Spay/neuter targeted directly to low income pet owners has really seemed to be a big part of the success I've seen in shelters around the country that have productively decreased their shelter intake of dogs. The key is to make the surgeries as close to free as possible and to income qualify families to make sure that the surgeries are targeting the population you're going after. Of course all spay/neuter surgeries are great, but typically organizations only have a limited amount of funding and it's better to concentrate on the population that is most likely to end up in the shelter rather than use it on pets whose owners could otherwise afford to get the surgery done.
In Jacksonville, Florida we have a program called SpayJax which offers free surgeries to anyone in our county who is either on public assistance or qualifies based on income. When the program was first started the funding would run out within 6 months and the shelter would see an increase in dog intake (the majority of dogs entering our shelter system are large dogs, we rarely see puppies or small breeds). However, when the funding was in place we would see a decrease in intake. Fortunately funding has been secured to keep the program running year round and the intake numbers continue to decline. To us it proved the point that there is a direct correlation between targeted fixed income surgeries and intake at the municipal shelter. Since 2012 we have seen a 34% decrease in dog intake from 7,250 to 4,769 in the last fiscal year.
While this is a proactive approach to reach the pet owners before they are considering surrendering to the shelter, the next phase would be to offer a formal safety net or surrender prevention program for people who are ready to surrender (along with managed intake - scheduling appointments on specific days/specific times). Asking people what they need and trying to match them up with donations or in-kind services (medical, food, behavior training, temporary boarding or foster care) makes a huge impact. Often I hear shelter staff claim they already ask and no one wants help, but in reality they aren't asking consistently, don't have a program in place or real resources to offer. The good news is that there are so many organizations with programs in place that you don't have to recreate the wheel to start your own program.
For those dogs already in your shelter system, expediting live outcome is also key. Having a plan for every pet the minute they enter the shelter is important. Don't wait until the stray hold is up to think about a plan of action. Posting photos online in real time for the public to view will not only increase return to owner rates, but will give a sneak peak to potential adopters and rescues. Allowing the public to see all of the dogs in the shelter (except bite quarantine, court holds or certain medical cases) is also crucial. Too many shelters seem to want to keep animals out of sight while they are on stray hold (for fear that the wrong people will claim them) which only extends their length of stay once they are available. Streamlining the flow of animals through the shelter, performing daily rounds to identify bottlenecks or additional needs will also speed up the process.
I could keep going, but will sign off for now!
#OrganizationalManagement