Animal shelters warn of a looming crisis and call on Americans to help
As we enter the third year of the coronavirus pandemic, a “perfect storm of factors” has put pressure on understaffed U.S. shelters. When the onset of the coronavirus pandemic forced animal shelters across the country to close their doors, Americans answered the desperate calls for help by adopting and fostering pets. Now as we head into the third year of the pandemic, a new crisis looms — so rescue advocates are hoping Americans will step up to help once again. Source: Human Animal Support...
The Dog Pound Is Dead
We are a nation of pet lovers. Ninety-eight percent of pet owners say pets are important members of their family. An estimated 70% of Americans own one or more pets. A recent study even found that many people will even delay needed medical care because they have nowhere safe for their animals to stay while they are hospitalized. But when someone has trouble caring for a pet—they’ve lost their job or their home, or are struggling to pay for pet food or vet care—walking into the average animal shelter, that person has...
This Animal Shelter Hired a Veterinary Social Worker!
Human Animal Support Services (HASS) just put out a brand new resource: Integrating Veterinary Social Work Into Animal Shelters. It gets into what veterinary social workers do, ways they can support people and pets in the community and support shelter staff—and how shelters can hire a veterinary social worker full time, or access their services for community and staff. This gives us the perfect opportunity to talk with Kelly Bremken, who became a veterinary social worker after working in animal welfare for over 15 years. Kelly came on...
Pets and Technology: How Entrepreneurs and Innovators Can Help Save Lives
“There is a huge disconnect between how much people care about their pets, and 98% of people believe that their pets are as important as human family members, but our laws are still treating them like property that have absolutely no inherent value,” Dr. Ellen Jefferson, president and CEO of Austin Pets Alive! and American Pets Alive!, said, during a recent SXSW panel on pet tech and the changing pet-owner relationship. This is one of the critical, solvable problems leading to an estimated 1 million pets dying in shelters every...
If Your Shelter Is Full Or Close To Full, Here’s What To Do Today
Last summer, we gave you 12 tips for managing intake during a space crisis. With summer approaching again, these tips should be front of mind as your shelter prepares for the seasonal influx of kittens, puppies, dogs, and cats—or if you’re already getting full. But what can you do to prevent a space crisis before it happens, or to help prevent a space crisis from becoming worse? That’s where these five tips aimed at keeping families together come in. Supporting families in your community not only keeps people and...
Cat Who Lost 2 Left Legs in Accident Now Runs to His Favorite Boy, Gives Hope in a Hard Time
It was just about a year and a half ago that Suzanne Buffington, her then-12-year-old son Gracen, and their pet cat Shade, showed up at Cabot Animal Support Services in Cabot, Arkansas, in a desperate state. Shade had been in an accident, and it was bad. When Gracen found his cat outside that morning, one leg—the front left—was broken, with the bone poking out through his skin. Shade’s left hind paw and leg had what Suzanne describes as “holes” going through them. “He had holes in places there should not be...
3 Reasons You Need to Map Your Community’s Pet Support Resources Now
The world has officially changed. And with it, animal welfare professionals have taken this opportunity to rethink everything we do. NOW is the time to go all-in on supporting pet owners and caretakers. NOW is the time to slow (I dare say, stop) the unnecessary flow of loved and cared-for animals coming into our shelters. It won’t be us doing this on our own. We will be both supporting and getting the support of our community, too. Here are three reasons to provide people access to information and the resources to...
Why Human Animal Support Services? An Interactive Introduction
[embedded content] Animal sheltering is changing. Community-focused animal services are the future, and the Human Animal Support Services project is a way for you to be a part of that future. But what is the HASS project and is it right for your organization? Whether you’re thinking about joining the project, have no idea what it’s all about, or are simply looking for a refresher, this webinar is for you. There is no better time for your team and volunteers to learn about how HASS is transforming animal services across the globe...
Chicken Fostering Isn’t Just a Good Idea It’s Clucking Great
Jaime Blados with one of her foster chickens. Just before Christmas, Jaime Blados got an email that caught her attention. It asked if anyone could foster some chickens, who had come into Geauga Humane Society’s Rescue Village in Novelty, Ohio. Jaime is a regular foster for the organization. She mostly takes in dogs. One time she fostered a pig. But chickens? “I was like, ‘Yeah, we’ll give it a shot,’” Jaime says. “I’m always willing to try.” Some shelters have seen viral fame thanks to...
Should We Question a Pet Owner’s Request for Euthanasia? These Pets Say Yes
The photos you see here, and throughout this piece, are of pets who were surrendered to shelters for euthanasia, but who were instead saved and rehomed, or returned to their original home after receiving care and treatment. Chia was brought into a California shelter as an “owner request euthanasia for vomiting and diarrhea,” says Sara King, who volunteered at the shelter at the time. “She was scared. Her blood work showed nothing out of the ordinary but the family decided not to take her back. So I decided to bring her...
