CHAPTER 15 Emily Weiss Shelter Research and Development, Community Outreach, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA®), Palm City, USA While many of the chapters in this textbook focus on the shelter, this chapter is focused on supporting the dogs and cats to prevent them from entering the shelter. In Chapter 3, the reasons and risks for relinquishment were outlined and discussed. One thing should be abundantly clear from that chapter: the reasons for relinquishment are broad and sometimes complex. One of the most powerful findings in the recent research around relinquishment is that reasons for relinquishment can vary widely community by community (Weiss et al. 2014). Making the issue of homelessness even more difficult than the complexity of relinquishment is that recent data (ASPCA 2014) have shown that nationally about twice as many companion animals enter the sheltering system as strays than as owner-relinquished. While a portion of this intake is likely community cats, it is reasonable to assume that just as many (or more) dogs and cats that were once owned enter shelters as strays as they do owner-relinquished. In Chapter 17, we learn that many of these strays do not go back to their original home, in some cases this is because the person searching did not search the shelter (Weiss et al. 2012) and in other cases the pet is not lost, but instead, abandoned. This chapter will outline the programs to support dogs and cats at risk of entering shelters. The chapter focuses not just on the dogs and cats, but on the human animal, as keeping the pet in the home requires behavior change from the human animal more often than not. Traditional safety net programs focus on those who have contacted the shelter to relinquish or explore relinquishment of their pet. One of the founders of these programs was the Richmond SPCA in Richmond, Virginia. In 2002, the Richmond SPCA moved from open admissions to appointment-based admissions. The shift allowed the staff to interface with those interested in relinquishing in a different way. They had the opportunity to explore the reasons for potential relinquishment with pet owners and had the opportunity, in some cases, to address the relinquishment concern and keep the pet in the home (Holt 2012). They developed a host of programs to support the community from a food pantry and low-cost clinic to a well-used and well-received behavior hotline that connects directly with their trained behavior team. The SPCA of Richmond staff reported that over time the services began to be used by those that had not yet explored relinquishment of their pets. Their behavior helpline is heavily used by those in the community who have a behavior challenge with their pet. By addressing that issue early, ideally the pet stays in the home, moving from relinquishment prevention to human–animal bond preservation. SPCA Serving Erie County adopted a waiting list for cat admissions after determining that operating with more cats than their staff or facility was prepared to care for adequately was both decreasing the quality of life and increasing the likelihood of disease in their cat population (Carr 2013). They found that while 62% of those on the wait list ultimately relinquished their pets to the shelter, 8% of those on the wait list were able to retain their pet, and another 12% were able to rehome their pets on their own with tips from the SPCA. Programs that provide medical care for pets that are being relinquished simply because the owner cannot afford vet care have been increasing in shelters. Organizations that implement these programs recognize that it is often more cost-effective (and humane) to treat the pet at no cost and keep the pet in the home than it is to bring the pet into the shelter, treat the medical issue, and then work to find a new home for a pet that left a loving but financially challenged home. These programs can have powerful direct impact for the human and nonhuman animals involved. The ASPCA’s virtual pet behaviorist can be a great resource for those seeking behavior assistance. ASPCApro.org provides a list of traditional safety net programs that have shown success in the sheltering community. They can be found through a search using the key words “safety net” or through the link http://aspcapro.org/resource/saving-lives-adoption-programs-behavior-enrichment-return-owner-safety-net/safety-net. There are many different types of safety net programs that one may offer; here is a list of some of the most common impactful programs: St Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey developed an innovative program to help keep intake down and pets safe after the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. They created a website-based social network to connect pet families in need with potential foster caregivers (http://fosterasandypet.ning.com/). The service allowed for pets to have a safe-harbor while not overwhelming the shelter with emergency intake. Over 65 matches were made in the months following Sandy. The Washington Humane Society (WHS) took this innovative emergency-based idea and developed a foster site specifically for those struggling with finding pet-friendly housing. Through our research focused on the relinquishment of large dogs (Weiss et al. 2014), we learned that many relinquishing to the WHS were doing so due to housing issues such as recent pet policies limiting the size of dogs allowed or moving into town and having difficulty finding affordable pet-friendly housing. The Foster a DC Pet website (fosteradcpet.com) was developed to connect those needing temporary housing for their pet with those able to foster that pet. While still a new program, over 70 people have become members and several matches have occurred. In our recent study on relinquishment of large dogs in New York City (NYC) and Washington DC (DC) (Weiss et al. 2014), we found that there were a variety of reasons for relinquishment of large dogs and factors other than behavior of the pet were stronger drivers. Housing issues, including landlord issues, affordable pet-friendly housing, and moving challenges were commonly reported. That study also reflected differences in reasons for relinquishment of those relinquishing in NYC versus DC. In communities where the shelter is seen as a supportive source to enable pet owners to keep their pet (such as Richmond SPCA), the development of a list of affordable pet-friendly options can be a strong surrender-prevention program. The qualification of the community perception of the shelter as a source to help enable pet owners keep their pet is an important one highlighted by recent research by American Humane Association (2013). American Humane Association researched pet retention by following up with adopters 6 months postadoption from six shelters around the country. They found that adopters that sought advice from the shelter were half as likely to retain their pet as those that sought advice from family and friends or vets. This is an alarming and sobering observation that begs further exploration. This study followed adopters, so these were people that had previous contact with the shelter. It could mean the shelter is providing information that increases relinquishment. This might indicate that previous experience with the shelter had a positive impact on their confidence that the shelter would be a safe place to return the animal. Another possibility might be that those who are reaching out are only doing so as a last resort.
Safety nets and support for pets at risk of entering the sheltering system
Traditional safety net programs
Other interventions at the time of relinquishment
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