(If you got this directly from MAC, you are already on the list)
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November is
Adopt A Senior Pet Month!
Here are some links with information on senior pet adoption:
by the ASPCA
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Save the Date:
MAC's Whole Cat Workshop
Sunday, March 22, 2020
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MAC's All About Dogs Meeting Recap
By Anne Lindsay
We had a great meeting on Sunday, October 20th when we learned about "The Everyday Impacts of Complex Placement for Dogs." We have all seen those dogs who linger at shelters, are returned more than once
, and who have been a ch
allenge to place. This meeting addressed this new reality we all face.
Lindsay Hamrick
(Policy Director for Companion Animals at
The Humane Society of the United States) started the day with an overview. Some questions she asked:
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How do we better measure the deterioration of animals who are at the shelter for long periods of time? When is it too long for animals to stay at a shelter?
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How do we develop research and tools to better gauge which behaviors we see in the shelter are predictive of behaviors in the home? How do we best support adopters in managing and treating challenging behaviors? If this behavior is happening in our shelters, in a controlled environment with experienced handlers, how successful are those dogs in their homes?
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Which shelters are allowing adopters plenty of time to in
tegrate dogs into their homes before finalizing the adoption? How do we create a non-judgmental approach so that we can
learn as much as possible about the dog in a home, re
gardless of whether that adoption is permanent?
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What is our role in the decisions we make when we pu
t a dog out in the community who isn't equipped to handle life in an adoptive home?
Further co
nsiderations are: What are the impacts on adopters and their families? To the reputations of shelters and rescues? As experts we have a responsibility to the dogs, the people who foster and adopt them, the community and the shelter staff and volunteers.
Are we operating in a way in which we've provided as many free resources to owners as possible when placing challenging dogs? Are we having difficult conversations to ensure that dogs who are likely to harm a person or another animal receive the best possible care, including humane euthanasia?
Erika
Lessa -
Certified Dog Behavior Technologist (CDBT), Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), CPDT-KA - shared her behavior consulting records from 2018. She saw 207 dogs for behavior consults. 64% were rescues. The presenting complaints were leash reactivity, human directed aggression, dog directed aggression, anxiety and fear. She maintained that there appears to be a disconnect between the shelters and rescues and the adopters regarding the behavior of the dogs being placed.
Erika talked about how behavior assessments are not predictive of a dog's behavior, and how important it is to collect as much information as possible from multiple sources - history, informal assessments by a qualified professional, and direct observation by volunteers and staff - to get a "FAIR" picture of a dog. She recommended "triangulating" - getting three people seeing the same behavior - to help "see" the dog more clearly. She also talked about well run playgroups being a way to observe behaviors that are helpful in creating a profile.
The impact of complex dog placement on our adopters w
as a huge message for the day. Case studies were presented to illustrate just how these marginal dogs can impact a person's (or family's) social life, relationships, financial picture, and other lifestyle considerations.
To ground us in reality,
Seana Dowling-Guyer,
MS
(Associate Director of the Center for Shelter Dogs) presented "Evidence Over Anecdotes: Research About D
og Training." The research shows that training methods based on positive punishment and negative reinforcement are associated with a higher incidence of behavior problems, including aggression and fear. Most of the research so far shows that these aversive training methods are not more effective than rewards-based training. Translate: According to the research, prong collars, choke chains and shock collars (AKA e-collars) are
not
more effective than rewards-based training - but are associated with fear and aggression and higher rates of behavior problems.
Many trainers use aversives. At the other end of the spectrum are positive trainers. "Balanced trainers" are using a little of each, which means they are using some aversives. Educate yourself and know your trainer!
It was pointed out during the day that, instead of making a really hard decision, some shelters and rescues wait (not consciously, maybe out of ignorance, maybe out of avoidance) until the dog misbehaves and then they have an excuse to "euthanize" the dog. Yet the shelters and rescues still hold those dogs and hope for a miracle. We need to look inward and really think about how we are functioning as an industry.
Click here
to see the powerpoints and additional resources from this meeting. There is a lot to see so grab yourself a cup of coffee and immerse yourself? You owe it to
yourself, y
our dog, your shelter, the shelter dogs and the adopters.
The day ended later than usual and it was obvious that this is a very im
portant topic. People wanted to keep talking and learning and we finally finished around 4:30! All agreed that this conversation should be continued so watch for next steps!
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Here's the Scoop:
Legislative Update
Congress Passes the
Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act!!!
Local Legislation:
Senate Bill S534,
An Act Protecting Research Animals, was submitted by Senator Bruce E. Tarr and other sponsors in January of this year. Similar bills were submitted to the House of Representatives by Representatives Michelle Dubois (House Bill H. 758) and Carolyn Dykema (House Bill H. 764). After they were introduced, the bills were referred to the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA). On September 10, 2019 the bills were heard by the Joint Committee, accompanied by testimony from MSPCA, Massachusetts Society for Medical Research, and MAC. All three bills would require research institutions and product testing facilities to make reasonable efforts to adopt dogs, cats and rabbits that survive research/testing and are determined by a laboratory animal veterinarian to pose no health threat to people or other animals.
There appears to be no opposition to this bill although MAC is concerned because bills that are held until the end of a legislative session stand less of a chance for passage. Please contact your Senators and Representatives to voice your position on these bills.
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Check Out the Resources
on MAC's Website
Are you aware of how much MAC has to offer beyond educational meetings, programs and task forces? Have you ever checked out our Resources pages?
If you are looking for spay/neuter services in your area check out our
Find a Spay/Neuter Clinic page. Y
ou can enter your zip code to
locate a clinic close to you, and you will find addresses and contact information for the clinic you
choose.
MAC is here for you! Be sure to take advantage of all that we have to offer!
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Shameless Animal Video
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What if your shelter cats could do this?
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Fo
r $10 A Year You Can Be A MAC Member!
Joining MAC is a great way to become more involved in animal welfare, meet others who are doing similar work, make friends and connections, and hear from experts in the field. For more info visit our
membership
page.
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Have you been working with a hoarding situation?
Don't forget, MAC had a meeting about hoarding and we have some information for you
here.
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Give the Gift of the License Plate!
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Do you have a great story about using your grant from MAC's License Plate Fund? Or a fun idea for an article about a program, adoption or sheltering story?
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Happy Fall Everyone!
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