Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  What's the best way to set up a visit to another shelter?

    Posted 09-28-2023 05:12 PM

    I'll be traveling to Portland, Maine, in October for a short vacation, and I'm looking into shelters I could visit during my trip. It's not the purpose of my visit, but I'd love to see another shelter and how it's set up. 

    Do I just look for shelters and show up during their open hours? I would definitely learn something.  Or, is it appropriate to contact the shelter and ask if I could talk to someone there?  Even a few minutes of conversation about be helpful.


    #EducationandTraining

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    Eudora Watson
    Volunteer
    Potsdam Humane Society Shelter
    New York
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  • 2.  RE: What's the best way to set up a visit to another shelter?

    Posted 09-29-2023 05:46 AM

    In my experience, if you contact someone at the shelter, they are happy to meet and give you a tour of their facility. 



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    brad shear
    Potter League for Animals
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  • 3.  RE: What's the best way to set up a visit to another shelter?

    Posted 09-30-2023 12:38 PM

    Hi Eudora,

    I would recommend reaching out beforehand. You can keep your request open in terms of how the visit should look like. I know we like to take time for visitors from other shelters if possible, as it allows us to learn new things as well.

    Enjoy your trip!



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    Nora Paech
    Development Director
    Snake River Animal Shelter
    ID
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  • 4.  RE: What's the best way to set up a visit to another shelter?

    Posted 10-01-2023 03:03 PM

    Thanks very much!



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    Eudora Watson
    Volunteer
    Potsdam Humane Society Shelter
    New York
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  • 5.  RE: What's the best way to set up a visit to another shelter?

    Posted 10-06-2023 05:45 PM

    Thanks again, Nora and Brad,

    I have an appointment with the shelter for Tuesday!

    Eudora



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    Eudora Watson
    Volunteer
    Potsdam Humane Society Shelter
    New York
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  • 6.  RE: What's the best way to set up a visit to another shelter?

    Posted 10-11-2023 12:36 PM

    I also recommend reaching out beforehand! I've done this a couple times when visiting other areas, and it's typically worked out where if I reach out in advance, the other shelter rep can plan a time to do a tour with me :)



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    Erin Dams
    Roanoke Valley SPCA
    Roanoke VA
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  • 7.  RE: What's the best way to set up a visit to another shelter?

    Posted 10-11-2023 01:15 PM

    Thanks!  I did reach out and it worked out really well.

    The Volunteer Program Manager gave me a tour, and I had a chance to chat with her and the Canine Manager. Even though their organization is in a big population center and 4x our size in terms of adoptions of animals per year, I really benefited from seeing how they do things and went home with lots of ideas for my rural, much smaller shelter. And they've shared many resources with us. 

    It was really time well spent, and I appreciate their generosity with their time and information. 



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    Eudora Watson
    Volunteer
    Potsdam Humane Society Shelter
    New York
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