On a recent episode of the Humane Network’s Shelter Success Simplified podcast, the KSMP’s own Dr. Cindi Delany explained what organizations can do to keep animals from coming into shelters in the first place, and why shifting resources to serve animals and their families right where they are—in the community—can lead to better outcomes for all.
The Humane Network’s key takeaways from the conversation:
- Time in a shelter is stressful for animals, anything we can do to reduce time spent there is beneficial to the animals. Providing support services to keep pets in homes and making return-to-owner processes easier and friendlier are two examples.
- Having fewer animals in the shelter reduces the risk of disease transmission and allows you to put more time and resources into helping animals who truly need to be there or need special assistance.
- The cost of taking in an animal is generally more expensive than helping keep that same animal in their original home, whether it’s providing food, medicine, veterinary treatment, or help with a rental pet deposit.
- It doesn’t require more resources, instead you are shifting resources from caring for animals in the shelter to helping keep animals with their original families.
- Start by looking at data to understand what animals are coming in and why.
Listen to the full episode below and explore the library of other Shelter Success Simplified episodes at Humane Network.
