ESBD_360333_1716470470104_Attachment C - Comprehensive Program Plan.pdf

Updated 12/31/2023

Comprehensive Program Plan - Hays County Pet Resource, Educa on, and Research Center

This Comprehensive Program Plan summarizes the programs necessary to fulfill the community-focused, lifesaving goals for this project and explain why they are important to maximize the center’s impact on the Hays County community. The Pet Resource Center model relies on a strong community programming component and increased access to resources to support a smaller-scale sheltering concept by reducing intake and maintaining a short length-of-stay for pets in the shelter. This includes community or neighborhood- level programming, which focuses interven ons where pets are most at risk of entering the shelter system; an emphasis on returning pets home; increased access to veterinary services and microchips; collabora on with human social services to provide a con nuum of care; case management support; comprehensive community cat programming; and a robust network of fosters and community advocates.

The Comprehensive Program Plan also establishes goals, objec ves and evalua ve measures. In order to measure intended impact, ar culate the value to the community, and jus fy resources, it is impera ve to use sound data that reflects what pets and people need and measure outcomes. This is u lized in a con nual process improvement and program evalua on process to develop and scale programs, services and other interven ons effec vely to achieve be er outcomes for animals and people. Including all of this informa on in one plan makes it easy to show what the Hays County Pet Resource, Educa on and Research Center will accomplish; how it will be done; how it can be measured; and if policies, processes, programs and resources are in alignment with those stated goals. It also makes this plan and important transparency tool.

Using current data available, program capaci es are es mated for an intake of approximately 3500 dogs and cats.

Evalua ve measures included in this plan all relate to the efficacy of these programs as it strictly relates to shelter opera ons and field services. An addi onal value in the pet resource center model is the opportunity to leverage the human-animal bond to improve outcomes for both people and pets. For example, removing barriers in access to human health services due to concerns over one’s ability to keep pets is a measurable impact that can be reflected in human health outcome data.

This plan should be treated as a living document and updated with programma c and goal changes as the community’s needs and expecta ons evolve.

Triaged Intake Programs

General Overview: These programs help the shelter priori ze and leverage resources to achieve the best possible outcomes for pets and people.

Tradi onal open intake shelters tend to demonstrate an “intake bias” where animals are intaked into the shelter without considera on for the human-animal bond that may exist or if the shelter has the resources to provide the best outcome. This helps contribute to overcrowding and nega ve outcomes.

Triaged intake programs consider what the best outcome is for pets and the people connected to the pet and where those exist. Some mes an animal is immediately intaked into the shelter, some mes a pet’s entry may be delayed in an a empt to find a different solu on, or the pet is not intaked at all because a posi ve resolu on is obtained through resources in the community. Triaged intake programs help ensure that the pets who are most in need of shelter resources are able to access them.

Triaged Intake programs are based on the following design principles as provided by Team Shelter USA.:

- A shelter facility should be the last op on for pets when all other alterna ves for placement have been exhausted.

- A community-foster-based animal welfare system is far preferable than the tradi onal shelter-centric system as me in a shelter yields nega ve consequences such as increased costs of care, overcrowding, increased staffing, and facility needs, higher rates of preventable infec ous disease, reduced lifesaving poten al and therefore waste of both private and public resources.

- Current and emerging research, trends, and examples of successful programs should replace judgment, bias, and an quated opinions about pet owners that are not based on data when designing programs.

- Implemen ng an animal welfare system based in Best Prac ces yields that most responsible and effec ve use of resources.

Program: Finder-to-Foster

In 2022, 90% of combined cat and dog intake entering the City of San Marcos shelter from Hays County was categorized as stray intake. On average, shelters around the country have a return-to-owner rate of 2-3% for cats and 15-20% for dogs. However, lost pets from Hays County are reclaimed at much lower than na onal average rates: 1.3% for cats and around 12% for dogs.

Addi onally, findings from the Fall 2023 Community Needs and Values survey show that survey respondents who successfully found their pets did so through u lizing community resources including canvassing their neighborhoods, social media, and pet iden fica on – not through the shelter.

Cats are typically reclaimed at lower rates than dogs in large part because many “stray” cats are actually community cats and do not have a single owner. With 2/3 of feline intake made up of ki ens, it can be inferred that for the vast majority of ki ens, there is not an owner looking for them.

This data highlights mul ple opportuni es for meaningful program delivery:

- Hays County needs robust return-to-owner programming and field services outreach to help iden fy why animals become lost as well as why pets are not reclaimed and prevent pets from becoming separated from their owners in the first place.

- There is significant opportunity to decrease length of stay in the shelter, reduce intake, and increase posi ve outcomes through emphasis on returning pets home and keeping them there.

- Inves ng in ki en support programming should be a priority given the number of ki ens brought to the shelter.

Objec ves:

- Reduce intake o KPI: intake per capita o KPI: # of intaked healthy stray animals o KPI: % of stray pets by species reunited through Finder-to-Foster programming o KPI: % of pets by species in Finder-to-foster program reunited

- Increase return-to-owner rates from the shelter o KPI: increase rate to at least 20% for dogs within year; work to at least 50% in 3 years o KPI: % of eligible community cats returned to community o KPI: % of stray pet reunited through Finder-to-Foster programming

- Increase posi ve outcomes o KPI: maintain at least a 90% save rate o KPI: % of pets RTO-ed

- Increase capacity of community to safely and humanely care for pets o KPI: reduc on in stray pet complaints o KPI: reduc on in repeat complaints for same address

Data Points to Track:

- % of finders converted to fosters

- % of animals reunited through program

- RTO rate

- Distance from home of found animals ul mately returned to owners

- Loca ons pets are lost by zip code (or smaller geographic unit)

- Loca ons pets are found by zip code (or smaller geographic unit)

- % microchipped pets vs non-microchipped; % intaked into shelter ul mately; % returned home

Program Opera ng Overview:

In general, lost pets are more likely to be reunited with their families if they stay closer to where they are found. Some survey findings suggest as many as 70% of lost dogs may be within a mile of their home when they’re found. A robust finder-to-foster program will be developed to facilitate this – especially given the geographic size of the jurisdic on. The purpose is to keep healthy, non-aggressive pets closer to where they were found in order to facilitate reunifica on and reduce length-of-stay in the shelter. No finder will be forced to care for a pet if they are unable or do not wish to. Finders will be asked if they are willing to foster the pet and help locate an owner with resources provided by the shelter. If they are unable to provide foster care for the pet, they can s ll be provided with resources to help with reunifica on including signage, flyers, and web resources if desired. Field Services officers will provide resources and assistance as well in the event the pet cannot be immediately returned home.

The shelter will maintain a foster-on-deck program to place lost pets at the shelter or who need to be relocated from a current found foster home to another foster home in or near the community in which they were found.

The shelter team will provide ongoing support to a empt reunifica on including crea ng and maintaining records of found pets and reviewing and pos ng on community social media and websites.

Clear, consistent, and regular community messaging will include steps finders should follow before bringing a pet to the shelter and what to expect from the shelter in responding to a report of a lost pet.

Resources will be included in the shelter’s webpage and social media sites.

Finder-to-foster programs also help support otherwise healthy underage ki ens without mom. Ideally, ki ens will be reunited with mom and then enter the community cat program a er eight weeks.

However, if ki ens cannot be reunited with mom, finders will be asked if they are willing to provide care un l they are of age and weight to be eligible for adop on. If the finder cannot provide foster care for ki ens, the ki ens will be plead to current ki en fosters for placement.

Policies needed to support programming:

- Barrier-free reclaims

- Consistent messaging and ac on taken by county agencies re found pets

- Increase availability of free and low-cost microchipping

- Just-in- me training

- Foster care packages

- Commitment and ability to move ki ens out of the shelter without mandatory stray holds

Poten al Partnerships:

- Online lost and found pet groups

- Expanding placement of microchip scanners in other county agencies, parks, and pet businesses

- Local businesses sharing or pos ng lost/found pet flyers

Poten al Subcontractors:

- Establish rela onships with emergency veterinary hospitals or other veterinary clinics for a erhours care

Volunteer Opportuni es:

- Support lost and found pets by maintaining online presence, researching reports and microchip histories, arranging and assis ng with reunifica ons, etc.

- Foster-on-deck and ki en foster support

- Ki en reunifica on

Program: Return-to-Home (in Field)

As noted above, 90% of intake in the sampled period was stray animals and very few animals were returned home a er being intaked at the shelter. Given that recent research shows that 70% of ul mately returned dogs were less than a mile from their home when found, animal control officers have a unique opportunity to successfully return pets (especially dogs) they encounter in the field without first impounding them at the shelter where they are unlikely to go home again. The benefits of inves ng in return-to-home in the field goes beyond achieving a posi ve outcome, however. This program builds trust and rapport with the community as animal control officers frequently face nega ve dogcatcher-type stereotypes, preserves shelter resources, keeps officers in the field, and allows the officer the opportunity to connect the pet owner with resources to solve for root cause issues.

This data highlights mul ple opportuni es for meaningful program delivery:

- Hays County needs robust return-to-owner programming and field services engagement to help iden fy why animals become lost as well as why pets are not reclaimed and prevent pets from becoming separated from their owners in the first place.

- There is significant opportunity to decrease length of stay in the shelter, reduce intake, and increase posi ve outcomes through emphasis on returning pets home and keeping them there.

- Anecdotally, loose dogs are a concern for many residents. Elimina ng trips back and forth to the shelter can help officers stay in the field longer to address resident concerns while improving access to resources and achieve be er outcomes for people and pets.

Objec ves:

- Reduce intake o KPI: intake per capita o KPI: # of intaked healthy stray animals o KPI: % of stray pets by species reunited through return-in-field programming

- Increase capacity of community to safely and humanely take care of pets o KPI: reduc on in stray pet complaints o KPI: reduc on in repeat complaints for same address o KPI: reduc on in bites from unrestrained dogs (maintain bites per capita at or below CDC average)

Data Points to Track:

- % of loose dogs calls resul ng in reunifica ons in field

- % of animals reunited through program vs from shelter

- % of poten al intake deferred

- Combined RTO rate

- Distance from home of found animals ul mately returned to owners

- Loca ons pets are lost by zip code (or smaller geographic unit)

- Loca ons pets are found by zip code (or smaller geographic unit)

- % microchipped pets vs non-microchipped; % intaked into shelter ul mately; % returned home

- Call response mes

- Call closure rates

Program Opera ng Overview: Returning pets home without impounding them in the shelter first, should be a high priority outcome goal for field services officers. Officers should be equipped with microchip scanners and the ability to access chip informa on to iden fy owners. The shelter’s Lost and Found team can also support officers by researching lost animal reports and pos ng informa on to social media sites. Officers will also be provided with signage to mark loca ons where pets were picked up and flyer addresses nearby to no fy residents that a pet was picked up. All officers will carry supplies to repair fences and gate latches and be empowered to connect pet owners with addi onal resources as available to help address root causes of the incident. The focus of this priority is on engagement and not enforcement.

This program is also a poten al entry point into the con nuum of care model to help connect family members with necessary social services. Officers will be trained to have an awareness of poten al domes c violence, child abuse and neglect, and other health and safety situa ons and make appropriate referrals.

Policies to Support Programming:

- Barrier-free reclaims (Depending on the situa on, cita ons may be warranted, but the focus of this ac vity should be returning pets to families and connec ng with resources.)

- Barrier-free access to resources

- Align call priori es and other processes to allow officers necessary me

Poten al Partnerships:

- Designated loca ons for owners to pick up pets closer to their homes

Poten al Subcontractors:

- Rela onships with vet clinics or other prac ces to support injured pets

Volunteer Opportuni es:

- Support lost pets and officers by researching reports and microchip histories, arranging and assis ng with reunifica ons through fosters or satellite loca ons, etc. Can explore opportuni es to add posi ons working with field services officers in the field.

- “on deck” fosters

Program: Comprehensive Community Cat Programming

It is an increasingly accepted best prac ce to manage free-roaming cats in communi es through spay/neuter and vaccina on program rather than impounding in shelters. The free-roaming cat popula on cannot be managed through impound and many of these cats are not able to be successfully sheltered and adopted into homes (due to temperament) or to barns (do to scale of need). In general, the needs of most cats are best addressed outside the shelter.

Priori zing complaint mi ga on counseling and support to help residents in conflict with community cats is an important component of making community cat programs successful. This should include loaner deterrents as needed.

Healthy, thriving community cats in safe loca ons should not be intaked into the shelter and should instead be altered, vaccinated, and returned to their loca on. The program will be run in accordance with best prac ces established by Alley Cat Allies and Best Friends Animal Society.

Objec ves:

- Maintain save rate o KPI: eligible cats through program

- Decrease intake o KPI: eligible cats through program o KPI: decrease in ki en intake

- Decrease length of stay o KPI: length of stay

- Maintain public health and safety o KPI: rabies risk management o KPI: successful complaint resolu on

Policies to Support Programming:

- No intake of healthy community cats in safe loca ons. These cats should be redirected to a shelter-neuter-return program.

- Shelter-Neuter-Return for all healthy, thriving cats 6 months of age or older regardless of behavior and temperament

- Robust complaint mi ga on support

- Addi onal veterinary services provided in clinic for sick or injured cats

Subcontractors:

- High volume spay/neuter

Volunteer opportuni es:

- Trap-Neuter-Return volunteers

- Program support (locate ki ens/mom, complaint mi ga on)

- Canvassers/outreach

- Clinic

Shelter Pathway Programming

General Overview: Pathway and popula on management programming ensure shelter opera ons run effec vely and efficiently so that animals get the basic care, veterinary services and enrichment they need while working toward an expedi ous outcome. Goals include ensuring that pets do not get “lost” in the system and do not stay longer than is necessary. Longer term shelter stays o en correlate with an increase in veterinary resource needs and a decline in behavior.

Shelter Pathway Programming is based on the following design principles as provided by Team Shelter

USA.:

- The tradi onal role of a municipality is to provide for public and animal safety but a compassionate, lifesaving system is non-nego able in our society today.

- Current and emerging research, trends, and examples of successful programs should replace judgment, bias, and an quated opinions about pet owners that are not based on data when designing programs.

- Implemen ng an animal welfare system based in Best Prac ces yields that most responsible and effec ve use of resources.

Program: Public Facing Lost Pet Reunifica on Resources

Objec ves:

- Reduce length-of-stay o KPI: length-of-stay by age and species

- Increase return-to-owner rates from the shelter o KPI: increase rate to at least 20% for dogs within year; work to at least 50% in 3 years

- Increase posi ve outcomes o KPI: maintain at least a 90% save rate o KPI: maintain at least a 50% RTO rate overall

- Increase capacity of community to care for pets safely and humanely o KPI: % of pets intaked without microchips o KPI: non-microchipped chipped before returning home o KPI: off-site bites

Data Points to Track:

- % of animals reunited a er a stay in the shelter

- RTO rate

- Distance from home of found animals ul mately returned to owners

- Loca ons pets are lost by zip code (or smaller geographic unit)

- Loca ons pets are found by zip code (or smaller geographic unit)

- Microchip status; % intake into shelter by status; % returned home by status

- Recidivism rate

- s/n status

Program Opera ng Overview: Given the number of stray dogs entering the shelter system and the low return rates, this program is a priority. Robust return to owner programs decrease shelter length of stay, reunite pets with families who love and care for them despite poten al behavioral quirks and challenges, and help connect families with resources needed to keep pets safely at home. In general, programs that connect pet owners with resources to more safely and humanely keep pets elevate the care of pets in the community and keep the community safer.

A dedicated Lost Pet Reunifica on coordinator will oversee func ons of this program including inves ga ng reports of and informa on associated with lost and found pets in an a empt to reunite pets with families, provide resources and informa on to those who have lost or found pets, coordinate reunifica ons, and work with families to provide support and resources necessary to resolve root causes that may have led to pet ge ng lost in the first place. The coordinator will also be responsible for partnerships and volunteer supervision; and providing up-to-date public-facing materials, messaging and resources to support this program including a found pet map and prompt upload of reports into the shelter inventory management database.

Policies to Support Program:

- barrier-free reclaims

- public access to kennels

- Consistent messaging and ac on taken by county agencies re found pets

- Increase availability of free and low-cost microchipping

- Barrier-free access to resources for pet owners

- Priority marke ng/communica ons messaging

Poten al Partnerships:

- Business community: dona ons to support program

Poten al subcontractors:

- None an cipated

Poten al Volunteer Opportuni es:

- Support lost and found pets by maintaining online presence, researching reports and microchip histories, arranging and assis ng with reunifica ons, etc.

Program: Foster

A robust network of community-based fosters is integral to managing limited in-shelter kennel space.

(All shelters have limited shelter space regardless of size.) This helps preserve in-shelter space for those animals with unique needs be er met in a more controlled environment including animals that must be housed in-shelter for safety (example: bite or cruelty inves ga ons, some higher level behavior needs) or higher level medical needs that require more specialized care and monitoring.

Most animals benefit greatly by being in a home environment. Benefits include stress reduc on, lower risk of exposure to illness, home-like rou nes, regular socializa on, more informa on to aid in successful placements, and marke ng exposure. It is the goal of this organiza on that at least ¾ of animals eligible for placement spend some me in a foster home. Most animals should go into at least a short term foster placement as soon as possible. A robust foster network is important to the success of this animal welfare system. Approximately 290 animals will need to be in foster at any me to support a shelter capacity of approximately 100 kennels.

Foster commitments will vary based on the individual animal’s needs. Par cipa on in the program should be easy and barrier-free for applicants with regular recruitment and marke ng promo ng opportuni es. Just-in- me training will be provided for emergency situa ons such as underage ki en intakes. Fosters will be empowered to market, promote and advocate for their foster pets to find them placement through adop on.

The foster program will support varied popula ons of animals that would benefit from me outside the shelter including:

- Underage puppies and ki ens

- Animals needing socializa on

- Animals needing kennel breaks

- Animals exhibi ng shelter stress (including illness)

- Animals requiring cage rest for recovery from illness or injury

- Animals over specific length of stay (LOS)

- Found animals (see Finder to Foster program) wai ng for reunifica on

Objec ves:

Contribute to LOS goals

- LOS of stay in shelter

- LOS of stay in shelter system

Contribute to live release goals

- Live outcomes

- Died in care

- # of behavior dogs in foster

Data Points to Track:

- LOS of wai ng for foster placement

- LOS of stay in shelter

- LOS of stay in shelter system

- LOS of wai ng for foster placement

- Died in care

- # of fosters; # of big dog, behavior and underage ki en fosters

- Foster reten on

Policies to Support:

- Barrier-free foster par cipa on

- Make all animals eligible for foster

Poten al Partnerships:

- Community partner

- foster placements

Poten al Subcontractors:

- On call emergency vet services

Poten al Volunteer Opportuni es:

- Program/event assistant

- Foster mentor

Program: Adop ons and Rescue Placement:

Working to achieve live outcomes for sheltered animals is paramount; therefore resourcing live outcome programs such as adop ons and rescue to an appropriate scale is a priority. High volume adop on programs and robust rescue partnerships help ensure “easier” to place animals move through the shelter faster, which allows more me to achieve placements for pets with more extensive needs. It is also impera ve that all staff and volunteers recognize that regardless of tle, each person has a role in helping adopt out animals. The shelter must be welcoming; staff and volunteers should comport themselves as friendly, knowledgeable and willing to help; and the adop on process should be straigh orward and easy to navigate.

Priori zing local adop ons also places ve ed, microchipped, altered pets in the community and helps posi on the shelter as a resource. This helps build trust and rapport between the shelter and the community.

Goals for adop on and rescue will be set keeping in mind that return-to-home, adop ons, and rescue placement will need to account for at least 90% of outcomes. For example, if at least 20% of intake is returned-to-home, an addi onal 70% of outcomes will need to be generated through adop on and rescue. Numeric goals help in evalua ng the success and impact of programs and whether resources are appropriately allocated. While there should be separate data points to track the impact of these programs, rescue isn’t broken out as a separate outcome goal because the shelter has minimal ability to impact local rescue capacity and if local rescue capacity is reduced, would need to compensate through increasing adop ons.

Rela onships with community partners should be priori zed in high-trafficked areas with low shelter adop ons to broaden the shelter’s reach and increase market penetra on.

Frequently, calls to ac on for shelters center on adop ng, fostering, volunteering (at the shelter), or dona ng. However, not everyone is in a posi on to always do one of those ac ons. Opportuni es to support adoptable animals should also include sponsorship and advocacy, which may be more accessible to more people (even those outside the immediate area).

To the greatest extent possible, adop on fees should not be relied on as a major revenue source.

Robust rescue partnerships help the shelter increase live outcomes and poten ally reduce the resources or programs needed to support specific popula ons of animals so that the shelter can put resources elsewhere. Support of the shelters helps rescues deliver on their mission and build a local support base.

It is important to have open communica on to ensure that policies and processes around tagging animals for rescue pulls, preparing animals for pulls, and the process by which a rescue becomes a partner make it easy for rescues to help, but also don’t unnecessarily increase length of stay for animals.

Objec ves:

- Contribute to live outcomes o KPI: number of adop ons and rescues o KPI: return rate o KPI: length of stay

Data points to track:

- Number of adop ons and rescue pulls

- % adop ons and rescues contribute to outcomes

- Adop on return rate

- Loca on of adopters by zip code

- Length of stay for rescue tagged animals

- % adopted from event or foster

- Number of ac ve rescue partners

Policies to support:

- Allow adop on applica ons for animals on stray hold

- Prac ce barrier-free, conversa onal, same day adop ons

- Collabora on with rescue community to establish pulling process; grievance process

- Ability to fee-waive

- Barrier-free rescue partner sign-up process

- Open public viewing for animals

- Adop on from foster

Poten al partnerships:

- Local businesses and other community partners to host offsite events and promote available animals

- Business and community sponsors for adop on fee, events and adop on incen ves

Poten al subcontractors:

- None an cipated

Poten al volunteer opportuni es:

- Matchmakers

- Customer service

- Adop on follow up and assistance

- Event assistance

- Transport to rescue

Other Safety Net Programs

General Overview: These programs help prevent pets at-risk of entering the shelter system from doing so by increasing the capacity of the community to care for pets safely and humanely through resources and support. Safety Net programs benefit pets in the shelter as well by helping ensure adequate resources exist in the shelter to care for those most in need.

Safety Net Programming is based on the following design principles as provided by Team Shelter USA.:

- The tradi onal role of a municipality is to provide for public and animal safety but a compassionate, lifesaving system is non-nego able in our society today.

- Most pet owners deeply love and care for their pets, but many have access to care limita ons.

- Research indicates that most pets entering shelters are from socioeconomically disadvantaged pet owners in underserved communi es and proac ve programs can drama cally reduce the number of pets entering the shelter.

- Current and emerging research, trends, and examples of successful programs should replace judgment, bias, and an quated opinions about pet owners that are not based on data when designing programs.

Program: Pet Support Services Center

The Pet Support Services Center will offer resources and support to pet owners struggling with keeping their pets through a robust public-facing website, seamless referrals for resources and case management through field services or human social services networks, and counseling and case management for those pet owners who contact the shelter for assistance in retaining or rehoming their pets. These programs work with pet owners to find the best outcome for the pet and pet owners. The goal is to prevent a pet from entering the shelter either through enabling and empowering an owner to keep their pet or assis ng the pet owner in rehoming the pet on their own, however, it may ul mately be determined that intaking the pet into the shelter is the best op on. Support can be provided online, in-person, or over the phone.

This works in conjunc on with triaged intake programming depending on the pet and pet owners needs and desired outcomes. Unless exigent circumstances exist, requests to rehome owned pets through the shelter will be managed on an appointment basis.

This includes the Posi ve Alterna ve to Shelter Surrender (PASS) program which has been scaled to support Hays County residents during this interim planning period. PASS, is a virtual resource center, which has supported Travis County and City of Aus n residents for over a decade. It u lizes social media and case management so ware to support pet owners and pet finders through crises with the goal of finding pets the best outcomes outside of the shelter through reten on, rehoming, or reunifica on.

PASS also serves as a centralized place to disseminate consistent, reliable, and accurate informa on about available pet resources and ways to help pets in need. For those with more complex concerns, PASS provides case management support and expert advice. This also allows data to be captured around pet needs in the community that fall outside the current sheltering system.

Objec ves:

- Reduce intake o KPI: intake o KPI: # of intaked owner surrendered animals

- Understand community needs related to keeping pets safely and humanely o KPI: reduc on in owner surrenders by reason o KPI: intake per capita by zip code

Data Points to Track:

- Owner surrender requests and reasons by zip code (or smaller geographic unit)

- Resources most successful in keeping pets at home

- Successfully diverted intakes by resources

- # of requests for services

- # of households helped

- Will need to develop data tracking in partnership with social services programs to be er track joint outcomes and impact.

- Length of me between contact and final outcome (Is pet successfully retained or intaked?)

Policies to support programming:

- Barrier-free access to resources

- Appointment-based owner rehome requests

- Trauma-informed leadership to support staff

- Collabora on with human services community

Poten al Partnerships:

- Social service providers including Public Health, domes c violence shelters, human shelters, emergency management

- Local veterinary clinics

- Local pet-related businesses

Poten al Subcontractors:

- Bes eBNB (domes c violence pet sheltering)

Poten al Volunteer Opportuni es:

- Triage managers

- Case managers

- Skilled volunteers (e.g. dog trainers, behavior consultants)

Access to Care:

General Overview: These programs connect pet owners, pet caretakers, and others with the resources needed to provide humane care to cats and dogs. By doing so, these programs help protect and promote the human-animal bond by connec ng pet owners and caretakers with resources outside the shelter, thereby preven ng an animal from being intaked into the shelter in order to obtain assistance and helps elevate the standard of care for pets in communi es.

Program: Microchips and ID Tags for the Public

Pet iden fica on such as microchips and ID tags are an important tool to help reunite lost pets with owners – o en without ever having to intake the animal into the shelter. While low cost and free resources exist, the number of uniden fied strays intakes by the shelter system currently shows a largescale need to get these resources to the public and share informa on about their importance and how to use them to reunite pets with families. Addi onally, these resources are most effec ve when focused on the areas of greatest need. Neighborhoods with a dispropor onately high number of stray dog complaints with low reclaim should be priori zed.

While microchips are promoted as permanent ways of iden fying pets, ID tags and informa on are important as well. ID tags are visible and do not require a finder to locate a scanner and can some mes be an easier “sell” to folks reluctant to microchip their animal. The general public also some mes misinterprets lost pets with collars and tags as being unowned or abandoned if a collar and tag is not visible and may not make efforts to reunite the pet with its family.

Animal Control Officers should provide microchips and ID tags in the field as a way of eleva ng the conversa on and connec ng the community with these needed resources. Any spay/neuter voucher programs or vaccina on drives should also include free or low cost microchipping.

Scanners should also be made abundantly available to trusted community loca ons including fire sta ons, public safety facili es, parks so that finders can scan animals for chips without bringing them to the shelter. Partnerships with local non-profits and other engaged community groups can help expand this effort’s reach.

Marke ng and communica ons campaigns will be developed around “Check your chip” themes to remind the public to update chip contact informa on and raise awareness.

Objec ves:

- Increase live outcomes o KPI: Live outcomes o KPI: Length of stay

- Increase RTO o KPI: RTO from shelter o KPI: RTO in field

- Decrease intake o KPI: intake o KPI: intake per capita by geographic region

Data Points to Track:

- Number of chips distributed

- Numbers of scanners distributed to community

- Found pets with iden fica on at shelter intake

- Un-reclaimed pets with iden fica on

Policies to Support:

- Barrier-free access to resources

- Priori za on of budget dollars for services to support

- Willingness to collaborate with community groups

Poten al Partnerships:

- Local non-profits and community groups

- Other government agencies and facili es

- Business sponsors

Volunteer Opportuni es:

- Outreach

Program: Access to Affordable Veterinary Services

Inability to access affordable veterinary services was the most commonly cited missing resource for pet owners who responded to the Fall 2023 Community Needs and Values survey. Affordability and economic pressures are significant concerns for some pet owners.

Increasing access to veterinary resources includes making free or low cost spay/neuter, vaccina ons, and other services supports mul ple popula ons of pets in the community including those at risk of entering the shelter. While increased access can help individuals and resolve specific situa ons, data must be used to focus resources to have the most impact on overall community health, such as limi ng disease spread, and shelter intake. To have the greatest impact on reducing shelter intake, community spay/neuter services must be focused on the popula ons in greatest need (those in resource deserts) and those most at-risk of entering the shelter (where intake is highest). Clear goals and evalua ve measures must be established as a high degree of par cipa on does not necessarily translate to a high impact.

Texas shelters are unable to provide veterinary services to owned animals, which means pet owners are some mes forced to surrender their pet to a shelter for care if they are unable to afford care at a clinic.

An important component of the Feasibility Study and proposed shelter design is a public access clinic at the shelter. This would allow diversion of pets and families from the shelter to the clinic in these cases where fees could be charged on a sliding scale or otherwise made more affordable in order to keep the family together when in the best interest of the pet and people.

It should also be noted that increasing access is not just about affordability, but also requires iden fying and elimina ng other barriers such as transporta on, availability, and lack of trust.

Objec ves:

- Increase access to access services o KPI: decrease % in residents ci ng inability to access veterinary services

- Decrease intake o KPI: decrease intake in ki ens and puppies o KPI: decrease in surrenders for too many li ers o KPI: decrease in surrender of pets for veterinary reasons related to access to care and affordability

Data Points to Track:

- Intake per capita by zip code

- Surgeries/services access by zip code

- Pet reten on/intake preven on

- Services desired by residents but unable to access

- Outcomes by zip code

Policies to Support:

- No mandatory spay/neuter requirements

- No proof of need

- Priori za on of budget dollars for services

- Focused areas of need

Poten al Partnerships:

- Business community for event loca ons

Poten al Subcontractors:

- Service providers to operate high volume s/n program

- Services providers to provide addi onal community-based veterinary services

Volunteer Opportuni es:

- Event support

- Outreach

Other Mission Support Programming

General Overview: These programs help support Pet Resource Center goals of protec ng, promo ng, and enhancing the human animal bond.

Program: Volunteer Program

The Pet Resource Center will need a robust volunteer program that is reflec ve of the Hays County community and is fully integrated into center opera ons. The shelter must strive to create one respec ul culture that unifies staff and volunteers rather than allow them to operate in separate silos within the organiza on. The program should be developed and managed in keeping with industry best prac ces that define a “Service Enterprise” organiza on. Service Enterprise organiza ons strategically leverage volunteers’ skills across all levels of an organiza on to strengthen capacity and more efficiently and effec vely allow it to deliver on its mission.

Best prac ces include formal job descrip ons for volunteer, a formal grievance process, documented training, integra on into organiza on charts, engagement, and recogni on programs.

Volunteer visibility should be elevated within the organiza on to be made clear that it is valued.

Objec ves:

- ROI

Data to Track:

- Applica ons submi ed

- Conversion rate

- Volunteer hours

- Volunteer reten on

- Group projects

Policies to Support:

- Execu ve level support of program

Poten al Partnerships:

- Could serve as a local hub, par cularly if part of a larger social services campus, to promote services enterprise principles and help foster civic and community engagement throughout the county

- Business community

- School district

Poten al Sub-contractors:

- None

Volunteers:

- Administra ve support

- Mentors to new volunteers

Field Services:

An engagement-based animal protec on program is necessary to support this model. This is largely based on the engagement-based program outlined in Best Friends Animal Society’s Humane Animal Control Manual, Appendix A.

Firstly, the program must “create a culture of mee ng residents where they are, which means empowering animal control officers to work with residents to achieve compliance and resolve the root cause of the issue if possible. Officers must be empathe c and non-judgmental in all interac ons with community members and receive adequate training in customer service, conflict resolu on and engagement. Officers must be able to think about what created the situa on in which they have been called to intervene, and not just focus on what they see in front of them. When making hiring decisions regarding officers, it is impera ve to focus on behaviors and experiences that speak to these skills. An example of addressing a root cause is considering the factors that contribute to habitually straying dogs.

Impounding the dog may seem like the solu on, but people have pets for a reason and will usually replace the animals, crea ng a cycle that wastes animal control resources by requiring officers to respond to an address over and over, contributes to shelter intake, and does nothing to improve the community’s animal welfare ethic. To resolve the factors contribu ng to a dog habitually running off his owner’s property, officers need easy access to provide resources to residents, whether it is fencing, a be er gate latch, a crate or other structure to contain the dog, or other ways to help the owner keep the pet safely at home. It’s also important for the officer to approach the situa on from the perspec ve of wan ng to understand the viewpoint of the owner and involving him or her in deciding what a posi ve outcome can look like and how it can be achieved.

Animal control officers need to understand that the purpose of their interac ons with the community is not to punish wrongdoing, but to build posi ve rela onships and resolve animal welfare concerns by working toward compliance. Puni ve measurements do not typically lead to behavioral change, par cularly when trying to resolve nuisance complaints or quality-of-life concerns. Enforcement is just one tool that officers have available to them in trying to achieve residents’ compliance with an ordinance, code or law. Some offenses will result in immediate cita ons because of their nature. For example, failure to quaran ne an animal associated with a rabies exposure receives an immediate cita on. Viola ons of dangerous dog requirements are another example. Neglect complaints, which do not present immediate safety and health concerns for the animal, are handled on a case-by-case basis;

officers issue a no ce of viola on and can work with the animal’s owner to rec fy the situa on over a 10-day period.”

It is important to be able to dis nguish between owners who do not know the right thing to do versus those who do not care to do the right thing.

Objec ves:

- Reduce intake o KPI: contribu on to intake

- Maintain save rate o KPI: return in field

- Elevate care of animals in community o KPI: reduce neglect complaints o KPI: prevent neglect complaints from eleva ng to cruelty

- Maintain public health and safety o KPI: successful quaran nes o KPI: bites per capita o KPI:

o KPI: recidivism o KPI: successful resolu on of dangerous dog and Serious Bodily Injury cases

Policies to Support:

- Collabora on with domes c violence, child welfare, and other social service providers to iden fy and resolve all forms of neglect and abuse

- Collaborate with law enforcement to address neglect before rises to cruelty, but work out seamless handoff

- No mandatory cita ons unless immediate risk to human health or safety

- No owner surrenders in field or in lieu of cita on

- No intake or cita on quotas

- Priori ze returns in field

- A er hours response

- Call priori za on to protect human and animal health and safety

- Responsible pet ownership class in lieu of fines for low level, first me offenses

Volunteer Opportuni es:

- Lost pet reunifica on

- Outreach

- Fence repair

Subcontractors:

- None

Poten al Partnerships:

- Collabora on with law enforcement and human/social services

- Business community