Feb 23, 2024
We’re practically three months into 2024, and this yr is already in full movement! At Austin Pets Alive!, we began the yr with a promise to be even louder concerning the significance of progress for Austin’s pets. We’re not going to interrupt that promise. We additionally aren’t going to disregard the function we play in implementing progressive adjustments. And we definitely aren’t going to faux that we do animal sheltering completely, as a result of there isn’t a much bigger obstacle to development than the refusal to take a detailed look inside.
Our multi-year strategic plan recognized development alternatives at APA! and we’ve narrowed our focus to 2 main areas in 2024: saving extra lives in Austin and past and constructing a brand new enterprise mannequin inside our personal shelters. We’re excited to share extra about our future plans with you on this article as a result of the long run is stuffed with options for the issues which have held us, and the complete animal welfare trade, again.
Right here’s how we are going to accomplish extra lifesaving and improved operations this yr:
Saving extra lives:
Saving extra lives inside our services. 2024 is a yr of change for us. We can be shifting a portion of our City Lake Animal Heart (TLAC) operations to new properties. These services are customized made to save lots of extra parvo puppies, extra panleukopenia kittens and far more. You can be listening to much more about how one can assist get these services over the end line within the subsequent month. This can give us extra room at TLAC to maintain serving our foremost canine and cat populations who’re ready for adoption for the rest of the yr.
Providing extra hands-on help to shelters. In the event you tune into information protection or comply with social media channels about shelters, you’re nicely conscious that many pets are struggling in communities and in shelters all through our state, together with Austin. This doesn’t must be the case. There are answers that may be applied that can lower the time pets spend within the shelter to allow them to reside, expertise pleasure and convey that pleasure to their new households. APA! is overwhelmed by the necessity from all shelters that want us, and as a nonprofit with the mission to remove shelter killing, we take it very critically that we are able to’t assist each single one. We’ll at all times absorb pets, deal with them and rehome, identical to we do now, however we additionally want to supply extra help to shelters who may also help themselves however lack the experience to do it. Which means we’re leveraging the consultants inside APA! in order that extra shelters can profit from hands-on help. We’ll supply help to many shelter jurisdictions, permitting those that may settle for the assistance to take action. We’ll see the faces of the APA! crew members who’ve made a terrific impression with the work they’re doing to assist others. Though extraordinarily arduous, saving lives in massive volumes is a key ability set that almost all shelters should not have however our crew has in spades.
Constructing a brand new enterprise mannequin at our shelters.
The methodology that every one shelters share relies on the idea that there are usually not sufficient properties. As a consequence, shelters have by no means constructed the operational framework to save lots of lives and get pets into properties in no matter quantity is handed to them. We’re leaps and bounds above the place the trade was in 2008, when APA! began rescue work, however now we discover ourselves in the identical state of affairs as most shelters today- attempting to save lots of lives however overwhelmed with animals and no actual solution to perceive the folks energy wanted to do the work it takes to get them into properties.
Our resolution is to dissect what we do, why and in what amount to then construct an actual enterprise mannequin for humane No Kill sheltering. This requires us to quantify every part we do, set objectives for every after which measure our success.
The great thing about doing that is three fold:
-
It makes it generally identified how a lot work it takes to do the job of lifesaving and rehoming in order that any shelter can broaden to fulfill the wants of their neighborhood. This sounds rudimentary however, sadly, it’s not clear how many individuals it ought to take to care, deal with and undertake out, say, 5,000 pets. We in all probability have extra intel than most however even for us, after years of including extra folks, we are able to’t appear to determine the proper staffing ratios within the face of want. That’s most vital to us right here in Austin, each at our metropolis shelter and at APA!, however it’ll additionally fill an enormous want nationwide as no shelter has this operational mannequin discovered, but.
-
It elevates the function of the shelter employee. Proper now, there isn’t any profession path outlined. There is no such thing as a certification required and the pay construction is low nationwide. Shelter employee turnover is excessive and unhappiness is even larger. As we determine the enterprise mannequin of sheltering, a key part is to make this extra of a career the place staff are licensed and may command larger pay based mostly on extra training that’s in keeping with what communities members need from shelters.
-
The neighborhood wins. For thus lengthy, shelter administrators have believed that there’s solely a lot we are able to do to fulfill the calls for of the neighborhood and unhappiness is simply a part of the job. I’ve even thought that! The fact is that we, shelters, are those holding ourselves again. The neighborhood needs No Kill, needs wonderful take care of pets within the shelter, needs a secure place for pets in have to go and needs to be engaged. As an alternative of routinely dismissing issues and calls for, we should always be capable of meet these calls for and convey our neighborhood with us.
Saving lives and constructing the enterprise mannequin each translate into a greater neighborhood, doing higher by pets, higher jobs, higher psychological well being, higher satisfaction, higher pay and higher impression.
Keep tuned for progress reviews on these two thrilling initiatives as we transfer by means of the yr. We’re excited for what the long run holds and are grateful for you coming with us on this journey.
