The Best Friends Podcast

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Best Friends Professional Development Symposium Sep 03, 2020

Show notes

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. In our lives, both professionally and personally, we’ve had to make big changes. From working at home to wearing masks to the operational changes we've had to make, life is a whole lot different than it was 6 months ago. And the restrictions on travel and gatherings meant animal welfare's "conference season" was over before it even started.

The Best Friends Professional Development Symposium is not a replacement for the Best Friends National Conference, but this dynamic, two-day, online event features many of the leading lifesaving experts from across the country. This is part of a new initiative from Best Friends, presented in partnership with Southern Utah University.

This week we learn more about the symposium from Tawny Hammond, the National Director of Learning Advancement for Best Friends.

Rebecca Guinn - Atlanta's Lifeline Aug 27, 2020

Show notes

Georgia’s efforts to save pets have come a long way in the last few years. The 2019 lifesaving progress dataset showed that statewide, Georgia increased lifesaving by more than 30-percent over the previous year. Metro Atlanta is a sprawling area consisting of 29 counties and two of them, Fulton and Dekalb, have undergone a radical transformation over the last 7 years.

Rebecca Guinn founded Lifeline Animal Project in 2003. The organization has saved thousands of animals through its shelter and fixed more than 125,000 pets of owners at low or no cost.

In 2013, Lifeline Animal Project took on the Herculean task of running the sheltering operations in both Fulton and Dekalb Counties - the two counties that comprise the City of Atlanta. Taking on both of those contracts within 6-months presented many obstacles (and a lot of people thought she was crazy!). But Rebecca and the entire Lifeline Animal Project team's drive to take Atlanta to No-Kill has paid off, making Atlanta a model for the entire nation.

Idaho Shelter Coalition leading Push Toward No-Kill Statewide Aug 20, 2020

Show notes

Idaho may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of animal welfare, but it should! Two years ago, a coalition was formed in an attempt to unite the shelters and organizations spread out over this vast, mostly rural state.

The Idaho Shelter Coalition helped drive a 49.4% reduction in shelter killing in 2019, a result that has earned them the 2020 Best Friends Network Collective Impact Award!

It's another perfect example of what can happen when we work together, communicate our needs, and provide peer-to-peer support - all using the power of data as the foundation.

This week's guests are Nadia Novik, COO of the Idaho Humane Society and President of the Idaho Shelter Coalition, and Brittany Sundell, the Development and Education Coordinator at the West Valley Humane Society.

Removing Lifesaving Barriers Aug 13, 2020

Show notes

Fewer pets in shelters. More resources for people with pets. More animal-friendly communities. Healthier, happier animals with safe places to call home. These are our shared goals. But are we all doing as much as we can to achieve them?

For example, what does your pet adoption process look like? Is it welcoming, conversation-based, and solution-oriented? Or is it full of roadblocks such as home visits, income questions, or multipage applications?

Now more than ever, being a part of the sheltering and rescue community means actively looking for ways to keep pets in the places they call home and inviting more animal-loving folks to the lifesaving party.

Guests this week:

Rich Anderson, Executive Director/CEO, Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League

Kimberly Elman, Manager of National Outreach Volunteer Programs, Best Friends Animal Society

Spay It Ain't So! Aug 06, 2020

Show notes

Spay and neuter is the only way! We shouldn’t spend time or money doing anything else!

Well, that’s not true at all, but there are still too many people who think that is the case. Widely available low-cost spay and neuter services are a critical part of the lifesaving program mix, but it is just one part of the recipe.

So how much of your available resources should go to spay and neuter services versus other critical lifesaving programs? Given the challenges that lie ahead with an uncertain economy, we need to make sure every dollar goes as far as it can. We talked with Brittany Pace from Spay Memphis, and Alexis Pugh from Memphis Animal Services to learn about how their partnership ensures they are able to balance the needs of both getting animals out of the shelter, and keep them from coming in.

More than 40-million Pets at Risk of Eviction Jul 30, 2020

Show notes

In 2016, 2.3-million Americans lived in a home that was served an eviction notice. During the foreclosure crisis in 2008, 10-million Americans lost their home. Experts believe that by the end of this year, 28-million Americans will face eviction due to the economic downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every community in every state will be affected, and by our rough estimate, more than 40-million pets are facing eviction - and that’s on the low end. As eviction moratoriums across the country are beginning to expire, there are very legitimate fears about what this will mean for the number of pets and pet parents who will need help.

Programs such as temporary foster care ensure the human-animal bond is respected and keep pets with their families, but there simply aren’t enough diversion programs to meet the expected flood of requests. What can we do to prepare for what may be the biggest challenge we've faced in the modern era of animal sheltering?

One Million Cats and Counting Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

We’re gotten pretty good at saving dogs in shelters, but that’s not the case for cats. 69% of all animals killed last year were feline. That two-to-one ratio of cats killed to dogs has not improved year over year, and it’s clear that what we’ve been doing isn't effective. So what is working when it comes to saving cats?

Launched in 2014, the Million Cat Challenge smashed its goal of saving one million cats in five years. The campaign encouraged shelters to save more cats by implementing five key initiatives; alternatives to intake, managed admission, capacity for care, removing barriers to adoption, and return to field. These approaches are intended to create a structure around which shelters can make the best lifesaving decision for each individual cat.

We spoke with a cofounder of the Million Cat Challenge, Dr. Kate Hurley, to learn more about her, the challenge, and talk about what we need to do going forward to save every cat that can be saved.

Owner Requested Euthanasia Jul 16, 2020

Show notes

Starting in the 1970s, the animal sheltering movement slowly began to reject the practice of automatically euthanizing animals surrendered by the public at the owner's behest. This service, known as owner requested euthanasia (ORE), is still offered in many communities but only after consultation with the owner and the shelter staff and veterinarians. If the animal is determined to have an adequate quality of life, then other alternatives to save the life are considered.

Making end of life decisions for our own dogs and cats is difficult and emotional, and it’s no different in the shelter environment. And while it may feel inappropriate to second-guess these owner requests, it becomes a necessity as the data shows that OREs can be a significant portion of a shelters deaths. Healthy or treatable animals that are killed may be accounted for in the “ORE column" even though they are saveable. If OREs are excluded from the data, then the “save rate” (a calculation for the percentage of pets who leave the shelter alive) will be higher than it should be if the ORE’s were accounted for differently.

The latest lifesaving data shows that more than 50,000 dogs and cats may be in this category. The number of animals killed nationally is 625,000 so this is not a trivial issue. It’s delicate and may be uncomfortable, but this conversation has to happen if our goal is to treat each animal as an individual with a chance at life.

Treating Animals and People as Individuals Jul 09, 2020

Show notes

It wasn’t that long ago that the majority of dogs rescued from dogfighting operations were killed without any kind of behavior evaluation. It was widely accepted that they were too dangerous for a second chance. That changed with the rescue of the dogs from Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels. The plea to evaluate the dogs was heard, and since that time, they have served as an example of how every animal should be treated as an individual.

We have made great strides when it comes to treating every animal as an individual, but we are still lagging when it comes to applying that same objectivity to people. Our inherent biases can sometimes play out in ways we may not even realize - from racism to classism, ageism, sexism, and ableism. These subconscious isms restrict our effectiveness in saving animals.

So it begs the question. If we treat all animals as individuals, shouldn’t we do the same for people?

Telling Great Stories to Save Lives Jul 02, 2020

Show notes

Every animal is an individual and their journeys are as unique as they are. Each of them has a story waiting to be told and these stories are how we connect our community to the work we do.

Writing effective adoption bios leads to higher adoption rates. Cutting through the increasing noise on social media requires captivating stories. Donors and volunteers need to feel invested in your mission before they will devote their time and money which will help you continue your work.

This week we look at ways you can inspire action and build awareness through the art of storytelling.

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