Euthanasia for Lack of Space and Shelter Transparency

Bones

Anyone remotely associated with the animal rescue movement over the past ten years would agree that we have made enormous progress. Not long ago, the majority of animals turned into shelters didn't make it out alive, and not due to any unsolvable medical or behavioral failings of their own. 
















Today, a quick Google search reveals that about 2.4 million "healthy, adoptable" dogs and cats are euthanized each year, and many shelters in unlikely communities are releasing more than 90% of their animals "out the front door," alive and into adoptive homes, rescues, or sanctuaries. These shelters often rightly advertise their save rates, proclaiming that they are no longer euthanizing for lack of space.

Just a few years ago, the number of animals euthanized was closer to 4 million--so we are making enormous progress, and fast.  But if you work or volunteer in a shelter, or if you are heavily involved in animal rescue, it is natural to question these numbers. 

Lima Bean

What does a 90% live release rate really mean?


















Does it mean that 90% of adoptable animals are really leaving through the front door? 

Or does it just mean that "adoptable" has a new, more narrow definition? Does it mean, by any chance, that a healthy pit bull who loves other dogs and loves people, can be euthanized because he has some separation anxiety, or barks a lot, or is having trouble with housetraining, and is therefore "unadoptable"?

Does it mean that animals whose owners request euthanasia, can be killed without altering the shelter's proclaimed bottom line--even if the request is prompted by behavioral issues that may be relatively simple to address? If the shelter euthanizes those animals without conducting its own evaluation and attempting its own interventions, should the shelter's "live release rate" be unaffected? 

And if, once we get answers to these questions, we find that a shelter is in fact euthanizing for lack of space, the next question is why? 

Why would a shelter with a number of empty kennels euthanize for lack of space? 

Why wouldn't a shelter house compatible animals in pairs or small groups, to dramatically reduce stress and accommodate more? 

Why not aggressively promote foster programs, and let existing fosters know when help is needed? 

Penny

Why does a shelter, like Prince George's County Animal Management Division in Maryland, euthanize around 6,000 animals a year when there is a demand for roughly 27,000 pets every year in that county, and the shelter makes available for adoption only around 9,000 animals? 





(And incidentally, why in God's name is PGAMD closed on Sundays, which may be the only day working people have available to look for a pet?)

Of course there are lots of possible reasons. Shelters are understaffed, underfunded, they can't afford enough trained staff to do all the behavior modification that would save lives. 


Potential adopters want a purebred dog, they want a puppy, they want a goldendoodle.

And of course, some shelters are undoubtedly succeeding despite all that, and have every reason to trumpet their high live release rates because they are real and the result of a lot of hard work. 

NuNu

The Washington Humane Society in Washington, DC has seen enormous progress in its live release rate in large part due to the success of its phenomenal Trap-Neuter-Return program for feral cats. The many communities that lack these programs will be hard-pressed to reduce their euthanasia rates...a fact that DC's Department of Energy and the Environment should consider as it contemplates rolling back TNR as part of its proposed Wildlife Action Plan. 





Some communities of course face far more challenges than others in saving lives, such as densely populated urban areas and areas that suffer from a dearth of pet-friendly housing. Prince George's County is among several that still have pit bull bans on the books, meaning that all pit bull-type dogs that come in the county shelter's doors face euthanasia if they are not rescued by an entity from outside the county. Situations such as this of course pose a monumental challenge to getting the majority of animals out alive. 

To raise questions about live release rates and transparency is not to minimize the enormous efforts that many shelters have made to save lives, nor is it to suggest that achieving save rates near 100% is an easy task. It is merely to demand that claims about shelter successes be accompanied by complete, clear definitions of terms used, and articulation of the challenges that remain.

Shelters should not fear being honest with their volunteers, adopters, and even their staff about the grim realities of not being there yet with respect to No Kill. An increasingly educated public will increasingly demand that they do so anyway. Getting out in front of that trend will only encourage loyalty from those who understand both the challenges, and also the ultimate feasibility, of achieving live release rates that blow away all notions of what we once thought was possible.

Checking out a Shelter Pup with iPAW

Though I've come close a few times, I've somehow managed not to foster any dogs since foster failing with Dahlia. 

And you might ask, why is fostering something to be resisted, and not joyously embraced? Well, because I know myself, and I know I get these foster urges, and then I end up with not one not two but three difficult, energetic, high-maintenance, leash-reactive dogs who wrestle and play and play-fight and harass one another constantly, and I end up wondering where I went wrong and why I had to turn out this way.

So recently, I decided to just once make a rational decision with respect to dogs, and find a way to help them that doesn't involve massive upheaval to my life. So I stopped by the shelter and checked out a dog for the afternoon. This is Troy.

Troy is friendly, outgoing, joyful, calm in the car, and has a soft mouth. He's been in the shelter for a long time--so long that his adoption fee is waived!  I can't figure out why he hasn't been adopted yet. 



I think people just don't give a dog a chance when the first impression is so overwhelming. 











Ha! I wish I could show them what Fozzie was like when I first got him out. Troy's a piece of cake. 

So much so that the following week, when Florian was with me, I decided to go back and check him out again. We went for another nice walk through downtown, bought him a burger, and had some amazing cuddles. 

Then Florian had to go to work, but I didn't feel like I'd had enough. 

So I went back to the shelter and checked out another dog.

Phoenix is more mellow and shy than Troy. 

She has a really gentle, precious manner about her where she keeps looking at her human during a walk, and wants to be as close as possible to your legs. 

When you stop, she loves to put her paws up on you just to be close. Not in an obnoxious jumping up kind of way, but in a sweet, wanting reassurance kind of way. 

I think she must have come in to the shelter recently as she is still really skinny, and she had a bit of dandruff. 

So after walking around with her downtown and meeting lots of fans, I decided to take her home so I could give her a bath.

I had a feeling she would do well with Dahlia because of her sweet personality, so I decided to introduce them.

Not surprisingly, she was sweet and deferential. And surprisingly, Dahlia was pleasant and calm! 

Since it went so well on leash I decided to let them play a bit in the back yard, and I was so proud of everyone. 












Dahlia was very interested in Phoenix, and Phoenix really liked Fozzie. 

Fozzie wasn't thrilled with the whole thing but he was tolerant, and he got some really good treats. 











What a revelation! Dahlia humped some of the time but she also spent time calmly sniffing, and just doing her own thing. 

She didn't obsess with Phoenix the way I was afraid she would. So yes, I am rethinking the self-imposed foster ban. And I'm not gonna lie, it feels good.

I was so in love with Phoenix by this point that I would have kept her right then, but I had to let the right people at the shelter know first. So I brought Phoenix back nice and tired and a bit cleaner.

I had seen another dog, Snoop, when I was picking up the others and I just had to spend some time with that sweet little face. 

Snoop is a precious little baby, energetic and exuberant but not bad on the leash. When we saw another dog, she went wild with the most ridiculous loud squeaky barks but when I got treats out in time, she sat nicely for them and just watched the other dog walk by. 

Her face and her kisses are completely to die for and I think she'll get adopted soon!

Could it be by you? Why not check out these pups and others at the Washington Humane Society today!

Groovin' with Genghis at the 9th Annual Fashion for Paws Runway Show

Those of you who know me know that I'm pretty much of a nature girl. Pretty outdoorsy, kinda hippie, kinda crunchy, way more likely to sport a tie dye sarong with a treat bag than a cocktail dress with a purse. But there's a secret side of me that only those closest to me know about.  

That's the side that loves getting all dressed up and having an evening out with my sweetie 

and my family

and actually getting to walk the runway with Genghis at the Washington Humane Society's Fashion for Paws Runway Show!

Photo by Moshe Zusman

It's an annual benefit for the shelter, wherein volunteers who raise a certain amount can walk the runway in fashions donated for the evening by participating designers. Their dogs get to borrow doggie fashions for the evening and walk the runway too. 

It was three months of hard work to raise enough money to qualify, but I knew it would be worth it just to have this experience once!

As someone who grooms other beings for a living, it was fantastic to actually feel what it's like to be groomed myself and to get my hair and face done by professionals. 


There's a first time for everything! 

All the models spent most of the afternoon together backstage, so I got to make some new friends while I got my hair done and practiced my walk. Meanwhile, my sister brought Genghis to the event and he stayed at a special zen dog paradise until it was time for us to walk.

Then that moment came! Genghis and I were united backstage and I got to see him in his sparkly turquoise magnificence. 

When we walked out, he exuded calmness and self-assurance. Glad one of us did!

I had some treats because I thought he might do that thing he often does in public where he rolls over on his back with his paws up in the air and doesn't move for a while. 

Which would have been kind of good, but I knew the organizers of the show wanted to keep things moving. 












But Genghis elected not to play dead and angle for a belly rub on this occasion, instead just pausing in front of a photographer whenever he could to make sure they got a really good shot of his handsomeness. 

Photo: Janet Donovan

I missed not having Fozzie and Dahlia, and missed not having them hump my leg, lunge at other dogs, and bark and yodel loudly as they careened and pulled uncontrollably at the end of the leash. But maybe others wouldn't have enjoyed that as much. 

What's wrong with people, anyway?

Thanks Genghis and family for a lovely evening! This was truly a night to remember.

Fashion for Paws and the Bumper Sticker You Can't Live Without

As you know, every foster dog I've had since Sandy came from the Washington Humane Society, the DC area's open-admission shelter. I really love working with this shelter. They are really committed to helping as many animals as possible, even when it requires complicated medical care and a lot of behavioral rehabilitation. And, they are just really, really friendly, as well as humorous and supportive to their volunteers.

So this year I decided to try to help out WHS in another way in addition to fostering--by volunteering as a fundraising runway model for the Fashion for Paws Runway Show! In exchange for raising as much as I can for the shelter, I get to walk down the runway at a wild fashion show on May 2 in DC. 

To convince everyone that this is a cause you really need to support, I'm offering one-of-a-kind bumper stickers that I made MYSELF (with Fozzie's help) to everyone who donates! 

Yes, these wacky bumper stickers proclaim to the world your appreciation for those cool, fresh noses 











and those paws that smell like savory, crunchy, toasty baked corn snacks. 

Yes, of course you need one of these.












Any donation of $10 or more at my Fashion for Paws page gets you either the Cool and Fresh bumper sticker

or the Toasty Fritos, 

and a donation of $20 or more gets you both! And if you need another reason to stick one on your car, Cool and Fresh features a photo of Fozzie's nose.

Toasty Fritos is 3" round and Cool and Fresh is 3.75" x 5.65."

Email me at peacefuldog [at] yahoo [dot] com to let me know you donated and your sticker preference--and your address! 

And if you're in the DC area, you don't want to miss the Fashion for Paws event May 2 at the Grant Hyatt Washington! You can buy your tickets here too.

Holistic Grooming and Handling at the Shelter Part 2

My second talk on Positive, Holistic Grooming and Handling was at the larger Washington Humane Society shelter, in the heart of Washington DC. As before, I asked to use any demo dog who would enjoy it and could help illustrate some of the benefits of mindful handling and grooming.

This time, my first demo dog was Honda. Honda is a wiggly little thing who just couldn't get enough kisses in. Like many of the pitties in the shelter, she had some dry skin and dandruff and she was shedding like crazy. It made me think of how all the dogs I've taken in as fosters have started out with dry skin and patchy, dull, scrappy-looking coats that have shaped up and gotten nice and glossy after just a week or so at home. This is through no fault of the shelter, and is not to toot my own horn--it is just a function of how stress causes dogs to dump their coats, and regular brushing, even with those short pittie coats, distributes the oils and makes skin healthy and coats shine. 

It was nice to watch Honda calm down as she was brushed with the Zoom Groom, and incredible to see the pile of fur we were able to generate.

Next up was a shy little pup who didn't really want to do anything but hide. She would definitely benefit from some calming touch, but in a room with multiple people I didn't want to introduce her to grooming tools for the first time. She will likely be going to a rescue or to foster care where she can get the one-on-one attention that will help her build confidence. 

Then I got to work with Danny, an absolutely ridiculous little mini-Fozzie. Good God. I'm supposed to remain coherent when you give me a little thing like that? Once I pulled myself together, I was able to brush Danny's teeth and demonstrate how great it is to get a little gum/muzzle massage in.

Then, we settled in to a nice demo of nail clipping. Danny was surprisingly amenable to the whole thing! Unlike many dogs, he let me clip those nails with no trouble at all. It didn't hurt that he had a room full of people stuffing his face with treats as I trimmed each nail.

How is YOUR dog with nail clipping? In the event that you don't have an easy time of it like I did with Danny, I have recorded below a step-by-step process for nail clipping that, over time, will help even the most sensitive dogs accept the process.  

• Get your dog used to having his paws touched. For a few days, just touch each paw, then give a treat. If your dog is really nervous about this, just touch one paw during a session, then rest and play, and come back to the next paw later.
• Bring out the clippers and place them near your pup. If she sniffs them, click and treat. Leave them out for a couple of days.
• Put some treats near the clippers. If your dog gets the treats, praise.
• Use a “touch” cue to get your pup to touch the clippers. Do this multiple times until the pup is touching the clippers readily.
• Now sit down near the clippers with some really good treats and have your dog lie down near you. Slowly bring the clippers over to a paw and gently touch one nail with them. If she pulls her paw away, look away and ignore her for a moment.
• Try again until you are able to touch the paw with the clippers. When that happens, click and treat. Repeat several times, for several days.
• If your dog keeps pulling his paw away, then click and treat for even allowing the clippers within a couple of inches of the paw. Gradually get closer.
• When you can touch the paw with the clippers easily, raise the criteria by touching the paw twice before you click and treat. Then three times.
• Repeat the process for all the nails/ paws. When your pup is comfortable with this, you can clip the smallest edge of the nail. Then click and treat. Do just one paw at a time and keep sessions short.
• Trim nails a tiny bit at a time, and keep them short so quick never grows out.  
• For very nervous dogs, don’t be surprised if it takes a few weeks of slow introduction and counterconditioning before you can clip any nails. The process can, however, go surprisingly fast if you do not rush it, and use high-value treats.

 

And a great idea contributed by Alison Coates with the Behavior and Training Department at the shelter, who took all these pictures and--along with Marika Bell--helped set up these talks: when you get to the point where you can clip your dog's nails, or close to that point--do one nail right before dinner each night! Way to set up the positive associations.

Holistic, Positive, DIY Dog Grooming

Thanks to some very positive encouragement from some of the positive trainers in my area, I have put together a presentation on positive, holistic Do-It-Yourself dog grooming! Last week, I delivered it to staff and volunteers at the Washington Humane Society. 

Though of course many of the grooming clients I see are long-haired pooches who get haircuts like poodles and shih-tzus, the vast majority of the dogs in the shelter are bully-type dogs with short hair who need minimal grooming. So my talk was geared to all the ways in which positive, mindful handling is beneficial for all dogs. 

We talked about how important it is to find out where and how each dog likes to be touched, and to touch mindfully and with attention to the dog's body language. So often, we pet our dogs absentmindedly and in a way that the dog doesn't actually enjoy all that much, like patting on the head.

Far better is to touch slowly, lightly, in a circular fashion. Like that rich area right in front of the ears, or the ears themselves. Does the dog's face relax, do eyes get squinty, does the mouth open when you touch him? All signs that you are touching a good spot.

My demo dog was Azul, a very shy, frightened dog who groveled on the floor in front of us but was nonetheless happy to see lots of friendly people. 

Azul absolutely melted as I stroked all along her legs and sides, slowly and lightly allowing her to really get in her body and forget her anxieties for a moment. 





The shelter staff told me that on their list of enrichment activities every day, is to spend some time just handling and touching each dog. So great that the shelter dogs are getting that from the staff; this is the kind of thing that makes me feel so proud of this shelter and glad that it's in my community. 

We talked about how great it can be to brush a dog's teeth, while massaging all around a dog's mouth and muzzle. For dogs who are nippy, mouthy, chewy little things, like my old foster dog Sandy, their muzzles can be just full of tension and tightness. Massaging all around that area can release all that tension and help the whole dog relax. 






We talked a lot about how mindful touch helps ground dogs in their bodies, and makes them slow down and notice. Oftentimes shelter dogs are so distracted and their energy is pulled in so many different directions; mindful touch forces them to focus and to tune in. 

In particular, I like to touch dogs in ways that are novel and maybe unexpected for them. This is something that I learned from TTouch, that novel touch makes dogs have to pay attention to their bodies when their usual pattern--for anxious dogs, reactive dogs, and a lot of shelter dogs--may be to have their focus all over the place, except in their own bodies. So we talked about how squeezing a dog's legs, or applying gentle upward pressure on the legs for a dog who is standing, can be a really nice sort of novel touch for a dog to experience, especially since many dogs are very out of touch with their hind legs. 

On top of all that, being mindful as we touch our dogs is healing and well-being-enhancing for the human, as it gets us to slow down and tune in as well. 

We talked at length about nail clipping, which is so stressful for so many humans as well as dogs. 

There is one pup at the shelter named Cocoa Cabana, whose paw was broken at some point and healed crooked. It doesn't seem to be causing her pain and she is a happy, loving, goofy girl, but her nails were a bit long and I thought it couldn't be helping her walk comfortably to have those long nails. 

Walking on long nails, just like walking on high heels for humans, can actually throw a whole dog's body out of balance and lead to pain all over. So while it may take a while to introduce the clippers to the dog and do the clipping in a way that the dog can tolerate, this is a really worthwhile exercise for a dog's total well-being.

In my next post on this topic, I'll revisit how to desensitize and countercondition the nail clipping experience for dogs...or, you can read my old post on nail clipper desensitization.

Play groups in shelters

Though I may myself be a nervous wreck when it comes to rowdy dog play, others have been using it to great advantage in the shelter system.

The Washington Humane Society, Star's alma mater, faces all the challenges that you would expect in a municipal, open-access shelter in a major metropolitan area: high volumes of intakes, a large quantity of pit bull-type dogs, limited funds to spend on state-of-the-art facilities. Lately though they have been implementing some new programs that I think hold great hope for the animals housed there. 

Earlier this year, Florian and I went to the shelter to observe and learn from a play group session held by Aimee Sadler of the Longmont Humane Society in Colorado. At that shelter, regular play groups have played a role in reducing the canine euthanasia rate by 60% since 2004, even as intakes increased over the same period. Sadler has been touring the country to train shelters for free in holding regular play groups for canine residents, in hopes that more shelters can begin using creative ways to save more lives. 

It appears that getting out for supervised, unstructured play time with other dogs can have dramatic effects on shelter dogs' behavior and adoptability. Shy dogs can come out of their shell in the presence of others of their kind, and their new confidence transfers to their interactions with humans. Dogs with poor social skills learn better ways of interacting from dogs who are more socially savvy. All the dogs get nice and tired so they are calmer when meeting prospective adopters, and shelter staff get to learn things about the dogs in their care that they would not otherwise have known--like energy level, play style, and comfort with all sorts of other canines. 

One concrete benefit in terms of lives saved is that with the knowledge gained from play groups, shelter staff can pair up dogs in kennels based on compatibility--so the shelter has greatly increased capacity. 

Play groups are beginning to be recognized, as demonstrated by this post in Dog Star Daily, as a powerful tool for shelters to increase adoptions and improve animals' lives. The Washington Humane Society now has regular play groups, supervised by staff members and volunteers, for as many dogs as they can get out. Can you imagine the improvement in quality of life for all the animals who are spending hours a day playing outside, instead of in the shelter all day? Makes me happy to think about.

The Longmont Humane Society's live release rate for dogs is now an impressive 92.5%, compared to 78% in 2004. Can we get there in DC? I certainly believe we can, and hope the shelter will continue aggressively pursuing any and all means to get there. 

Happy Thanksgiving to the shelter dogs

Since I promised Lamar no more foster dogs for a while, I have been making an effort to spend all kinds of quality time with shelter dogs in other ways. This past weekend, I took two Washington Humane Society dogs who are in boarding at a doggie daycare to the Silver Spring Thanksgiving parade. 

Candy is a 10 year old puperoo who still has a lot of energy and spunk. Cub is a 7 year old beagle mix man who just loves people and is sweet and gregarious.  

They loved coming out and meeting all sorts of people, 










 



getting really good scratches, 













smelling the flowers, 

enjoying each others company,

and seeing the parade.

There was another foster dog named Gus there, who just showed up on the porch of the people who are now fostering him.

 Looks like Fozzie! 

I live in a neighborhood that is very multicultural, and at events like this I realize that just about every country of Latin America is well-represented here.

There were Bolivian dancers, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, 

others I don't know. I love that.

After the parade, I brought the pups home to meet Fozzie and co., and then over to my sister's house to meet Genghis. 

They seemed like they were in heaven being outside in the sun and nature, and they were not the only ones enjoying themselves. 

These guys live in a doggie daycare, so I wasn't surprised they did just fine with new dogs. 

Genghis can be a bit intimidating, but he likes most other dogs and once everyone loosens up they have a blast. 

These pups started to look like they could imagine sticking around, and my sister and I were starting to feel the same way.

But no, gotta be disciplined! Back to the daycare for Cub and Candy, and Fozzie and I took a nice little walk along the Anacostia River. 

We are off to New York to spend Thanksgiving with my parents! I am hoping my mom will make her nutty, hearty, crunchy meatless meatballs.

This will be Fozzie's first trip to the big city, and I am fully prepared for him to be absolutely overwhelmed, nutty, impulsive, and impossible amid all the sights, sounds, and stimulation.

Especially if we see the pot-bellied pig!