a friend to pets? a review of policies and procedures of melbournes lost dogs home

7/29/2019 A Friend to Pets? A Review of Policies and Procedures of Melbournes Lost Dogs Home

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A friend to pets?A review of policies and procedures of Melbournes Lost Dogs Home.

Introduction

Founded in 1910, The Lost Dogs Home was originally established to provide atemporary home for Melbournes lost dogs. Today, The Lost Dogs Home claims tobe Australias largest animal shelter.

The bulk of Lost Dogs Home income comes directly from the community, via theaquisition of lucrative local council pound contracts. Along with council income,they also receive around bequests and donations annually, ($8.2 million indonations and legacies in 2011/12).

Currently the number of local councils serviced is 22, with brand new contractswon over the year. This ongoing expansion has not only driven up the LDHrevenue (up from $12.3 million in 2010/11, to $17.5 million in 2011/12), it hasalso seen their kill rate skyrocket from 11,872 killed in 2010/11, to 14,240 killedin 2011/12 (an increase of around 20%).

Their current annual report shows over the 2011/12 year the outcomes for petswere as follows;

5,462 adopted

11,652 returned to owner14,240 killed (3,893 dogs, 10,347 cats)

This means for every single one ofthe pets the organisationprocesses, they make a whopping$558, regardless of the outcomefor the pet. By these calculations,they make a staggering $7.9million dollars for pets who aresimply killed and their bodiesincinerated.

With all this money beinggenerated from lost and homelesspets, what incentive does the LostDogs Home have to reduce intakesand killing?

Even as the solutions to shelter killing have been available to the animalsheltering community since the 80s and in the popular media since 2009 they

still continue to choose to squander the enormous fortune given to them by thepet loving community every year and kill, rather than save the lives of pets.

www.savingpets.com.au 1
http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/NK101.pdfhttp://dogshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/LDH-Annual-Report-2012.pdfhttp://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/NK101.pdfhttp://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/NK101.pdfhttp://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/NK101.pdfhttp://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/NK101.pdfhttp://dogshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/LDH-Annual-Report-2012.pdfhttp://dogshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/LDH-Annual-Report-2012.pdf


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Successfully lobbying for BSL in Victoria

As one of the only animal welfare groups in the state of Victoria to come out insupport of Breed Specific Laws after the Ayen Chol tragedy, the Lost Dogs Home

Managing Director has worked for nearly a decade to get the laws expanded toinclude all dogs who, according to him, looked dangerous.

These laws resulted in the deaths of dogs like Bear and Kooda, who were twodogs whose looks meant they were seized and destroyed.

http://www.savingpets.com.au/2012/06/a-murder-in-moira/http://www.savingpets.com.au/2012/06/a-murder-in-moira/http://dogshome.com/pit-bulls-it-s-about-protecting-public-and-pets/http://dogshome.com/pit-bulls-it-s-about-protecting-public-and-pets/http://dogshome.com/pit-bulls-it-s-about-protecting-public-and-pets/http://dogshome.com/pit-bulls-it-s-about-protecting-public-and-pets/


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The most questionable part of thisarrangement is that the Lost DogsHome is paid by local councils tohold any pit bull type dogs seizedunder this legislation while their

owners fight the case in court.

Given a Supreme Court case cantake upwards of six months, forevery dog targeted under thislegislation, the Lost Dogs Home isbeing paid for several months fortheir care.

The New Lost Cats Home

In 2010 Victorians opened theirhearts and wallets to support theLost Dogs Home capital campaign toexpand their operations. Opened inJanuary 2011, the $2.35 million TheLost Cats Home was built onacquired factory space next door tothe North Melbourne site.

This investment has taken their killrate for unclaimed cats down from 90%+, to around 80%, so now only 8 out often cats die if left with the facility.

Cat stats (North Melbourne)



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Building the countrys biggest pound

We are constantly bombarded with the idea that the reason there are so manypets in shelters is because there is too many pets that irresponsible ownersare abandoning pets in record numbers and that shelters are simply a passive

victim in their situation. Pet owners are to blame!

The Lost Dogs Home has for decades blamed irresponsible owners for their petpopulation problems. However, currently in Australia there is no requirement forshelters to limit the number of pound contracts they take on. That is, regardlessof the size of their facility, they are able to take on the pets of new councils asoften as they wish. Even if this means they take on more pets than they canreasonably process. There is also no requirement for them to actually save pets;they can take in as many pets as they want kill them all and still be paid fortheir services.

Over 90% of intakes to the Lost Dogs Home facility are via their ownimpoundment staff and vehicles. They are peoples lost pets.

Animal ambulances are a modern rebrand of the dog-catchers van, and are used byanimal control officers to impound stray and unowned animals. Contrary to the popular

notion that shelters are full of surrendered (dumped) animals, 90% of shelter animals areactually brought in by the shelter themselves.

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In Victoria, about one person in seven has a dog, while one person in nine have acat. Based on the human population of each of these councils, we see that theNorth Melbourne Lost Dogs Home service the following populations;

Brimbank City Council (170,000 people = 24,000 dogs, 19,000 cats)

Darebin City Council (130,000 people = 19,000 dogs, 14,000 cats)Hobsons Bay (80,000 people = 11,000 dogs, 9,000 cats)Hume City Council (175,000 people = 25,000 dogs, 19,000 cats)Maribyrnong City Council (63,000 people = 9,000 dogs, 7,000 cats)Moonee Valley City Council (107,000 people = 15,000 dogs, 12,000 cats)Moreland City Council (135,000 people = 19,000 dogs (Dogs Only)Port Phillip (85,000 people = 12,000 dogs, 9,000 cats)Wyndham City Council (112,000 people = 16,000 dogs, 12,000 cats)Yarra City Council (70,000 people = 10,000 dogs, 8,000 cats)TOTALS = 1,127,000 people, 150,000 dogs, 109,000 cats



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If just 5 to 10% of pets need the help of a shelter each year, thats about 15,000dogs and 10,000 cats entering the shelter just as lost owned pets.

This is not overpopulation this is simply bad shelter management. Each one ofthose council contracts were sought out and won taking the contract from other

shelters, or the councils own pound.

Each one of those pets have an owner who is most likely frantically looking fortheir pets. Currently, there is no way for owner to search for their lost petsonline. The organisation instead recommends you visit from say, the outskirts ofHume, to their facility and peer into each cage daily until your pet is found.

Developing the Whos for Cats program

Launched in 2007, at the Home the Whos for Cats program was lauded to be aninnovative public awareness campaign. In execution however, it demonised free-roaming cats and the people who showed them compassion, and increasedimpounds several fold.

By 2008, there had been a 40%increase in complaints calls aboutcats and by 2010 the Lost Dogs Homewas taking in more cats than dogs.

With kill rates of over 80% for the over

10,000 cats the Lost Dogs Hometakes in annually, any program whichappeals to cat-haters and asks themto seize cats, was always going toresult in increased rates of killing.

Continuing to create programs whichsupport the impoundment andsystematic killing of cats, whileprofitable (via multiple counciltenders), is unethical for an

organisation who claims to advocatefor cat welfare.

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Oopsie killing pets with owners

Brindle had a family who wanted to collecthim, but he ended up dead.

Bubba had an owner who wanted tocollect him, but he ended up dead.

Killing dogs

At North Melbourne, every second dog who remains unclaimed, is killed. One inevery two.

Dog stats (North Melbourne)

http://www.savingpets.com.au/2012/11/whos-for-cats/http://www.savingpets.com.au/2012/11/whos-for-cats/http://frankston-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/family-dog-killed-after-cranbourne-pound-bungle/http://frankston-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/family-dog-killed-after-cranbourne-pound-bungle/


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Solutions

There are quite straight forward solutions to the issues currently seen at the LostDogs Home.

1. Require that pets, who would otherwise be killed, are instead offered tocommunity rescue groups.

Currently the discretion as to whether a pet will be treated and saved, or killed,lays entirely with the Lost Dogs Home management.

As the organisation is paid per pet, rather than per pet saved, there is littleincentive for them to invest in time-consuming or expensive treatments for pets.

Community foster care and rescue groups are community based groups who treat

and rehabilitate pets in a home environment. They have relationships withbehaviourists and veterinarians, and can care for pets for as long as is needed tosee them made adoptable.

Currently, the Lost Dogs Home refuse to work with these groups.

Killing pets when rescue groups are willing to save their lives, at no cost to thetaxpayer, is completely unacceptable in a modern, pet-loving society.

The Lost Dogs Home has unfortunately proven that unlimited discretion to killdoes not serve pets well. They need to be given the following direction;

- They can treat and save the pet themselvesor- They can sign the pet over to a police-cleared, publicly indemnified rescue

group, who is willing to take on responsibility for its care.

All liability would be assumed by the rescue group (just as happens around thenation currently, with pounds and shelters who release to rescue) as would anycosts for the pets care.

If the Lost Dogs Home wishes to choose not to work with a particular rescuegroup, then they can simply pass the pet to another rescue group.

What they cant do is kill a pet for space, without first consulting with thecommunity.



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2. Invest heavily in desexing, rather than catch and kill programs for cats

For every cat who is desexed, many kittens may not be born. Rather than supportthe catch and kill programs of the Whos for Cats iniative, every person who hasa cat who is happy to continue to care for it, should be offered free desexing for

that cat.

Research has shown that 40%* of Victorian cat owners are secretly feeding a catthey don't own. Compassionate cat-lovers across the country are giving outdoorkitties extra help. Wild, stray or homeless; whatever you call them, they'reCommunity Cats.

The message that desexing is the responsible option for cat owners has gotthrough to the Australian public, with 95% of owned cats being desexed, andnow we need to begin caring for Community Cats so they, and their offspring,don't become another statistic.

These kinds of programs have seen an enormous reduction in the number of catsentering shelters by literally giving cats a lifeline, rather than impoundment.

See theSecret Cat Society.

* From Characteristics of Pets Visiting Vets Dr Linda Marston and Dr Pauleen Bennett, report to the AnimalWelfare Science Centre, 2009

3. Require that the Lost Dogs Home Melbourne photograph and make public

the images of every lost pet on their website.

Currently 90% of impoundments to the Lost Dogs Home are brought in by theorgansations own vehicles. They are the communitys lost pets.

Only by having a public register of lost pets, can people be reunited with theiranimals. In 2013, the process of putting photographs up on the internet is cheapand easy, which is why the majority of local councils are now investing in thetechnology, including;

-The City of Casey (VIC)-The City of Wyndham (VIC)- Logan City Council (QLD)- Stirling City Council (WA)- Brisbane City Council (QLD)(and already on the Lost Dogs Home system)

http://shelter.dogshome.com/?http://ldhpets.sheltermate.com/search/?s=council&newsearch=yeshttp://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/Resident/Services/Animals-and-pets/Pages/Animal-care-facility.aspxhttp://www.logan.qld.gov.au/facilities-and-recreation/animals/impounded-animalshttp://petsdatabase.casey.vic.gov.au/petsdatabase/petsListing.asphttp://www.communitycats.com.au/http://shelter.dogshome.com/?http://ldhpets.sheltermate.com/search/?s=council&newsearch=yeshttp://shelter.dogshome.com/?http://ldhpets.sheltermate.com/search/?s=council&newsearch=yeshttp://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/Resident/Services/Animals-and-pets/Pages/Animal-care-facility.aspxhttp://www.stirling.wa.gov.au/Resident/Services/Animals-and-pets/Pages/Animal-care-facility.aspxhttp://www.logan.qld.gov.au/facilities-and-recreation/animals/impounded-animalshttp://www.logan.qld.gov.au/facilities-and-recreation/animals/impounded-animalshttp://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/residents/home/animals/registerhttp://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/residents/home/animals/registerhttp://petsdatabase.casey.vic.gov.au/petsdatabase/petsListing.asphttp://petsdatabase.casey.vic.gov.au/petsdatabase/petsListing.asphttp://www.communitycats.com.au/http://www.communitycats.com.au/

a friend to pets? a review of policies and procedures of melbournes lost dogs home

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