One council and a battle against ineffectiveness

As anyone following No Kill developments in Australia knows, the first step to setting your community on a No Kill path is to stop seeing your public as ‘the problem’, and instead start to recognise they are the solution to shelter pet killing. Council pounds can look to engage, involve and attract the compassion of animal lovers in their community and head towards a No Kill future, or they can blame their public for shelter killing.

And it’s 100% their choice, but they can’t do both.

We have an interesting example here which show exactly how these two differing approaches: the new approach (outreach) and the how-we’ve-always-done-it approach (blame), puts an organisation on one of two completely different paths.

From the 27th October: Blacktown Advocate

Support for animal ‘no kill’ policy

For one Blacktown councillor it would be one his greatest ever achievements, while for nearly 8000 animals it’s the difference between life and death.

Councillor Russ Dickens has expressed his desire to implement a ‘no-kill’ policy for animals at Blacktown Council’s Animal Holding Facility.

Last year, the council said 1419 dogs and 3146 cats were killed at the facility.

That’s 34.4per cent of dogs and a staggering 88.3per cent of cats from the 7,692 combined total of cats and dogs who at some pointed resided there.

Cr Dickens, who is also a fulltime vet, said it would be one of his “greatest and proudest achievements” at Blacktown Council if he could implement a no-kill policy.

“The euthanisation of animals is heinous, I’ve never liked it. It’s not through their own fault that they’re being put into pounds and then onto death row” he said.

Earlier this month, Cr Dickens attended the 3rd National Summit to End Companion Animal Overpopulation, on the Gold Coast.

Through the conference and his knowledge on how local and foreign animal holding facilities are run, Cr Dickens outlined a number of procedures Blacktown Council could undertake to ensure the venture was a success

This is not just a man standing around wishing lost pets would go away – he has a plan.

His main point included desexing of all animals that come into the facility, but also included the introduction of a ‘trap, neuter and return’ program for feral cats.

Allowing temporary volunteer foster care programs for animals when facility space was limited, is another initiative Cr Dickens endorsed, whereby animals could be returned to the facility when space became available.

Cr Dickens said image was an important factor, as people are more likely to adopt when they are in inviting surroundings.

“I go in there every now and then to check on the animals and right now it is a place of horror and it needs to be a place of happiness and hope,” he said.

He cited Sutherland Shire Council’s animal shelter, whereby the no-kill policy is implemented and the shelter provides cats and dogs with play areas, toys and the cats even have their own beds.

A spokesman for Sutherland Shire Council said animals are only killed in extreme cases when the animal is either seriously injured, old, ill or dangerous.

In addition to current play areas for cats, there are plans to build a dog agility yard equipped with toys and devices to improve the dogs’ strength and coordination.

So this councilor is pushing for desexing before adoption and for community cats, a foster care program, a welcoming surroundings which doesn’t send their animals nutty or drive away potential adopters, beds for the animals and ongoing behavioural support.

But compared this to a previous article from Blacktown, which claimed that its not the lack of life-saving resources and programs, but that ‘irresponsible owners’ are the reason they kill…

A dog’s life on death row

Blacktown Council blames irresponsible pet owners for the putting down of 3448 cats and dogs over 12 months in 2006/07.

Cr Russ Dickens, a veterinarian, and Helen Powderly, the president of the Animal Welfare League Western Sydney region, agree.

Mayor Leo Kelly said that Blacktown’s animal-holding facility accepted animals from Auburn, Lane Cove, Canada Bay, Holroyd, Ryde, Parramatta and Hunters Hill, as well as from the local area.

His comments follow the release of Department of Local Government data that put Blacktown at the top of a list of 20 councils which put down animals. Tamworth was second (958) and Bathurst (950) third.

Last week, there were claims in the metropolitan media that Blacktown Council was being ruthless for killing almost 75 per cent of the more than 5000 impounded animals.

Each impounded animal is given a 14-day stay before a decision to destroy it is made.

Cr Kelly said the council gave animals new homes when this was possible.

He said the council also offered microchipping, desexing and school education programs.

He ruled out any introduction of a “no kill'” policy, saying it was tantamount to giving the animals a life sentence.

Cr Kelly said he was opposed to any suggestion that the pound increase its present opening hours (7.30am-3pm weekdays; 7.30-11.30am Saturdays) to allow prospective buyers more time.

He said this would “hit ratepayers”.

Cr Dickens said he was distressed by the high number of animals destroyed, but said it wouldn’t happen if pet owners were responsible.

“Some animals also run away because of fireworks on New Year’s Eve,” Cr Dickens said.

“They should be sedated and kept inside the house by their owners at this time”

Helen Powderly commended Blacktown Council for its animal- friendly programs but said it could still do more, because, she said, for too many animal were being killed.

“Pet owners should also take their responsibility seriously,” Ms Powderly said.

“Animals aren’t toys. They have to be fed, cleaned and cared for.

“They’re not toys that can be dumped once you’re bored with them or too busy.”

Translation: until all people are responsible, we will kill pets in the face of alternatives. Until there’s no such thing as a frightened stray, we’re going to continue to inconvenience people by only opening while they’re at work. Until people take it apon themselves to desex their pets, we’re going to continue to adopt undesexed animals to our public. And until cats stop coming into our shelter by the thousands, we’re not going to work on outreach desexing.

It’s think kind of backwards thinking that has seen animal sheltering remain stuck in a blame culture of ‘until’. “We’re going to kill until…” rather than step up and actually implement the programs that could see their need to kill removed. It’s about punishment, rather than solutions. But in 2009 there is no excuse not to implement a program that could save lives, no matter how ‘irresponsible’ you think your public is.

– If you have a capacity problem, you need foster carers.

– If you have a cat problem, you need extensive community cat desexing programs.

– If you have a problem with dog behaviour, you need targeted behaviour and training outreach.

– If you have a problem with adoptions, you need to extend your hours, clean up your shelter and an offsite adoption program.

– If you aren’t desexing before adoption, you’re not giving the message that desexing is important to your community.

– If you’re killing pets rather than working to save them, you’re re-enforcing the message that pets are disposable items.

This attitude of passing the blame is starting to be called for what it is – lazy, incompetent leadership by management who need to be replaced by people who are more driven, more skilled and more compassionate.

The animals deserve better.