Rethinking RTOs: Identifying and Removing Barriers to Owner Reclaim, Part One Brigid Wasson Head Consultant The Path Ahead Animal Shelter Consulting Board Member Missing Pet Partnership
About Me The Path Ahead Animal Shelter Consulting www.animalsheltersuccess.com Missing Pet Partnership www.missingpetpartnership.org
Are animals in shelters really unwanted, abandoned, abused? National average RTO rate for dogs is just 20%. National average RTO rate for cats is just 2%. What are we doing wrong? How can we improve?
Why focus on owner reclaim? With rare exceptions, shelters taking in strays place no more than 50% of their incoming animals through adoption. By focusing primarily on adoptions, we re ignoring the obvious by not making every effort to return animals to their original owners.
Overview of research project. What are the best practices of shelters that are more successful in reuniting lost pets with their owners? I conducted a study in Fall 2014. Regional snapshot of Northern California animal shelters.
Both government and nonprofit shelters in the 48 Counties of Northern California. Physical location, Yearly intake of 100 or more animals. 115 animal service agencies identified with 126 shelter locations. Study requirements
Study includes info from: Agencies web sites Interviews with shelter directors, managers, and other key staff Intake/outcome statistics for CY2013
Study specifics Data on cats and dogs only. Asked each agency: 1) What they do to find the owners of lost pets 2) What works well or doesn t 3) What issues they have. I looked at all the factors involved in RTO and compiled a list of the most important and the resulting recommendations for best practices.
Overall data Yearly intake varies from a few hundred to over 15,000 for a total of 320,000. This intake represents 3% of the estimated population of owned animals in the area.
Strays/lost pets vs. owner surrenders 75% of the total yearly intake in NorCal, or 240,000, are strays. RTO rates for dogs range from 10%-67%. RTO rates for cats range from 1%-16%.
Larger vs. smaller shelters In general, larger shelters have lower reclaim rates. Intake <2,000 = average 52% dog and 7% cat RTO. Intake >9,000 = average 19% dog and 2% cat RTO. Overall average adoption rate is 30% for dogs, 35% for cats.
Challenges faced by all Dogs at large. Owner s homes not secure. Inadequate fencing, gates/door left open.
Challenges faced by all Inadequate ID. No collar, no tags. I just gave my dog a bath. No microchip. Microchips not currently registered
Finder issues Don t want to take the found animal to the shelter for fear it will be put to sleep. Don t want to go to the correct shelter for the jurisdiction -- another shelter is closer to them, or perceived as better.
Owner issues Don t start looking for a missing pet for days or weeks. Don t look in shelters. Cannot afford reclaim fees.
Regional challenges Central Valley has a very high stray pet population. Warm weather year round and few predators = more litters per year, more surviving puppies and kittens per litter.
Regional challenges Sierra Nevada area has the opposite problem. Very cold winters and large predators = if lost pets are not quickly found, their chances of survival are low.
Regional challenges Tourist/recreation areas like Lake Tahoe in Nevada County and Bass Lake in Madera County have different problems. Dogs owned by tourists are lost. Dogs don t know where they are, owners don t know where to look.
The result of this research project is a compilation of best practices that are proven to increase owner reclaim rates as well as to keep animals in their loving homes and out of shelters.
RECOMMENDATIONS
RECOMMENDATION #1 Scan all incoming animals for a microchip. Image courtesy of The Secret Life of Dog Catchers.
Fearful cats may not be scanned. In some shelters cats believed to be feral are transferred directly from a trap to a cage without being scanned or vaccinated. These cats may not be handled for days until they start to act friendly or they are scheduled to be euthanized.
The reason given for not scanning feral/scared cats is safety concerns. These shelters do not have basic safety handling equipment like nets, feral dens, and transfer cages. Staff are handling feral cats with welding gloves, towels, or bare hands.
Proper training and equipment will enable staff to do their jobs safely and to reduce workload by increasing owner reclaims and preventing injury. (Images of feral dens and net from ACES catalog www.animal-care.com)
Fearful dogs may not be scanned. Fear of being bitten. Let the dog relax for a few hours, or overnight. The majority of dogs will settle down and be safe to scan. Make prominent notes in the dog s file that he has not been scanned (or, presumably, vaccinated).
ACOs need scanners in their trucks. Without a scanner in the truck, an animal picked up across the street from where it lives must be transported to the shelter which could be 25-50 miles away to be checked for a microchip. With a scanner, the animal can be back home in minutes.
Scan multiple times. Scan all animals at least twice, preferably with two different scanners and two different people. Make sure staff are properly trained in scanning!
Check all registries. www.petmicrochiplookup.org Start with this tool as it covers 19 registries! Some easier to get on the line than others. May need to call multiple registries to get the most current information.
RECOMMENDATION #2 Microchip and tag ID to all animals leaving the shelter.
Standard practice for adoptions, why not RTO? Cheap insurance to keep the animals from returning to the shelter. Microchips cost as little as $4.99 each including registration. Microchipping is a wellness procedure which means anyone can do it and the owner s permission is not required.
ID tag engraving machines aren t cheap, but often donors will buy for you. Tags cost pennies each. Important: put the tag on the collar and the collar on the dog! (Image from Imarc Engraving Systems (www.imarcengraver.com).
Finding Rover app Register every dog adopted or reclaimed on Finding Rover (with photo). Finding Rover is free and integrates with software like Shelter Buddy and Chameleon. www.findingrover.com
4 th of July weekend RTO success 28 dogs came in, 23 were quickly reclaimed thanks to ID tags, Finding Rover, and microchips. Many were microchipped by the shelter at a previous RTO.
RECOMMENDATION #3 Comprehensive web site.
The internet revolutionized animal sheltering in the 90 s, but if you don t use it, it can t help you! Today most people begin their search for anything, including a lost pet, on a computer, tablet, or smart phone
Of the 115 agencies researched, only half had a stand-alone web site.
The other half had a page within a government web site with little information and a URL no one could remember.
Actual URL for a shelter: http://xyzcounty.org/hh sa/index.cfm/licensingpermits-inspections/petadoptions-and-licensingpermitsinspections/description/
Web site issues: What s wrong with this picture? Broken links Incorrect phone numbers No address or phone number of the shelter! Incorrect business hours (Google maps)
Comprehensive web site includes: Lost & Found page with tips and links to area shelters and other resources. Santa Clara County Pets
Your shelter s jurisdiction.
Post all found animals online with photo, description, and location found. Compare the following PetHarbor listings from two NorCal shelters. Which one is more likely to be successful at finding the owners of these found cats? If you were missing a cat, which one would be more helpful to you?
Shelter #1
Shelter #2
RECOMMENDATION #4 Active social media presence with a focus on lost and found pet content.
Only 70% of the agencies researched even had a Facebook page. Of those, some have: No content No postings in months Only adoption content.
Shelters are having great success finding owners of lost pets through Facebook postings.
Post every day. Is your shelter highvolume? Post at least one found dog or cat per day with a link to all your strays.
Also check lost and found pet listings on: Craigslist Nextdoor Petharbor Web sites of other shelters in your area. Haven Humane Society in Shasta County, which has a 45% reclaim rate on dogs, does this outreach daily.
RECOMMENDATION #5 Public friendly phone system.
Animal shelter phone systems are, by and large, awful! Phone trees with nothing but recordings Extensions that go nowhere Outgoing messages that state business hours then hang up Phones that just ring. If people can t get through, they can t access the services they need.
A successful shelter will: Answer the phone every time it rings Help the caller as best they can Check voicemail and return calls promptly Take lost reports over the phone Check to see if an animal fitting the description is in the shelter.
A public friendly phone system incorporates technology and good customer service. It is unrealistic to expect owners to drive to shelters daily to look for a lost pet.
RECOMMENDATION #6 Public friendly business hours.
By and large, animal shelters do not have public friendly business hours Closed 1-2 days/week. Closed evenings, weekends, and holidays, when most people are available. Crazy actual business hours: Mon-Fri 2-3PM Tue, Wed, Thu 7-11AM.
Ideal hours are 7 days week till at least 6PM. If hours must be limited, open evenings and weekends when more people are available. Very minimally staffed shelters are having success with RTO by appointment on closed days. If you agency has 10, 20, 30 or more staff, there is no reason to close every week.
RECOMMENDATION #7 Public friendly reclaim process.
Too many shelters are not supportive of people with missing pets. Assumptions: animal is neglected, abandoned, abused. Owner doesn t deserve to get them back. High reclaim fees, citations. No right to reclaim if the animal was adopted after the legal hold period.
Create a lost pet friendly lobby.
Make all animals easily available for public view, including strays. Treat owners of missing pets with respect. Offer fee reductions and payment plans. Do not let the owner leave the shelter without their pet!
Q&A