Do members of your organization frequently mutter the phrase, “we’ve always done it this way?” Perhaps you regularly encounter continuity in the way something was done because historically that was the pattern. If we look at the ways in which people historically interacted with animal shelters in the past, we see a framework of pets and their people being separated without feasible alternatives.
Today humane organizations are at a pivot point, led by Maddie’s Fund and the Human Animal Support Services (HASS) project. Many shelters are adopting new practices, particularly in response to the pandemic. The results are extremely positive not only for animals and shelters, but for communities. While many owners may have experienced having to surrender their animal due to financial hardships or the need to re-home them in the past, shelters are exploring better ways to assist people with keeping their companions by their side.
Here are four ways you can help in your local community foster this goal, referenced from https://www.humananimalsupportservices.org/how-you-can-help/:
1. Foster a pet for a person in crisis.
People facing eviction or other life crises don’t want to give up their pets but often have no place for them to go, even short-term. Providing a temporary place for the pet can make a huge difference. Your local animal shelter may have (or know of) an existing safety net fostering program with which you can volunteer. If not, start one and be the connection between pet owners in need and potential foster caregivers.
2. Don’t take friendly, healthy strays to the shelter.
Find a lost pet? Despite what you may have been taught, it’s better not to take them immediately to the shelter if they are not in distress. Most lost pets are found very close to home. If possible, hold onto them for 48 hours and canvas your neighborhood locally through online platforms or old fashioned paper signs. This vastly increases the likelihood of a family reunion and leaves space for pets who truly have no place else to go. A 2019 study of San Antonio loose dogs found that a whopping 95 to 96% of stray dogs went home every night. And a 2020 study out of Dallas, found nearly half of the stray dogs were a mere 400 feet from home, and almost all were within a mile of their houses.
3. If you need to rehome your pet, try to do it yourself.
Thanks to advances in technology platforms, it’s now fast and simple to rehome a pet privately instead of surrendering them to the shelter. Approximately 36% of animals entering animal shelters come in under the intake type called “owner surrender.” Many pet owners would rehome their pets directly to another family, but are unaware of the resources and tools available to help them do so safely and successfully. Moving a pet into a new home without entering the shelter system is more humane for them, and for the animals who need that kennel space. Being able to stay connected to the adoptive owner gives previous owners peace of mind, too.
4. Start or join a pet mutual aid group.
Mutual aid is when people get together to meet each other’s basic needs. Animal mutual aid is when people help each other with pet-related challenges, like pet food donations, or help with veterinary bills that could otherwise lead to the pet being given up to a shelter.
HASS has created a video on what this new model looks like and has supplied a dozen different resources/toolkits that can be found on Maddie’s® Pet Forum. Create a Maddie’s® Fund account, if you don’t already have one, which allows access to unlimited resources, participation in community group discussions and even the ability to post your own discussion.
So whether you or someone you know is struggling because of financial hardship, ending of eviction moratoriums and many other factors that contribute to animals being separated from their owners, utilization of the HAAS model and Maddie’s® Pet Forum may make the difference. New resources and approaches can allow an animal to stay in the comfort of their own home and/or community, offer the owner peace of mind, and keep animal shelter doors and spaces open for animals that truly have no alternative.
