Breakdowns

Breakdowns in the Community
Animal Management System

• Failure of animal welfare and veterinarians to work together.

• Inability to look at the pet overpopulation problem from a community goals with each organization playing a key role.

• Inability to develop coalitions of animal organizations who work together to achieve regional goals.

• Inability to develop synergism (total effect is greater than the sum of its parts), define strengths and weaknesses of each organization and work within those abilities for the good of the animals.

• Failure of humane organizations to advocate a clear and sensible message to the public that the life of an animal is valued and working to uphold the humane ethic by not taking life, but by protecting life.

• Failure to apply political pressure on politicians to adequately address community animal programs.

• A lack of understanding of the contradictory missions of both animal control, (to protect the public from animals) and humane organizations (protect the animals from public).

• Underfunding of animal control programs and capital improvements for animal facilities by local governments.

• Failure to recognize that 70% of the cat overpopulation problem is caused by unowned, intact, feral, freeroaming cats and developing an effective humane population control program.

• Failure to recognize the importance of trap/vaccinate/neuter/release as a humane way to lower impound rates and instead recommend the "round em up and kill'em" method (that has proven to be ineffective).

• Distrust in government animal control by nonprofits

• Politically appointed directors instead of professional career pathing from within the profession

• Failure to recognize the number one reason why pets are euthanized in shelters, LACK OF IDENTIFICATION and develop a corrective program

• Total reliance on dog (and sometimes cat) licensing and ID tags as a means of returning lost pets home. This system is a complete FAILURE.

• Failure to implement microchip programs and understand it's benefits

• Failure to develop low-cost or free transfer agreements between animal control and nonprofit/rescue organizations

• Failure of shelters to use breed rescue.

• The assumption that antibreeding legislation will solve everything.

• The assumption that spay/neuter will solve everything.

• The liberal interpretation of the word euthanasia to include "lack of space" and "time ran out." True euthanasia means taking a life for reasons of health or temperament and is a true act of mercy. Shelters are not to blame, but by not calling it what it is, we fail to galvanize enough force in the community to stop it.

• Lack of understanding and funding for pet retention programs

• Failure to set goals, monitor and measure performance to those goals and adjust programs accordingly.

• Failure by nonprofits to develop animal social services targeted at low income owners

• Nonprofits that assume government contracts and:
  fail to allocate a large portion of their revenue towards proactive programs,
  do so to alleviate fund raising responsibilities and pressures
  The assumption by nonprofits that sheltering and adopting animals is enough

• Failure of nonprofits to professionally market their animals for adoption and spend money to do so.

• Failure of No-kill shelters to advance beyond sheltering and aggressively fundraise then channel those funds into proactive programs

• Government animal control forming nonprofit 501 C3 organizations to raise money (competing with nonprofits) instead of having the money come from the community tax base.

• Tendency by boards to accumulate reserves greater than 2 times their annual budget and use these excess funds for investment that supplants annual fundraising activity. (excess reserves should be used for animal programs.)

• Failure to use professional fundraising principles and develop charitable trusts.

• Failure of shelters to recognize most people don't visit shelters because they become "emotionally overwhelmed" and to extend adoption services into the community

• Shelters closed after 5 pm on weekdays and on Saturdays and Sundays, the days when most people have the time to look for a pet.

• Failure of the veterinarian community to recognize the importance of training during the critical first year of ownership and intervene to solve behavior problems and help people bond.

• Failure of purebred organizations to certify and sanction breeding practices and strongly censure, discipline and ban poor performers.

• Failure to recognize the benefits of mobile spay/neuter units that are able to go to problem areas with vital services.

• Failure of governments to initiate a subsidized voucher spay/neuter program and realize a dollar spent today will save seven next year.