1. DEFINE A GOAL
OUR GOAL IS TO PUT OURSELVES OUT OF BUSINESS
Our goal is to correct the animal over population problem. By eliminating the need for shelters and pounds all together we eliminate the needless death. We must recognize and share the BIG PICTURE. To do so we must first determine the root of the problem to implement the correct steps to the solution. Is the root of the problem NOT HAVEING ANIMALS SPAYED & NEUTERED OR IS IT THE IRRESPONSIBLE GUARDIANS OF THE ANIMALS? There are many species that are able to regulate their population with out the interference of man. We see a Spay & Neuter Program is part of the solution but is not as the problem.
2. CREATE AND MAINTAIN A MENTALITY OF ANIMAL WORTH THREW INVESTMENT AND EDUCATION
It is human nature, people generally do not discard what they consider to be of value.
Who determines value? Value is perception, if we change the general percetion of animal worth we will start a wave. Worth is determined by who is offering the product and what is available to a consumers - this is where the united front comes in and adoptable homeless pets are required to be invested in within a rescue system. This is a service we provide a dog owner prior to adoption, grooming, training health care, ect. and we encourage only people who place value on the animal and their well being to look at adoption. Consciencious pet owners will consider such an investment and will be come non- excesible to, ill prepared, unconsciencious potential pet owners. We seed the pursuit of education to those that were true to their desire to commit to a pet and they will persist, becoming educated, prepared, consiencious and in turn are converted into part of the solution If a potential adoptor is detered by contributing to the costs of the service to care for and prepare an animal for adoptionor, the services they were provided prior to their custody of the animal. It is natural that they will not be of the mentality and in a position financially or otherwise to provide for the on going care of an animal, independantly as required. INVESTMENT is an effective screening proccess that potential adoptors naturally fall threw it..
Passing the Buck interception - making the adoptor and pet owner accountable. We can preach eduction but it is only ever received by those who are in a place to recieve it. Where as if we instill a need for education it will be saught after and acheived in larger volumes than we could put upon someone. Something of value is harder to aquire and this alone is a prerequisite to knowledge.
Education creates responsibility and understanding and conteracting on the root of the problem determined to be irresponsibility.
3. IMMPLEMENT SUPPLY = DEMAND
If we fill the demand first with dogs within the shelter the balance will be naturally created,.
The problem will be solved and the suffering and death of mans best freind will end . If there are no such dogs of interest within the shelter system for a potential adoptor, hurray, that in it self is the means to the end of this on going struggle and a GREAT SUCCESS. Does this mean this potential adoptor should not have a dog or should comprimiises in there pursuit of a dog that will be of life long suitability because it is no to be longer considered valueless and unwanted and found in every local shelter. Answer is no, a dog in a home is a blessing but only the the right dog finds the ever sought after "For Ever Home". This is a fact of humanity. Our Goal is to put ourselves, as a shelter out of business, to end the needless suffering and death. Then it should be our next goal in supporting the cause to direct a client to support a responsible, educated breeder rather than not participating from here on out and have potential adoptors further inable the irresponsible owners who are the driving force behind all of this all of this. We need to balance the population not bandaid the situation. If someone is looking for a dog, they will get one!! Wether it be from a shelter or otherwise. As a devoted dog lover and with the purest of heart, in our Judgement or our own perception of an ideal home for an individual rescue dog we proffess to know, we end up, as foolish as we may be, trying to play God when he himself, upon giving mankind freedom of chose, can not provide a perfect world. The stats are... more times than not we might keep an animal from a potentially unsuccessful placement, when in reality we might deter or deny an animal what could have been a real "FOREVER HOME". This is out of our hands. So by screening potential adoptors to the point that you are judging them is not helping but rather hindering the cause and upsetting the natural balance of suppy = demand. Step one of the plan outlines a natural screening proccess threw INVESTMENT and EDUCATION that will help to greaten the odds of forever home placement.
As all shelters should have established an a spay and neuter program as effective as resources will allow. By filling the demand for pets with, shelter dogs, we are further enacting part of the solution by filling the demand for pets with altered or spayed & neutered pets.
4. BEHAVIOR IMPRINTING OR MAINTANING ADOPTION DESIRABILITY IN SHELTER ANIMALS.
In order to fill the consumer demand for pets the dogs offered for adoption at a shelter must meet the needs of a potential adoptor, as well or better than, others offered for sale outside of the homeless population to successfully acheive the supply= demand natural balance and inately higher rates of "forever home" placement.
As this is a long term No-Kill Shelter, the dogs are provided for differently than in a typical holding facility where all dogs become short term residents, wether they find success in adopted or not. There behavior must be and stay immediately condusive to adoption and leave the organization liability free, for that animal to even see the adoption floor. Unfortunately this is not a chose for many goverment operations or municipality animal housing facilities, leaving underrstanding, imprinting or maintaining an animal with in the system, a small part of dailey activities. Rather that Devensive, Neglected, Anxious, Fearful, soul is deemed a BAD DOG and destroyed in as little as three short days. The organization that has to bare the "Tough Love" is not to blame, it is the irresponsible owner. It can't be denied, behavior is a big factor in adoption success and can not be neglected, or the animals are the one that suffers. Therefore we do not sacrifice the dogs needs or training progress or maintenance, if you will, to entertain potential adoptors. Like many of our polocies we enact a "Cutting Edge" approach to our programs and many that will initially group us as an typical shelter organization, will find themselves on unfamiliar ground. For an example we do not allow dogs to bark excessively, as this is the biggest deterant to potential adoptors and is driven by neglect. To clarify, if a dog is barking our demonstrating anxious communicative behavior, the solution is to satisfy the need. Not ignore or neglect the animal. Often this behaviour is not a true representation of the animal. All the dogs respond differently to such a stressful situation, the lenght of their stay will have an impact and many other factors. All interactions with the animals are imprinting behavoir and as each dog excepted into the shelter program will not see euthanasia in there future, we must be proactive by imprinting behavoir tendancies threw controled interactions and progressive positive and negitive re-enforcement or training. This is thier home until they find their forever home and we do our best to bring them to a place where they feel at home, both for them as well as for further successes in adoption as in this state a potential adoptor will be able to gain a truer representation of that individual rather than taking them for what they seem to be at the initial time of viewing. Our dogs learn to socialize with others.... people and animal pack members, are interactive and we must use our best judgement.s Our operations must revolve around what is best for each individual animal even before the public.
