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The Changing Face Of Animal Welfare Several humane societies in Vermont have recently built state-of-the art facilities. Some shelters have had to find creative ways to work with their existing buildings and others donít even have the luxury of a central location. The common thread is that organizations of all sizes strive to reduce the number of animals coming into their facilities by keeping them in their existing homes and supporting families of newly acquired pets. Through the use of spay/neuter assistance, websites, behavior hotlines and in-depth adoption counseling, the face of modern animal sheltering is changing. While we still need to maintain our strong commitment to reducing overpopulation, animal welfare groups have been expanding their role to include a variety of other community support programs. One humane society sponsors a summer day camp for children to teach them responsibility towards our animal friends. Another has an active pet therapy program in which a trained volunteer brings shelter pets to homebound individuals and group homes. The introduction of community rooms for cats and ěreal-lifeî rooms for dogs are used to lower stress levels for animals who are experiencing extended stays in our shelters. Nearly gone are the days when euthanasia decisions are based on the length of time an animal has been in our care. Behavior evaluations and foster care programs can help us more carefully understand behavioral concerns which may grow into serious problems when improperly matched with unprepared adoptive homes. We measure our success by the quality rather than the quantity of adoptions we facilitate. Animal welfare organizations are increasingly implementing programs to benefit all pets and owners in the community, not just those of our customers. Thousands of pets receive vaccinations, emergency medical care and spay or neuter assistance at no or low-cost clinics each year. Many of our members offer obedience and pet parenting classes, behavior assistance hotlines and educational programs at their shelters and in the community. Local libraries, civic groups and local churches have all assisted by hosting educational speakers. We have great success hosting public events which combine fun and games with valuable community outreach. Members of the Vermont Humane Federation range from individual volunteers to organizations with large budgets and paid staff. No matter how flashy or plain, we all share the same basic ideals - to help the animals of Vermont to make their voices heard. |
