The Shelter Pet Project Helps Again

Posted on December 17, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

PET ADOPTIONS RISE, SHELTER DEATHS FALL AS AD COUNCIL LAUNCHES SECOND WAVE OF HISTORIC PET ADOPTION CAMPAIGN

The Ad Council, in partnership with The Humane Society of the United States and Maddie’s Fund, today announced the launch of a second series of public service advertisements (PSAs) for The Shelter Pet Project, a campaign that has helped change the landscape of shelter pet adoption and reduce the euthanasia of shelter pets by 10 percent since its launch in 2009.

Despite a bleak economy, the percentage of pets in homes that were adopted from animal shelters and rescue groups has risen from 27 percent to 29 percent in the last two years, with the number of healthy and treatable pets losing their lives for lack of a home dropping from 3 million to 2.7 million.

Bringing that number all the way to zero is the goal of the campaign, which marks the first time in its history the Ad Council has taken on an animal welfare cause.  The Shelter Pet Project is also the first national PSA campaign that brings together the largest animal welfare organizations and shelters across the country to reach that goal.

The new television, radio, print, outdoor and Web ads, created pro bono by Draftfcb Chicago, focus on the relationship between shelter pets and their owners by featuring pets observing their human’s quirky yet loveable behaviors, concluding with the message that, “A person is the best thing to happen to a shelter pet.” All of the ads direct prospective pet owners to a comprehensive website,www.theshelterpetproject.org, where users are able to search for a pet from a local shelter or rescue group, read adoption success stories and learn valuable information about pet adoption.

“Choosing to adopt is game-changing for you and life-saving for an animal,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “Pets end up in shelters through no fault of their own – they are often victims of circumstance. If enough people in our nation choose adoption, we can eliminate the euthanasia of healthy and treatable pets in our country.”

“We are expecting our new campaign PSAs to connect with the 17 million people who are going to get a pet this year and convince at least 2.7 million of them to adopt from a shelter or rescue,” said Maddie’s Fund President Rich Avanzino. “We are hopeful that the new ads will also inspire the 14 million animal lovers who have already adopted to tell their friends why shelters are the first and best places to go for a new four-legged family member.”

The Ad Council is distributing the new PSAs to more than 33,000 media outlets nationwide this week.

“In just two years, the number of pets euthanized has decreased by 10 percent, however there are still millions of healthy pets that need a loving home,” said Peggy Conlon, President and CEO, The Advertising Council. “This campaign entertains audiences while bringing an important message, the need to adopt pets from shelters, to the forefront.”

“We are thrilled to be launching the second phase of an already impactful partnership with the Ad Council and its sponsors,” said Nick Paul, EVP, Global Chief Growth Officer, Draftfcb.  “This is a tremendous cause and we hope that the energy and positivity behind the new work will reflect the joy that comes from bringing a pet in need into a loving home. We are confident that the optimism of our message will resonate with the millions of potential adopters that are still out there and bring us even closer to our goal.”

Per the Ad Council model, the PSAs will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media.

The Humane Society of the United States 
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization – backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty. To learn more about The HSUS, please visit humanesociety.org.

Maddie’s Fund
Maddie’s Fund® The Pet Rescue Foundation, (www.maddiesfund.org) is a family foundation funded by Workday and PeopleSoft Founder Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Maddie’s Fund is helping to create a no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer.

Draftfcb
Draftfcb is the first global, behavior-based, holistic marketing communications organization to operate against a single P&L. In delivering its clients a high Return on Ideassm, the agency is driven by The 6.5 Seconds That MatterSM, a creative expression recognizing the brief period of time marketers have to capture consumers’ attention and motivate them to act. With nearly 140 years of combined expertise, Draftfcb has roots in both consumer advertising and behavioral, data-driven direct marketing and firmly believes there is no way to separate creativity from accountability. Part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG), the Draftfcb network spans 97 countries with more than 9,600 employees.

The Ad Council
The Ad Council (www.adcouncil.org) is a private, non-profit organization that marshals volunteer talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to deliver critical messages to the American public. The Ad Council has produced, distributed and promoted thousands of public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas of health & safety, community and education.

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Let’s Make a CAT Rescue Best Practices Manual

Posted on December 6, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

To follow up with the success of our dog rescue best practices manual, we are now ready to take the first steps forward to create a cat rescue best practices manual. The format for the manual will be similar in format and creation process to our dog rescue manual, but, of course, it will be tailored to help cat rescuers.

Get Involved

The first step is for us to gather a group of enthusiastic, experienced cat rescuers to help us compile data about cat rescue best practices. If you are a cat rescuer with at least two years of experience and you’d like to help us with this project, please email us with your name, rescue organization name, and anything you feel should be added to the preliminary outline we’ve posted at http://bit.ly/tnrJHr.

Participation Commitment

In January, I’ll write participants and ask you to select topics to specialize in. We’ll need you to write about your topics (or edit our existing work to apply to cat rescue for topics that were included in the dog rescue book) by February 15th. At that time, we’ll start posting what you’ve written to our blog for other rescuers to comment on, and from the information we gather, we will convert everyone’s feedback into sections of the manual. (Don’t worry – you don’t need great writing skills – just solid ideas.)

Expected Outcome

In return, we will be very grateful for your participation, and we will list you in the acknowledgements as a participating organization. The project will be fun to participate in, and you’ll feel great about being a part of this groundbreaking project that will help rescuers save more lives.

The completed manual will be available online for free or in paperback for $29.95 because it will include editable documents for rescues to use.

SPACE IS LIMITED! GET INVOLVED TODAY!

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You Should Know: National Canine Research Council

Posted on December 4, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

A Facebook friend just introduced me to the National Canine Research Council, and I’m glad she did because it’s an organization I would be happy to refer people to as a resource. At their website, you’ll find information about breed specific legislation (and its ineffectiveness), proper pet care and acquisition, and other topics of interest to responsible pet guardians. Now, if only we could get the irresponsible pet guardians to check out this resource!

This month I challenge you to speak up to someone you know who may be caring for or acquiring pets irresponsibly. Share this link, print off a .pdf from our resource library, or simply have a conversation about how acting more responsibly will positively affect his or her life.

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Great Volunteers – Part 4

Posted on October 27, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

This post is the final in a series about finding and maintaining great volunteers. It covers how to keep volunteers happy.

Do you have anything to add?

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Great Volunteers – Part 3

Posted on October 24, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

This is the third post in a series about finding and maintaining great volunteers. In order to prepare this presentation, I polled rescue volunteers to find out how they felt about their volunteer experiences with their current organizations and what they felt would be the ideal experience for volunteers. The data collected was both interesting and useful.

Here’s the video:

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Great Volunteers – Part 2

Posted on October 20, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

This is the second post in a series about finding and maintaining great volunteers. Since you need to have volunteers before you can treat them well, the logical place to begin seemed to be with how to find volunteers. I start this talk with a little about what volunteering has meant to me. (If you don’t know my background, I’ve been volunteering with MidAmerica Boston Terrier Rescue for about four years, helping by fostering, transporting, and attending occasional events.)

Here’s the video:

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Finding and Maintaining Great Volunteers – Part 1

Posted on October 18, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

I gave a talk to the members of All Breed Rescue Network this past weekend. I was excited and honored to have been invited, as ABRN is a wonderful organization that assists rescues operating in Colorado to save the most lives possible. Rather than try to paraphrase, let me just give you their mission:

The mission of All Breed Rescue Network, Inc., is to provide a vehicle for the fostering and rehoming of abandoned purebred dogs, to assist in increasing the adoption of shelter dogs by promoting awareness and working with shelters, and to educate the community regarding responsible dog ownership including the spay/neuter of companion animals.

This past weekend was their annual luncheon with about 50 attendees from various rescues, including St. Bernard rescue, Beagle rescue, Westie rescue, and many more. I was allowed the freedom to choose which topic to speak on, and I decided volunteerism, since encouraging people to get involved is a passion of mine. Ironically, the ABRN president had the same idea, and the meeting that followed my talk focused on volunteering, too. It all worked out great.

Basically, the premise of the talk was that people who serve as rescue board members and founders have an amazing opportunity to not only change the lives of dogs, but also to change the lives of people, which will create positive change in society as a whole. A few key points included

  1. Saying “Thank-you,” no matter by what means (email, phone, mail, etc.), is only truly meaningful if you do it with no strings attached.
  2. The best way to keep volunteers is to provide adequate training and prompt assistance when necessary and to ensure they feel included, appreciated, and that their work is meaningful.
  3. People who wish to volunteer with your organization abound, but they can’t possibly do so if they don’t know that opportunities exist. Making clearly defined information about volunteering with your organization readily available to the public is fundamental in growing your volunteer base.

Throughout the week I’ll give you more specifics, but for now, I’d like to leave you with a poem from Julia Butterfly Hill, the woman who protected a section of our Redwood Forest by living in a tree for more than two years. This is a poem she wrote to herself about letting go, which I believe is key in running a volunteer-based organization. Enjoy!

As I started to picture the trees in the storm,
the answer began to dawn on me. The trees in the
storm don’t try to stand up straight and tall and
erect. They allow themselves to bend and be blown
with the wind. They understand the power of
letting go. Those trees and those branches that
try too hard to stand up strong and straight are
the ones that break. Now is not the time for you
to be strong, or you, too, will break.



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Creative Volunteerism: Quantifying the Issue

Posted on October 11, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

I was thrilled to receive an email from Sandy Shephard today, a volunteer with Angels’ Arms Rescue in Mobile, Alabama. She told me about their unique approach to raising awareness about euthanasia in their community. I think this photo and press release says it best:

 

Drivers will be stunned by the visual image along Highway 90 West in Theodore, AL.  Angels’ Arms Rescue has created a memorial of 8,450 small white crosses to represent every animal killed in local shelters last year.

 The event was created to bring attention to the ongoing problem of euthanization due to overpopulation.  According to organization volunteer Sandy Shepard, “the purpose of the memorial is to spread the message that every life matters.”

 Volunteers will be on-site at 5731 Highway 90 West on Saturday, October 8 from 2pm-4pm, to discuss solutions to this ongoing community problem.  Rescued pets and their families will share their experiences and homeless pets will be available for adoption.

 According to renowned wildlife expert, Jane Goodall, “Only if we understand can we care.  Only if we care will we help.  Only if we help shall they be saved.”

Bravo, Angels’ Arms. 

I hope that other rescuers consider this effort and whether or not you could do something similar in your area. People simply can’t ignore this, and the impact will surely be far-reaching. Like we always talk about in business school – if you can quantify your message, it tends to really bring it home. Angels’ Arms have certainly put the euthanasia issue in terms people can understand.

Side Note: 

I was told by Sandy that they printed out and used some of our humane education documents for the event. Of course I was thrilled! I hope that if you have a humane education event coming up, you will also consider making some of these documents available for people.

 


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Choosing the Right Breed

Posted on October 4, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

Written by Kevin Sloan of Find The Best:

Rescue With Care: How to Choose the Right Dog Breed

When it comes to finding a new dog — aside from picking the one with the cutest pug-nose, the floppiest ears or the nicest coat — consider a few of the factors below before taking one home.

Research ‘Breeds’ Success

Before visiting the local animal shelter, make sure to do your homework (no, the dog eating it is not an excuse). Here are some things to think about when comparing different dog breeds:

1)      Do you live in an apartment or a house with a small backyard? If so, don’t get a dog that requires a lot of space to run around and play.

2)      Can you handle hair…everywhere? Some dogs shed more than others; don’t get a golden retriever if you don’t want to clean up hair all the time.

3)      Do you have other pets or children? If so, make sure to get a breed that plays nice with both.

Diamond in the ‘Ruff’

Start at your local pound or animal shelter on your quest for a new dog. Shelter owners say these dogs make great pets because they are so grateful for some much needed TLC.

If your local shelter doesn’t have the breed you’re looking for, don’t be discouraged.  Many animal rescue agencies specialize in particular dog breeds; a quick Google search should return specialized rescue shelters.

Caring for Your Pooch

In addition to upfront costs, long-term expenses to contemplate are:

1)      Dog Food: Large bags might be cost-effective, but some breeds require specialized food, which might be more expensive. *

2)      Pet insurance:  Some breeds are more likely than others to have health problems as they grow older. Vet bills can be extremely expensive, so insurance is worthwhile depending on the breed and age of your potential dog.

*(There are a lot of differences between dog food brands, like nutritional value – visit FindTheBest to compare dog foods.)

 Millions of dogs are euthanized every year because of over population in shelters. Help save a shelter and an animal by rescuing the next time you get a pet.

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Finding Homes for Less Adoptable Pets

Posted on September 21, 2011 by HappyTailsBooks

In honor of Petfinder.com’s Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week, I thought a post about adopting out “less adoptable” pets was in order.

Some popular adjectives that come to mind for many when conjuring up the perfect dog include young, happy, healthy, and good-looking, however, these are not necessarily the marks of a great pet (at least, not right out of the gate). It’s true; dogs who are available for adoption are sometimes “less than perfect,” but it’s also true that “perfect” puppies sometimes turn into “not-so-perfect” dogs.

 
(In this video, you’ll see Max, a disabled dog whose front leg is fused at the elbow. This video shows that he can still have a great time. He was my foster dog and has since gone on to make a family very happy!)

As a person who has adopted and rehabilitated a puppy mill survivor with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, I can personally attest to the fact that sometimes the “less adoptable” dogs make the best pets. The way I see it, adding a dog to your life is like adding a child: It’s a big responsibility, and you often get out of it what you put in. As rescuers, how do we get people to understand this and encourage them to take a chance on a pet who may seem less adoptable?

Here are some strategies:

1) Make sure your dogs are clean and fresh. Nothing is a bigger turn-off than a dog who stinks. Adopters won’t even want to touch him or her, let alone take him or her home. Partner with a local dog wash to help you clean or dogs or have volunteers come in regularly and before your big adoption events to make sure everyone is looking good. If your dogs are housed in foster homes, ensure fosters have what they need for grooming and help them to understand the best ways to do it.

2) Give your dogs basic training. Potty training, sit, stay, and come can go a long way to convincing someone that a “less desirable” dog will actually be a great companion. One of the most requested attributes is that a dog is potty-trained. This can be difficult in a shelter setting, so if your dogs are housed in a shelter, try to shuffle your “less adoptables” off to foster homes where they can get the TLC they need to become “more adoptable.”

3) Post photos that show the dog’s personality. Photos are the first thing that a potential adopter will see, and they will judge adoptable dogs primarily on photos. Therefore, counsel your adopters about how to take good photos. (Click here for more marketing and photo tips.)

4) Take your “less adoptables” to as many adoption fairs as possible to get them out in front of people. These dogs can be their own best marketing tools – you just have to give them the opportunity!

How does your rescue market your “less adoptable” pets? What has worked best for you?

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