At the start of the pandemic, animal shelters focused on moving homeless pets out, clearing space for the pets of the sick and deceased who had no other place to go. Now as hurricane season and raging wildfires bring new issues to the forefront, the goals have changed.
In early August, experts projected that an estimated 30 million–40 million renters could be at risk of eviction by year’s end. And with 72% of renters owning pets, the animal welfare community began sharing resources and developing plans.
As part of our new Innovation Bank of short, pre-recorded webinars, every week we’ll be rolling out a brilliant idea from one of your colleagues in the field. This week we’re taking a closer look at Oregon Humane Society’s renowned Emergency Animal Sheltering team of staff and volunteers.
Earlier this summer, we posted Dr. Cristie Kamiya’s account of how Humane Society Silicon Valley has been dealing with—and overcoming—many of the challenges brought on by COVID-19.
How do we safely undertake disaster sheltering in a pandemic? What changes must be made to existing protocols? Red Rover’s Beth Gammie and IFAW’s Jennifer Gardner of the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition’s COVID-19 Sheltering Committee sat down with us to record a 30-minute webinar. This on-demand presentation covers the gamut from PPE and adapting your shelter layout to animal housing and the best location for receiving donations of supplies.
Shelter Animals Count CEO Sara Kent shares an invitation to join 100 of your sheltering colleagues in a groundbreaking pilot. Love data and want to dig in? The deadline to sign up is this Friday, August 14.
Spoiler alert: Even more portals for even more cats! Back in early May, Million Cat Challenge (MCC), founded in 2014 with a gift from Maddie’s Fund, launched the Portalmania 2020 giveaway with a goal of providing 1,500 portals to shelters when animal inventory in North America was at an all-time low. The lifesaving (and roomier digs for shelter kitties!) continues, thanks to the generous support of industry partners.
Medical, Behavior, & Operations working together—yassss! You can see it in action at the 7 centers run by County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care & Control, thanks to a cohesive program and inclusive decision-making process created by Senior Veterinarian, Dr. Maria Solacito, and Allie Waszmer, CTC, CDBC, Behavior Division Manager.
Registration is now open for our Spring Conference, and we get more excited with each passing day about this chance to connect with you, the leaders and future leaders of animal welfare. We checked in with Nick Lippincott, Special Programs and Training Programs Coordinator for Orange County Animal Services and NACA board member, who will be co-presenting “Reducing Recidivism: Creating a Responsible Pet Ownership Program,” with Dan DeSousa, CAWA.
Have you registered for the Virtual Spring Conference yet? Registration opened last week, and we cannot be more excited about this chance to connect with you, deepen our existing skills and develop new ones. That includes an incredible opportunity with Marty Becker, DVM, who’ll guide us on a deep dive into Fear Free the unparalleled initiative that addresses the emotional wellbeing, enrichment, and the reduction of fear, anxiety, and stress in pets.
