Target Your Spay/Neuter Efforts Rick DuCharme First Coast No More Homeless Pets and Target Zero Institute Mission of First Coast No More Homeless Pets: To eliminate shelter deaths of dogs and cats in the Jacksonville community and beyond through free and low-cost spay and neuter programs. October 10-13, 2013 1
Big Problem In 2002, 33,847 animals entered area shelters in Jacksonville and 23,104 died. 32% Live Release Rate Why Target? n Maximize limited resources and be more effective n Reach goal of zero shelter killing in shorter period of time n 70 to 80% of pet overpopulation comes from as few as 3% of households October 10-13, 2013 2
25,000 Surgeries Annually Long-term, sustained targeted spay & neuter n Targeted Spay/Neuter Programs n Free income targeted n Free geographical targeted n Free pet and feral cat targeted Low-Cost Programs Low-Income Programs Pit Bull and Pit-Mix Programs Community/Feral Cat Programs Geographic Programs 9% 14% 18% 4% 55% 35000 33,000 30000 25000 23,142 Measuring Success Saving money is good, but the best measurement of success is the number of lives saved. Targeting is a proactive way to save money. 20000 15000 10000 13,633 FY 01/02 FY 12/13 5000 2,231 0 October 10-13, 2013 3
JAX: big difference! Since 2002, the euthanasia rate has decreased by 78%. This fiscal year, 2,280 animals were euthanized. 82% Live Release Rate 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Total Surgeries Total Deaths Total Shelter Intake Comparison of Surgery Volume in Successful Programs FCNMHP Duval Programs New Hampshire Program Maddie s Big Fix for Alabama Low-Income Sterilizations 4,216 annual 4,300 annual avg. 18,023 annual avg. Decrease in Shelter Intake -8.87% for the year -37% over 5 years -2.5% over 2 years Surgeries Per 1,000 Population 4.05 3.48 4.05 Population of Area 817,480 1,235,786 4,447,100 October 10-13, 2013 4
Targeted Spay & Neuter Targeted Populations Community n Feral & community cats n Low income pet owners Targeted Populations Shelter n Pre-adoption floor n Fast track shelter pets n Large breed dogs n Zip codes with high intake Income Targeted Programs n The most effective type of targeting n Targets surgeries at pets of documented low income pet owners. n Requires proof of low income status for eligibility n Most effective at decreasing shelters admissions n Most effective at increasing number of sterilizations October 10-13, 2013 5
Income Targeted Programs n Reaching a minimum volume of 5 surgeries per 1,000 residents per year should yield a decrease in shelter admissions. n New Hampshire Statewide Program n Maddie s Fund Alabama Statewide Program n Duval County SpayJax Program n Hillsborough County, Florida Program Income Targeted Programs n Increasing poverty levels most likely will require increased surgery volumes to reach the same results. These numbers are based on a poverty rate of somewhere around 12%. October 10-13, 2013 6
Reward n After 2 years of targeted spay/neuter, programs with a volume of 5 surgeries per 1,000 residents, shelter admissions will start to decrease between 5% and 10% each year. n A decrease of up to 18,100 animals each year at a cost of $276 per animal, resulting in an annual savings of $4,995,600 How many cats do you need to fix? Feline Population Approximations n Free-roaming cats n Human Population 15 n Unspayed cats below the poverty line n (Population Below Line 3.5) x 0.9 n Unspayed cats above the poverty line n (Population Below Line 3.5) x 0.1 October 10-13, 2013 7
How many dogs do you need to fix? Canine Population Approximations n Total Number of Dogs n Population 2.67 = Households n Households x 0.361 = Families with Dogs n Families with Dogs x 1.6 = Total Dog Population n Total Number of Pit Bulls & Pit Mixes n Dog Population x 0.07 n Unspayed dogs below the poverty line n (Population Below Line 4) x 0.9 n Unspayed dogs above the poverty line n (Population Below Line 4) x 0.1 Funding Targeting Spay/Neuter n Private/public partnerships n Grants n Sliding scale of fees depending on income n License/automatic fees (ordinance) October 10-13, 2013 8
Targeted Assistance n Intake n Outreach n Food banks n Spay and neuter n Helping low income owners with sick/injured pets Target Zero Institute n Mission: To Help Get the Country to No Kill by 2024 n A not-for-profit comprised of best in class leadership, which mentors mid-size communities nationwide in creating and carrying out Target Zero Plans at no charge to those who apply n Mentored communities then pay it forward by bringing expertise to surrounding areas n Target Zero is currently accepting applications, please visit www.targetzeroinstitute.org for your community to apply today. October 10-13, 2013 9
Working towards a day when there are truly no more homeless pets! Questions & Discussion October 10-13, 2013 10