also developed a New Hope Program that allows us to work effectively with local rescue groups. As you say, "anyone may become a rescue group" in your community, but in Maricopa County you have to be a legitimate and reputable 501c3 organization, willing to undergo home inspections and submit monthly reports. We partner with over 60 rescue organizations by contract in Maricopa County. Our contract addresses all the issues you bring up and many more. Organizations that do not, or cannot, abide by the conditions of the contract are suspended from the program until they meet these requirements. Our New Hope program is very successful, saving over 3500 animals annually.
In closing, I would agree with you that the no-kill movement could be a joke, a game of numbers and words. But you have to let it be so. On the other hand, no-kill can be a very serious tactical and strategic plan. But again, you have to make it so. It's really up to the players in the community, but I would submit animal control is uniquely positioned to enforce the guidelines we all need for this to work! Which is why I harp on the fact that animal control must take the lead in a community for no-kill to really occur. Animal control is the benchmark, any other measure involves smoke and mirrors.
From Dan: Response to "no-kill" terminology
We use the word "life-oriented" and educate the community as to the reasons some animals must be euthanized with love and dignity because of the ultimate cruelty: pet overpopulation.Soliciting donations as Animal Control
Question from a Member:
I have read about your shelter and want to support similar evolution in my community.Currently our Animal Control agency is on a pretty tight budget. The volunteers make many suggestions, all of which are declined 'due to budget'. We can pretty easily get folks to donate cleaning supplies, disinfectants, leashes, etc. on a one- time basis; we have resistance when we ask donors to underwrite day-to-day supplies on an ongoing basis. What are your experiences?
Response from Ed Boks:
Maricopa County does not request, solicit, or accept donations to cover operational costs. That is the purpose of a department's budget and the responsibility of a department's management team to manage. We do, however, accept donations to support our life saving public programs, such as The Big Fix, STAR (Special Treatment And Recovery), FELIX (Feral Education and Love Instead of X-termination), and several others.My experience is that most communities want to relate to their animal control agency like a charity, like a humane society. But, for some strange reason, most animal control agencies refuse such assistance. We recognized we could not do what needs to be done by ourselves or within our limited budget. So we do everything we can to leverage and maximize our resources. We open the doors to volunteers and the community at large to feel invested in their animal control program.
Once the community recognizes you are responding to their concerns, chiefly, ending pet euthanasia, they respond in a big way. Maricopa County receives over $20,000 a month in unsolicited donations from people wanting to help fund our special programs. Because they know those programs make a difference, they know their donation makes a difference!
We recently formed our own 501c3 charitable organization called Friends of Animal Care & Control. This organization is made up of an incredible group of caring, committed citizens with fund-raising experience that want to make a difference. They are helping the community recognize that every dollar donated to animal control goes directly to saving lives and ending euthanasia. Not to operational costs, not to salaries, or overhead, or anything else, because we have an operational budget that covers all those things. So 100% of all donated funds can go directly to our special life saving programs. What other charity can make that claim?
People want to give where they can see their donation make the biggest difference. I submit no one can better maximize a donated dollar more effectively than an animal control agency willing to embrace the no-kill ethic, willing to go out on a limb and develop programs not covered by their mandates or budget.
If I can wax philosophical for a moment, for animal control to embrace no-kill is like a walk of faith. When you decide to walk in this direction, it is as though the universe conspires for you to succeed. But nothing happens until you make the commitment.
Creating a trust fund for AC
Question from a Member:
In some counties, Animal Control has a trust fund. We thought this was a good idea and we are asking our local Animal Control to set one up. However, they cannot see the benefit in having one. What are your thoughts on this?Response from Ed Boks:
The benefit is HUGE! Once our community understood we were committed to ending pet euthanasia the donations started coming in. Donated funds are typically designated for a specific purpose. It is important not to intermingle funds, especially donations, with operating funds. By establishing a trust fund we created a place to park all the donations so that they could never be tapped by county bean counters. During these difficult fiscal times, government budget folks are always trying to find every loose nickel in order to stay afloat.By creating our trust fund we can assure the public that not one donated dime will ever go into the County coffers, and that every cent will be used as directed by the donor. It is important to us to be able to demonstrate that level of integrity for the monies entrusted to us to help the animals.
Roles of animal groups and meeting community expectations
Question from a Member:
Assuming the future of companion animal welfare is for animal care and control and non-profit animal organizations to work together and not duplicate services, what programs do you think each entity should specialize in?Response from Ed Boks:
Well, that's an interesting question, and I think I may have a rather unique, and perhaps even unpopular, perspective for an answer. I'm of the opinion that the reason we have so many humane societies and animal welfare and rescue organizations across the United States is because local animal control organizations did not keep pace with their community's expectations for them.Most animal welfare organizations that I know of came into being out of frustration over animal control's inability to do what the community expected. This was not solely the fault of the animal control agencies, but of the government structure they were part of. Whether it was the local police department, sheriff's office, public health, waste control, or wherever animal control was put in the organizational chart, the decision makers never really understood the importance of animal control to their community.
Consequently, animal control was never a priority and as a result was typically under funded and understaffed, making it impossible to ever meet or even be aware of the community's expectations.
Communities responded by creating a plethora of animal welfare organizations to fill the gap that existed between the community's expectations and animal control's performance. It is my feeling that as animal control steps up to the plate and embraces both the animal welfare and control aspects of its charge, that the need for animal welfare and humane organizations will diminish over time.
Focusing on the Care in Animal Care and Control
Question from Member:
I notice that your county's agency is "Animal Care and Control". Just speculating here, but I'd reckon that in most communities, just the addition of "Care and" would constitute a sea change, a paradigm shift for which most municipal animal control agencies are not ready.Can you share how Maricopa County made this shift so that we can use some of those ideas to get animal control in our own communities ready for this change? I've always found it particularly remarkable in that your county is known nationwide [well, for those who watch "Cops", anyway :) ] as a "get tough" jurisdiction writ. crime. Or are the two unrelated?
Response from Ed Boks:
You are exactly right, and that is exactly how we described our addition of the word "care" to our name"; we called it a "sea change". Our mission, vision, and value statements also reveal a very different organization from what many people expect when they think of animal control. We like to say, "We're not your father's animal control."In 1998 we conducted a strategic planning session. At that time we identified five environmental issues. That is, five issues we needed to address in order to get and stay ahead of the curve with respect to what the community was expecting from their animal control agency. One of the issues was recognizing the public's demand for no-kill and animal welfare programs. We decided we would respond to that demand rather than run from it.
We also went back to our state statutes to better understand what the legislature really had in mind when our mandates were enacted into law. That was a real eye opener. It's amazing how we tend to see what we want to see in the law. For 30 years we had become expert at quoting all the statutes that had to do with enforcement and animal control. But what amazed us was the fact that the law had just as much emphasis on animal welfare and humane shelters as it did on animal control. But as an agency, we somehow never saw it until we took the time to go through this process.
Understanding the legislature's intentions and the community's expectations for us as an agency, made embracing "animal care" natural.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of developing a strategic plan for laying the groundwork for transforming an organization. Our strategic plan, mission, vision, and value statements can all be found on our web site.
Concerning Maricopa County's reputation for being tough on crime, you must be referring to our flamboyant Sheriff Arpaio, America's toughest sheriff. Actually, Joe Arpaio has a very big heart when it comes to animal welfare and we partner on many animal cruelty situations.
Pet limit laws
Question from Member:
I believe you made a statement during a talk once about the fact that laws made by municipalities restricting the number of animals people can own are unconstitutional. Can you expound on this and provide guidance for animal owners that wish to challenge their communities "2 dogs + 2 cats" laws (but without damaging humane agents' abilities to prosecute collectors or situations of inhumane conditions?)Response from Ed Boks:
I am not an attorney, but I do like to practice... It is my understanding that the state has no right to restrict ownership of personal property. In most states, pets are considered personal property. Ergo, the state has no right to restrict or limit the number of pets a person has. I'd be interested in the results of anyone challenging zoning ordinances with this argument.Quite frankly, I don't see how the number of animals someone cares for relates to cruelty. Someone can have 100 animals and care for them wonderfully. Another person can have one animal and not have the wherewithal to care for it at all. Cruelty laws should deal with deeds of commission and omission that affect the health and well being of animals, and not get into how many pets people have.
With respect to hoarders and collectors, this is a form of mental illness requiring therapy, not jail time.
Sylvie writes: Responses to pet limit laws
The Town of Cary in NC deemed it unconstitutional during a case we had last year.Peter, Attorney at Law from Buffalo, NY writes:
I would like to add that I agree with Ed's analysis from the property point of view. Another tack taken by municipalities is to restrict pets under the argument that too many jeopardize public safety, health and welfare. While this may be a good argument, a naked 5 cat limit, for instance, is probably arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion by the civic entity. Five cats could be a stretch in a one-room apartment, but no big deal in a 4000 sq ft house. Drafting a proper pet limit statute is not a trivial matter.Amy writes:
So, if we were to extend the argument further, does it stand to reason that Breed Banning could fall into the same situation? I can't count anymore the things we've been limited by because we are owned by an Akita!Dorathy writes:
Having been in law enforcement for ten years and having lived under strict zoning laws in two states, I believe the theory is that, just as you cannot park a tractor trailer in a residential neighborhood because it is a commercial vehicle, over a certain number of animals, you become a commercial enterprise. How legal this is, I am not sure. But any community has the right to restrict commercial enterprise.Anonymous comment:
So true, government cannot restrict how many cars I have but if I left my cars on the street with no tags and in disrepair I could be cited. Unfortunately, the law sees animals as property, so that is why I am using that analogy. Of course, to me, my friends are my friends and children.Gaining support of county government and the community
Question from a Member:
When you first started at Maricopa county AC&C, did you have the support of your staff, humane organizations, and other public agencies such as sheriff's department and county council members? If not, what did you do to win their support?Some local animal control agencies fall under sheriffs' departments, police, or health department's jurisdictions, and I know they aren't always cooperative in allowing changes.
Response from Ed Boks:
When I came on as director in October 1998, I did not have much support. Much of my staff was violently opposed to the new direction and vision I was advocating. Our county board of supervisors was openly ashamed of the department and wanted nothing to do with it. There was a long and bitter feud going on between the department and the local humane society. The Sheriff's Office wanted to take the department over. In short, everyone loved to hate animal control. It was under attack in the media and by the community continuously. We did not have a director survive more than two years in over a decade.So, what did we do to win everyone's support...? Results. It is difficult to argue against results. The problem is, when you're starting out in a hole, it takes time to develop results that demonstrate you are making a positive difference. First thing I did was to develop a strategic plan with staff. Then I began recruiting and assembling a competent executive team to help me. Then they began to recruit and assemble competent, like-minded people to help them. Then we developed a monthly newsletter to tell our story, combat rumors, ask for help, etc. All the while we stuck to the plan. The results we are seeing today are the results we could only envision in 1998.
Organizational development gurus say it takes two to three years to change a culture. The first two years were horrific, but slowly, over time we turned a corner. New staff came on board because of the vision, the old staff that survived, survived because they believed in the vision. The newsletter was a huge and important friend-raising tool. People in the community want to know what's going on inside the local animal control. Tell them, and they will respond.
To gain the support of the Board and County management it is important to be fiscally responsible, to stay within your budget. Difficult to do when you are under budgeted, but if you can generate donations from the public to develop popular life saving programs, county management and politicians will want to be associated with that and will support your efforts. So, in short, to turn a bad situation around, I think you must first have the vision, then you must have the team, and then you must be able to articulate the vision to the community to enlist their support. This takes time, but as you move forward, each year gets a little easier.
Getting county government to enact change
Question from a Member:
I am currently working on a coalition (made up of several community rescue groups) that was formed after our county shelter received some negative media attention regarding some of its practices. Our coalition has been working with the county government and with the shelter for six months trying to enact change, but we haven't yet witnessed any movement on the shelter's behalf on even the simple issues, such as posting the adoptable animals' photos online. How long should a coalition be patient in trying to deal with a shelter to enact change?In many of the shelters such as Maricopa that are enacting progressive animal care and control programs, it appears as though this is only possible if the executive leadership of the shelter has the vision and believes in such programs.
Response from Ed Boks:
That's a difficult question, and I don't have enough information to really advise you. I know from personal experience that for a shelter that is understaffed, loading pictures is labor intensive.It took us quite a while to get where we could handle it, and that was after we had garnered a lot of volunteer support.
Has your coalition invited the director's boss to a meeting to explain your strategic plan, and how your plan will benefit the department? You might want to start there. I don't know what difficulties the director labors under, so it is difficult for me to judge too harshly. However, once you get the director's boss (or board of supervisors) on board, I think they will help him/her find a way to work and play with you. Wish I could be more help. Good luck.
How do you get the right person as a director?
Question from a Member:
How can a community get the necessary leadership at the shelter to realize the vision that the community wants fulfilled?Response from Ed Boks:
Recruiting is an important skill in any organization. The key to success in animal control is to build a competent team. That typically starts with hiring a competent director that knows how to build a team.Sometimes the perfect person can be in plain site and nobody will see him or her. I started with AC&C in 1985. I applied for the director's position several times. I even left the organization once, for three years, because I didn't think I would ever get a crack at it. But eventually, with a lot of persistence, I was able to persuade our County Manager to take a chance on me.
So, I guess what I am saying is that although finding the right person is important, sometimes it is even more important to have someone in upper management with the courage and vision to identify the person in the organization, or perhaps in the community, with the heart and passion to make a difference, and then empower them to achieve their vision.
Convincing officials "no kill" is cost effective
Best Friends: We received similar questions from several members:"Can you elaborate on how to convince a county government that developing a 'no kill' philosophy and partnership is more cost effective? Do you have any statistics that you can share with us on your success?"
"It seems like taking a page to animal control which says, 'the findings of one county re costs...' could be a great lead-in for change in financially-strapped communities."
Response from Ed Boks:
In the early '90s, the State of Minnesota legislature commissioned a study that found that for every $1 invested in spay/neuter programs, $20 in animal control costs are saved over 10 years.You are quite right, one of the best ways to convince government officials that no-kill is the right thing to do is by demonstrating how it will save money, especially in these dire economic times.
We are fortunate in Maricopa County because we have leadership that embraces no-kill not because it's a money saver, but because it is morally the right thing to do. You can find our statistics on our web site. You will find they demonstrate that if you do the right thing, you will achieve the right kind of results: lower euthanasia rates, higher adoption rates, fewer impounds, and a community that loves their local animal control department.
Adopting pitbulls
Question from a member:
Do you adopt pitbulls and if so, do you have a hard time adopting them? Our animal control will not even adopt them out or let rescue groups adopt them out from their shelter. There are other breeds as well that animal control will not adopt, such as chows and rottweilers, because of their reputation. These breeds are automatically euthanized after their mandatory holding time.Response from Ed Boks:
We adopt out hundreds of pitbulls every year. I understand that many communities have problems with pitbull fighting and feel they have to take extraordinary measures to save these animals from such a fate. I'm just not inclined to think of death as a reasonable solution. There has to be a better way. Education, public awareness, enforcement; there are many things that can be done to help a community come to grips with pitbull fighting. I agree, such efforts are much harder to do than simply euthanizing these animals.In Maricopa County we have decided not to discriminate against breeds. We evaluate every animal as an individual and we attempt to educate every pet owner/guardian the same way, as an individual with specific needs.
From Dorathy: Responses to adopting pitbulls
We adopt out pitbulls with tested temperaments and we do a home visit before adoption and a follow-up at no specified time. Since our adoption contract contains a clause that all animals from the shelter must be returned to the shelter if they cannot be cared for by the adopter, we can monitor them reasonably well.From Michele in Florida:
Our county animal shelter has these same rules as well, so we work closely with them to get as many of these breeds turned over to us as possible. It can be tricky, but we have yet to have any vicious pits, rottweilers or chows. And ALL have found homes. It's all in how you handle your relationship with the shelter as to how many "undesirable" breeds they may let you take. But it IS possible.AC promoting spay/neuter
Question from a member:
Could you tell us if your AC&C oversees any spay/neuter programs and your thoughts on how we can get animal control facilities to promote spay/neuter more--especially like on their vehicles? Arlington Humane Society in Dallas just outfitted all their vehicles with "PREVENT A LITTER, FIX YOUR CRITTER" license plate tag frames.I think it's IMPERATIVE that ACO and humane/rescue lead the way in education by having a pro neuter message on their vehicles. Hundreds of people see your car every day.
Response from Ed Boks:
We have a program called "Big Fix". We provide low or no cost spay/neuter services to the pets of any citizen on any form of public assistance. We promote spay/neuter through television and radio public service announcements, bill boards, signs on vehicles, articles in newsletters, regular press releases, and word of mouth.Getting groups to the table to begin talking
Question from a Member:
How do you get animal control and rescue groups to even come to the table to begin to talk, let alone share statistics on the number of animals handled, euthanized, reclaimed, and adopted, if there is bad blood and distrust between them that has lasted for a long time?Response from Ed Boks:
It's my belief that this is where a local animal control agency has a distinct advantage. If animal control is willing to take the lead and is willing to commit to the other organization's success, they could become the catalyst to encouraging the other groups to come together. In most communities, this approach represents a significant sea change. Animal control is not usually willing to do this. But, if they did, and they were sincere, the other groups would eventually open up to working together. This is true because as I stated earlier this week, the relationship between animal control and rescue organizations is like a dysfunctional marriage. No matter how badly we dislike each other, we are still going to stay together for the kids!The key is to recognize that this can be a win/win relationship. It is in animal control's best interest to take the lead because the end result of the synergy created is that their euthanasia numbers will be reduced along with all the costs associated with euthanasia. And, of course, more animals will be placed. Lower euthanasias, higher adoptions, and animal control is seen as being proactive. Someone explain to me why animal control would not want to do this?
In most cases, if a cost benefit analysis is conducted, animal control will realize that they can release spayed and neutered, vaccinated, licensed animals at no cost to a rescue organization, and still save money! This is a huge advantage to the rescue groups to work together.
But I don't recommend this be done without some structure. Look at our New Hope program as a possible guide for developing a positive, proactive relationship between animal control and rescue organizations. This is a powerful model that has significantly increased the number of animals placed through rescue organizations every year.
Responses from members
Standards for rescue groups; Sandy writes:
I agree that there are no standards for rescue groups. It is also unfair of animal control officers to automatically lump rescues as "a group of crazy collectors" either. Reputable rescues have long been fighting this image. Media coverage of collector busts is so much more sensational that the day-to-day rescue operations of the reputable rescues are overshadowed. A professional standard of operation is imperative. Perhaps educating the public about what constitutes a reputable rescue would be more productive in the long run. It has helped with puppy mill situations...it could help with collector situations.Changing animal control to animal care and control; Debbie writes:
Don't you think it would really help to change the "animal control" phrase? It has such a negative connotation & I think it's really an issue of 'human control' - i.e. irresponsible humans with companion animals as family members.Response to getting groups involved with each other; From Sandy:
Finding a point of common ground is what is necessary for rescue/shelters to work together. Perhaps inviting some of the rescue folks to help in the shelter or even to ride along with an officer to see what the officers do and deal with each day. Most folks in rescue have no idea what restrictions A/C works under and how limited the resources are for animal control. Conversely, rescue folks are a wonderful resource to help with their breeds, providing specialized knowledge and with more time available to work with the dogs and provide more extensive medical care. Why not ask local breed rescue folks to come in and help train/socialize dogs? Or give a presentation on their breed? Explain how they work and how their resources are limited. Having folks work truly together can be a better solution than arbitrarily saying that they are two separate "parents" staying together for the kids. It doesn't need to be that way.From Lynn:
At the county pound we rescue from, we put the animals online using a donated camera and volunteers that take the pictures, do the web site, and answer the applicants. As soon as the director understood this was free and no labor taken from them, and that we were actually saving him money, and (in fact), getting more adoption money in his coffer, he had no problem with it. We also got blankets and little stuffed toys allowed for the dogs. A small comfort, a small step, but a step towards kindness.Working with rescues and animal control
From Judy:
I believe it is important to remember that the shelters (be it animal control, or otherwise) have already rescued the animals in their care. They have rescued the strays from the streets and rescued the owner-relinquished animals from people who don't want them.When we in 'rescue' assist the shelters by taking some of their animals into our care for fostering and placement, we are not rescuing the animals *from* the shelter. We are rescuing *with* the shelter. We are continuing the rescue that they began.
It's only changing a few words, but I think it makes a big difference - to us, to the shelters, and to the public.
From Donna in Tennessee:
We had the problem locally of not getting any cooperation from our local shelter or the administration and decided that there were things we could do WITHOUT their cooperation to help the animals, especially to help them get adopted. We have shelter monitors who go INTO the shelter and take pictures of the animals and get info about them. Then we post them both to the web, and to our email lists. The monitors were on STRICT ORDERS not to be confrontational and to be polite and courteous. We started getting contacted from all over by rescuers who wanted to adopt animals.The shelter does not work with out-of-town adopters. We initiated another program, Homeward Bound, to address that. We go to the shelter, adopt the animals, foster them until transportation can be arranged, and then ship them to the rescuer who subsequently place them in their areas. Over time, relations with the shelter improved. We give them credit when credit is due, and when there were problems, we tried to come up with solutions working from the perspective that it was not the shelter's responsibility, whether anyone thought it should be or not, because we knew they were short on funding and manpower. When we could come up with workable solutions using this criteria, guess what? They were willing to work with us. We also try, at least once or twice a year, to do something nice for the staff, like take them to lunch. Now, a couple of years later, they are even allowing us to host off-site adoptions!
As a result, the number of animals euthanized yearly at our shelter has decreased from 14-16,000 a year to around 10,000. It is not where we want to be, but it is a substantial improvement.
