There has been a lot of attention swirling around the City of Lynchburg’s partnership with the Lynchburg Humane Society and the state mandated pound services we provide the city under contract. We went in front of City Council in February to ask if they would like to join us as we move forward in the next phase of our new Humane Education and Adoption Center. As we reach our final design stage we need to know if the city would like to continue our long standing relationship that has resulted in 90% of the animals leaving us to go to homes. Unfortunately, for many reasons, City Council was not completely in agreement and this has resulted in the controversy that surrounds our partnership.
A major concern is that City Council does not believe tax payers should be paying for no kill programs. We agree, and we are not asking the city to pay for those programs. So what are the components and costs of a No Kill program?
First off it is a change of attitude. The old way to operate a pound (and how some are still operating) is to control the pet overpopulation problem by killing pets. This approach blames the public. Since the public is not trusted there are no foster, volunteer and progressive adoption programs. The solution here is killing and many believe that the pets are better off dead.
Prior to our changes this attitude was prevalent at the Lynchburg Humane Society. There were no foster programs, very few volunteers, very limited public relations and very restrictive adoption requirements. I always make the joke that they wouldn’t adopt a puppy or kitten to me before the changes because I had a 3 year old child. But, in their defense, they didn’t know of a better way. That is how it had always been done, but, when you know better you do better.
When we started down this No Kill path the staff had to shift their way of thinking. This means the public is to be trusted and we need to make it easier to adopt and allow the community to help us when we need their help. Most people want what is best for their pet and will help if they understand the problem and how they can be a part of the solution. 70% of the population believe pets should not be killed to make space and are willing to help. So we reached out to the media to celebrate our successes and asked for help when it was needed. We removed all our restrictive adoption policies and we began to trust people.
The No Kill programs are geared to getting more animals out of the shelter faster and in reducing the number coming in to the shelter.
When we run out of space we find other solutions first. We have adoption specials (we did an “out of space” cat adoption program twice last year where we adopted out cats for free) and we ask for help from the community to foster or to volunteer.
We ask owners to wait to bring us their pet if they are able. In the meantime we help them find a new home with our re-homing service, we assist with behavior problems, or we give them food if it is a matter of finances. But we take the pet in right away if they can’t wait. 33% of the owners who contacted us re-homed or kept their pet. That is 568 pets since we started our owner surrender counseling program.
With dogs this year we ran into a time when we had way too many dogs and not enough kennels or foster homes. So we spent $1,600 to board some of our adoptable dogs at a local vet to make space.
There are too many cats in our community so we created two additional cat rooms in our facility and we began free spay/neuter programs to help reduce the number of kittens we see every spring/summer. This surge results in most of the euthanasia and unwanted deaths at the shelter.
Providing rehabilitation for both medical and behavior cases is one of the No Kill programs that has a dollar amount associated with it. Thanks to donations to our Second Chance Fund and Peaks View Animal Hospital, we are able to handle minor illnesses and have many of the major surgical cases treated as well. Because of their generosity, we are able to increase the number of animals that go on to live wonderful lives in new homes. Our behavior rehabilitation is performed by both staff and volunteers and only takes our time and a few resources provided by the donating public.
Because of these programs we have increased our adoptions by 24% and we have decreased our owner intake. Our stray intake tends to be stable year after year. In 2010 we saw a drop but in 2011 we are back to what they saw in 2008 and 2009.
So, what is the cost of No Kill? No Kill is supported by the sweat and tears of our staff, volunteers and foster homes. It is supported by people adopting and having their pets and stray cats spayed or neutered. It is supported by owners willing to try and find homes for their own pets and willing to work with us when we have no space. It is supported by a community that donates services, supplies, their time and their compassion. It is supported by grants, services and, of course, our donors.
A major concern is that City Council does not believe tax payers should be paying for no kill programs. We agree, and we are not asking the city to pay for those programs. So what are the components and costs of a No Kill program?
First off it is a change of attitude. The old way to operate a pound (and how some are still operating) is to control the pet overpopulation problem by killing pets. This approach blames the public. Since the public is not trusted there are no foster, volunteer and progressive adoption programs. The solution here is killing and many believe that the pets are better off dead.
Prior to our changes this attitude was prevalent at the Lynchburg Humane Society. There were no foster programs, very few volunteers, very limited public relations and very restrictive adoption requirements. I always make the joke that they wouldn’t adopt a puppy or kitten to me before the changes because I had a 3 year old child. But, in their defense, they didn’t know of a better way. That is how it had always been done, but, when you know better you do better.
When we started down this No Kill path the staff had to shift their way of thinking. This means the public is to be trusted and we need to make it easier to adopt and allow the community to help us when we need their help. Most people want what is best for their pet and will help if they understand the problem and how they can be a part of the solution. 70% of the population believe pets should not be killed to make space and are willing to help. So we reached out to the media to celebrate our successes and asked for help when it was needed. We removed all our restrictive adoption policies and we began to trust people.
The No Kill programs are geared to getting more animals out of the shelter faster and in reducing the number coming in to the shelter.
When we run out of space we find other solutions first. We have adoption specials (we did an “out of space” cat adoption program twice last year where we adopted out cats for free) and we ask for help from the community to foster or to volunteer.
We ask owners to wait to bring us their pet if they are able. In the meantime we help them find a new home with our re-homing service, we assist with behavior problems, or we give them food if it is a matter of finances. But we take the pet in right away if they can’t wait. 33% of the owners who contacted us re-homed or kept their pet. That is 568 pets since we started our owner surrender counseling program.
With dogs this year we ran into a time when we had way too many dogs and not enough kennels or foster homes. So we spent $1,600 to board some of our adoptable dogs at a local vet to make space.
There are too many cats in our community so we created two additional cat rooms in our facility and we began free spay/neuter programs to help reduce the number of kittens we see every spring/summer. This surge results in most of the euthanasia and unwanted deaths at the shelter.
Providing rehabilitation for both medical and behavior cases is one of the No Kill programs that has a dollar amount associated with it. Thanks to donations to our Second Chance Fund and Peaks View Animal Hospital, we are able to handle minor illnesses and have many of the major surgical cases treated as well. Because of their generosity, we are able to increase the number of animals that go on to live wonderful lives in new homes. Our behavior rehabilitation is performed by both staff and volunteers and only takes our time and a few resources provided by the donating public.
Because of these programs we have increased our adoptions by 24% and we have decreased our owner intake. Our stray intake tends to be stable year after year. In 2010 we saw a drop but in 2011 we are back to what they saw in 2008 and 2009.
So, what is the cost of No Kill? No Kill is supported by the sweat and tears of our staff, volunteers and foster homes. It is supported by people adopting and having their pets and stray cats spayed or neutered. It is supported by owners willing to try and find homes for their own pets and willing to work with us when we have no space. It is supported by a community that donates services, supplies, their time and their compassion. It is supported by grants, services and, of course, our donors.
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