MAV'S RESCUE FRIENDS

We saw this post and thought we would repost it as we largely agree with it: http://jezebel.com/5841613/pet-photographer-says-better-photos-save-shelter-dogs-lives. The basic premise is that a nice photographer has been volunteering her services to post pics of local shelter dogs in an effort to get them adopted as opposed to seeing pics that make dogs look like they are rabid and in horrible health. We might add some additional thoughts; we think it is important to show both the pictures of their current condition as well as nice pictures of them. We feel this is necessary because part of the adoption process is to help people see all the good they are doing. We agree with the post’s premise on pictures, and we would even further it by saying videos should be taken as well.  Rescuers could save a lot of time and energy by doing a great description as well as a video and pictures up front instead of answering questions for months on end due to an incomplete description.

Here is a good post with some relevant data you might want to collect if trying to raise money:  http://animalsheltertips.com/blog/fundraising/using-statistics-to-help-homeless-pets. We like to spend a lot of time thinking about the statistics and math involved with helping animals because we are hoping to quantify the amount of need out there in order to bound the magnitude of the problem. Statistics seem to work on people as you can show them what kind of return they are getting for their investment. If you say, “please donate $500 and you will help save dogs,” that is more difficult than saying “if you donate $500, we will be able to save three dogs that are at kill shelters and put them in foster homes until they are adopted.” In general, we have found using statistics is both helpful in thinking about donating money and raising money. The problems just seem too large and obtuse otherwise.

We saw this post http://thenokillnationblog.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/could-texas-be-the-first-no-kill-state/#comment-67 about all the progress being made in the no-kill movement in Texas, which is already showing very high save rates in major cities. It is pretty fascinating to see how quickly the movement is gaining steam. The more evidence that shows it can be done, the more communities will adopt it- this should follow the classic S curve. The issue is that a no-kill nation will never be possible until we make more progress on spaying and neutering, but hopefully we will get there on the spay and neuter side as well. More dogs and cats than humans are born every day so mathematically this needs to change for the population of pets and homes who want them to balance. The good news is that every day the imbalance is improving thanks to the hard work of the many animal advocates out there.

So, we recently learned about this section of the rescue world that foster animals for a fee. Conceptually, the idea of a paid foster makes sense, as this is better than a dog being in a boarding facility long term or being euthanized.

However, paid fostering raises some interesting questions about whether the people who are doing it would do it for free otherwise. ie is the money just putting icing on the cake for someone who already loves dogs or is the payment meant to help with the costs of caring for a foster? In our experience, fostering is quite expensive because of vet care, food, and toys. We assume most rescues help pay these costs, so is the money to help for expenses or are the paid fosters doing this as a job? I think the answers is somewhere in between; the fosters make a little money but far less than they would pet sitting.

Either way, we are glad to know it is an option. We would rather there be paid fosters than no fosters so we have warmed up to the idea more than when we originally heard about it.

We came across this article recently on Catchafire and thought it was a great idea:  http://www.fastcompany.com/1780269/catchafire-the-eharmony-of-volunteering-for-busy-professionals. The basic idea for this website is to match potential volunteers with organizations looking for volunteers based on their interests, time requirements, and location. This is a brilliant idea in our opinion. We have volunteered with various organizations over the years and we can attest to how difficult it can be to get involved with non-profits.

To give you a few examples, if you want to volunteer at the children’s hospital, you might have to get a series of shots and commit to the same time every week for the next year. If you want to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity you might have a great deal of flexibility to show up last minute. If you want to volunteer at a nursing home, you may have to get on their schedule maybe a month in advance. My point is that different people have different schedules, so having a resource to connect volunteers with opportunities that fit their schedules and desired participation should be a slam dunk.

In our opinion, there are many people out there who want to volunteer but do not know exactly how to go about it. Catchafire will surely help both volunteers and non-profits, so it is bound to be successful.

We ran across this and thought it was worth a read as it had some basic no-kill information as well as data that shows shelters can helps save animals’ lives by in effect trying harder:  http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/pdf/redemptioncliffnotes.pdf

The data is very compelling and shows the number of animals euthanized can be dramatically reduced in commuities who make the effort to chagne. The article makes sense, and communities need to do a better job increasing awareness and managing shelters to end euthanasia. When we got Maverick, we had no idea of how large of problem this was and how many animals were being put to sleep. In fact, a year or so after getting Maverick we almost purchased another dog from a pet store in Manhattan. The issue is most people are unaware of the magnitude of the euthanasia issue, so taking steps toward creating greater awareness is a dramatic MUST.

I still do not agree that we can just have a no kill nation without focuing more resources on the spaying and neutering problem at the same time. I think if there were a light at the end of the tunnel, many families could take in one more pet for a year or two and absorb the excess population of animals but if more animals are born each year then people then the math doesn’t work. This is not a crutch shelters should be able to use to justify euthanasia; it just meands we need to work harder.

We saw this link to a wish list for the Austin Humane Society that we thought would be worth posting for those looking to donate to their local animal shelters:  The list is pretty comprehensive, so if you have any of these things lying around or if you want to purchase and donate them, they would be much appreciated:

“Our Wish List

• Cash
• Gift Cards to Bark n’ Purr, Tomlinson’s, PetsMart, PetCo, Target, Home Depot and Sam’s Club
• High quality canned cat, kitten, dog and puppy food
• 21st Century Kitten and Puppy Milk Replacement
• Human Baby Food — Meat only varieties (beef, lamb, chicken)
• Peanut Butter (creamy, sealed, non-organic and unexpired)
• Canned Tuna & Sardines
• Cans of Easy Cheese
• Kitten Bottle Sets
• StainlesSteel Bowls (non-spill)
• Non-clumping Cat Litter
• Bedding (towels, blankets without stuffing, Karunda beds and supplies)
• Baby Gates
• Crates and Carriers (all sizes)
• Small Electric Heating Pads without timers
• Premier collars and EZ Walks
• Cat and Dog Treats (ex. Charlee Bear, Bil Jac, Pet Botanics Rolled Meat)
• Hard Rubber Activity Dog Toys (ex. Kong Wobbler, “Linkables”, Nylabone)
• Cat Toys ( ex. teaser toys, Petlinks System Snap + Busy Body Mat, Bergan Turbo Track)
• Rawhide flips or chips (plain, unbasted)
• Can openers
• Dog and cat nail trimmers (scissor type)
• Medical Supplies (cotton swabs, digital thermometers, Neosporin triple anitibiotic ointment tubes, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, unopened distilled water, closable plastic sandwich bags)
• Cleaning Supplies (newspaper, paper towels, brooms, dust pans, hand sanitizer, rubber gloves, sponges)

Stuff We CAN’T Accept

• Expired Medications
• Pill Bottles
• Shredded Paper
• Plastic Litter Pans or Bowls
• Shock, Prong, Flea or Choke Collars
• Grooming Supplies
• Used Computer Equipment Older than 2 years and/or Not in Good Working Condition
• Homemade Dog and Cat Treats
• Over the Counter Flea Treatments”

I saw this post the other day and thought it was special: http://www.care2.com/causes/15-year-old-dog-stumbles-onto-heros-lawn-both-get-swept-away.html

The story is about a nice man who rescued a 15 year old dog who had been abused for the last 7 months of his life, even though he did not have much money and knew the money would not extend the dog’s life much longer. The dog helped him get through the death of his mother and he discusses how he wanted the dog to experience life as it is supposed to be and know that he was loved. It is a touching story and hits on this issue of how certain dogs tug at the hearts strings of different individuals.

We were speaking with someone about pet charities and fostering and, after discussing our experience with Cosita, she mentioned how commonly fosters end up keeping their foster dogs. She then told us of a rescue group that makes fosters agree to not keeping any of the first three dogs they foster. This seems like a very smart idea. Obviously, if you really put up a fight, I am certain the organization would let you keep any dog you fostered. However, I would imagine you become less attached when you have in your head that your unable to keep your foster. The issue is that as all dogs are great, fosters inevitably become attached. Breaking this attachment for first time fosters is vital to putting fosters in the right psychological position to give their foster to a great family. In our case, we became too attached to Cosita, so we were unable to imagine giving her to another home. I am going to try and follow up with this group and see how this policy has worked over time, but it is an intriguing idea.

We came across this today and wanted to flag the page of webinars that the ASPCA is hosting. It is a great resource to say the least and has many interesting talks from spaying and neutering to keeping animals safe to shelters, etc. http://www.aspcapro.org/upcoming-webinars.php. We are unsure of how long they have had these on the web but it is good information. It is awfully inspiring to see the amount of pet rescue information continually being added to the web. There are so many people out there doing so much good; we only hope we are able to add some value ourselves one day.