Monthly Insights and Solutions for Shelter Dogs
Hosted by PEDIGREE Foundation and Shelter Animals Count, Moderated by Kristen Hassen
Dog intakes into animal shelters have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels while adoptions and transfers have slowed down, resulting in capacity crises in animal shelters and an increase of 50,000 dogs euthanized in 2023 vs. 2019. On the positive side, we are learning more than ever from data and research, and we can use both to guide our choices about how to spend our precious organizational time and resources.
Pedigree Foundation and Shelter Animals Count are coming together to share the latest data on dogs, present programs and practices that are working right now, and discuss the systemic problems that must be solved in order for us to maintain humane care and to realize positive trends in lifesaving.
These calls are designed specifically for animal shelter decision-makers and will be most helpful for people who oversee programs or people who will be able to recommend and steward new pilot programs. Animal welfare professionals of all levels are welcome to attend.
Register for All Webinars Here:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PHNMdI_fSAiV9Kzc3PF2fQ#/registration
April 19: The State of the Shelter Dog Union
Dive into the current state of shelter dogs with us. We’ll explore trends in intakes, outcomes, and length of stay. We’ll also look at how the current bottleneck is impacting the various types of animal welfare orgs and we’ll hear from you about how dogs are faring in shelters in your community. Attendees will have an opportunity to talk about their own data and how it compares to the national dataset. Finally, we’ll show you how to quickly assess whether you’re experiencing a change in an intake or outcome trend and how to check in to find out if that state of shelter dogs in your community is on par with other communities.
June 21: The Trouble with Transport and How to Fix It
Transport, the practice of moving dogs from one place to another to give them a better chance to get adopted, has been on the decline since 2021. Today, fewer dogs are being transported, which has heavily impacted some of the most overburdened shelters in the nation. In this session, we’ll share how transport has changed over the past six years and talk to organizations who have pivoted and are still successfully transporting both dogs and cats to safety.
July 19: Improve Shelter Safety Through Better Dog Management
Bites and other safety incidents may increase when shelters are full or over capacity, and dogs experience a longer length of stay and long periods of confinement in kennels. In this session, we’ll visit with shelters that are taking a safety-first approach to dog management and how they’re tracking bites, falls, and other safety issues. Participants will be invited to complete a shelter safety self-assessment to determine if you’re doing everything you can to keep pets and people safe. We’ll also share 10 free, simple changes you can make now to improve shelter dog safety.
August 23: Increase Dog Adoptions During Space Crises
Is your shelter or rescue experiencing a space crisis? In this session, we’ll explore the seasonal data and show you just how many dogs are in shelters right now compared to past summers. We’ll talk to organizations who are effectively balancing intakes and outcomes and learn the strategies that are working well. We’ll also look at the role of emergency fostering, low-barrier volunteer programs, and public pleas. If you’re struggling for space, this session will leave you with a host of new ideas and solutions.
September 20: The Unharnessed Power of Dog Foster Programs
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly half of all the shelter pets in the United States resided in foster homes. Since then, there has been a marked decline in foster placements, with shelters and rescues citing difficulty recruiting new foster caregivers, not enough staff to manage foster programs, and challenges with getting dogs from foster to permanent homes. But are we writing off foster as a key solution too quickly? In this session, we’ll learn about eight types of dog foster programs and the specific challenges they solve.
October 18: What Will Help Our Dogs the Most? Using Your Data to Make Program Decisions
When you’re inundated with shelter dogs and every kennel is full, it can be difficult to know what move to make next. In these moments, shelter leaders need to look at the data, assess the situation, and make quick decisions about how to address the specific issue at hand. In this session, we’ll review real data sets to think critically together about the differences between data and perception and how using the data will address the underlying problem. Attendees will complete their own decision-making template and practice planning a data-driven intervention.
