The final chapters of Manatee Animal Services' no-kill plan

This column will conclude our no-kill plan with the remaining four programs.

No. 8 is public relations/community involvement.

Increasing adoptions, maximizing donations, recruiting volunteers and partnering with community agencies comes down to increasing the shelter’s public exposure. And that means consistent marketing and public relations. Public relations and marketing are the foundation of a shelter’s activities and success.

That includes partnering with the local media, promoting our shelter with success stories of those animals already adopted with photos and weekly stories about various animal issues.

This weekly column has been extremely beneficial in helping Animal Services promote our no-kill plan, bringing awareness about the good things Animal Services is doing, who we are, what we do and the dedicated people who work here. A special thank you to the Bradenton Herald for allowing me this opportunity.

Animal Services has a Facebook page to make the public more aware of what Animal Services in Manatee County is all about. The Animal Services Facebook page is a key in the social media network. It is used to promote our stories, ideas, comments and, our dogs and cats.

Animal Services will continue to maintain our public relations skills, working with all local media outlets.

Shelter staff currently take animals to television and radio stations monthly to promote our adoption centers.

Using the website is another key outlet to promote Animal Services. The Internet is our way to show the world what our organization is doing and what we have to offer. I have received comments from Tallahassee and as far away as Australia.

Every dog or cat impounded at Animal Services can be viewed at any time. Services provided can also be found on the website along with various facts, laws and ordinances pertaining to animals.

Section No. 9 is volunteers.

Volunteers are a dedicated “army of compassion” and the backbone of a successful no-kill effort. There is never enough staff, never enough dollars to hire more staff, and always more needs than paid human resources. That is where volunteers make the difference between success and failure and, for the animals, life and death.

Animal Services has recruited volunteer coordinators, with a bit of help, who will solicit, contact and schedule volunteers for various projects and needs.

Volunteers are used to help with additional duties including computer data entry, basic dog training, grooming, public relations (handing out fliers), interacting with the animals and cleaning kennels and cages.

We have appointed an animal care specialist to have the responsibility of maintaining contact with the volunteer coordinators to keep schedules, assignments and duties up-to-date.

Second to last is proactive redemptions.

One of the most overlooked areas for reducing killing in animal control shelters are lost animal reclaims. Shifting from a passive to a more proactive approach has allowed shelters to return a large percentage of lost animals to their families.

When a dog or cat is impounded at Animal Services, it is scanned for a microchip, checked for license tags and tattoos. Each dog or cat, upon being entered into the system, is checked for identification. A scanner is used to check for microchips and visual examination for license tags and tattoos.

The Animal Services website updates the entire population of dogs and cats each hour under “Stray or Found Animals.” Each person who contacts Animal Services with a lost animal report is encouraged to keep checking our website.

Knowledge Rocket is a program within our Chameleon computer program used by Animal Services. This program sends the photos and information regarding animals to Pet Harbor and Pet Finder on the world wide web.

Animal Services staff compare lost reports to our impounded dogs and cats. Impounded animals are also compared to lost and found reports in the newspaper and those called in to our shelter.

The staff at Animal Services exhaust all efforts to reunite a lost pet with its owner.

When an Animal Services Officer picks up a loose dog or cat, they check the area for the potential of an owner actively looking for their lost pet.

If an owner is located, the dog or cat may be returned, pending the history of the animal.

If an owner is not located, the officer will post a notice in the area where the dog or cat was impounded. An impound sheet will be printed and the officer will write “FOUND” on the sheet and attach a business card with contact information.

The officers will be issued microchip scanners so they can scan the dogs and cats in the field. If the dog or cat is microchipped, owner information can be obtained in the field, allowing the officer to return the animal, pending previous history and if the animal owner is home.

The final section in this no-kill plan is a compassionate director.

The final element of the no-kill equation is the most important of all, without which all other elements are thwarted -- a hard working, compassionate animal control or shelter director not content to continue killing, while regurgitating tired clichés about “public irresponsibility” or hiding behind the myth of “too many animals, not enough homes.”

I am the Animal Services chief. I am very dedicated to this entire plan and the no-kill program.

I believe every effort must be made for each dog and cat to live. While each circumstance may present itself differently, everything within our power will be done to accomplish the goal.

No-kill is simply not achievable without rigorous implementation of these programs. They provide the only model that ever created no kill communities. It is up to us in the humane movement to demand them of our local shelter, and no longer settle for the excuses that shelters often put up in order to avoid implementing them.

We have the backing of the community. Together, we can do this.

Help the dogs and cats at Animal Services by adopting today. Help us become a no-kill community.

Check out Manatee County Animal Services on Facebook. Like us and share us with all your friends. Our web site www.mymanatee.org/pets has a wealth of information, including your new family member for adoption.

Kris Weiskopf, chief of Manatee County Animal Services, writes this weekly column for the Bradenton Herald.

This story was originally published October 4, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "The final chapters of Manatee Animal Services' no-kill plan."