Animal Welfare Professionals

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

I have only been hired in my role as ACO since the first of August.  Before being hired, I volunteered to clean and feed/water the dogs in the shelter. This volunteer work only happened because of a discussion that took place in front of me about officers taking time while on shift to care for the dogs due to an incident with the ACOs at the time. At this time, the facility was not considered a shelter. It was a pound. It was a 72-hour hold with no claim to the vet for euthanasia. The vet was tired of being used like this that they told the city to try to place animals before bringing them in. Hints why there were dogs to be cared for. When I accepted the role of ACO, I expressed my concerns about how it was running, what I could not do, and the changes I would like to make.  When I made my concerns known, I was informed of my budget for the physical year, just enough to put 10 dogs down.  No extra nothing for animal food or other supplies.  I have had a huge amount of support from local rescues and surrounding Animal Welfare agencies. Without them, I would not have been able to do 90% of the work  I have accomplished.  Recently I started to get pushback for what I am doing. Along with questioning why it is needed. 
Now I am preparing a presentation to the city council to ask for them to consider the way it was previously running and the direction I would like to take it. 
What are so typical questions that your city councils or superiors ask?  So I can be prepared for the questioning process.  
What are the most important things I need to take forth to them to show them the need for change and to do better for our animals in the community? 
I greatly appreciate the support you all have been giving me since I started my journey to help the animals in the community.

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)
#CaseManagement*
#CommunityPartnerships*
#FieldServicesandPublicSafety*
#LawsandPublicPolicy
#OrganizationalManagement
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
#PetSupportServices*

Hi Anon,

That's a great question, I bet there's a lot of folks here that have had to deal with this issue more than I have, but for some general notes on dealing with municipal governments:

1. Not going to sugar coat it, you've got a big uphill battle ahead of you.  If your entire budget for the year is 10 euthanasias, and you're getting pushback on providing basic care for the animals, it means your leadership has no understanding of why this is important and/or doesn't really consider animals to be a priority.  That usually means they're not going to be very receptive to changes, especially changes that cost more money.

2. Municipalities nationwide are looking at significantly increasing costs, higher borrowing costs, and in some cases may be bound by state law that requires them to have a balanced budget or that limits their budget revenue sources.  This can make asks that request more funding especially difficult.  A lot of that depends on your state, but if it applies, you may want to look at alternative requests that include more leeway to get community support, requests that don't involve much of a financial commitment from the city, or even working with a local shelter/rescue to see if the city would be willing to offload property, physical resources, building space, etc. and let that organization take over management of animal control.

3. Looking at item #1, it sounds unlikely that your city council would be willing to listen to any "right thing to do" "best for the animals" arguments.  So you need to show them other reasons why they should make the changes you want.  Are there any state laws or county ordinances they would potentially be violating around care, housing, disposition of animals? Are there higher costs or consequences if you no longer have a veterinarian to perform euthanasia that this would prevent?  Do adoptions add a revenue source to the city?  Are there delays in response or threats to the public if you end up full?  Anything that gets to why this is a worthwhile investment, I.E. what are the benefits to the city/residents instead of the benefits to the animals.  And also what might be the financial costs to the city of not doing what you want.

4. You can also go the route of public outcry, 60% of households are pet owners and people love their animals.  You could even encourage members of the public to come to the council meeting to voice their support.  But you need to be very careful before deciding to push that at all.  This may be a better last resort, or something that someone from the outside needs to push as if the council sees you as a threat or an instigator they may very well decide to terminate your employment and leave the animals with nothing.

5.  Look into what other municipalities in your area are doing, especially if they're doing things better.  Government hates to reinvent the wheel or be innovators, so having a good example you can show them can help clear doubts about whether what you're saying is true.

6. Be prepared to get harsh or even offensive questions and misinformation.  Don't get defensive, don't get angry.  Never yell.  Just provide the facts, feel free to restate things even if you just said them.  If you get misinformation from a city council person, you can gently correct them along the lines of, "I apologize, Alder Bonehead, but I have to disagree, I can tell you from working with these animals every day we don't get 8 pit bull attacks in our city every week, and the dogs we get in are friendly and adoptable." or "I appreciate that's what you're hearing from your district, but we know from our data and the state laws that dogs do in fact require water."

7. If you think any of your city council members are sympathetic to your cause, it would not hurt to talk with them individually before you meet with the council.  If you don't know anyone, network with other non-profit leaders and see if anyone has recommendations for you.  It's always helpful to have a friendly voice within leadership or at least someone who is more understanding and can prevent them from dismissing you or your concerns with no discussion.  If you don't have anyone you know or strongly suspect to be friendly, don't do this.

8. If DEI is in any way a priority in your community, you can talk about data and research showing how community oriented animal control can help be more beneficial for the community, animal control enforcement, and everyone.  It sounds like that probably doesn't apply to your situation though, so if that's the case I'd avoid getting into those pieces.  You want to be able to read the mood of the room and know the political leanings of your leaders before you touch on areas like that.

9. Just in terms of basic logistics if you haven't been to a meeting before.  If you're speaking as a citizen, they'll probably give you 2-5 minutes.  If you're on the agenda as a city employee, they may give you 5-15 minutes.  Many city council meetings can be 2-3+ hours, so be prepared for a long wait before they get to you.  It may also help to see what the format usually takes, how they respond and questions others.  Some city councils have their minutes or even recordings of their previous meetings online, it could be worthwhile to check that out to give you a better idea of what you're going into.

10. Do your research before hand.  Have as much data about your current city animal services in your head or in front of you as you can.  That will prepare you to answer questions.  The more it sounds like you know what you're talking about from a facts perspective rather than an emotional plea, the more likely they are to take you seriously.  If you have a set of requests, have a bullet point sheet you can pass out to each council person with the requests and the reasoning why + impact.  Keep that sheet short and simple.

The HASS Policy Toolkit can also help provide some basic tips on how to prepare and talk to government officials.  There's some differences in talking with a city versus state/federal legislators but the basics are all pretty much the same.

------------------------------
Jeff Okazaki
Humane Society of Jefferson County
------------------------------

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Thank you for responding.  You are right on point with #1.  They do not understand and it has not been a priority for them.  You have given me so much feedback to think about and use thank you. I will definitely be coming back to your suggestions to make sure I cover a lot of the key points you mentioned. ​​
Original Message:
Sent: 12-09-2022 10:38 AM
From: Jeff Okazaki
Subject: Advise about going before the city to do better for the animals

Hi Anon,

That's a great question, I bet there's a lot of folks here that have had to deal with this issue more than I have, but for some general notes on dealing with municipal governments:

1. Not going to sugar coat it, you've got a big uphill battle ahead of you.  If your entire budget for the year is 10 euthanasias, and you're getting pushback on providing basic care for the animals, it means your leadership has no understanding of why this is important and/or doesn't really consider animals to be a priority.  That usually means they're not going to be very receptive to changes, especially changes that cost more money.

2. Municipalities nationwide are looking at significantly increasing costs, higher borrowing costs, and in some cases may be bound by state law that requires them to have a balanced budget or that limits their budget revenue sources.  This can make asks that request more funding especially difficult.  A lot of that depends on your state, but if it applies, you may want to look at alternative requests that include more leeway to get community support, requests that don't involve much of a financial commitment from the city, or even working with a local shelter/rescue to see if the city would be willing to offload property, physical resources, building space, etc. and let that organization take over management of animal control.

3. Looking at item #1, it sounds unlikely that your city council would be willing to listen to any "right thing to do" "best for the animals" arguments.  So you need to show them other reasons why they should make the changes you want.  Are there any state laws or county ordinances they would potentially be violating around care, housing, disposition of animals? Are there higher costs or consequences if you no longer have a veterinarian to perform euthanasia that this would prevent?  Do adoptions add a revenue source to the city?  Are there delays in response or threats to the public if you end up full?  Anything that gets to why this is a worthwhile investment, I.E. what are the benefits to the city/residents instead of the benefits to the animals.  And also what might be the financial costs to the city of not doing what you want.

4. You can also go the route of public outcry, 60% of households are pet owners and people love their animals.  You could even encourage members of the public to come to the council meeting to voice their support.  But you need to be very careful before deciding to push that at all.  This may be a better last resort, or something that someone from the outside needs to push as if the council sees you as a threat or an instigator they may very well decide to terminate your employment and leave the animals with nothing.

5.  Look into what other municipalities in your area are doing, especially if they're doing things better.  Government hates to reinvent the wheel or be innovators, so having a good example you can show them can help clear doubts about whether what you're saying is true.

6. Be prepared to get harsh or even offensive questions and misinformation.  Don't get defensive, don't get angry.  Never yell.  Just provide the facts, feel free to restate things even if you just said them.  If you get misinformation from a city council person, you can gently correct them along the lines of, "I apologize, Alder Bonehead, but I have to disagree, I can tell you from working with these animals every day we don't get 8 pit bull attacks in our city every week, and the dogs we get in are friendly and adoptable." or "I appreciate that's what you're hearing from your district, but we know from our data and the state laws that dogs do in fact require water."

7. If you think any of your city council members are sympathetic to your cause, it would not hurt to talk with them individually before you meet with the council.  If you don't know anyone, network with other non-profit leaders and see if anyone has recommendations for you.  It's always helpful to have a friendly voice within leadership or at least someone who is more understanding and can prevent them from dismissing you or your concerns with no discussion.  If you don't have anyone you know or strongly suspect to be friendly, don't do this.

8. If DEI is in any way a priority in your community, you can talk about data and research showing how community oriented animal control can help be more beneficial for the community, animal control enforcement, and everyone.  It sounds like that probably doesn't apply to your situation though, so if that's the case I'd avoid getting into those pieces.  You want to be able to read the mood of the room and know the political leanings of your leaders before you touch on areas like that.

9. Just in terms of basic logistics if you haven't been to a meeting before.  If you're speaking as a citizen, they'll probably give you 2-5 minutes.  If you're on the agenda as a city employee, they may give you 5-15 minutes.  Many city council meetings can be 2-3+ hours, so be prepared for a long wait before they get to you.  It may also help to see what the format usually takes, how they respond and questions others.  Some city councils have their minutes or even recordings of their previous meetings online, it could be worthwhile to check that out to give you a better idea of what you're going into.

10. Do your research before hand.  Have as much data about your current city animal services in your head or in front of you as you can.  That will prepare you to answer questions.  The more it sounds like you know what you're talking about from a facts perspective rather than an emotional plea, the more likely they are to take you seriously.  If you have a set of requests, have a bullet point sheet you can pass out to each council person with the requests and the reasoning why + impact.  Keep that sheet short and simple.

The HASS Policy Toolkit can also help provide some basic tips on how to prepare and talk to government officials.  There's some differences in talking with a city versus state/federal legislators but the basics are all pretty much the same.

------------------------------
Jeff Okazaki
Humane Society of Jefferson County
------------------------------

I think this is spot on.  The only three things I'd add:

1. Make clear that the current budget allows for euthanizing a small number of animals, but not for caring for them, if you haven't done so already since there may be one or two commissioners who care about that. I wouldn't belabor it though and would focus on the other points here. I have had a lot of success in focusing on public health & welfare (eg public safety & relationship between pet health and human health) and effect on taxpayers (ultimately cheaper & safer to vet and place animals than to round up and kill them and have an endless source of new, unvetted animals coming into the community--because more will come in), while I've seen commissioners turned off by too much focus on the animal side of it. Part of this is sales so how do you sell your product to a consumer base that doesn't yet know it needs it?

2. Pick one or two things that are doable to focus your ask on--developing a volunteer program? Holding the animals as long as there is space for them instead of euthing after hold period? Getting a website up to advertise them if it doesn't exist? Funds for basic intake vaccines? Play the long game in having successes build on themselves. Initially it helps if the things you're asking for don't have price tags attached (or are low). When you can go back in a  year and say "I asked for X, you gave it to me, and this is what has happened as a result" you'll have solid grounding for asking for Y, then Z... .

3. Make sure the commissioners know how much private money is coming in. Money talks.

In 2019, after 1 1/2 years of working within our county management structure, we went to the commissioners about the issues at my local (municipal, open admission) shelter. I wish I'd had this list of things to focus on then since it would have kept us from recreating the wheel. We ended up with about 12 people speaking at the meeting, each with a different topic (transparency,  that the issue had been going on for years, accountability...), all fact-checked. We had the audience full of supporters--we all wore black so we'd stand out (few people in my town wear black normally) and stood briefly at the end of the closing speaker's bit so the commissioners could see the support. Going public, even in this way, is a BIG risk--I still think it's better to keep things smaller and internal until it's a question of going public or leaving.

We ended up with new (great) management and double the budget, but it took getting to the point that all of the main volunteers and rescue partners were at the point of walking away from the shelter; by then, we had a long history of successes behind us and hard facts re how our shelter both wasn't the one they thought it was and how it did not measure up well to peer counties in my state.

Good luck!

------------------------------
Lisa Milot
Athens GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-09-2022 10:38 AM
From: Jeff Okazaki
Subject: Advise about going before the city to do better for the animals

Hi Anon,

That's a great question, I bet there's a lot of folks here that have had to deal with this issue more than I have, but for some general notes on dealing with municipal governments:

1. Not going to sugar coat it, you've got a big uphill battle ahead of you.  If your entire budget for the year is 10 euthanasias, and you're getting pushback on providing basic care for the animals, it means your leadership has no understanding of why this is important and/or doesn't really consider animals to be a priority.  That usually means they're not going to be very receptive to changes, especially changes that cost more money.

2. Municipalities nationwide are looking at significantly increasing costs, higher borrowing costs, and in some cases may be bound by state law that requires them to have a balanced budget or that limits their budget revenue sources.  This can make asks that request more funding especially difficult.  A lot of that depends on your state, but if it applies, you may want to look at alternative requests that include more leeway to get community support, requests that don't involve much of a financial commitment from the city, or even working with a local shelter/rescue to see if the city would be willing to offload property, physical resources, building space, etc. and let that organization take over management of animal control.

3. Looking at item #1, it sounds unlikely that your city council would be willing to listen to any "right thing to do" "best for the animals" arguments.  So you need to show them other reasons why they should make the changes you want.  Are there any state laws or county ordinances they would potentially be violating around care, housing, disposition of animals? Are there higher costs or consequences if you no longer have a veterinarian to perform euthanasia that this would prevent?  Do adoptions add a revenue source to the city?  Are there delays in response or threats to the public if you end up full?  Anything that gets to why this is a worthwhile investment, I.E. what are the benefits to the city/residents instead of the benefits to the animals.  And also what might be the financial costs to the city of not doing what you want.

4. You can also go the route of public outcry, 60% of households are pet owners and people love their animals.  You could even encourage members of the public to come to the council meeting to voice their support.  But you need to be very careful before deciding to push that at all.  This may be a better last resort, or something that someone from the outside needs to push as if the council sees you as a threat or an instigator they may very well decide to terminate your employment and leave the animals with nothing.

5.  Look into what other municipalities in your area are doing, especially if they're doing things better.  Government hates to reinvent the wheel or be innovators, so having a good example you can show them can help clear doubts about whether what you're saying is true.

6. Be prepared to get harsh or even offensive questions and misinformation.  Don't get defensive, don't get angry.  Never yell.  Just provide the facts, feel free to restate things even if you just said them.  If you get misinformation from a city council person, you can gently correct them along the lines of, "I apologize, Alder Bonehead, but I have to disagree, I can tell you from working with these animals every day we don't get 8 pit bull attacks in our city every week, and the dogs we get in are friendly and adoptable." or "I appreciate that's what you're hearing from your district, but we know from our data and the state laws that dogs do in fact require water."

7. If you think any of your city council members are sympathetic to your cause, it would not hurt to talk with them individually before you meet with the council.  If you don't know anyone, network with other non-profit leaders and see if anyone has recommendations for you.  It's always helpful to have a friendly voice within leadership or at least someone who is more understanding and can prevent them from dismissing you or your concerns with no discussion.  If you don't have anyone you know or strongly suspect to be friendly, don't do this.

8. If DEI is in any way a priority in your community, you can talk about data and research showing how community oriented animal control can help be more beneficial for the community, animal control enforcement, and everyone.  It sounds like that probably doesn't apply to your situation though, so if that's the case I'd avoid getting into those pieces.  You want to be able to read the mood of the room and know the political leanings of your leaders before you touch on areas like that.

9. Just in terms of basic logistics if you haven't been to a meeting before.  If you're speaking as a citizen, they'll probably give you 2-5 minutes.  If you're on the agenda as a city employee, they may give you 5-15 minutes.  Many city council meetings can be 2-3+ hours, so be prepared for a long wait before they get to you.  It may also help to see what the format usually takes, how they respond and questions others.  Some city councils have their minutes or even recordings of their previous meetings online, it could be worthwhile to check that out to give you a better idea of what you're going into.

10. Do your research before hand.  Have as much data about your current city animal services in your head or in front of you as you can.  That will prepare you to answer questions.  The more it sounds like you know what you're talking about from a facts perspective rather than an emotional plea, the more likely they are to take you seriously.  If you have a set of requests, have a bullet point sheet you can pass out to each council person with the requests and the reasoning why + impact.  Keep that sheet short and simple.

The HASS Policy Toolkit can also help provide some basic tips on how to prepare and talk to government officials.  There's some differences in talking with a city versus state/federal legislators but the basics are all pretty much the same.

------------------------------
Jeff Okazaki
Humane Society of Jefferson County
------------------------------

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

I completely agree it is a sales pitch and money does talk. That is where I am having my uphill battle that they have always viewed it as a money pit. This is a really big risk because I am asking them to change, and I know that there are not enough laws and demands in my state it is very easy for the council to say we are not progressing in this direction until the state says otherwise. I think you are right to keep it short, simple, and direct so as not to overwhelm them. 
 
It is a question of going public or leaving because it isn't worth the pay. I get paid to be ACO part-time and I am the only ACO in the city. Everything else I do to run the shelter and outreach for donations and adoption events is all on my own time. I don't get to claim any of those hours. Because the city didn't ask me to run a shelter I was asked to be ACO. That is the job I accepted; that is the job I get paid to do.  I do not want to leave any questions that I didn't do everything possible for the animal of my community. I do not want to abandon these animals knowing that I didn't exhaust every possibility for the animals.
Original Message:
Sent: 12-11-2022 08:33 AM
From: Lisa Milot
Subject: Advise about going before the city to do better for the animals

I think this is spot on.  The only three things I'd add:

1. Make clear that the current budget allows for euthanizing a small number of animals, but not for caring for them, if you haven't done so already since there may be one or two commissioners who care about that. I wouldn't belabor it though and would focus on the other points here. I have had a lot of success in focusing on public health & welfare (eg public safety & relationship between pet health and human health) and effect on taxpayers (ultimately cheaper & safer to vet and place animals than to round up and kill them and have an endless source of new, unvetted animals coming into the community--because more will come in), while I've seen commissioners turned off by too much focus on the animal side of it. Part of this is sales so how do you sell your product to a consumer base that doesn't yet know it needs it?

2. Pick one or two things that are doable to focus your ask on--developing a volunteer program? Holding the animals as long as there is space for them instead of euthing after hold period? Getting a website up to advertise them if it doesn't exist? Funds for basic intake vaccines? Play the long game in having successes build on themselves. Initially it helps if the things you're asking for don't have price tags attached (or are low). When you can go back in a  year and say "I asked for X, you gave it to me, and this is what has happened as a result" you'll have solid grounding for asking for Y, then Z... .

3. Make sure the commissioners know how much private money is coming in. Money talks.

In 2019, after 1 1/2 years of working within our county management structure, we went to the commissioners about the issues at my local (municipal, open admission) shelter. I wish I'd had this list of things to focus on then since it would have kept us from recreating the wheel. We ended up with about 12 people speaking at the meeting, each with a different topic (transparency,  that the issue had been going on for years, accountability...), all fact-checked. We had the audience full of supporters--we all wore black so we'd stand out (few people in my town wear black normally) and stood briefly at the end of the closing speaker's bit so the commissioners could see the support. Going public, even in this way, is a BIG risk--I still think it's better to keep things smaller and internal until it's a question of going public or leaving.

We ended up with new (great) management and double the budget, but it took getting to the point that all of the main volunteers and rescue partners were at the point of walking away from the shelter; by then, we had a long history of successes behind us and hard facts re how our shelter both wasn't the one they thought it was and how it did not measure up well to peer counties in my state.

Good luck!

------------------------------
Lisa Milot
Athens GA
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 12-09-2022 10:38 AM
From: Jeff Okazaki
Subject: Advise about going before the city to do better for the animals

Hi Anon,

That's a great question, I bet there's a lot of folks here that have had to deal with this issue more than I have, but for some general notes on dealing with municipal governments:

1. Not going to sugar coat it, you've got a big uphill battle ahead of you.  If your entire budget for the year is 10 euthanasias, and you're getting pushback on providing basic care for the animals, it means your leadership has no understanding of why this is important and/or doesn't really consider animals to be a priority.  That usually means they're not going to be very receptive to changes, especially changes that cost more money.

2. Municipalities nationwide are looking at significantly increasing costs, higher borrowing costs, and in some cases may be bound by state law that requires them to have a balanced budget or that limits their budget revenue sources.  This can make asks that request more funding especially difficult.  A lot of that depends on your state, but if it applies, you may want to look at alternative requests that include more leeway to get community support, requests that don't involve much of a financial commitment from the city, or even working with a local shelter/rescue to see if the city would be willing to offload property, physical resources, building space, etc. and let that organization take over management of animal control.

3. Looking at item #1, it sounds unlikely that your city council would be willing to listen to any "right thing to do" "best for the animals" arguments.  So you need to show them other reasons why they should make the changes you want.  Are there any state laws or county ordinances they would potentially be violating around care, housing, disposition of animals? Are there higher costs or consequences if you no longer have a veterinarian to perform euthanasia that this would prevent?  Do adoptions add a revenue source to the city?  Are there delays in response or threats to the public if you end up full?  Anything that gets to why this is a worthwhile investment, I.E. what are the benefits to the city/residents instead of the benefits to the animals.  And also what might be the financial costs to the city of not doing what you want.

4. You can also go the route of public outcry, 60% of households are pet owners and people love their animals.  You could even encourage members of the public to come to the council meeting to voice their support.  But you need to be very careful before deciding to push that at all.  This may be a better last resort, or something that someone from the outside needs to push as if the council sees you as a threat or an instigator they may very well decide to terminate your employment and leave the animals with nothing.

5.  Look into what other municipalities in your area are doing, especially if they're doing things better.  Government hates to reinvent the wheel or be innovators, so having a good example you can show them can help clear doubts about whether what you're saying is true.

6. Be prepared to get harsh or even offensive questions and misinformation.  Don't get defensive, don't get angry.  Never yell.  Just provide the facts, feel free to restate things even if you just said them.  If you get misinformation from a city council person, you can gently correct them along the lines of, "I apologize, Alder Bonehead, but I have to disagree, I can tell you from working with these animals every day we don't get 8 pit bull attacks in our city every week, and the dogs we get in are friendly and adoptable." or "I appreciate that's what you're hearing from your district, but we know from our data and the state laws that dogs do in fact require water."

7. If you think any of your city council members are sympathetic to your cause, it would not hurt to talk with them individually before you meet with the council.  If you don't know anyone, network with other non-profit leaders and see if anyone has recommendations for you.  It's always helpful to have a friendly voice within leadership or at least someone who is more understanding and can prevent them from dismissing you or your concerns with no discussion.  If you don't have anyone you know or strongly suspect to be friendly, don't do this.

8. If DEI is in any way a priority in your community, you can talk about data and research showing how community oriented animal control can help be more beneficial for the community, animal control enforcement, and everyone.  It sounds like that probably doesn't apply to your situation though, so if that's the case I'd avoid getting into those pieces.  You want to be able to read the mood of the room and know the political leanings of your leaders before you touch on areas like that.

9. Just in terms of basic logistics if you haven't been to a meeting before.  If you're speaking as a citizen, they'll probably give you 2-5 minutes.  If you're on the agenda as a city employee, they may give you 5-15 minutes.  Many city council meetings can be 2-3+ hours, so be prepared for a long wait before they get to you.  It may also help to see what the format usually takes, how they respond and questions others.  Some city councils have their minutes or even recordings of their previous meetings online, it could be worthwhile to check that out to give you a better idea of what you're going into.

10. Do your research before hand.  Have as much data about your current city animal services in your head or in front of you as you can.  That will prepare you to answer questions.  The more it sounds like you know what you're talking about from a facts perspective rather than an emotional plea, the more likely they are to take you seriously.  If you have a set of requests, have a bullet point sheet you can pass out to each council person with the requests and the reasoning why + impact.  Keep that sheet short and simple.

The HASS Policy Toolkit can also help provide some basic tips on how to prepare and talk to government officials.  There's some differences in talking with a city versus state/federal legislators but the basics are all pretty much the same.

------------------------------
Jeff Okazaki
Humane Society of Jefferson County

Good afternoon! Wow, what a situation it sounds like you are in. My first thought is to gather community support. City councilmembers want to know what the people that elected them want to see. Is there will in your community for change and progress? How can you gather up that support? Is there someone in the community you can call on to lead the charge to gather signatures, start an email/ letter campaign- anything to let your elected officials know its not just you talking, but your entire community.

I would also start reaching out to national organizations who can support you in these efforts. Check out the Best Friends network partnership program. Once you get signed up, you can access information and resources from people who have successfully navigated these waters before. Here is the link! Become a Network Partner | Network Partners

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

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

Hi Anon, 

It is people like you that help us all keep moving forward together! Stay strong and keep on relying on your peers that have already provided amazing information and shared experience! 

Adding to Alexis reply (thank you for referencing us), Best Friends also has Advocacy Tools you can find here: https://bestfriends.org/advocacy
Also check out our "Meet the Team" page (https://network.bestfriends.org/who-we-are/meet-team) for our Network Partners and reach out to the team responsible for your area. They might have further insights and be able to assist with other resources. 

Wishing you the very best and we are all here for you!!!

Yael

------------------------------
Yael Oppenheimer, KPA-CTP (she/her)
Regional Strategist
Best Friends Animal Society
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-09-2022 11:38 AM
From: Alexis Pugh
Subject: Advise about going before the city to do better for the animals

Good afternoon! Wow, what a situation it sounds like you are in. My first thought is to gather community support. City councilmembers want to know what the people that elected them want to see. Is there will in your community for change and progress? How can you gather up that support? Is there someone in the community you can call on to lead the charge to gather signatures, start an email/ letter campaign- anything to let your elected officials know its not just you talking, but your entire community.

I would also start reaching out to national organizations who can support you in these efforts. Check out the Best Friends network partnership program. Once you get signed up, you can access information and resources from people who have successfully navigated these waters before. Here is the link! Become a Network Partner | Network Partners

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

Organizational Management
& Pet Support Services Specialist
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I am following to learn about this content. This is a nationwide issue and we all need to learn how to get involved somehow. I am not an official but I am a citizen and military veteran. Thank you for posting the question. The only way we can learn is to ask.

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MELANIE FOLEY
Volunteer
Saving Sage Rescue
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Anonymous,

I just wanted to say Bless you. 
You are just the type of grass roots individual who helps those animals who are not on our "dashboards".
There are so many people in your community who will step up--they probably have no idea--speak from your heart--that will never go wrong.
Continue to reach out to your rescues--they will be your lifeline for information, resources and connections.
It is Christmas time--people open their hearts and their pocket books--maybe a rescue partner could help post through social media for funds, supplies, food,  etc.
Good luck and welcome to the community--we will be cheering for you!!

Susan Murphy

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susan murphy
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Excellent advice, above. When it comes to working with politicians and the like, I concentrate on what is most important to them (and that's not dogs and cats since "animals don't vote." Yes, animal-lovers do vote, but that's a point lost on many.) I know my time is limited so I coach every point I want to make in the context of three things:
- budgets (saving $ over time),
- liability (public safety and county liability), and
- public relations (for example: if you're in a touristy area, what the tourists think is important. You may be able to get the local tourist and/or commerce boards on your side.)
And using these arguments only, I can often get what the animals need over time.

I also begin my conversation with politicians with an earnest smile and the statement "We've identified a problem/potential problem for our municipality, but DON'T WORRY... we've also identified some good solutions that will work in a budget-sensitive, liability-decreasing and PR-positive way." NOW I have their attention. They're tired of their constituency calling attention to problems without including well-thought-out solutions for them (hey, that's human nature), so they're more apt to listen to people who don't do this.

Another thing: always have a well-edited and well-researched position statement available for your local press, and whenever "matching funds" (another term that can capture a politician's ear) are available from local or national non-profits, make sure that it is noted.

Lastly, treat every encounter with a politician as a relationship-builder, chipping away at their resistance and building understanding over time. Given persistence and an ability to coach your points in the context of things that are important to the average politician, it is sometimes possible to turn the biggest creep into a vote for your side if he thinks he's getting something in the bargain.

Best of luck! So many of us have been in your shoes.

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Lynne Swanson
Safe Harbor Farm K9
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Anonymous!

First, virtual hugs! Like many have said, this is a huge uphill march - it's gonna be a long one, so stay hydrated, and take really good care of yourself along the journey.

I think there are a lot of surrounding concerns with how you've laid out the core of your problem, particularly for those of us who care deeply for animals.
It speaking with your City Council, though, it may serve you to do a little research about how your local practices and ordinances evolved. Sorry if this is already well known to you - if you go onto the municode library for your city, you may be able to see a little of the history of legislation. And going to your city's website, you may be able to search through decades of Council meeting minutes to get an idea of what message the Council has been told about animal issues in the community (and maybe even some insight into individual council members' areas of interest).

I think that for politicians, coming animals first can fall flat - they may not have made all the connections between human and non-human-animal issues, and humans are their priority, as well as their voters and donors.

So, with this euthanasia-only setting already in place, I have to imagine that there is some public health narrative at play here - that loose dogs are likely a bite or disease risk.
While that is true, what is more true is that loose dogs are an indicator of community health and that reuniting families is an essential social service. While you are faced with animals that need care daily and that is your primary pressure, remember why - because their guardians can't provide that care in the moment, and you are tasked with helping the most vulnerable people in your community (who happen to have the most vulnerable animals). Just because someone can't afford fence repair and their dog got out, just because someone doesn't know where your building is to come and reclaim their dog, just because someone had to leave a domestic violence situation and leave their pet behind, doesn't mean that the government should euthanize their pet. 

TL;DR figure out who you're talking to, what they've already been told, and craft your narrative to fit

And very very good luck!

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Emily Wood
Director
Broward County Animal Care
Fort Lauderdale FL
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Not exactly advice before going to your city council, but below is a link to a webinar discussing the ability of municipal shelters to fundraise.

Our city resumed operation of the shelter after the local humane society had been running it for about 25 years.  They let the humane society share the building and assumed they would take ownership of all the unclaimed animals after the hold period.  So there was NOTHING in the city shelter budget for adoptions (including spay/neuter, which is required for adoptions) or for any type of medical care.  It was assumed that if the animal wasn't transferred to the humane society it wasn't adoptable and therefore we should just euthanize it.  But of course that wasn't true, so we started our own adoption program.  The community stepped up and people started making donations.  After 11 years, we still don't have anything in our city budget for adoptions, volunteers or medical care, but ALL of our medical care, spay/neuter, and a lot of other things, including a fospice program, and volunteer program come out of our donation fund.  We've never had to deny medical care for any animal that came into our shelter, and we do a lot of procedures.  And that makes the city, the animal lovers, and the non animal lovers happy: city money for the mandates, donations for the rest.  

Previously, I worked at a city pound, and they bought 12 bags of dog food and 12 bags of cat food for the year (intake was 5,000 - 6,000 animals per year.)  They actually asked me why we needed money for dish soap!  We got a local non-profit going and used it to buy food, vaccines, tags, collars, etc. and medical for the animals, and adopted animals out under the non-profit (the city didn't want the liability of adoptions). 

You have to see it from their point of view and that is from the budget side.   Animal services are usually the last in line for any additional funding.  So the point of all this is that getting the community involved really helps with funding, and once the city sees the community supports it and it isn't going to cost the city anything more, they will be less likely to push back.   Best wishes, and please feel free to contact me off line if you want to chat more :-) 

https://www.justiceclearinghouse.com/webinar/yes-you-can-fundraise-fundraising-for-animal-welfare-government-agencies/?source=jchemail

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Tracy Mohr
Animal Services Manager
City of Chico Animal Services
5308945630
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