"the Tail End" - S B S Insight Tonight

[Dame Aussie]

Overpopulation is not a problem. There is plenty of homes to go around, but shelters fail to use foster care networks, fail to train or rehabilitate animals, fail to market their animals to the public, and then blame others for killing pets. Shelters have a huge role in reducing shelter euthanasia, and they're currently accepting the status quo rather than utilizing proven strategies to reduce kill rates.

Very few animals are owner surrendered in pounds. Many are impounded as strays, but shelters make limited efforts in reuniting these pets with their owners. Their owners may be to blame for their mistakes, but the shelters are to blame for the killing.

I've only just come into this thread, but in my experience working at a shelter this is not true.

We used to have enormous amounts of animals surrendered every week, plus the ones who were just dumped because the owners didn't want to pay a surrender fee.

As for finding owners, it's very insulting to insinuate the people working in shelters don't try and find the pets owners.

Rude.

I used to work every weekend calling people to tell them their pets were at the shelter, we would call them constantly, send sms's, send registered mail. Where are you getting your information from?? Certainly Not where I worked.

ETA: not to mention all the owners who would hang up on us, abuse us, tell us to "kill the stupid thing", ignore all calls from our number. We even had people bringing in "strays" that we later found out they owned! People are pretty disgusting really.

It's the owners, not the shelters, and especially not the workers who get paid a pittance and put up with constant abuse who try and locate the owners, at fault here.

Edited October 2, 2012 by Aussie3

[Dame Aussie]

While I don't like LDH, it is a pound so it doesn't get to choose what dogs it takes. It is really "easy" to be a no kill shelter when you can pick your dogs. When you're a pound it is a different story. The terms pound and shelter often get used interchangeably but they are totally different things.

Exactly. I've seen this myself, shelters who only take temp tested SWF criticizing pounds who can't pick and choose. It's low.

[Alkhe]

Aussie, I don't think anyone means to denigrate or offend you and other shelters workers who are as dedicated as yourself. I myself have had different experiences with the one shelter I had to deal with - if I didn't know better, I'd assume they were actually doing everything they could to NOT reunite us with our lost dog. I was assured numerous times on the phone that no dog matching our dog's description, collar or microchip details was there. NUMEROUS times. It was only when my mum went to physically check herself that we found him - he was there, with his collar, council reg tags and all, microchip details up to date.. I hate to think what would have happened if mum hadn't been so stubborn and desperate, and gone to check anyway.

It's obviously not the way all pounds work, but my experience isn't an isolated one unfortunately.

[Dame Aussie]

Maybe not but it is offensive. I worked my arse off in that place, saw horrid things every day so for someone to just say things like that p*sses me off...obviously :laugh: it is not an easy job.

Your story isnt a good one obviously, Im sorry about that, i can totally understand why you'd be angry/upset...all of the above!!

We always used to tell everyone to come and look just in case as chips can be missed, collars can come off and with crosses what one person sees could be totally different to someone else. Sounds like your experience could and should have been avoided but we have to remember that the workers are only human, there will be errors.

Don't get me wrong, I have a LOT of issues with the way a lot of pounds and shelters work, but they are only there because of owners irresponsibility.

[Alkhe]

Yeah, it's so hard when shelter and pound workers end up getting caught in the middle of an important discussion about "the system" etc - it's easy to shift the blame onto people who are doing their best in the system they have to work within.

I have no doubt that you and your colleagues and other volunteers did and continue to do an amazing job :)

[Brookestar]

double post, wont let me delete, sorry!

Edited October 6, 2012 by Brookestar

[Brookestar]

Victorian legislation changed about 2 years ago and only since then have shelters that are associated with pounds been allowed to have dogs in foster care. Council pounds are required to operate a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week service, and many of these shelters do not do that.

One also has to question at what cost some of these animals are kept alive. I know of a 15 year old dog, with crippling arthritis and other chronic health issues, that has been kept alive by GAWS in Geelong. It was not placed in foster care and was dying a slow and painful death. I know people who went in, adopted it and then took it to a private vet to have it euthanised. To them it was the kindest thing to do.

GAWS was not until the laws changed able to have foster care. The new management came in, AFTER the change of legislation.

SAVE a dog has different aspects to it. The pound is not no kill and never has been. The shelter is no kill. They choose which dogs from the pound enter the shelter.

I would agree that some shelters are doing a much better job than others.

One also has to consider that before the change in legislation in Victoria, ALL pounds were only allowed to keep dogs or cats for up to 30 days and after that they were required to euthanise them. If they didn't the faciilty would face million dollar fines and forced closure. This law was enforced by the state government.

Different states have different laws in place as to how long animals are required to be kept for, if they are stray. Some are only a matter of days, not allowing the dogs to even settle in the environment. Victoria is 8 days, NSW is 14 days if the dog is microchipped.

No one can rely on ringing a shelter to see if they have the dog. The way one person describes a dog will not be the way another one does. EVERY single shelter advises you to come in and check and the Lost Dogs Home website and staff will also say the same thing. They can give you basic information over the phone, but it is up to you to check it out. I remember well doing an agility class with my dog at the LDH one night about 5 years ago, and a desperate owner sitting in the car out the front, waiting for it to open in the morning. She was advised to go home and to come back at opening time, but from what I heard they did not leave the whole night and to be honest I think I would be doing the same thing.

And of course as others have said, one has to consider why the dogs end up in shelters in the first place. Microchipping is compulsory in Victoria, along with NSW and QLD. To my knowledge it is still not the case in other states. That is the best way of making sure the dog is found, although my dog also has on a collar with up to date contact information. I doubt that she would ever stray and I ensure that it would not be possible, but it is not a chance I would be willing to take.

As others have said, ALL costs associated with getting an animal out of a pound are government legislated ones. If you are not happy with them, talk to the government.

Edited October 6, 2012 by Brookestar