Shelter and clinic low-stress animal handling tips - Ep58
Release Date: 09/20/2021
Get staff and public buy-in for return-to-field - Ep68
Shelter Success Simplified
GUEST: Scott Giacoppo. Scott is the Director of National Shelter Outreach for Best Friends Animal Society and oversees the development of lifesaving efficacy and sustainability for animal welfare partners across the U.S. Prior to Best Friends, Scott was president of NACA – the National Animal Care & Control Association – as well as chief of Animal Field Services for the District of Columbia for 10 years, overseeing all animal control and cruelty investigations team members for Humane Rescue Alliance. He began his animal protection career with the Massachusetts Society for the...
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Better social media posts for your organization - Ep67
Shelter Success Simplified
GUEST: Kimberly Wade. Kimberly is an expert consultant for Humane Network focusing on communications and social media. She was campaign manager for Maddie's Pet Project in Nevada, communications director at Nevada Humane Society, news producer at KOLO 8 News Now, and has a degree in broadcast journalism and communications from the University of Central Florida. MAIN QUESTION: What are some tips for animal organizations to create better social media pages and posts? TAKEAWAYS: If you don’t have a photo, you don’t have a story. To take good photos, avoid a busy background. Get a...
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How to find help for your animal organization - Ep66
Shelter Success Simplified
GUEST: Brent Toellner. Brent is the Senior Director of National Programs for Best Friends Animal Society. Prior to joining Best Friends, Brent, his wife, Michelle, and a few others co-founded the Kansas City Pet Project to run the municipal shelter in Kansas City, Missouri. MAIN QUESTION: There's a lot of pressure in animal welfare and people can feel alone in their work — what tips and ideas might help? TAKEAWAYS: In animal welfare, we’re pushed to do more with limited resources. People often feel they just need to work harder and do more programs, but that doesn’t work in the...
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Tips for implementing new programs successfully - Ep65
Shelter Success Simplified
Main question: What are the common issues you find when doing organizational assessments of animal organizations around the country?
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A tech solution for tracking community calls better - Ep64
Shelter Success Simplified
MAIN QUESTION: How does Doobert's new Companion Case Management module improve communications with the public?
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How to engage your community without judgment - Ep63
Shelter Success Simplified
Question: How can animal organizations better meet people where they're at?
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How to better help your community find lost pets - Ep62
Shelter Success Simplified
GUEST: Kat Albrecht-Thiessen is a pioneer in lost pet investigations. She was a police officer, bloodhound handler, crime scene investigator, and search-and-rescue manager before beginning to apply her skills in 1997 to finding lost pets. She is founder of Missing Animal Response Network and author of the book “Pet Tracker.”
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Why and how to create a positive workplace culture - Ep61
Shelter Success Simplified
QUESTION: How can animal organizations build a healthy workplace culture, which is so important in a competitive job market?
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How to raise more funds by communicating better - Ep60
Shelter Success Simplified
What works to engage more members of the community with our animal welfare work so that we can raise more funds — and what doesn't work?
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How to manage staff conflict at your nonprofit - Ep59
Shelter Success Simplified
GUEST: Diane Blankenburg is CEO & Co-Founder of Humane Network.
info_outlineGUEST: Kelley Bollen is a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant with a master’s degree in Animal Behavior who has worked in the field of companion animal behavior for twenty years. Kelley is the Owner and Principal Consultant for Kelley Bollen Consulting – an animal behavior consulting business. Kelley consults with animal shelters across the country on the design and implementation of comprehensive behavior programs to improve the welfare of the animals. She leads Humane Network’s Alive & Thriving animal behavior training program for shelter and clinic staff. And Kelley teaches an Animal Shelter Behavior Management Certificate Course through the University of the Pacific with a new program starting September 27, 2021.
MAIN QUESTION: What tips do you have for shelter and clinic staff for handling animals to make it a more stress-free experience?
TAKEAWAYS:
- Coming to an animal shelter or veterinary clinic is inherently stressful for animals, in part because of all the new surfaces, sounds, and smells, including fear pheromones from other animals.
- Not having secure footing is stressful for cats and dogs so be sure that tables and scales where they might stand have nonslip surfaces. For dogs, make sure there is a nonslip pad right inside the main door.
- Pre-medicating with sedatives can help some animals come to the clinic calmer, but for others their fear may overpower the effects. Sedating the animal in the clinic instead might be a more viable option.
- In general for cats: Give cats a place to hide such as under a towel, or try a specific towel wrap that can help you be able to perform the procedure. Try minimal restraint first, making sure the cat can have all four feet on a solid, non-slippery surface whenever possible.
- In general for dogs: Before starting an exam, try getting dogs to change their mindset by playing with them or asking them to do a known trick such as sit or shake.
LINKS:
- Kelley Bollen Consulting
- Kelley's Animal Behavioral Management Certificate Course through University of the Pacific (new course starting Sept. 27, 2021)
- Kelley's Alive & Thriving training program for shelter and clinic staff
- Leadership recommendation: “How to Ask Useful Questions” by Josh Kaufman (article)