Stay Focused..

Animals can teach us a great deal if we listen to them. Our prize is a little bigger than a ham sandwich though. We are gearing up for the new year with a new hope. Our shelter will be deployed under a new leadership, and although we are still tied to a very sick partner, there is reason to believe the worst is over.
After the county portion of the shelter running at capacity, and often over, for the past 3 years, and the NHS "partner" is still gluing cats to the ceiling; we are nearing the end of the bubble from Hell. There have been dark times and many days when turning away seemed viable. The first real breakthrough came last summer when the National Animal Care and Control Association held its annual conference in Reno. When those guys took a tour of the shelter and saw what was going on with our " partner" they asked our County staff how they could live next door to that type of hoarding and not cite them for overcrowding and neglect. Mitch didn't care, he was to busy speaking for Winograd and selling No Kill, to work on his own shelter. Reminds me of YB in SC. But staff was charged and ready to get back into the healthy style of sheltering we had known before the Winograd intrusion.
Craigslist is now patrolled by NHS and they quickly squash any unattractive truths that people put up in desperation. One lady who couldn't get them to take her dog for 3 weeks ( soonest appt ) put an ad up on CL.. NHS called her at 7 p.m. about the " misunderstanding" and they could schedule her an " appointment" in 2 days. Nobody here believes they adopted 833 animals in 2 months, even though they give them away for free, there is no market. So for the sake of all the animals trapped over there in cages for years, lets hope we change out fast.

reno craigslist > community > pets

Sweet Sophie, Pit Bull Terrier (Reno, NV)

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Date: 2011-08-28, 10:14PM PDT
Reply to: @craigslist.org?subject=Sweet%20Sophie%2C%20Pit%20Bull%20Terrier%20(Reno%2C%20NV)&body=%0A%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Freno.craigslist.org%2Fpet%2F2571114522.html%0A ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

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Sophie has become one of the staff and volunteer favorites at the Nevada Humane Society. Sophie is an adult female Pit Bull Terrier with a heart of gold. She is six years young! She enjoys nothing more than to just be with you. Volunteers have stated that she enjoys her walks but prefers to lay under a shade tree in lush green grass and give affection. She is such a delight to be with, sweet little girl who gives back as much, if not more than you give. Unfortunately, her stay at NHS is taking its toll on her. She paces in her kennel constantly begging for affection and losing weight rapidly! The moment she gets out of her kennel for her walk she immediately calms down and just wants to please you. Please come to NHS, ask to visit with her and you will see how adorable she is.. Her ID is 158534.

The Nevada Humane Society is located at 2825 Longley Lane, Reno, NV 775-856-2000. She will come to you neutered, micro-chipped and vaccinated.
This is not quality of life people, this is inhumane...

Another Year Gone By, And We Are Winning The War Against Lunacy

There is little doubt a small group of fringe elements have done all they could to disrupt service, and cause misery to helpless animals.  As this year winds down the good Chaplain will not mourn the loss of a single one of them.  I've met many good people on this accidental journey, and I've seen some real stinkers.  My dear friend the Kraut, her blog is dying because the No Kill claims are dying, she anticipates soon she won't be needed at all.  the last three "No Kill" shelters closed almost before they opened.  The word is out to almost every state about the sham called No Kill.  If your shelter is under attack,  being called horrible names and your workers harrassed, take heart. 
There is not one sucessful open admission shelter in this country, none; Greta has proven that many times over.  When a shelter starts putting limitations on when and what they will take, they are no longer open admission.  The biggest sinner that I know of is the Nevada Humane Society. According to them they have adopted out over 800 animals since November, how many have come back ?  To my knowledge they don't keep records of returns.  They no longer will even give you the animals age on the kennel card, they will not tell you of problems with the animal.  I was up there last week and all the cards said were " senior" or " needs animal savvy owner"  what does that mean ?  Only by cleaning up our act are the shelters going to compete for good homes.  It's up to us in the shelter world to work on solid placements, and stop marketing bad animals. Failure to govern our releasing policy is killing shelter animals in the long quarter. Raise the bar in the coming year on both what you release and who you release it to.  That's what I'm working for in my shelter, stable animals in stable homes, thats how we shed the image of "shelter pets being crazy" .  we quit placing them .
God Bless
Chap

Visions Of Sugar Plums, Dance In Their Heads...

Home 4 the Holidays, do the promotions find permanent homes or promote impulse adoptions? As Burley & Priss stroll through Ace Hardware sporting their vests and collecting treats, hundreds of animals are ownerless. Some are lucky and end up in shelters, and many are dumped or abandoned, share your thoughts on Holiday promotions. Of our 3 rescues and adoption centers only NHS is placing animals, I think they're desperate and wrong. If Ol' Shirl the Girl could come to our shelter for Christmas, she might change her narrow view of the animal world.
Things are never so simple as her infamous "life trumps death" ....They are already bracing for the influx of January intakes, never making the connection to irresponsible December adoptions. If you have Christmas placement ideas, toss them in our pot. How does your shelter cope with impulse adoptions, please share with us. Our paper did a write up of the three stick built agencies here, the SPCA is by far the more responsible of the three. Got a fuzzy story please share, if your shelter has done follow up on Christmas adoptions that would be great to know about.
Merry Christmas, and guys think twice about off-site adoptions till after the holiday, please ?
Picture are Burley Dog and Miss Priss with the veil of Christmas laid over them, they love going to Ace, and the popcorn has nothing to do with it :)

Calling All Volunteers.....

We had lots of wishes for volunteers for Christmas, they seem to be the number one gift for all occasions. Miss Priss and myself ( keyboard operator ) have put our heads to the ground to hear the sound of thundering volunteers heading to shelters as we type.....
Sadly there is not a whole lot of noise......in these tough times the spirit to volunteer may be there, but not the resources. How can we best accommodate the needs of shelter and helper ?
There is always an uproar when a volunteer gets " fired" that is hard on everyone, so lets put some ideas out and ask for feedback.

I will share what I learned from Oreo, she spent her whole life volunteering. Number one, to volunteer anywhere is a privilege, not a right. That has been lost in the last couple of years. Volunteers should be held to the same standard as employees. If you are not dependable then everybody's time is wasted, honoring a commitment is key when serving. Show up neatly attired in the standard of dress outlined by the coordinator, usually khaki's or levis with the shelter providing a tee shirt. Flashing a bit of kneecap or gluteus muscle is best left for off duty.
The toughest concept for many volunteers to grasp is the misconception that jumping rank is a good idea. Always work your way up the ladder if you feel something could be done better, your idea may be useful, but disruptive tactics are not.
Present your idea or concern to your immediate supervisor in written form so you can both be certain you are on the same page. In any shelter, emotions can run pretty high, we don't want the loudest voice in the room to take over. Understand that having a concern is not license to start a brush fire to roast your marshmallows...
Over reacting and creating crisis is not the way to create change.
Volunteers are the spice of a shelter,but we do not replace staff, nor are we " equal " to staff. They are trained professionals who may see a much larger picture in their work week that we do as volunteers.
Respect is essential for both sides.
If you do see something that is clearly out of line, first go to your supervisor. Most shelters today have cameras and they can be called upon to confirm your complaint, running amuck with your cell phone taking grainy pictures, should get you the boot. Even the wild west frowns on vigilantes these days. Follow protocol and remember if you don't like it, you can say something, but that doesn't mean you get your way. That goes for ideas, many suggestions are desirable, but not realistic. Let staff determine that.
I've always thought, most good ideas at some point were born in the brain of a volunteer, we tend to be creative willing people who care about their world. Frequently we bring a fresh prospective to an old situation, however; going into change with a spirit of cooperation is the best way to ensure success. The one certain thing with change is, it takes time.
Now, more than ever, our animals and our shelters need us. They need us to be there on time ready to work and keep an open mind . If every critter could get a ride to Burger King on the way to the Euth Room....it would already be happening. We sometimes deal with animals who, while blameless, are a danger. We are not there to change policy, or condone misbehavior. We are not there to be the voice of the animals, we are there to be of service to the shelter and it's inhabitants. We may be the only kind voice a homeless animal has ever heard, we cannot be fractious with our fellows and "kind" to the animals..they smell BS. We create a softer environment for the animals by being kind to one another. Gossip is never kind, nor is it productive. If putting gossip on FB solved problems we could all go home. That said, regular meetings with "no holds barred" dialogue are healthy. Meetings should be held with the coordinator ,and if an employee is involved, that employee and a supervisor. Attacking someone who isn't there to defend themselves or offer an explanation is unfair. Gossip is the acid that corrodes a healthy work place, it should be grounds for termination. If you love the smell of litter boxes and doggie doo, we need you. However, if you think the answer to an empty water dish is to call the media.......go find yourself a small hill and a cross. We desperately need volunteers, we don't need agitators or hand wringers. If you want to help the animals by working through the system, come on down.
God Bless,
Miss Priss

What's Your Wish List For Santa For Your Shelter ?

I think every shelter should have doggie pools, just kidding...The subject of shelter care is a hot button topic in many communities, and a tremendous number of folks have Champagne taste on a beer budget. And, since I am very proud to be an American and I think we do a lot of things right in this country, I think that's okay. I read all the time about the disparities between shelters, and some are truly heartbreaking places to even look at. There are some who demand all shelters be equal whether or not the community can afford them. That hurts our long term goal of continous compassionate care. We need shelters that are sustainable, and provide staff who will treat the animals well, animals don't give a damn about how old the building is. We do care about food, human interaction ( sometimes ) and being clean and dry. I see to many people who think little doggie & kitty bed & breakfasts are somehow superior to other styles. Confinement is confinement is confinement, so lets talk about the human factor. Is my caregiver working in an environment of respect, for themselves as well as me ? Do they understand that sometimes we are broken beyond mending, and will they talk softly as we take our final journey?
How about the kitty contingency, they need to walk, not just cuddle, is that need being met ? This time of year every animal blog has a wish list, and the item missing most is "loving care during the interim" Not Kong toys, or Kuranda beds, blankets are nice, but many of us come from the streets and blankets have no meaning, sadly for many of us, toys have no meaning.
But a loving worker can offer us a mild sense of security, safety to reach out and learn to enjoy lifes simple pleasures. Lets do the best we can to keep our critters secure and comfy, and a caring human shelter worker is the only tool needed.
Pictured is Miss Priss in her therapy pool, torn cruciates are serious business.

We Are Readying For The Christmas Celebration !

I received a nfp from my favorite elf this morning, thanks to the many of you that have taken time to enquire after my health.  Had they not been marked "not for publication" I could have put them up and let the world know how loved I am. Smiley face.
I have been reading a great deal and looking for activity that doesn't require exertion.  Pounding a keyboard seems to be the limit before the dreaded coughing seizures begin.  I am certain by now everyone has read about the "brave baggage handler" up in Reno who saved the pointer from certain death, however, nobody can find the dog now, so that doesn't look to good for Washoe County Animal Services.  It also mentioned in a news story the cruel company was making a $5,0000 donation to the Nutty Humane Society.  The county cares for the dog and the Humane Society gets the funding.  It makes an old man proud to live a state away.. 
There is no mention of course that the CEO of Tahoe Airport is one of the lead BOD for the Nutty Humane Society. ( I like the way that reads ) I don't want their name in print but we do need to define them apart from Animal Control.
Have a wonderful Season,
Was it YB who said Christ wants a bicycle ?
Chap

Can We Say "Magical Mystery Tour" and Pets Alive ?

I thought only the Beatles believed in running about the countryside in a " Magic Bus" .  Now I see they are about to start delivering dogs to unsuspecting children on Christmas morning from the New York Pets Alive " Magic Bus"  Any dually addicted blog readers will know I have been on YB again.  I thought volunteering in prisons after retirement had introduced me to every 12 step program available. Now I am thinking there may be a need for more.  I find myself going through withdrawals from the comments on the Commercial Appeal, and reading YB .  I've had the crud for a few days and haven't kept up with my reading.  I have taken a pledge to avoid putting garbage on my plate or in my brain, but there I was, a moth to the flame reading the dailey tripe. 
Just in case I have any readers so foolish as to think dragging a frightened excited dog to a strange house for a pair of exhuberant children to fawn over, is a grand idea, don't do it !  Please, if you have had a stressful weekend, go read the Magic Bus post,  it is a find, a treasure trove of bad ideas, a lifter of spirits.  The part where the Magic Bus Driver "whistles back to the bus" for the elf to run to the children with their new dog, I had to call Oreo.  The visual of the two small children bearing down on a dog bearing down on them is almost to much.   Shirley, of course, thought is was priceless too. I do feel we had differing reasons though. Please, a dog is a living commitment, it's about love and time and work and for the love of the Lord, it's not about Surprises !!
Don't forget the reason for the Season,
Chap

Welcome ! Memphis Animal Services Grand Opening.

We invite you to join us Saturday, December 3, 2011 for the Grand Opening of the new Memphis Animal Services. Our Grand Opening Ceremony is from 11 - 5
Please feel welcome to bring your camera's and share your pictures with friends. We do request that no flash devices are used, they agitate the animals, and really only give you red eye anyway. Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions on the shelter, and volunteer opportunities.The tour covers the public portion of the building which allows the shelter animals in the rear to remain undisturbed until they are actually available for adoption. We know some folks will want to see more, but the peace and comfort of the animals has to be considered.
We are located at :
2350 Appling City Cove
Memphis, TN 38111
Hope to see you there !!!

Welcome ! Memphis Animal Services Grand Opening.

We invite you to join us Saturday, December 3, 2011 for the Grand Opening of the new Memphis Animal Services. Our Grand Opening Ceremony is from 11 - 5
Please feel welcome to bring your camera's and share your pictures with friends. We do request that no flash devices are used, they agitate the animals, and really only give you red eye anyway. Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions on the shelter, and volunteer opportunities.The tour covers the public portion of the building which allows the shelter animals in the rear to remain undisturbed until they are actually available for adoption. We know some folks will want to see more, but the peace and comfort of the animals has to be considered.
We are located at :
2350 Appling City Cove
Memphis, TN 38111
Hope to see you there !!!