Feb 23, 2024

We’re almost three months into 2024, and this 12 months is already in full movement! At Austin Pets Alive!, we began the 12 months 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 modifications. 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 an in depth 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 filled with options for the issues which have held us, and your complete animal welfare trade, again.

Right here’s how we’ll accomplish extra lifesaving and improved operations this 12 months:

Saving extra lives:

Saving extra lives inside our amenities. 2024 is a 12 months of change for us. We might be shifting a portion of our City Lake Animal Heart (TLAC) operations to new properties. These amenities are customized made to save lots of extra parvo puppies, extra panleukopenia kittens and way more. You’ll be listening to much more about how one can assist get these amenities over the end line within the subsequent month. This may give us extra room at TLAC to maintain serving our important canine and cat populations who’re ready for adoption for the rest of the 12 months.

Providing extra hands-on help to shelters. In case you tune into information protection or observe social media channels about shelters, you might be properly conscious that many pets are struggling in communities and in shelters all through our state, together with Austin. This doesn’t have to be the case. There are answers that may be applied that may lower the time pets spend within the shelter to allow them to dwell, expertise pleasure and produce 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 significantly that we will’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 might help themselves however lack the experience to do it. Because of this we’re leveraging the consultants inside APA! in order that extra shelters can profit from hands-on assist. We’ll supply assist 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 an ideal affect with the work they’re doing to assist others. Though extraordinarily exhausting, saving lives in massive volumes is a key ability set that the majority 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 assumption that there will not be sufficient houses. As a consequence, shelters have by no means constructed the operational framework to save lots of lives and get pets into houses 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 scenario as most shelters today- making an attempt to save lots of lives however overwhelmed with animals and no actual method to perceive the individuals energy wanted to do the work it takes to get them into houses.

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 the whole lot we do, set objectives for every after which measure our success.

The great thing about doing that is three fold:

1. It makes it generally recognized how a lot work it takes to do the job of lifesaving and rehoming in order that any shelter can broaden to satisfy the wants of their group. 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 most likely have extra intel than most however even for us, after years of including extra individuals, we will’t appear to determine the best staffing ratios within the face of want. That’s most essential to us right here in Austin, each at our metropolis shelter and at APA!, however it is going to additionally fill an enormous want nationwide as no shelter has this operational mannequin discovered, but.

2. It elevates the function of the shelter employee. Proper now, there is no such thing as a profession path outlined. There isn’t any certification required and the pay construction is low nationwide. Shelter employee turnover is excessive and unhappiness is even larger. As we work out the enterprise mannequin of sheltering, a key element is to make this extra of a career the place employees are licensed and might command larger pay primarily based on extra schooling that’s in step with what communities members need from shelters.

3. The group wins. For therefore lengthy, shelter administrators have believed that there’s solely a lot we will do to satisfy the calls for of the group and unhappiness is simply a part of the job. I’ve even thought that! The truth is that we, shelters, are those holding ourselves again. The group needs No Kill, needs glorious take care of pets within the shelter, needs a protected place for pets in have to go and needs to be engaged. As a substitute of routinely dismissing considerations and calls for, we should always be capable to meet these calls for and produce our group with us.

Saving lives and constructing the enterprise mannequin each translate into a greater group, doing higher by pets, higher jobs, higher psychological well being, higher satisfaction, higher pay and higher affect.

Keep tuned for progress studies on these two thrilling initiatives as we transfer via the 12 months. We’re excited for what the long run holds and are grateful for you coming with us on this journey.