June
2007June
2007Welcome to the online edition of the NEFHS newsletter. In order to direct more of our resources toward our Annual Conference, and to be more responsive and timely in sharing news and information, we are using this format to replace our print newsletter. Please help us spread the word about this new resource by forwarding it to other animal welfare advocates you think may be interested in signing up. We hope you enjoy it!
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In This Issue:
It's
spring and most animal protection workers are already knee-deep in kittens.
As
we welcome these little balls of fluff into our facilities or foster care
programs, we can become overwhelmed at the sheer scale of the need. In my rural
western Massachusetts community, more than 10,000 cats and kittens will need
shelter services this year.
But those of us who have worked in animal protection for more than a decade remember the days when puppies were commonplace in New England animal shelters...when every litter that came trundling through the door was a disappointment. Today, puppies are such a rare sight throughout most of our region's shelters that we may even begin to think a litter of puppies is cute again!
How did we get from point A to point B with the puppy population? Was it a matter of constructing enough kennels and finding enough homes? Or was there something more pro-active we, as a movement, did to reduce the population to something more manageable? Think of the leash laws, the affordable sterilization programs, and the licensing and identification campaigns we spent our resources on.
Today, free-roaming, randomly bred dogs are the exception rather than the rule in most New England communities. Thanks to us. And thanks, largely, to our realization that there is no way to rescue and adopt our way out of the companion animal overpopulation disaster.
As we come to terms with this realization as it pertains to cats, we begin to work smarter, not harder. Instead of just constructing more cages, beating the sidewalks to find more homes, and killing the surplus, we begin to spend more of our precious resources on homelessness prevention. Affordable (or even free) sterilization programs targeting the cats of our low-income neighbors, trap-neuter-return for feral cats, pet-friendly rental housing campaigns, whatever works in our own communities to stem the tide.
Working-smarter-not-harder means more than just putting these programs to work in our own, isolated communities. It means reaching out, region-wide, to our fellow animal advocates to learn how to launch effective programs without re-inventing the wheel. We share our expertise, lend resources, and help each other avoid pitfalls. Not only can we not solve this problem by thinking only about rescue, but we can't solve it alone.
That's where the New England Federation of Humane Societies, and your own state's humane federation, come in. Through training opportunities such as the NEFHS annual training conference (scheduled for Vermont in April 2008), town-meeting-style debates on timely issues, or local training initiatives put together by local coalitions, together we build a movement that makes a difference in the lives of the animals of New England.
I look forward to serving you as president of the New England Federation of Humane Societies in 2007-2008. If you have ideas about how the NEFHS can help you help your community, please contact me at lharris@dpvhs.org.
PRINT, VIDEO & DVD
Captive Exotic Bird Care: A Guide for Shelters
will help animal shelters gain the knowledge and skills needed to help unwanted
birds find loving, permanent homes. Providing proper care and placement for
homeless birds presents many challenges to the typical dog- and cat-oriented
shelter. This guide is a joint project of the Avian Welfare Coalition, Animal
Protection Institute and the ASPCA®. Available for $25, it covers everything from developing
guidelines for handling, assessment and placement, to forming alliances with
avian foster care, placement and welfare organizations. To order your
copy, visit aspca.org/catalog
and click on shelter resources section.
Dog Defense: Avoiding On-the-Job Dog Bites is a 19-minute film featuring real-world situations and personal accounts by mail carriers and meter readers who encounter dangerous dogs regularly. It is based on the most current advice from dog bite prevention experts and animal behaviorists, emphasizing techniques for avoiding bites by assessing the situation and reading dog body language to avoid conflicts if possible. The cost for a videotape or DVD is $35 plus $5 postage and handling. For ordering information email orders@latham.org. (Source: Latham Letter, Winter, 2007)
Get Political for Animals and Win the Laws They Need
by Julie Lewin is an easy-to-follow manual that shows you the simple steps for
launching a voting bloc in your town, city, county or state, transforming you
into a power player who wins strong laws for animals. Copies are $29 and can be
ordered at www.nifaa.org/manual.html.
Implementing a Community Trap-Neuter-Return Program
is a complete guide to addressing the community issues surrounding feral cat
management and offers practical suggestions for resolving them. Written by Bryan
Kortis of Neighborhood Cats, this step-by-step guide will help you learn to
identify and remedy unfavorable laws and policies, protect your program from
possible liability claims, develop affordable spay/neuter options, allocate
limited resources efficiently, deal with wildlife issues, choose an overall
approach that fits the conditions you're working in, and much more. For anyone
starting or running a large-scale Trap-Neuter-Return program, it's a must-read!
Copies are $9.99 each. For more information, go to www.neighborhoodcats.org
(Source: Neighborhood Cats website)
Why Animals Matter: The Case for Animal Protection
looks at cruelty to animals on an institutional level in various industries.
Authors Erin Williams and Margo DeMello scrutinize the meat industry and the
lack of animal protection laws for animals raised for food. They are also
equally hard on other industries, such as cosmetics, textiles and the large
commercial pet breeders who sell animals to various outlets. The book sells for
$20. (Source: Publishers Weekly Reviews, March, 2007).
CAMPAIGNS & PROGRAMS
Baby-Ready Pets Program: Preparing Pets for the Arrival
of a New Baby. Before a new baby arrives, expectant parents with pets at
home need to prepare. To help with preparation, The Providence Animal Rescue
League and The Rhode Island SPCA joined forces to create a program for humane
educators and other shelter personnel to use with expectant parents whether they
are pregnant, adopting or fostering. The goal of the program is to reduce
the number of bite related injuries and deaths among children and also to
decrease the number of pets relinquished for not adapting to the new baby.
The
kit is a step-by-step guide to presenting Baby-Ready Pets workshops and includes
instruction manual, handout master copies, DVD of actual workshops, audio CD of
baby sounds, PetsIncredible dog training and cat DVD's, and a bite-safety
coloring book. To order all of this for only $45, visit aspca.org/catalog and click on shelter
resources section.
The MSPCA is launching a Campaign for Cats focusing
on three key issues: adoption of adult cats, early sterilization and proper
identification. Specially designed posters have been created to spread the
messages and highlight the benefits of each issue. Special adoption kits and
discounts on interactive toys are being offered as a way to help ease the cat
into their new home and help build lasting bonds with the family. For
information, contact Scott Giacoppo at sgiacoppo@mspca.org or 617-541-5104 or go
to mspca.org/cats.
Feline-Ality is the latest addition to the ASPCA's
Meet Your Match Adoption Program. Feline-ality has been shown to increase cat
adoptions, dramatically reduce euthanasia, and increase the likelihood cats find
the right homes where their 'feline-alities' will be appreciated. Like its
counterparts Canine-ality™ and Puppy-ality™, Feline-ality matches cats and
prospective adopters based on lifestyle and behavioral preferences.
Feline-ality
begins with an eight-part assessment of the cat's social and novel stimuli
preferences, and combines that with the preferences and expectations of adopters
gathered through a survey. Just add a friendly adoption counselor, and voila,
cats and adopters find their perfect match. For information on the program and
to obtain the complete implementation guide, go to www.aspca.org/meetyourmatch.
The HSUS Proud 2 Adopt campaign aims to reach out
more widely to others who are thinking of getting a pet. A Proud 2 Adopt care
package is available to congratulate those who recently adopted a pet, with a
variety of items that support their pride of adoption. For anyone who has
adopted a pet in 2007, the free HSUS Proud 2 Adopt care package includes fun
items like a congratulatory adoption certificate, a t-shirt, bumper sticker,
lapel pin, and more, all designed to thank people for adopting from a shelter or
rescue group. Visit www.proud2adopt.org for more information on pet adoption.
TRAINING & EDUCATION
Building Better Boards is a new on-line course through Humane Society University. If you are an executive/manager who reports to a board of directors, or a member of a board, or if you wish to become a shelter director, this informative course on board development is just for you. Go to www.humanesocietyu.org/degrees_and_certificates/certificates/exec.html for more information, or contact Laura Aram at 301-258-3004 or laram@hsus.org.
The Meet Your Match Program Training Series is an innovative way to help your agency increase adoptions, reduce return rates, market animals more effectively, improve customer service and strengthen your relationship with the public. The program is comprised of three training sessions, including a series for dogs and puppies and one for cats. The training sessions are designed to be completed sequentially, in order to help you build the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively implement Meet Your Match programs in your shelter. Contact Kelly Cunningham at kellyc@aspca.org for more information.
July 5-8 or July 18-19, Assessing Temperament by Sue Sternberg, Accord, NY. For additional information and registration, go to www.puppyworks.com or call 917-699-6440.
July 16-20, 2007, New England Animal Control/Humane Academy (NEACHA), featuring a 3-day Disaster Animal Response Training (DART). Go to www.unh.edu/neacha for more information.
July 28-30, 2007, Taking Action for Animals Conference, Washington, DC. Go to www.takingactionforanimals.com for more information.
September 14-15, Implementing a Communitywide Trap-Neuter-Return Program for Feral Cats, New Britain, CT. The $20 registration fee includes lunches and workshop materials. Go to www.humanesocietyu.org/workshops_and_classes/implementing_communitywide_tnr_ct.html for more information.
September 27-29, American Humane Annual Conference, Alexandria, VA. For more information call (303) 925-9462 or email conference@americanhumane.org.
September - October, 2007, Technical Animal Rescue and Large Animal Rescue classes sponsored by the ASPCA throughout New York. Visit www.empiresart.com/events.html for more information.
November 3-6, Society for Animal Welfare Administrators National Conference, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. For more information visit www.sawanetwork.org.
WEBSITES
Check out www.hsus.org/prepare for an easy way to provide disaster preparedness tips and information to your constituents. This "one-stop" site contains comprehensive information about disaster/emergency preparedness for pet owners.
Humane Society: Youth (formerly NAHEE) has revamped its site just for teens (humanesociety.org/teens) to better support tweens and teens who love animals and want to help. The newly designed and animated website features many new resources, including step-by-step projects to take action on a wide array of animal issues, “HOTsheets” teens can use to help educate others on the most important issues affecting animals, and fun downloads including computer desktop wallpaper. Coming soon will be animated podcast stories about elephants and other animals in circuses, and pigs on today’s factory farms.
GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS
The New England Animal Control/Humane Academy
offers two scholarships for its annual week-long training academy in July.
The
first scholarship is cosponsored by the New England Regional Office of the
Humane Society of the United States and is open to any animal control officer or
humane shelter employee with financial need. The second is the Fred Mattox
Memorial Scholarship dedicated to Fred Mattox, a much-loved and respected animal
control officer from York, ME who passed away in 2003. Scholarship preferences
are for an animal control officer from Maine, but anyone is welcome to apply.
Go
to www.unh.edu/neacha for more information.
NEWS
On May 3, 2007, President Bush signed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act into law, which will help law enforcement rid the United States of dog fighting, cockfighting, and other forms of animal fighting from coast to coast. The law takes effect immediately. It provides felony penalties for interstate and foreign animal fighting activities, and outlaws commerce in cockfighting weapons. It will make it much harder for criminals who partake in dog fighting and cockfighting to continue their operations. Each violation of the federal law may bring up to three years in jail and a fine of up to a $250,000 for perpetrators. The law will have a devastating impact on major breeders of fighting animals, who depend on customers from all over the United States and abroad. Dog kennels rely on transporting their fighting dogs across state lines and across the world to customers. The new law should paralyze the interstate transport and foreign commerce in fighting animals.
The Animal Care (AC) program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) has developed a Resource Guide for Exhibitor Inspections and has revised the Research Facility Inspection Guide. These are both now available online on their website at www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/eig.shtml and www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/rig.shtml, respectively. (Source: USDA/Aphis email, March 27, 2007)
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut's pets and service animals will now be included in state disaster
plans thanks to a new law signed on May 8, 2007. The act concerning the
evacuation of pets and service animals and approval of the local emergency plan
of operations, H.B. 5186, was sponsored by Representative Kevin Witkos (R, 17).
It passed the state House 131-11 and unanimously passed the state Senate
35-0. The new law requires that local civil preparedness plans include provisions for
evacuating pets and service animals during emergencies.
MAINE
The Department of Agriculture's Animal Welfare Program has a bill pending, LD
1615, which passed the House and should be approved by the Senate shortly.
If
successful, relevant changes would include increased mandatory animal control
officer training and an increase in reimbursement for seized animals held by
shelters pending court cases. In addition, any individual selling a dog or cat
would have to now register for and display a temporary vendor license in an
effort to clamp down on backyard breeders. Perhaps most importantly for
shelters, stray cats with no identification would be required to be held for 48
hours and feral cats for 24 hours, and all shelters and rescue groups would be
required to spay/neuter their animals prior to adoption. This deposit-based
program will help to end pet overpopulation by bringing the shelter/rescue piece
of the puzzle into accordance with the solution of spay/neuter.
MASSACHUSETTS
The Humane Index was developed by the HSUS in order to determine America's most
humane city. In a ranking of the nation's largest 25 metropolitan areas,
Boston ranked 7th in compassion for animals. The city's humane highlights
include:
For full details, go to www.humaneindex.org.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Million Dog March is being sponsored by a coalition of local and national
animal welfare groups to bring attention to the plight of dogs suffering in
inappropriate shelters. The event will be held at the State House in Concord on
Sunday, October 14 from 2-4. This is an opportunity to highlight pending
legislation that will improve shelter standards. Anyone who cares about this
issue is invited to attend with their well-mannered pooch to let legislators
know how important shelter is to dogs who are sentenced to a life outdoors.
For
more information about the event, contact Jean Slepian at jeans1155@hotmail.com
or call 603-446-7961.
RHODE
ISLAND
The American Humane Association announced that Jane Greco Deming, of Warwick,
Rhode Island, has joined the organization as director of humane education.
Jane
will work with the national humane community to find avenues where American
Humane can help humane education programs spread their message of empathy,
compassion and kindness. Deming, formerly director of education at the
Providence Animal Rescue League, will continue to live and work from her home in
Rhode Island. Congratulations, Jane! (Source: AHA Press Release, April 11, 2007)
VERMONT
Municipal officials will now be able to pursue civil penalties for certain
animal cruelty infractions thanks to the passage of a new law that allows
for fines of up to $500 to encourage voluntary resolution of cases. A state's
attorney would be allowed to withdraw the complaint in the judicial bureau and
file in the district court if s/he deemed the case more appropriate for criminal
proceedings. Fines go back to each municipality, minus a $12.50 administrative
fee. For more information, contact Sue Skaskiw with Vermont Volunteer Services
for Animals at 802-672-5302 or skaskiw@vermontel.net.