“Change in Philosophy: The SPCA will become a ‘no-kill’ shelter next year” plus 1 more |
| Change in Philosophy: The SPCA will become a ‘no-kill’ shelter next year Posted: 26 Jul 2010 02:30 AM PDT
While its decision to become a no-kill animal shelter by 2012 may please its oft-euthanized furry guests, the Delaware County SPCA's recent policy change has drawn the ire of some municipal officials. That's because the shelter announced it will also discontinue taking stray animals by July 30, 2011 in order to euthanize less animals — thereby putting the ball of animal control squarely in the court of each of the county's 49 municipalities. "I think the SPCA is being strong-handed," said Brian Hoover, Glenolden borough manager and chairman of the Delaware County Consortium of Government. "They've been doing the same thing for the last 100 years, and to all of a sudden make the decision that, 'We don't want to be a collection facility for municipalities,' I think that's a little heavy handed." In a letter mailed countywide last week, the SPCA stated animal control was not compatible with its mission or commitment to becoming a "no-kill" organization. By becoming no-kill, the nearly 100-year-old SPCA is hoping to achieve a save rate of more than 90 percent. The shelter will begin focusing on proactive services such as education, adoption, rehabilitation and spaying/neutering. Citizens who bring strays to the shelter will be directed to their municipality's designated animal control officer or facility. The SPCA will continue to accept animals turned in by their owners, and will accept adoptable animals from other shelters and rescue groups as space permits, SPCA board member Marcia Noa said. The shelter will also continue to investigate complaints of animal cruelty. "For many years, we've been the only shelter accepting stray animals in this large county. By entering into animal control contracts with the municipalities, we've put ourselves in a position of having to accept more animals than we can care for given our limited facility and resources," Noa said. "That means that when we run out of space in our facility and our foster homes and the other rescue agencies are full, we have to euthanize animals — in many cases, healthy, adoptable animals … Our mission is to protect animals, which makes this situation unacceptable," she said. Hoover suggested that the shelter knew of its plan to cease animal control activities in 2011 when it instituted a controversial municipal fee January 1, 2010. Many municipalities were outraged at the 450 percent fee increase from $25 per animal to $116 per animal when it was first announced in October 2009 — just weeks before municipal budgets were due. Aston, Chadds Ford and Lower Chichester still have not signed the contract, according to the SPCA. However, Noa pointed to a notice included in the October 2009 fee announcement that said a shelter of the SPCA's size may not be able to effectively provide animal control services, even with the new cost distribution. According to the SPCA, animal control fees only cover the cost of caring for stray animals, while income from adoptions goes toward preventative and educational programs, as well as overall shelter operations. "Raising fees to cover the costs of caring for strays did not alter the fact that we are still receiving more animals than we can care for or place in homes," she said. "The pressing issue (in October 2009) was covering costs." Animals abound To date, the SPCA has only received about $100,000 of an expected $300,000 from stray animal fees — one third of what the shelter budgeted for, said Justine Calgiano, director of public relations for the SPCA. Stray intake is also down a whopping 55 percent, she added. Shelter officials suspect the fee increase played a part in the dramatic decrease of stray intakes this year, though the shelter said she has not discussed the phenomenon with the municipalities. "Even though our intake is down," Calgiano said, "we're still receiving more animals than we can find homes for. The key words being find homes for." Though intake this year was not as high as it had been for June of 2009 — in which the shelter exceed its 250-280 animal capacity by more than 100 animals — the SPCA still had to euthanize for space. In 2009, about 30 percent of the 6,294 animals the shelter received were euthanized for various reasons. Of the 1,876 euthanized animals, 1,688 were cats, 185 were dogs and three were other kinds of animals. About 57 percent of the shelter's animals are "We're trying to get every animal in a home, not do the alternative," said Calgiano. "We've read in the Daily Times that some municipalities are trying to avoid having to bring strays to us, and we've heard (but cannot confirm) that they are trying other avenues to locate owners before bringing animals to the SPCA," Noa said. PALS FOR LIFE One alternative has been the Pet Adoption and Lifecare Society (PALS). A volunteer network of foster homes throughout Delaware County, PALS Executive Vice President Pal Maloney said some of her clients are reluctant to leave rescued animals or unwanted pets at the Delaware County SPCA because of its high euthanasia rate. "Many people think their pet stands a better chance … being abandoned than surviving at the SPCA due to euthanasia," said Maloney, a resident of Newtown Square. Nevertheless, Maloney lauded the shelter's decision to get out of animal control and put the responsibility back on municipal governments. "I think there's been a misconception by the public that the SPCA has a duty to the municipalities of Delaware County to perform animal control functions, whether or not that made sense from an economic or humane point of view," she said. Maloney said two schools of thought exist when dealing with abundant strays: Try to kill them faster then they reproduce, or trap, neuter, and return the animals to where they were found. "Municipalities have practiced the former because they had the SPCA available to kill as many animals as they brought in," she said. "In fairness to the SPCA, I don't know of any organization that could do a good job with the volume of animals that have come through their doors." With the SPCA getting out of the animal control business, Maloney said municipalities have an opportunity to educate themselves about alternatives to exterminating unwanted animals. "I see it as an opportunity where if the municipalities in good faith address themselves to the issue, everything involved in the sad world of animal rescue and sheltering could be made better. I remain optimistic that the municipalities will embrace that opportunity," she said. "When life is good for the animals it is good for the people." A SHELTER'S DILEMMA Several area shelters were mum on the issue when approached by the Daily Times for comment on the SPCA's decision. The Francisvale Home for Smaller Animals in Radnor said they had no comment, and numerous phone messages left at the Pennsylvania SPCA in Philadelphia were not returned. Chester County SPCA spokesman Rich Britton said his organization had no comment other than wishing the Delaware County SPCA all the best. The nationally renowned ASPCA, headquartered in New York City, changed its policies and became a no-kill shelter in 1995, deciding the animal control was not in the organization's best interest of preventing animal cruelty and helping animals. "The mission of animal control and most humane organizations, they are a little bit at odds," said Sandy Monterose, ASPCA senior director, community outreach department. "At some point in time, an organization has to look at what their mission is versus what they are doing," said Monterose. "(The Delaware County SPCA) is defining 'no-kill' as saving greater than 85 percent of the animals that come through their door. In order for them to do that, it's impossible for them to have the animal control contract." Monterose said it took the city roughly one year to set up its own animal control facilities. While the ASPCA works with these facilities, the absence of animal control responsibilities have allowed the organization to focus on proactive measures like trapping and neutering, instead of reactive measures such as euthanasia. "It's better to try to turn off the faucet then spend time mopping up floor," she said. A TROUBLED PAST Animal Control O3fficer Dave Schlott said he supported the SPCA's policy shift. Though he applauded the shelter's newly announced no-kill policy as way a to tackle the serious problem of stray animal over breeding, "some people have a bad taste in their mouths and can't get rid of the past history of the SPCA," he said. Nationally recognized animal welfare advocate Mike Arms, president of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Santa Fe, Calif., inspected the shelter in 2004 after a group of former SPCA volunteers and board members complained of an outdated shelter, no resident veterinarian, the elimination of a foster care program and a high euthanasia rate. The board in charge at the time took very few of Arms' suggestions. The shelter came under fire in 2006 when Whiskers, a lost cat from Ridley Park, was mistakenly euthanized. Two employees were fired after it was discovered one had lied about a worker being bitten by the cat. One was charged with tampering with public records and entered a probationary program. The other reached an out-of-court settlement with the SPCA in a defamation lawsuit Weeks later, an Upper Darby cat, Keecha, was also put down after a 24-hour stay, despite the shelter's 72-hour holding policy. In 2007, a court ruling allowed the SPCA to earmark $3.5 million of its $9.4 million reserve fund to renovate and expand its facilities. The SPCA has used some of those funds to complete renovations to its surgical suite, its dog, cat and lobby areas, and its improvements to heating, air conditioning and kennel enclosures. Noa said the existing shelter has not been expanded or rebuilt largely because SPCA leadership has been focusing on improving the SPCA's operations and financial stability "We know that a new or expanded facility will be critical to the SPCA's long-term success," she said. "We are currently evaluating options to expand or rebuild at the current location or to consider alternative locations." Nevertheless, the current board of directors and newly hired executive director Kerry Bruni leave Schlott with much hope for the future of animals in Delaware County. "It appears to me that because of the new leadership and disposition, the employees have made a big impact on how they are perceived by the public," he said. LOOKING AHEAD Nevertheless, with just one year to get some sort of an animal control agency or kennel up and running, Hoover said the SPCA had the municipalities "under the gun." "I think you'll see movement in the next couple of weeks. A year is not a lot time," said Hoover. "We've got to look and see where the money is going to come from to do it. There's a lot to be said to getting this done." Some ideas that have already been tossed around by municipalities include large townships banding together to help build a facility, or inviting a private organization to step in and form their own business, Hoover said. Delaware County Executive Director Marianne Grace said while she was initially shocked at the announcement, the county has begun to research how other counties in the area handle strays. Springfield Police Chief Joseph Daly said he though he, too, was initially stunned by the SPCA's policy shift, municipalities need to come to terms with the change and find a solution. "When you have something you had for 100 years and now its suddenly gone away, sure you're going to have a negative impact. What's going to happen to the animals?" he said. "We're going to be talking with the county and the SPCA to determine what it means." Daly said two things were certain: The outcome needs to be what's best for the communities and as well as best for the animals. Noa said the shelter would be willing to help the municipalities create a safe place for stray animals. "Ultimately, what we hope to achieve is what we've seen in so many other communities that have made this transition: safe, humane municipal shelters with which we can develop good relationships," she said. received directly through animal control. "We're trying to get every animal in a home, not do the alternative," said Calgiano. "We've read in the Daily Times that some municipalities are trying to avoid having to bring strays to us, and we've heard (but cannot confirm) that they are trying other avenues to locate owners before bringing animals to the SPCA," Noa said. PALS for life One alternative has been the Pet Adoption and Lifecare Society. A volunteer network of foster homes throughout Delaware County, PALS Executive Vice President Pal Maloney said some of her clients are reluctant to leave rescued animals or unwanted pets at the Delaware County SPCA because of its high euthanasia rate. "Many people think their pet stands a better chance … being abandoned than surviving at the SPCA due to euthanasia," said Maloney, a resident of Newtown Square. Nevertheless, Maloney lauded the shelter's decision to get out of animal control and put the responsibility back on municipal governments. "I think there's been a misconception by the public that the SPCA has a duty to the municipalities of Delaware County to perform animal control functions, whether or not that made sense from an economic or humane point of view," she said. Maloney said two schools of thought exist when dealing with abundant strays: Try to kill them faster then they reproduce, or trap, neuter, and return the animals to where they were found. "Municipalities have practiced the former because they had the SPCA available to kill as many animals as they brought in," she said. "In fairness to the SPCA, I don't know of any organization that could do a good job with the volume of animals that have come through their doors." With the SPCA getting out of the animal control business, Maloney said municipalities have an opportunity to educate themselves about alternatives to exterminating unwanted animals. "I see it as an opportunity where if the municipalities in good faith address themselves to the issue, everything involved in the sad world of animal rescue and sheltering could be made better. I remain optimistic that the municipalities will embrace that opportunity," she said. "When life is good for the animals it is good for the people." A shelter's dilemma Several area shelters were mum on the issue when approached by the Daily Times for comment on the SPCA's decision. The Francisvale Home for Smaller Animals in Radnor said they had no comment, and numerous phone messages left at the Pennsylvania SPCA in Philadelphia were not returned. Chester County SPCA spokesman Rich Britton said his organization had no comment other than wishing the Delaware County SPCA all the best.The nationally renowned ASPCA, headquartered in New York City, changed its policies and became a no-kill shelter in 1995, deciding the animal control was not in the organization's best interest of preventing animal cruelty and helping animals. "The mission of animal control and most humane organizations, they are a little bit at odds," said Sandy Monterose, ASPCA senior director, community outreach department. "At some point in time, an organization has to look at what their mission is versus what they are doing," said Monterose. "(The Delaware County SPCA) is defining 'no-kill' as saving greater than 85 percent of the animals that come through their door. In order for them to do that, it's impossible for them to have the animal control contract." Monterose said it took the city roughly one year to set up its own animal control facilities. While the ASPCA works with these facilities, the absence of animal control responsibilities have allowed the organization to focus on proactive measures like trapping and neutering, instead of reactive measures such as euthanasia. "It's better to try to turn off the faucet then spend time mopping up floor," she said. A troubled past Animal Control Officer Dave Schlott said he supported the SPCA's policy shift. Though he applauded the shelter's newly announced no-kill policy as way a to tackle the serious problem of stray animal over breeding, "some people have a bad taste in their mouths and can't get rid of the past history of the SPCA," he said. Nationally recognized animal welfare advocate Mike Arms, president of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Santa Fe, Calif., inspected the shelter in 2004 after a group of former SPCA volunteers and board members complained of an outdated shelter, no resident veterinarian, the elimination of a foster care program and a high euthanasia rate. The board in charge at the time took very few of Arms' suggestions. The shelter came under fire in 2006 when Whiskers, a lost cat from Ridley Park, was mistakenly euthanized. Two employees were fired after it was discovered one had lied about a worker being bitten by the cat. One was charged with tampering with public records and entered a probationary program. The other reached an out-of-court settlement with the SPCA in a defamation lawsuit Weeks later, an Upper Darby cat, Keecha, was also put down after a 24-hour stay, despite the shelter's 72-hour holding policy. In 2007, a court ruling allowed the SPCA to earmark $3.5 million of its $9.4 million reserve fund to renovate and expand its facilities. The SPCA has used some of those funds to complete renovations to its surgical suite, its dog, cat and lobby areas, and its improvements to heating, air conditioning and kennel enclosures. Noa said the existing shelter has not been expanded or rebuilt largely because SPCA leadership has been focusing on improving the SPCA's operations and financial stability "We know that a new or expanded facility will be critical to the SPCA's long-term success," she said. "We are currently evaluating options to expand or rebuild at the current location or to consider alternative locations." Nevertheless, the current board of directors and newly hired executive director Kerry Bruni leave Schlott with much hope for the future of animals in Delaware County. "It appears to me that because of the new leadership and disposition, the employees have made a big impact on how they are perceived by the public," he said. Looking ahead Nevertheless, with just one year to get some sort of animal control agency or kennel up and running, Hoover said the SPCA had the municipalities "under the gun." "I think you'll see movement in the next couple of weeks. A year is not a lot time," said Hoover. "We've got to look and see where the money is going to come from to do it. There's a lot to be said to getting this done." Some ideas that have already been tossed around by municipalities include large townships banding together to help build a facility, or inviting a private organization to step in and form their own business, Hoover said. Delaware County Executive Director Marianne Grace said while she was initially shocked at the announcement, the county has begun to research how other counties in the area handle strays. Springfield Police Chief Joseph Daly said though he, too, was initially stunned by the SPCA's policy shift, municipalities need to come to terms with the change and find a solution. "When you have something you had for 100 years and now its suddenly gone away, sure you're going to have a negative impact. What's going to happen to the animals?" he said. "We're going to be talking with the county and the SPCA to determine what it means." Daly said two things were certain: The outcome needs to be what's best for the communities and as well as best for the animals. Noa said the shelter would be willing to help the municipalities create a safe place for stray animals. "Ultimately, what we hope to achieve is what we've seen in so many other communities that have made this transition -- safe, humane municipal shelters with which we can develop good relationships," she said. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Posted: 26 Jul 2010 01:15 AM PDT The core of your coaching philosophy is "always compete." How can we apply that at work? It's an attitude about the relentless pursuit of finding the competitive edge in everything you're doing. But your idea of competition is different than most people's. It isn't competition in trying to beat somebody and rub somebody's nose in the dirt. It's a competition to try to bring out your best. For instance, the guys across from you every day force you to bring out the best you have to offer. Really, they're responsible for creating your level of performance. And when you make people aware of that, you start to appreciate those guys because they're the ones that make you.  Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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