Being an effective advocate for companion animals

Ten steps to engaging with your local shelter to achieve meaningful change

by Jennifer Fearing , © 2007

What communities should expect from animal shelters

• Provide animals relief from crisis.
• Keep animals safe from suffering.
• Maximize opportunities for live release.
• Support the human- animal bond.
• Invest in prevention.

Working WITH the shelter to effect change

Step One: Introduce yourself.

• Be enthusiastic and positive.
• Bring energy and commitment.
• Start with: "How can I help you?"
• Acknowledge you have a lot to learn.
• Empathize with their plight.
• Bring a truly open mind.
• Start with the assumption that they "get it."

People do not absorb moral lessons from those who trample on their feelings.
Rather, they forever associate the unpleasantness of the spokesperson with the cause itself.
      - Judith Martin

Step Two: Get your hands dirty (while holding your tongue).

• Take a kennel cleaning shift (or two).
• Assist with an off- site adoption event.
• Work side- by- side with staff.
• Offer to work on a holiday.
• Hang out in the lobby.
• Seek knowledge.
• Be dependable.
• Observe alliances (but avoid making any).
• Notice where/ if policy and process are in conflict.

Step Three: Save a few yourself.

• Foster one animal at a time.
• Market your fosters aggressively.
• Talk to potential adopters about the shelter.
• Make good matches.
• Discover the effort it takes to place each one.
• Also can : Assist with a feral cat colony.

Step Four: Offer your unique skills.

• Database programming
• Web site updates
• Photography
• Event management
• Fund- raising
• Mediation

(note added by Pam : Another valueable skill is breed identification. It is impossible for shelter workers to know every breed well enough to identify every breed , especially when long ungroomed. Grooming help is also of great value if the shelter's liability insurance will allow volunteers to do this. Basic training help can be of immense value if the shelter's liability insurance will allow volunteers to do this.)

Step Five: Generate resources.

• Offer to write grant proposals.
• Rally support for the agency during the budget process.
• Join or start a "friends of" group.
• Recruit other volunteers.
• Organize donation drives (e. g., towels, blankets, newspapers).
• Offer to keep the bulletin board stocked with good info.
• Focus on reducing intake.
• Advocate spay/ neuter
• Raise funds to support affordable spay/ neuter programs
• Advocate training

Steps One through Five :

• Give you real insight.
• Establish your credibility.
• Endear you to staff and other volunteers.
• Entitle you to suggest improvements.
• Allow you to be part of the change.

You *may* be able to achieve great things for companion animals with just these steps... or you have established the foundation for next steps.

Step Six: Prioritize needs relative to impact & resources.

• Make a list of desired outcomes.
• Short- term : advocate vaccination protocol; cleaning regimen; customer relations; volunteerism; coordinate better with rescue orgs
• Medium- term : hire professional evaluator; start spay/ neuter program; change policies/ laws; new staff
• Long- term : build a new shelter; decrease euthanasia rate; elect new officials
• Gather information (shelter statistics, agency budget).
• Square desired outcomes with resources that are or may be available.

Reduce intake : spend $1 to save $3	Increase adoptions

Step Seven: Lobby the decision- makers.

• Organize your information.
• Make a compelling ­ and compassionate ­ case.
• Stroke while you stoke.
• Present yourself professionally.
• Make reasonable requests.
• Don't ambush anyone.
• Support the staff.
• Attend public meetings; schedule private meetings.
• Be consistent.
• Recognize competition for scarce resources.

Step Eight: Collaborate meaningfully.

• Identify your own talents.
• Work with others with similar credibility but different skills.
• Plot strategies together.
• Agree to disagree on occasion.
• Play "good cop/ bad cop" effectively.
• Agree in advance to potential compromises (plan B).
• Protect relationships.
• Don't undermine other activists.

Step Nine: Use the media effectively (which means selectively).

• Invite city/ county government beat reporter to coffee.
• Provide background and establish credibility.
• Avoid hyperbole and limit emotion.
• Invite press to critical council meetings.
• Use press releases extremely judiciously (if at all).
• Give shelter a courtesy head's up.
• Don't say anything you wouldn't want to see in print.
• Do more "carrot" than "stick" press.
• Use specific cases to draw out broader problems.
• Letters to the editor are of limited public value, but can be helpful with bureaucrats and politicians.

Step Ten: Recognize, reinforce and reward positive change.

• Say thank you for every positive development (and mean it).
• Give public praise as much as possible.
• Begin every conversation/ meeting with what's going right.
• Emphasize teamwork and collaboration.
• Make others glad to be associated with you.
• Do unto others.
• Pay with credit.
• Be patient, but persistent.