The Best Friends Podcast

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What to watch for in 2023 Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

The period to submit proposals to speak at the 2023 Best Friends National Conference is now open! Check out this link for more information on the requirements, timeline, and how to submit: https://bfas.io/NiEM

To get us started for 2023, we take a moment to think about the year ahead. What has happened over the last few weeks and months that can help us plan for what’s coming next?

Do we expect intake to continue rising at the pace it did through 2022? Will adoptions pick up and at least keep pace with intake? What about the impact of other factors within animal welfare and beyond, such as the economy?

The senior director of lifesaving programs for Best Friends, Brent Toellner, looked at the data and trends and shared what he thinks the year ahead may look like in this week’s episode.

For more resources related to this episode, check out the website for The Best Friends Podcast: bestfriends.org/podcast

2022 Year End Happy Tales Dec 29, 2022

Show notes

This is the final episode of the year! And what a year it has been.

Across the country, shelters struggled to manage increases in intake, and while adoptions also increased, the boost in positive outcomes couldn’t keep pace. That resulted in many folks in our industry being more overwhelmed than usual (which is saying something). We want to thank you for everything you do to help pets and those who love them.

It’s important always to show gratitude and celebrate wins. However, it’s even more important when times are tough. So as we say farewell to 2022, we’re celebrating the success our Best Friends Network Partners achieved during the four Best Friends National Adoption Weekend events we held in 2022, during which more than 35,000 pets found homes.

We asked our partners to share their experiences with us, and we’re sharing them with you.

See you in 2023!

Want to be a guest on The Best Friends Podcast? Send us an email: podcast@bestfriends.org

Check out the website for more information about the guests you heard this week: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-138

Best of 2022 Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

It’s that time, once again, when we take a moment to reflect on the year (and podcast), that was. 2022 was challenging in many ways, and the 42 episodes from this year reflect that.

Topics ranged from staffing and pay inequity to marketing during a crisis. We talked about working with elected officials - with who better than actual elected officials! We welcomed 62 guests who represented various organizations and companies, in and out of animal welfare. And to top it all off, we passed the 100,000 download milestone in the fall!

But as we’ve said before and will no doubt say again, this podcast is nothing without you. So on behalf of all of us at the Best Friends Network, thank you for everything you do each day to save the lives of pets, and we can’t wait to see what you do in 2023.

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 100 - Reducing pay inequality w/ Julie Castle: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-100
The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 104 - Lifesaving success favors the bold: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-104
The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 108 - Saving lives in rural America w/ Cole Wakefield: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-108
The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 112 - Marketing during a crisis w/ KC Pet Project's Tori Fugate: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-112
The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 124 - Scott Stratten: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-124
The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 133 - A radical transformation at the York County SPCA: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-133

Tackling the housing crisis for pet owners Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

Housing issues are the second most common reason people surrender pets to shelters. If not priced out by exorbitant pet deposits or monthly pet-ownership fees, arbitrary restrictions around species, breed, and size can often force a pet owner to make the worst choice imaginable.

And while it may be easy to think, "I could never do that. I would just find another apartment," consider that there may not be another apartment. Experts say we are millions of housing units short of what we need to meet demand. The critically short supply creates greater demand, often making a landlord's policies more restrictive and monthly rents more expensive.

Federal, state, and local governments are considering solutions such as tax credits and rent control, but these measures often lack pet-inclusive language. Since two-thirds of Americans own pets, any reforms that don't consider equal access for pet owners will potentially put millions of people and pets in peril.

This week we catch up with the national manager of housing initiatives for Best Friends, Elizabeth Oreck, as she shares good news out of California about a new bill aiming to keep low-income renters - and their pets - safe and housed.

For the housing and advocacy related resources mentioned this week, check out the website for this episode : https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-135

What’s the data telling us about shelter adoptions? Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

It’s been a challenging year for animal shelters and rescue organizations across the country. Lifesaving gains made during the COVID pandemic seemed to disappear for many as a new set of external factors played havoc with the animal welfare industry.

Those lifesaving gains certainly seemed to disappear, but did they? Anecdotal stories from scores of individual organizations say some version of the same thing; that intake is up, and positive outcomes are down. Many say that adopters are simply not coming into their facilities as they have in the past, and there are more requests for help with pet relinquishment than ever. But what does the data show?

This week we hear from the Senior Director of Lifesaving Programs at Best Friends, Brent Toellner. He analyzed the numbers from hundreds of organizations to put our current reality in perspective.

For more resources related to this topic and others discussed this week, check out the website: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-135

Check out Brent's editorial that has the numbers and more details talked about in today's episode: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/editorials/reality-todays-shelter-struggles

The next Best Friends National Adoption weekend is happening December 9th through the 11th, and the registration period is closing soon. Get your organization registered right now: https://network.bestfriends.org/join-us/events/best-friends-national-adoption-event

Share your experience with us! Is your intake up or down? What about your adoptions, are folks still coming in to find their next pet? Send us an email: podcast@bestfriends.org

Veteran's Day w/ Dogs on Deployment Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, so we're taking a moment to thank all members of the military, active duty and veteran, for their service. We're also using this as an opportunity to learn more about Dogs on Deployment, one of our Best Friends Network partners whose work directly impacts those who are and have served the nation.

Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and that was the case with the nonprofit organization Dogs on Deployment.

President and co-founder Alisa Johnson joined the Marine Corps in 2011, serving ten years as a KC-130J pilot. Her husband Shawn, also a pilot (in the US Navy), found themselves struggling to find options for the care of their dog JD during months-long deployments. After ruling out expensive options like boarding and professional dog sitters, they found a family member who agreed to care for JD for the six months Alisa was training at Quantico. An ideal situation, but no doubt a lucky one.

They wondered how many other service members find themselves in that same predicament. What about those who don't have family able to help? What happens to those pets?

DoD's nationwide network of patriotic foster homes ensures the human-animal bond stays intact when a military pet owner answers the call of duty. Over the years, the organization's work has grown to support veterans and first responders, not only with temporary fostering.

If your work involves keeping pets and pet owners together, this is one resource you will want to have in your arsenal.

Check out more on The Best Friends Podcast website: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-134

A radical transformation at the York County SPCA Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

When the York County SPCA (YCSPCA) hired a new executive director at the end of 2019, it set in motion plans to transform how the organization operated. To reach and sustain a 90% save rate of animals coming into the shelter, Steven Martinez knew success in his new role would require executing an audacious strategic plan focused on five pillars of change.

By overhauling the IT infrastructure, implementing a community cat program, revamping the adoption processes, and improving internal and external communications, the YCSPCA proved that going big isn’t just a bold strategy - it can be a winning one.

This week we hear from Steven about the last three years as he shares what he feels were the keys to their success and his advice about how your organization can go about its radical transformation.

Send us an email: podcast@bestfriends.org

LINKS:

Read more about the transformation in this week's program spotlight on the Best Friends Network website: https://bit.ly/3eKwu1x
Watch the video of Steven's presentation at the 2022 Best Friends National Conference on youtube: https://bit.ly/3VIXNKr
Download a PDF version of the presentation slide deck: https://bit.ly/3MN5xa6
The Best Friends National Conference is happening Aug 10-12 in Houston, Texas: https://bit.ly/3LhDUVT
For more resources, check out this episode on The Best Friends Podcast website: https://bit.ly/3VH6KUy

Arin Greenwood Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

You know those super viral animal-related articles you see all your friends sharing on your social media feeds? You know the ones. Headlines like this one on TODAY.com, “couple creates humongous bed so they can sleep comfortably with eight rescue dogs.” What about this story on The Dodo, “pit bull obsessed with cats gets his litter of kittens.”

This week’s guest wrote those and hundreds of other articles during her time as the animal welfare editor at The Huffington Post and as a freelance journalist. Arin Greenwood's work has told the stories of hundreds of people and their pets and the inspiring work of animal shelters and rescue organizations worldwide. However, her work isn’t all stories about dogs riding one-eyed ponies in the middle of the night (yes, that is real). One of her pieces in The Washington Post helped elevate the conversation around arbitrarily stringent adoption policies.

She’s moved on from her role at The Huffington Post, but she continues to write about animal welfare, and her most recent novel, Your Robot Dog Will Die, has received acclaim from critics (and, if all goes well, it may be coming soon to the small screen!).

This week we learn more about Arin and her career as a journalist and writer, both on and offline. She also shares many tips on writing compelling stories of your own and creating and maintaining relationships with journalists.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

Read the wrap-up of the incredibly successful national adoption weekend event in September: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/program-spotlights/most-successful-adoption-weekend-yet

Register your network partner organization to take part in the next adoption weekend event taking place in December: https://network.bestfriends.org/join-us/events/best-friends-national-adoption-event

For more resources related to this topic, check out our website: bestfriends.org/podcast

Managing our mental health Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

The field of animal welfare can be physically and mentally grueling. At times, it may feel like there is no end in sight with so many requests for help. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, not every story has a happy ending.

The data backs up our feelings about how hard this work is on our mental health. For example, a 2015 study showed the suicide rates for animal welfare workers to be the highest among all professions - including law enforcement.

Thankfully, there are effective strategies to help you manage the challenging emotions that inevitably come with doing this work.

Elizabeth Fagan is a psychotherapist who works with companies and nonprofits, including animal welfare agencies, to help their staff manage trauma experienced while on the job. She joins us this week to help us understand more about how the rigors of animal welfare work impact us and what we can do about it.

Check out The Best Friends Podcast website for resources mentioned in today's episode and more: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-131

What "The Real Housewives" can teach us about shelter management Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

When looking for practical tips and inspiration to help you save lives, chances are you’ve never sought out reality television for answers. But according to this week’s guest, animal welfare professionals can learn much from "The Real Housewives."

Makena Yarbrough is not only the Senior Director of Lifesaving Programs at Best Friends, but she’s also a self-professed superfan of the reality TV franchise. Using the show as inspiration, she created a presentation for the 2022 Best Friends National Conference that points out that a lot of the struggles in the show are things we face every day.

If you are in an area affected by Hurricane Ian and need help, or if you are outside of the area and able to help, please email: seregion@bestfriends.org

For resources on today's topic, guest bios, and more, check out the website for The Best Friends Podcast: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-podcast/best-friends-podcast-ep-130

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