The Best Friends Podcast

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A New Day for Animal Sheltering in the United States Jan 28, 2021

Show notes

If we’re going to meet the 2025 goal of ending the killing of pets in animal shelters, we need to redefine the relationship the community has with animal shelters. What is the best way to keep people and pets together and keep animals out of shelters unless they truly need to be there?

The community supported sheltering model invites community members to play a more prominent role in saving lives. That allows the shelter to focus on the animals who need the most help - those with urgent medical needs or behavioral challenges. For people who think they need to surrender their pet, this new model does away with the “no questions asked” surrender process. People can often keep their pets if we start a conversation and work with them to solve the problems that led to the shelter in the first place. American Pets Alive! is working with organizations across the country to pilot a community-supported sheltering model they call Human Animal Support Services.

This week we spoke with Kristen Hassen, the Maddie’s® American Pets Alive! Director, who has been part of the team working hard to see this vision of a better future in animal sheltering become a reality.

Strategy: paving the way to achieving your mission Jan 21, 2021

Show notes

Strategic planning is a phrase that can strike boredom in the hearts of, well, a lot of us!

But over the last year, from the ongoing pandemic to the political division and civil unrest, we’ve seen how critical it is for us to react and do what is necessary to continue saving lives. A strategic plan can help you do just that.

This week we look at how one organization has used strategic planning to set clear direction and align everyone in the organization behind the goals and what needs to happen to achieve them.

Mary Ippoliti-Smith Jan 14, 2021

Show notes

It’s hard to imagine animal welfare and sheltering without Maddie’s Fund. From the support of individual shelters and rescue organizations to national campaigns and the vast amount of resources and programs, online courses, and conferences, Maddie's fundamentally changed what we do and how we do it. Mary Ippoliti-Smith has been there since there very beginning and has been directly responsible for much of that impact.

Today, as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, she is responsible for the family foundation’s strategic direction.

We talked to Mary about her storied career and what she sees ahead for the no-kill movement.

Best of and B-Sides Dec 31, 2020

Show notes

As we say goodbye to 2020, we are taking a moment to pause and reflect. While many are saying good riddance to 2020 (justified!), we are also trying to focus on the positive things that have come out of what is possibly the most stressful and challenging year in more than a generation.

When the pandemic took hold, all of us were trying to figure out the best way to navigate through it personally and professionally. At Best Friends, we believed - and we still do - that sharing our experiences and knowledge provides support and inspiration to help us save more lives. We hold that belief now more than ever. We do this through The Best Friends Network - a coalition of thousands of shelters and rescue organizations across the country.

We hoped a podcast would be a positive and useful addition to the already full slate of resources offered through the Network. And the tens of thousands of downloads since we launched 273 days ago has helped us realize that it is.

So here’s to a better 2021, and hopefully, many more episodes to come.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Mark LeBlanc and Ace from Amazon Prime's The Pack Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

Spoiler Alert!

We want to make sure we don’t ruin Amazon Prime’s new reality show The Pack for you, so if you are planning to watch the series wait to listen to this episode until you’ve seen them all!

Mark LeBlanc and his dog Ace were one of twelve teams competing to win the around the world race that challenged the contestants - both two and four-legged - through a series of different tasks designed to test their skills. The top prize was $500,000, but the contestants also chose a charity that would receive $250,000 if they won. We won’t say who wins, but Mark’s charity was Best Friends!

We talked to Mark about his experience on the show, about his life with Ace, and learned more about his photography and the new podcast he hopes will inspire people to live their best lives.

Fundraising During COVID-19 Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of our lives, it meant overcoming obstacles to every aspect of our work - including fundraising. The cancelation of in-person events, for example, required quick thinking to ensure the projected revenue from those annual events wasn’t lost.

It’s also been a good reminder of how we must take advantage of every opportunity, and this year’s GivingTuesday is a perfect example. Since its inception in 2012, GivingTuesday has become a worldwide phenomenon inspiring billions of dollars of charitable giving each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. With our communities in lockdown, effective online engagement and digital fundraising efforts are more important than ever before.

What was the outcome of GivingTuesday this year and amid the economic crisis, are donors stepping up when we need them now more than ever?

Guests:

Amy Starnes, Senior Director of Digital Fundraising, Best Friends Animal Society

Sarah Cano, Community Engagement Coordinator, Humane Society of Harlingen

Historic Moment for L.A.'s Cats Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

In 2010 a judge put an injunction in place that prevented the city shelters in Los Angeles from not only performing any trap, neuter, return (TNR) but also barred them from talking about it with the public. The injunction was a result of a lawsuit filed by a group of people who were concerned about the impact community cats were having on wildlife.

Since TNR is the only humane method of effectively reducing community cat populations, the injunction only served to worsen the problem it sought to address. But this week, in a unanimous vote, the L.A. City Council approved a 716-page report that is a big step towards making TNR an official policy of Los Angeles Animal Services.

A lot of work lies ahead, but we should take a moment and celebrate the opportunity that now exists for both the cats - and wildlife - of the City of Los Angeles.

Cracking the Code Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

Animal service officers historically have been trained to function as code enforcement officers, and in many communities that is still the case. While this training is integral, it is not always a holistic representation or acknowledgment of all the tools officers have to do their work.

Continuing the discussion on moving from punishment to support, we look at changing the culture one officer at a time. Helping us all understand the systemic needs in our community and the full range of resources at our fingertips.

Jackson Galaxy Nov 26, 2020

Show notes

Before he was known as the Cat Daddy, Jackson was a shelter employee, working for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley in Colorado. He worked in several roles, including the front desk supervisor, interfacing with the public who came in to surrender their pets. It was during that time that his knack for working with cats became clear and set him on the path that would make him a household name and help millions better understand their cats through his Animal Planet TV show, My Cat from Hell.

Jackson talks about his life as one of the most recognizable figures in the world of animals, what life has been like for him and his family during the pandemic, and what he says is the most effective way to help cats who are waiting for their forever home.

From Punishment to Support Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

A far cry from the days of being seen as the “dogcatchers,” today’s highly skilled animal care and control officers are on the front lines in our communities, helping animals in need. In the last few years, as sheltering has seen progress towards connecting lifesaving to public safety, there’s a need to restructure the role animal services has in helping the pets and pet owners in their communities.

An animal services officer is often the largest touch-point to the community for a shelter and their work is so much more than impounding pets and writing citations. They know that an owned pet in need usually means there's also a person who needs help.

How can municipal agencies rethink their approach and implement new strategies that are support-based to improve the lives of animals and humans alike?

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