Liveblogging No More Homeless Pets: What can we learn from Calgary and NYC?

If Calgary was in the US, it would be the 11th largest city in the US. But over 94 percent of all their cats and dogs who enter the system come out alive -- without any tax dollar funding at all. How have they done it? Animal control director Bill Bruce joined with Jane Hoffman of the New York Mayor's Alliance for Animals to examine how these two huge cities have handled their animal related problems.



Bruce said that when he took over, they had shameful numbers of animals being put down, high dog bite rates, no revenues, low license compliance.



Jane said that in 2002, New York had a terrible situation, too. 74 percent of cats and dogs in city shelters were killed. The ASPCA had turned back the animal control contract, and it had been given to another private non-profit. Intakes at AC&C in NYC more than 46K in 2003. Adoptions at city shelters under 5000. Adoptions by private shelters and rescue groups less than 8K in 2003. Little sense of cohesion between rescue groups. "That's really understating it."



Bill: Same in Calgary. No cohesion, lots of conflict. We suggest you attend Karen Kelly's presentation tomorrow on conflict resolution, it's what we used.



We wanted to create a responsible pet owner community. A safe healthy environment for people and their pets through ordinances etc that reflect community values.



Said it's like carving a duck out of wood: You carve away anything that doesn't look like a duck. You do that with your ordinances, policies etc that don't serve that goal.



Jane: When we got rid of Giuliani, we knew Bloomberg would be more open to a community collaboration that we could get funding for from Maddie's Fund. Our goal was to end the killing of healthy and treatable dogs and cats at NYC's shelters.



We wanted that Maddie's Fund money. We don't get a dime from the city. We are not a gov't agency. Although she found if she said "I'm from the Mayor's Alliance really fast, people thought I said 'Mayor's Office' and it opened a lot of doors." (Laughter)



Bill: Understand we are dealing with a community problem that will take the collaborative resources of the community to solve.



Need everyone at the table: Vets, AVMA, breeders, trainers, pet stores, city, humane groups.



Jane: Our partners were New York City government, animal care and control of NYC, rescue community, veterinarians, boarding partners, Maddie's Fund, the public. AC&C is contracted with Dept of Health, and it's kind of a "bunker mentality." Rel with mayor's office very helpful. Then signed memorandum of understanding with AC&C.



Animal Care actually did not want to kill animals, but needed to be shown that could be done without interfering with their cruelty, rabies and other AC missions.



NYC had around 5 brick and mortar limited admission shelters and rescue community. ASPCA, Humane Soc of NY, others. There have been some new smaller ones since then. And bring in others involved: Maddie's Fund, vets, public.



Bill: First thing we did is boil down 4 principles of responsible pet ownership:



• License and provide permanent ID. Return to owner without even going to shelter... ride home.

• Increase spay/neuter but do not mandate it.

• Training, physical care, socialization, medical care.

• Do not allow pet to become threat or nuisance.



Our feeling was that if we could have this, we'd be by definition a responsible pet owner community.



Jane: NYC is the largest city in the state, but our government in Albany has a strong antagonism towards us. We don't have "home rule." Our dog license law is set by Albany. Bill's licensing ability is astounding to me.



Maddie's Fund told us we had to do a strategic plan. I was like, oh jeez, can't believe you're going to make us do that... turned out to be the best thing I ever did. Even if you're not going to get a MF grant, you should do the things they want you to do. Because we need to professionalize ourselves in this industry.



We came up with 10 year strategic plan:



• Increase adoptions

• Decrease animal homelessness

• Raise awareness

• Strengthen resources



Worked on marketing, foster homes, infection control. Some dictated by applying for a Maddie's Fund grant. A lot of the work was driven by that.



Bill: What's working in Calgary:



• Marketing. Educate and market.

• Partnerships; working together. Money devoted to fighting should go to animals. May need to bring in outside mediator. I found some of conflict was around things that happened 25 years ago. "The people who had that fight are dead. Let's move on."

• Remove barriers to responsible pet owners. Mandatory spay/neuter is a barrier. Does not take us down path of no more homeless animals. It's the wrong thing to do. Pet limits the same -- you end up alienating your most responsible pet owners, and decrease licensing. What is the problem you're trying to solve, and how will this solve it? What problem will pet limits solve? No one can ever tell me. 93 percent of my dog owners have their dogs licensed. MSN also turns my responsible pet owners against me, interferes with licensing. People don't like to do what they're told to do -- human nature. Make it clear to them the value of doing it, why it's a good idea.

• Education, school programs.

• Drive-home program. Great licensing program, on board computers connected to central computer, looks up dog's tag or chip, up comes info, gets on cell phone, calls you: I've got Buddy in my truck... before most people realize the dog is gone. Over 30 percent go straight home, never go to the shelter.

• Clear, well-understood rules. Enforcement is your last step, not your first one.

• Licensing program -- $5 million a year, don't need tax dollars, don't have to beg for money. Own revenue source, and community knows their money goes to help animals, so high compliance. License cats. People asked, where will money go? He said, free spay neuter. Public found out every penny would go to help cats. Also, wanted their cats to come back as quickly as possible. Saw value. Audience asked if this only works because they're Canadian? Why isn't this working in Los Angeles? He said people have a false image of Canadians, said Canadians are obstinate, will not be pushed even if polite. People comply when they feel CONSULTED and SEE THE VALUE, like the driving home. If dog or cat is hit by car in Calgary, vet will just start working on it because he knows animal control will pay the first $500 at least, doesn't even have to ask, vet will never get stuck with the bill. If you know you're investing in a Cadillac program like that, that will help your dog and your cat, you'll be glad to buy in. Result is that 82 percent of cats are saved, 94 percent of dogs.



Audience asked why bite rate is so low.



Bill: We take dog aggression very seriously, train postal workers, don't let people tether dogs on city streets, heavy-handed on fines when owners let dangerous dogs out -- fines in excess of 10K. But we don't wait until the dog bites. It starts with lesser behavior. We have ordinance against teasing a dog. Someone calls, send officer to sit in backyard, catches kids, fines them and/or parents.



We believe next year an ongoing study we'll be releasing will show what we do that makes dogs bite, or prevents it.



Jane: Recc'd book "Pit Bull Placebo" and Animal Farm study showing pit bulls not the big bite culprits so many believe.



We have mandatory s/n for shelters in NYC, I am not as much in favor of it for people until we can do free or low cost/accessible s/n. Our capacity cannot fill the need in NYC. People want their animals fixed and CANNOT AFFORD IT. Some people feel its not a huge priority, so we remove barriers.



Audience said people take advantage when they're really not low income.



Jane: ASPCA runs 5 mobile s/n vans 7 days a week. It's totally free if you're on public assistance, and if not, it's $75. Maddies's Fund will do $10 cat, $20 a dog s/n for those on public assistance, with is expanded beyond just Medicaid. And we run s/n for any cat other than ferals (who are well taken care of by ASPCA). If you come to East New York with an owned cat, I don't care what your income is, I'll s/n that cat.



We'd be even further ahead in NYC if there was a law that required pet stores to s/n pets they sell, but the pet store lobby fought that successfully.



I think pet limits are foolish and we have none in NYC, and NY state bans BSL. But our NYC housing authority has banned several breeds and mixes -- there is a suit being prepared.



[One update lost here due to Internet malfunction.]



Picking up what Jane says works in NYC, mostly working with rescue through various methods. Collaboration, communication, cooperation.



They give grants to increase capacity for rescues, to build kennels, do better infection and disease control. One rescue group was able to up capacity by a third.



Give groups help with temporary boarding and some medical care.  Picasso Medical Fund established by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters and Broadway Barks. A very morale building thing for staff -- can't save them all, but sometimes we can save the one who really gets them.



Low cost and free s/n. We're very intent on getting every animal in NYC microchipped. Good way to return to owner, will help if another disaster like 9/11.



Deal with pets of the homeless and victims of domestic violence. Enormous cost. City needs to do co-sheltering where they allow people to stay with their pets. We're working on that. Also getting food banks to accept pet food.



Also, PR, marketing and advertising do wonders for us. Lots of slides of the Maddie's Fund "Maddie" mascot. Parades, etc. Bark in the Park Day, Maddie throws out the first pitch. "Adopt Me" vest, given to groups free so everyone's dogs go to events wearing matching vests. Petfinder module for our website.



Adopt a cat event with Cat Fanciers Association, adopted out over 200 cats in one day.



Posters with "vacancy" signs. PSAs for adoption and for spay/neuter.



NYC Feral Cat Initiative -- I wish I had five times as much money to deal with that, it's our biggest issue in NYC right now.



Bill: If I impound an animal, that animal's picture is on our website in 15 minutes. We DO NOT charge fees to rescues to take dogs and cats. (This in response to someone in the audience pointing out Los Angeles charges rescues "adoption" fees. Jane added that NYC doesn't charge, either.) I will even do whatever medical, including dental, before the rescues take the animal. I also contact the breeder of purebred dogs. They will ALWAYS take the dog, even send me a check to fly the dog home to them.



Most cats I get are turned in as strays or nuisance. I know what neighborhood the cats came from, so we post a notice about that cat and send it with a picture to all the addresses in that area.



Bill: "The only dogs we euthanize are too sick or way too aggressive to ever be safely adopted." Last year, euthanized 145 cats, says he "guarantees" none of those cats was suitable for TNR or adoption -- too sick, injured.



Enforcement is the weakest source of revenue. Have 91 percent dog and around 48 percent cat licensing compliance.



Eighty five percent of dogs are reunited with their owners!!!!!!!!!!!!



We use "Safer Test" only to know what the dog needs, not to make a decision about that dog's fate. Dogs who have issues get special training and behavior help and are placed appropriately, even if the dog is resource guarding, dog-aggressive. "Most of the dogs are going home."



Jane: In NYC, we measure progress by measuring euthanasia as a percentage of intake. We don't play games with adoptable, healthy, treatable, etc. In 2002, 74 percent euthanized or killed, end of 2008 39 percent, projecting 34 percent this year. And adoptions have more than doubled, intakes have remained level. Did not get going early enough on s/n. I agree we need to do a better job on adoptions and marketing, but if we do not do a better job on s/n won't have success.



Recc'd Pet Point. [Bill uses Chameleon and raved about it in the bit I lost.]

Comments

[Kate M]

I can say that I happily live in Calgary. I have lived here for almost my entire life and have had dogs for 7.5 years. I didn't even know some of the stuff mentioned, like not charging rescues to take dogs and contacting breeders if one of their dogs comes in.

I have never had to deal with animal services personally (other than getting my dogs licenced), but it is good to know that as long as they have their tags on, they will come back, and fairly quickly too.



They are a little behind on providing low cost spay/neuter. The clinic to do it was completed a few months ago. Before they would send the dogs and cats to local vets to do the procedure and the adopter would pick up from the vet.



It is nice to know that Calgary is a city that other cities look to when trying to better their animal control policies.

[Fran C.]

I am from Ontario where Michael Bryant and the Liberals whipped BSL in and where so many dog owners are NOW 2nd class citizens living in fear of their short haired medium sized dogs.



What did the Liberals do here? They ignored Calgary's success and wouldn't even let Bill Bruce speak at the debates. Instead Bryant listened to Kory Nelson from Denver and they brought up dog killer Tom Skelton to testify and then under a majority government WHIPPED the vote. We have been living with a DISASTER and the mass slaughter of Mutts since.



In the meantime even the local papers in Denver have been calling for the resignation of Skelton to no avail. Petitions to get Skelton fired are ignored and the KILLING spree continues for thousands of innocent dogs.



Breaks my heart.

[denise harkins]

Wish we could have someof this success in Oshawa... what we have is a 97% euthanasia rate of cats.

[mary frances]

Just wondering why with such good no kill statistics, Calgary is not referred to more for its success - or maybe it is and am just not aware -