No Kill Shelter Alliance – Facebook | Twitter: @NoKillShelterCA email: nokillshelterca@gmail.com1

Meeting with Orange County Supervisor Bartlett & Staff*

plus Steve Franks, Dr. Jennifer Hawkins (OCAC)

Jan 28, 2016

Topic: Improving Animal Welfare @OCAnimalCareOrange County Animal Care, California

* Paul Walters, Chief of Staff, 5th District | Tanya Flink, Office Manager/Scheduler

BowieOCAC euthanasia

listed

“APC-BHV unable to

examine - not safe”,

also “could not leash”

Rescued

Jan 19, 2016

No Kill Shelter Alliance – Facebook | Twitter: @NoKillShelterCA email: nokillshelterca@gmail.com2

Bowie(click for video)

https://youtu.be/XhujdiSe4Eg

Thank

you for

saving

us!

EUTH LISTED

“APC-BHV unable

to examine - not

safe”

"exhibits animal

aggression“

No Kill Shelter Alliance – Facebook | Twitter: @NoKillShelterCA email: nokillshelterca@gmail.com3

Agenda – Improving Animal Welfare @OCAC

Introductions

What are the possibilities to SAVE MORE LIVES?Best Practices at other animal shelters

Statements by animal welfare organizations and governments about shelter responsibilities

Recommendations for immediate action:

Moratorium on “empty cage killing”

Approve two free* shelter assessments (Austin ACC,

San Diego HS) *travel expenses only

Our Questions to OCAC

OCAC Presentation

Wrap-up – review of action items, schedule next mtg

@OCAC = Orange County Animal Care

No Kill Shelter Alliance – Facebook | Twitter: @NoKillShelterCA email: nokillshelterca@gmail.com4

Examples of Best Practices to SAVE MORE LIVES

San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition

Austin

Washington Humane Society

Ventura County

Dogs Playing for Life

Best Friends Kennel Enrichment

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Austin

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City of Austin No Kill Resolution

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Austin City Live Release Rates

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Major points of Austin’s No Kill implementation plan

Revise mission of Animal Services, with moratorium on empty cage killing

Report public information with implementation of a sound performance-measurement system that clearly connects shelter

operations to the life-saving mission.

Decrease shelter intake via the following:

High-volume, free and low-cost spay and neuter surgeries

Projected cost of $110,000

Decrease owner surrenders

Intervention program run by APA with volunteers to freely converse with owners regarding alternatives and what

will happen to their pets if surrendered

Supply microchips to track success of program

Owner-surrender disclaimer to ensure the owner surrendering fully understands what may happen to their pet

Full-time behaviorist to decrease shelter intake, prevent return to shelter, and assist in giving information on shelter

animals and rescue groups.

Increase live outcomes via the following:

Comprehensive adoption program via partnership with APA and off-site adoptions

Maximizing the use of current shelter building facilities

Large scale foster program

Increase feral cat live outcomes

Public awareness and advocacy

Volunteer public-relations task force to promote shelter needs

Partner with Love-A-Bull to promote positive outcomes for pitbulls, including reestablishing the pitbull task force

Revamp website to provide much more information about each animal in its care (including where stray was

picked up, known personality traits etc.), candor about number of animals killed at the shelter, and opportunities to

help reduce the killing.

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Examples of life-

saving programs

in Austin

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Washington D.C.

13

Ventura County

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15

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Companion Animal Welfare Major Directions

Best Friends Definition of Euthanasia

ASPCA: Responsibilities of animal

shelters

Rhode Island Shelter Bill proposal

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ASPCA Position Statement on Responsibilities of Animal Shelters

ASPCA Position Statement on Responsibilities of Animal Shelters

Message from the President: ASPCA Position Statement on Responsibilities of Animal Shelters

What Shelter Animals Deserve from Us

Recommendation:

We work through this document together identifying areas for

improvement. For example:

Goal 4: Animal sheltering is increasingly transparent

A. All public and private shelters should make written descriptions of

key processes and information easily and readily available for public

inspection.

B. Records and data concerning key processes, information, and

outcomes must be maintained by all public and private shelters and

made publicly available.

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Rhode Island Bill Date Introduced: January 08, 2016

S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D

RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY - ANIMAL CARE

This act would require that animal shelters meet certain specified conditions

prior to 2 euthanizing an animal.SECTION 1. Chapter 4-19 of the General Laws entitled "Animal Care" is hereby amended by adding thereto

the following section:3 4-19-22. Disposition conditions. – In addition to any other applicable law regarding the disposition of animals, animal shelters

shall meet the following conditions before euthanizing an animal pursuant to this chapter:

(1) The holding period for the animal shall have expired; and

(2) There are no empty cages, kennels or other living environments in the

shelter suitable for the animal; and

(3) A foster home is not available through another municipal or private animal shelter

or Rhode Island incorporated animal organization; and

(4) Another municipal or private animal shelter or Rhode Island incorporated

animal organization is unwilling to accept the animal; and

(5) The animal care or control manager of the animal shelter has certified that

the above conditions have been met and that he/she has no other reasonable

alternative.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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Enact NOW!

Moratorium

on Empty

Cage Killing

Just some of the empty dog

kennels on Jan 26, 2016;

and all of the euthanasia listed dogs

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IMMEDIATE ACTIONSMoratorium on empty cage killing

Full review of the shelter by two

independent groups (Kristen Auerbach at Austin,

San Diego Human Society) so recommendations

can be made save more lives

Then…

Establish a committee for best practices

in progressive life-saving sheltering,

whose composition is yet to be

determined

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Our Questions for OCAC

How are litters counted in the euth numbers?

Please step through and explain the

adoptability document (see next slide)

How long is a dog kept? What is the

algorithm?

How many volunteers and of what type how

many are active? How is active defined?

How often can a volunteer sign up? Right

now all slots are full and there is no way to

be placed on a wait list.

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OCAC Document 400.04 Animal Adoptability

HOW and WHERE and with WHAT PROPS or TOOLS the assessment should be

made (note that a shelter environment is not a natural environment)

What oversight by is done by management of an adoptability decision? Since a

non-adoptability status is often a death sentence (unless rescued), this is highly

important. What training is done? What review of the adoptability decision is

made, and what type of quality assurance is done to make sure that the process

is being followed correctly?

Deep concern that adoptability can be denied for reasons that are not related to

that particular animal and there is no definition of these factors:

B. Other Factors Other factors that must also be taken into consideration when assessing the adoptability of an animal:

1. Demand of a particular breed, i.e., how many of a particular breed is already housed/available at OCACS.

2. Age of an animal, i.e., how likely will an animal be adopted at this age.

3. Space: the sporadic/seasonal balancing of OCACS space is needed so that room is available for incoming

stray/owned animals.

4. Length of stay, i.e., signs are present that indicate that the well being of an animal is being adversely affected by

the extended stay in a kennel run or cage. Any staff that observes any behavior that would indicate that the animal

is not an ideal adoption candidate will place a memo in the Chameleon Kennel Window indicating the behavior

witnessed. This is to ensure that the most current information is available when a decision of an animal's

adoptability is required

OCAC Document 400.04 Animal Adoptability

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Removing breed labels and testing for food guarding

Progressive shelters are removing breed labels from dogs -- Kristin

Auerbach is a leader of this change and will explain when she does her

assessment. There are many reasons why including that breed labels

based on appearance are more wrong than right, most dogs are mixes

not purebred which makes labels unreliable for any purpose, and breed

labels are stereotyping that takes away from adopters evaluating the

actual pet. There are many articles and studies on this breed labeling

topic: here is one by Kristen herself:

Removing Breed Labels: Easier Than You Think

Another adoptability issue is the test for "food guarding". While exactly

HOW OCAC tests for this is not explained in this document (shouldn't it

be? does the evaluator just make up their own test?), it has been proven

to be unreliable, unimportant, and just plain wrong, causing many dogs to

be labeled unadoptable and summarily killed. Please read this article:

ASPCA Research Update: What Happens When We Stop Assessing

for Food Guarding?

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OCAC Presentation

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Wrap up