A Day in the Life with Alexis Trzcinski, Director of Boston City Animal Care and Control

Interviewed by Anne Lindsay

MAC: Alexis, what is your background and what brought you into the animal welfare world?

ALEXIS:  A first generation American, I was born in New York, but I've lived in Boston for most of my life. I've loved animals since I can remember. My favorite animal is the German Shepherd Dog (I have a yorkie). I live with two cats, one dog, twin boys and a husband, who would literally adopt every cat at the shelter if he could. I started my foray into the animal world when I tagged along with a high school classmate who was volunteering at the Gifford Cat Shelter in Brighton. Later, I worked the weekends at a local (human) hospital and at Petco and then re-entered the animal welfare field landing first at the Animal Rescue League and eventually the City of Boston...where I still am today.

MAC: What’s an average day for you?

ALEXIS: I'm an early riser. I'm usually up around 6am, I screen and reply to emails that require a brief response, and/or forward to one of my management team. Around 7am, I typically check in with the Assistant Director and then head in. Depending on the day of the week, my work location is either our Administrative Office, or at the animal care facility. My day varies so much- today I worked on an expense sheet for the new fiscal year, had a few internal meetings, connected with another welfare org about some of our joint Legal cases, visited the Boston Commons and spoke with a community group leader about wildlife concerns impacting several green spaces in their neighborhood. My typical day in the office ends around 5. I usually stop actively working around 6:30, unless we have an ER case.

MAC: How many employees do you have? 

ALEXIS: There are 19 in our department, including 4 administrative staff and 8 animal control officers (aco’s). Our animal shelter currently has 8 dedicated positions with 7 full time employees. The shelter also has a small team of volunteers, as we have relaunched our volunteer program, and is also supported by the admin staff and aco’s.

MAC: How do you keep a balance? 

ALEXIS: Balance? What's that? Seriously though, I am working on a more healthy balance for myself and to model for my team. In the interim, I have a really patient family.

MAC: Who do you report to? 

ALEXIS: I report to the Director of Administration and Finance for the Parks Department.

MAC: Where does agency fit in the city structure? 

ALEXIS: We are a small department, but also a Division of Parks and Recreation.

MAC: Can you describe the initiatives you are responsible for?

ALEXIS: Building a solid foster and volunteer base to reduce length of holding in our kennel. Our focus is to increase enrichment opportunities and to build a better overall experience for animals in our care.

MAC: There are three big animal organizations in the City of Boston. We know that the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) and Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) are private organizations that are funded through donations and they each have boards of directors and their own specific missions. What about Boston Animal Care and Control?

ALEXIS: BACC is funded by the taxpayers. We do focus on municipal law that governs many of our actions. The Division is responsible for enforcement of ordinances and statutes to protect the public and provide immediate assistance for animals that are in distress. BACC is the emergency response entity for animal related issues in the City of Boston, whether to provide direct response, or guidance. Our shelter, called the Boston Animal Shelter, is where we house stray animals and have a robust adoption program and many other innovative programs. The shelter is in Roslindale at 26 Mahler Road. Regarding the ARL and MSPCA, we have similar goals and work individually and collaboratively as we seek to improve and adapt to changes in the animal welfare field.

MAC: Just curious about your rationale for participating in Shelter Animals Count. (MAC NOTE: A neutral, independent non-profit that collects and shares a national database of sheltered animals that provides facts and enables insights to save lives - Shelteranimalscount.org)

ALEXIS:  Participating in data collection is part of a reciprocal learning progress- to 

identify where/how we, and others, are succeeding and where more support is needed.

MAC: Your department does a lot of community outreach. People may not know about this. Can you talk about some of your work in the City?

ALEXIS: Our annual rabies clinics expanded into wellness clinics in the latter part of last year. The program is hugely popular and restarted in the spring and will continue into the fall. We are able to provide these increased services as a result of our collaboration with other agencies and companies, including the ARL, the MSPCA, Banfield and Petco, to name a few. Currently, resident pet owners can have their animals examined, get free rabies and distemper vaccines, microchips, and flea and tick preventative. You can find information about these clinics at boston.gov/animals. We also provide on site spay/neuter (through the Mass Animal Fund program), have a small pet pantry, offer low cost spay/neuter and microchipping for animals in our care who are returned to their owner, and provide low cost vaccines via ACO referral. On occasion, we will also provide temporary boarding to prevent owners from permanently losing custody of their pets. Our goal is to try to support owners as they work through their individual circumstances. It has been my experience throughout my time in the field that supporting people is the best way to support pets and that collaboration counts. I am grateful to be working under an administration that is supportive as we continue to innovate. 

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Alexis. We are grateful for the hard work you are all doing in Boston and that the animals and people in your community have benefited from that effort!

If you would like to be interviewed for a 'Day in the Life', please email us at info@massanimalcoalition.org. We want to highlight the great work you are doing!

AniMatch Canine Body Language & Behavior Training Series with Kelley Bollen

Thanks to all who attended our most recent Training Series with Kelley Bollen. We had 232 registrants with about a 50% attendance rate for each session. 247 follow up quizzes were taken with a 93% passing rate. 

Those that expressed interest in participating in the Hands On Training after passing all 4 quizzes will have the opportunity to take that training this summer. We have 3 dates planned - June 24. July 11 and September 12 and you will be contacted about dates.

Evolution of Animal Welfare:

2022 Animal Welfare Experiences Survey

You are invited to participate in a survey about your experiences as a staff member/volunteer in a community animal welfare organization. The survey is being conducted on behalf of the Evolution of Animal Welfare Task Force (EAWT) by Impact by Design, Inc. Originally formed in 2018, EAWT is currently composed of 12 management-level staff at animal welfare organizations across the US. The Task Force aims to create resources that help those working in animal welfare talk about complex issues. We appreciate you for helping us understand the experiences of staff and volunteers in community animal welfare organizations in Massachusetts.

The survey will close on June 7^th.

Thank you in advance for offering your time and insights!

If you have further questions about the research, please contact EAWT@impactbydesigninc.org.

ACOAM Sponsors MVMA Charities for "Bark in the Park"

June 18, 2022 with Worcester WooSox at Polar Park

MVMA Charities raises money to help pay veterinary bills for homeless animals held in municipal kennels.

Tickets are $25.00 per person and $5.00 of each ticket is donated to MVMA Charities.

This entitles you to reserved seating which allows you to bring your dog to the game for baseball and socializing, as well exclusive swag and special giveaways!!

 Please join ACOAM to support this wonderful charity that has been so helpful to our municipal stray animals!!!

Want more info or have questions? Contact Jamie Falzone at mvmacharities@massvet.org

Feline Fix by Five

The AVMA recently promoted this fantastic program.  Check out the links below and help spread the word!

Beagle Bill Update

The Bill passed in the House of Representatives and is now at the Senate Rules Committee. Stay tuned for more as the Bill progresses hopefully to become law. 

 Too Hot for Spot

The Animal Rescue League of Boston’s (ARL) annual safety campaign Too Hot for Spot® reminds pet owners about the dangers of leaving an animal in a hot car. Pets don’t sweat the way humans do, making them unable to cool their bodies efficiently in the heat. In November 2016, Massachusetts passed a law prohibiting the confinement of any animal in a motor vehicle when extreme heat or cold could reasonably be expected to threaten the health of the animal.

Rescuing the Rescuer:

The Challenging World of Rescue Hoarders

Tuesday, June 28

1pm-2:15pm

Rescue Hoarders can be especially challenging for jurisdictions to address.  This session will explore some tactics agencies charged with addressing rescue hoarders can employ in their community.  If you’ve ever struggled to deal with a rescue hoarder in your community, you won’t want to miss this session!

Animal Law Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Program

Finally an online degree program for non-lawyers at the prestigious Center for Animal Law Studies to learn about the impacts of animal laws. The program includes companion animal laws. 

Beginning in Fall 2022!

NEW RESEARCH!

Emergency Fostering of Dogs From Animal Shelters During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Shelter Practices, Foster Caregiver Engagement, and Dog Outcomes

Some key takeaways from Lisa Gunter:

1) The largest proportion of foster caregivers were community members with no prior relationship with the shelter, and they were over 4x more likely to adopt than those with a pre-existing relationship to the shelter. Shelters would likely save resources and speed foster placement by regarding new caregivers as individuals fostering with the potential to adopt and reserving training until subsequent foster experiences.

2) Nearly 3/4s of individuals fostering with the intention to adopt adopted their dogs, demonstrating that foster-to-adopt and temporary foster programs are beneficial for shelter dog welfare and should be utilized by animal shelters as evidence-based best practices.

3) Behaviorally managed dogs were returned 3x more often from foster care for behavioral reasons than dogs without behavioral management, highlighting a need for additional caregiver support for these dogs.

Animal Shelter Behavioral Management Certificate Course through University of the Pacific

The next online Animal Shelter Behavioral Management Certificate Course through the University of the Pacific starts on July 11, 2022. 

This course is taught by Certified Animal Behavior Consultant and Shelter Behavior Specialist Kelley Bollen, MS, CABC who also serves as the Director of Humane Network's Alive & Thriving program.

This 8-week certificate course will give you the knowledge and skills to develop an effective behavior program at your shelter aimed at improving the welfare of the animals in your care.