Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff. Группа авторов
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resource investment in a helpline program can be modest, its benefit will presumably increase with a significant investment in time by behavior staff to train and provide ongoing support for helpline volunteers and staff.
5.3.3.4 Behavior Consultations
A more resource‐intensive means of providing individualized behavior support is through behavior consultation services. These services are provided by a qualified behavior professional and may occur at the organization, in the client’s home, or virtually. If the organization does not have qualified behavior personnel available for these services, partnerships can be developed with local trainers or training companies. While these services are most commonly provided to adopters to facilitate retention of the adopted pet in the home, their use can be extended to potential surrenderers or the general public based on capacity and scope.
Data to evaluate the efficacy of individualized behavior consultations are lacking, but the potential benefit to the client and pet is presumably significant. Individualized and practical advice from a trained professional not only provides a treatment plan for the behavior problem(s), but it can also validate the client’s concerns and help the client avoid feelings of isolation and permanence in dealing with the issue(s). The organization can experience the impact of avoiding relinquishment and the indirect benefit of positive word‐of‐mouth testimony of the client within their social network. In addition, if these services are provided through collaboration with professional trainers, clients may have the option, when accessible, of continuing long‐term consultative services with the trainer. Finally, behavior consultation services can positively impact the entire community by reducing relinquishment and preventing companion animal public safety risks and nuisance behaviors.
To maximize these impacts and benefits, the behavior consultation program must be well implemented and accessible to those clients and pets in need of support. Pet owners have been found to be generally willing to pay for individualized counseling with an animal behaviorist, though, unsurprisingly, they are significantly more interested when behavior support services are offered for free (Shore et al. 2008). As with accessible veterinary care, any fee may be an insurmountable barrier to many clients. Similarly, the ability to travel to the animal welfare organization may be a significant barrier to receiving behavioral care. Providing services at a given location rather than in the home also limits the generalizability of these services to felines or other species. Virtual consultation improves accessibility but eliminates the ability to gain information through the consultant’s interaction with the animal. Thus, while the benefits of behavior consultation services can be significant, careful planning and consideration should factor into the scope and structure of these programs for the organization.
5.4 How to Choose the Right Programs
Choosing which safety net programs to implement depends on a variety of factors that may differ by organization and community. Organizations should consider the needs of the community, existing services, the goal and potential impact of the program, and the resources needed to develop and run the program. A strategic approach that considers these factors will help identify high‐priority programs for each individual organization. Picking the right mix of programs will maximize an organization’s resources for optimal impact. That impact should be measurable in order to evaluate program success and guide ongoing program direction (see Figure 5.1).
Figure 5.1 Program development and management considerations.
5.4.1 Community Landscape—Assessing Pet Ownership Needs in the Community
Understanding the community in which pets and their owners live is critical when considering which safety net programs to implement. Trends in pet ownership, existing services that support pet ownership, and unmet needs combine to form the community’s landscape of pet ownership. All pet owners need access to foundational services that support pet ownership, including provision of basic pet needs, veterinary care, and behavioral resources. However, strategies necessary to ensure access to these services will vary based on the community.
5.4.1.1 Pet Ownership Trends
Knowing pet ownership trends in the community, including ownership rates, general demographics of pets and owners, and community animal populations, is important for program development. National or local surveys about pet ownership are good sources with which to start (American Pet Products Association [APPA] 2017; American Veterinary Medical Association [AVMA] n.d.). Municipal licensing records, shelter intake data, veterinary patient data, pet food/supply store locations and sales, and grocery and convenience store sales of pet food and supplies, as well as other market research, are also useful sources of this information. New research assessing pet ownership trends may be necessary, so organizations should consider conducting their own surveys, polls, interviews, and focus groups. Ultimately, any organization planning to offer safety net programs will need an understanding of pet ownership trends in the communities they support. A model built on archival and direct research with community constituents will yield powerful insights an organization can use when planning safety net programs.
5.4.1.2 Services Supporting Pet Ownership
Because no animal sheltering organization exists in a vacuum, knowing which services already exist will help avoid unnecessary duplication and more effectively deploy limited resources. An inventory of services that support pet ownership can include both animal‐oriented and people‐oriented programs. Based on the information gleaned from a services inventory, an organization might decide that partnering with or supporting another organization on a new program may be the most efficient use of resources. Just as importantly, organizations need to know how the community uses existing services and what impact those services have. For example, self‐administered animal food banks typically require minimal resources to implement and manage, but if a community already has well‐used and impactful pet food banks offered by other organizations, even this minimal resource investment might not be needed.
5.4.1.3 Identifying Community Needs
Once an organization has identified pet ownership demographics and existing services, it is critical to then determine community needs. Organizations can develop their own process or adapt an existing one, such as the Pets for Life community assessment (Humane Society of the United States n.d.). Identifying the goal and scope of the community needs assessment will help determine the direction to take; the assessment can be comprehensive or more targeted. Organizations should begin by mining their own intake data to assess trends in relinquishment reasons and intake types or locations. However, intake data can tell only part of the story; organizations will benefit from conducting their own surveys, interviews, and focus groups targeted to understanding the unmet needs of pet owners. These data‐gathering efforts can be combined with efforts to identify pet ownership and demographic trends in the community for efficient data collection. Even informal conversations with relinquishing owners will yield a deeper understanding of ownership challenges than simple responses to questions in a form (DiGiacomo et al. 1998). Outreach should include not only pet owners but past owners as well as other agencies serving pets and owners. Information learned from these data‐gathering efforts, both formal and informal, when collected in a systematic and accessible way, will provide a comprehensive understanding of the community’s needs. Table 5.1 presents some options for information sources that can be used in program planning.
5.4.2 Program Goal and Potential Impact
After gathering data to understand pet ownership demographics, current services, and needs,