Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  Performance measures around movement of big dogs in system?

    Posted 08-09-2021 07:22 AM

    Good morning!

    Is anyone tracking big dogs in your shelter? Such as # and % coming in per month, # and % going to foster, # and % being adopted per month? 

    Curious as it seems so important and a big bottle neck but we as an industry don't seem to really look at it through the data lens.

    Would love to hear if others are or aren't and why not.​​​


    #DataandTechnology
    #bigdogs
    #AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms
    #FosterPrograms
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    ellen jefferson
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  • 2.  RE: Performance measures around movement of big dogs in system?

    Posted 08-10-2021 08:47 AM
    Hi Dr. J- so we have not been doing this, mostly because of Shelterluv's size group categories. They segment by small, medium, large and x-large, and the challenge is that medium is 20-59 pounds, which obviously includes two very different categories of dog, and two very different types of kennels/fosters/ adopters.  Think it would be worth us asking them to change those categories to better match what shelters deal with? So for example:
    • small: under 20 lbs
    • medium: 21-40 lbs
    • large 41-70 lbs
    • x-large 71lbs and up?
    Those are just initial thoughts... I feel like that change would really help us dig into that data much more easily!

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    Alexis Pugh
    Director, Memphis Animal Services
    www.memphisanimalservices.com

    Organizational Management
    & Pet Support Services Specialist
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  • 3.  RE: Performance measures around movement of big dogs in system?

    Posted 08-10-2021 10:15 AM
    Great idea, Alexis! To me: "small" should fit in a kennel bank, medium is around 35lbs tops and large is 35# and above. Do you think there is any benefit to having X-Large at all? Do customer service staff need it to sort dogs for possible matching? I can' think of any other reason to have it.

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    Ellen Jefferson, DVM
    President & CEO
    Austin/American Pets Alive!
    ellen.jefferson@austinpetsalive.org
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  • 4.  RE: Performance measures around movement of big dogs in system?

    Posted 08-10-2021 10:25 AM
    Agreed- small to us means does not require a run. I don't know how x-large would ever help us either. It sure would be great if we could standardize this across the industry and all softwares as well. Then there could SAC reporting correlated to big dogs, etc. What do you think are next steps to push this concept out?

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    Alexis Pugh
    Director, Memphis Animal Services
    www.memphisanimalservices.com

    Organizational Management
    & Pet Support Services Specialist
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Performance measures around movement of big dogs in system?

    Posted 08-10-2021 12:36 PM
    I consider Extra-Large as a category for giant breed and similar dogs like Borzoi, Great Dane,  who would not be well-served in a normal sized kennel where any other dog is kept. A dog who weighs 100 to 200 pounds may physically fit at least lengthwise in a shelter kennel but might not be able to stretch out to sleep or turn without hitting kennel sides

    They may also be at a disadvantage in that some folks who aren't physically large or strong may decide to use a shock collar to try to control them on walks etc.  Not only does this harm welfare but myriad studies show it to increase occurrence and seriousness of behavior problems, including aggression.

    Rain Jordan, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP
    Fearful Dogs Specialist


     

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  • 6.  RE: Performance measures around movement of big dogs in system?

    Posted 08-11-2021 05:41 AM
    Ok, I'll bring it up in our HASS data working group that meets on Mondays. We have Chameleon, PetPoint, Shelter Buddy and Pawlytics represented there (maybe others that I'm blanking on).
    This is a really important issue to get resolved for throughput reporting to ensure the right resources (adoption recruitment, matchmaking, fostering, owner support) are being dedicated to getting big dogs out which we know takes more work than other dogs.
    2 last questions: 
    Does anyone have trouble moving medium dogs out? 
    Does anyone have "medium" kennels that they cannot put big dogs into?
    In other words, I'm wondering how important it is for them to have their own category.

    --
    Ellen Jefferson, DVM
    President and CEO
    Austin/American Pets Alive!








  • 7.  RE: Performance measures around movement of big dogs in system?

    Posted 08-11-2021 10:05 AM
    I would say dogs above 30 lbs are our challenge, because we do not put them in wall kennels/ kennel banks because we don't think that is humane housing.

    So for us the only two categories that matter are:
    • can go in a kennel bank
    • needs a kennel run
    And of course kennel run space is our struggle. So I would be happy with one threshold that is over or under.

    ------------------------------
    Alexis Pugh
    Director, Memphis Animal Services
    www.memphisanimalservices.com

    Organizational Management
    & Pet Support Services Specialist
    ------------------------------