Animal Tales

Dates to Remember

5/27 - 5/31 - Best Friends Virtual Super

Adoption Event

6/5 - 6/7 - ASPCA Adopt from Home

Event

8/29 - Clear the Shelters

September 27th - Puppy Mill Awareness

Day @ Austin

12/5 - Lighted Christmas Parade

12/12 - Adoption Event & Gift Wrapping

@ Puppy Dawgs & Cat Tails

Please note many events have been can-

celed due to COVID-19.

Brenham Pet Adoption Center

June 2020 Newsletter

COVID-19 Response

BPAC Accepted to the AmPA!

Animal Social Services Coalition

The Brenham Pet Adoption Center has been selected by American Pets Alive as an Animal Welfare Social Services Coalition participant with Tier 2 support. Tier 2 members have been selected as the top 20 organizations that have the will and ability to implement the ASSC pilot with a mod-erate level of support from the American Pets Alive Team. As a coalition partner, we will be provided with the latest tools, tips, and strategies via weekly meetings and have ac-cess to the AmPA Team for remote support.

Tier 2 organizations will:

• Work as a collective to provide peer support to initiate this model

• Work to implement the 3 main programs (community based rehoming, community-housed lost and found, and pet owner resource support) within a 12 month period

• Work towards the overarching goals of the coalition (see next page)

• Participate in weekly calls with each other to discuss pro-gress and obstacles

• Work with AmPA instructors and Tier 1 teams for guidance and support

• Be an active participant in the American Pets Alive Shelter and Rescue Support page

• Work with AmPA to systemize data collection around this model and provide reports as needed

The Animal Social Services Coalition Model Overview

The social services model of animal sheltering is a working guide, and with that, changes to the policies that follow may be adjusted as deemed necessary by AmPA!. We will update you when any changes to the origi-nal model are implemented.

The ASSC model stems from the knowledge the old model of animal sheltering is no longer viable, desirable or neces-

sary today. Mass institutionalization of companion animals fails to recognize the value of the human-animal bond and

leads to unnecessary separation of pets from their families, homes and communities. The sheltering system as we

know it was created more than 100 years ago and depended on addressing animal issues separately from human is-

sues. Today, we are long overdue for a new approach that is in line with human social services and social justice

movements and considers animals as part of family systems.

Our approach is designed with several goals in mind. These include reducing the average number of pets housed in

shelters by more than 50%; de-institutionalizing animal services by providing a range of public services for animals

that don’t require physically coming to the shelter; and utilizing foster care as the housing solution for the vast major-

ity of pets who do not need entry into the shelter system for medical, behavioral or other urgent reasons. With this

approach, at least half of the pets who would have been brought to the shelter will be served in the community, re-

ceiving guidance, support and services from the animal services organization.

The animal social services coalition brings together animal services leaders from around the nation to create a whole,

new way of serving pets and people in our communities. Physical distancing measures brought on by COVID-19 have

made this project urgent, as organizations have a fundamental need to keep shelter populations low to prevent hu-

man-to-human contact and the spread of disease. We are acting collectively and urgently to implement the elements

of the social services model now, knowing that success means sustaining lifesaving efforts and keeping our communi-

ties safe.

The 10 Elements of the Animal Social Services Model

1. The shelter provides emergency medical care and short term housing for pets with urgent needs. 2. Customers can reach the organization quickly and easily using remote technologies like text, phone and web chats. 3. Volunteers are engaged in every area of the organization, including field and outreach services. 4. Telehealth services are available for pet owners considering surrender, foster caregivers and finders of pets who may be sick or injured. 5. Pets physically entering the shelter have outcome pathways identified before or at the time of intake, so in- shelter length of stay is drastically reduced. 6. The vast majority of pets are housed in foster homes, not shelter kennels and most foster pets are adopted directly from foster homes. 7. Pet owners can access pet support services, including housing, medical and behavioral support, as well as food and supplies, to help keep the human-animal family together. 8. Animal services personnel serve as trained case managers, helping people keep their pets; providing re- sources and support to struggling pet owners; and assisting owners who need to rehome their pet. 9. The organization operates a comprehensive loose pet reunification service to successfully get most roaming pets home without them having to enter the shelter system. 10. Human social services agencies, rescue groups and other community partners work closely with the animal services organization, treating people and their pets as a family unit.

COVID-19 Brings Positive Change to Animal Sheltering Nationwide

On the previous two pages we shared information about the AmPA! Social Services Coalition. The follow-

ing two pages contain statements from the National Animal Control Association on continued modified

operations due to COVID-19. It has been a lot of information to take in, however we have seen the posi-

tive impact of the changes we have made since we “closed” back in March. Closed for us has not meant

we are not here. We are here, but operating differently.

Potential adopters have been able to make an appointment by phone or

through Facebook to meet adoptable pets. This process has brought us

great adopters, and also allowed us to spend more time with people and

animals during the adoption process to find a good fit.

In addition to all of the traditional fosters who stepped forward, we have

also worked with community fosters. Community fosters are fosters who

have found stray animals, and kept them for foster. Instead of the ani-

mals coming to the shelter, we have gone to the fosters home to provide

vaccines, flea preventative, and dewormer. All the animals in our com-

munity foster program have been adopted!

We have boosted our use of social media by creating a lost and found page on Facebook, and enlisting the

assistance of volunteers to post lost and found pets to Nextdoor. This has been a successful process, the

majority of the animals posted have made it home!

More recently we have been working on other virtual platforms to assist with the rehoming of animals.

Ghost finds forever home through foster!

May 27th was the first day of the Best Friends Super Virtual Adop-

tion Event that runs through May 31st. All of our adoptable pets can

be adopted through Adopets (https://adopt.adopets.com/shelter/

brenham-humane-services). Individuals looking to rehome their pet

can do so through our Home to Home page (https://bpac.home-

home.org/). BPAC has participated in two foster related programs

through Stay Home and Foster (https://stayhomeandfoster.org/) and

911 Foster Pets (https://911fosterpets.com/). Lastly as a network

partner with Best Friends, we have registered for their Vet Ap to as-

sist fosters with medical needs.

Looking forward we are planning on applying for a grant through

Petco Foundation. The grant cycle starts July 1st. This project is still

being researched, however we plan to request funds to support a

Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program for community cats in Bren-

ham.

If you have questions about any of these programs please email ani-

malservices@cityofbrenham.org. Stray dog returns home through Nextdoor!

COVID-19 Statistics

March 15th - May 30th

• Started with 70 animals, currently housing 1 cat and 9 dogs

• 20 animals went out to foster, 16 of those have been adopted

• 4 animals remain in foster

• 7 pups placed in community foster, all 7 have been adopted

• 54 adoptions total, 15 cats and 39 dogs

• 67 appointments with potential adopters/fosters

• 30 animals have come into the shelter since March 15th. During the same

timeframe last year, 273 animals came into BPAC.

Intake is down 89% from the same time last year

• Assisted 19 lost animals return home through social media (Brenham Animal

Services Lost and Found and Nextdoor), many others have been helped by

phone and email

• 11 Facebook Live videos to showcase adoptable pets

• Walls, air conditioning, lighting, and shelving were added to our storage con-

tainer

Sights from the Shelter...

Above: “Nino” considers a run for city

council! Brendon listens to his campaign

plans...

Above Right: Aliyah takes a break after a

long walk through the neighborhood!

Left and Bottom: BPAC goes to the birds as our feath-

ered friends take up residence at the animal shelter!