Running a shelter as a business

RUNNING A SHELTER AS A BUSINESS

IDENTIFYING YOUR AIM AND RESOURCES

• IDENTIFY YOUR AIM / MISSION:

– SHELTER? REHOMING? VETERINARY AID? ETC

– EVERYONE MUST UNDERSTAND IT

– EVERYONE MUST BE COMMITTED TO IT

• IDENTIFY YOUR RESOURCES:

– PHYSICAL

– FINANCIAL

– HUMAN

• HAVE A LONG TERM GOAL, BUT BE REALISTIC ABOUT ACHIEVING IT

– PLAN THE ROUTE TO IT VIA INTERMEDIATE GOALS

DOGS TRUST IS WORKING TOWARDS

THE DAY WHENALL

DOGS CAN ENJOYA HAPPY LIFE,

FREEFROM THE THREAT

OF UNNECESSARY DESTRUCTION

MISSION STATEMENT

RESOURCES - PHYSICAL

• RECOGNISE YOUR LIMITS

32 KENNELS

HOW MANY DOGS?

• OVERCROWDING = STRESS

RESOURCES - PHYSICAL


• ALTERNATIVES:

– EXTERNAL REHOMING?

RESOURCES - FINANCIAL


– DO NOT TAKE IN MORE THAN YOU CAN AFFORD TO CARE FOR

• WORK HARD AT FUNDRAISING

– SECURE YOUR FUTURE AND REALISE YOUR PLANS


• TRY TO OBTAIN SUPPORT FROM COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES

– THEY LIKE TO BE SEEN TO WORK WITH CHARITIES

– BUT THEY WILL ONLY WORK WITH WELL ORGANISED CHARITIES


• SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST PRICE

• DEVELOP PUBLICITY TO ATTRACT FUNDING

MAKING YOURSELF KNOWN

RESOURCES - HUMAN

• STAFF:

– PAID? VOLUNTEER? MIXTURE?

• PAID STAFF:

– STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES ENFORCED

– PROFESSIONAL IMAGE

– EXPENSIVE

• VOLUNTEERS:

– DEPENDABILITY VITAL

– CAN BE FICKLE

– SQUABBLES CAN BE A PROBLEM

• NUMBERS OF STAFF:

– DEPENDS ON SCOPE OF OPERATION

– INSUFFICIENT = POOR STANDARDS

OBTAINING BEST VALUE

• KEEP RECORDS

• MEASURE PERFORMANCE

– COMPARE MONTH BY MONTH AND YEAR BY YEAR

• AMONG THOSE DOGS TRUST PLOTS:

– GROSS REHOMES

– RETURNS TO KENNEL

– OCCUPANCY OF KENNELS

– AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY IN KENNELS

– VETERINARY COSTS

– NUMBER OF DOGS PER STAFF MEMBER

– COST PER DOG CARED FOR

– FOOD COSTS

OBTAINING BEST VALUE

Budget figure

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• WHY MEASURE PERFORMANCE?

– FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ANIMALS

– TO MAKE US THINK AND SEARCH FOR IMPROVEMENTS

• KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS HELP US :

– TO UNDERSTAND THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE OPERATIONS

• KPIs ARE USED IN BUSINESS

• DO NOT BE SCARED OF USING GOOD BUSINESS TECHNIQUES

• COMMERCIAL BUSINESS CAN TEACH US ABOUT:

– CUSTOMER CARE

– STAFF TRAINING

– MARKETING

– PUBLICITY

– ECONOMY OF EFFORT

APPEARANCES

PRESENTATION TO PUBLIC

• OPENING HOURS CONVENIENT FOR THE PUBLIC

– WEEKENDS

– EVENINGS?

• CUSTOMER CARE

• A HAPPY CUSTOMER WILL SPREAD THE WORD

• UNFORTUNATELY SO WILL AN UNHAPPY ONE!UNFORTUNATELY SO WILL AN UNHAPPY ONE!

• DO NOT LET DOWN YOUR ANIMALS BY UPSETTING A POTENTIAL ADOPTER

• UNIFORMS

STAFF ISSUES

• CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS FOR STAFF:

– STANDARD PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW

• BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS:

– GOOD IDEAS DO NOT ALWAYS COME FROM THE TOP

• STAFF TRAINING:

– TIME CONSUMING BUT WORTHWHILE

• KEEP STAFF INFORMED

SOPs

• STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

– DESIGNED TO STEER YOU THROUGH A PROCESS LOGICALLY, STEP BY STEP

– EVEN THE MOST INEXPERIENCED STAFF MEMBER CAN USE THEM

SOPs

(iv). Once the form has been completed it must be signed by the owner, who is handing over the dog. The dog then becomes the property of Dogs Trust.(v). Dogs Trust is then to observe a 48 hour "cooling off" period, giving the original owner time to reconsider his or her decision. During this period the dog is not to be considered for re-homing. After the 48 hour period has expired the dog may be made available for re-homing.

3. Lost & Abandoned Dogs. Definition. Lost and abandoned dogs are those dumped anonymously at our gates or those brought to our centres by members of the public, who have found the dog. These animals are classified as lost property and the finder is legally obliged, under section 150 (1) of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, to either return the dog to its owner, or take the dog to the local dog warden, or take it to the nearest police station. Procedure. (i). Members of the public attempting to hand in stray dogs that they have found are to be notified of the legal requirement outlined in paragraph 3.a.. If the member of the public refuses to fulfil their legal duty, Dogs Trust is placed in the position of finder and the legal requirement then applies to us. The following procedure should then be followed.

(ii). Details of the dog are to be recorded on the Lost and Abandoned Dogs Form, which is to be used for subsequent stages of the procedure. A Record of Actions is also to be maintained for each such dog.

(ii). If the dog has been handed in by a member of the public, record the name, address and telephone number of the finder. Also record the circumstances under which the dog was found.

(iii). Scan the dog for a microchip and look for identification tags. If found, take appropriate action to reunite the dog with its rightful owner. Look also for tattoos and record the details of these and any other obvious identifying features of the dog. If no identification is found continue actions as detailed below.

SOPs

(iv). Notify Local Authority, tell them that we, as finders, do not wish to keep the dog and offer to deliver the dog to them. The Local Authority is legally bound to record details of the dog and to issue a reference number. This number is to be recorded at the centre. Unless the Centre is one of the few still having an agreement to board strays for the Local Authority, the dog should be taken away to be boarded by the Local Authority for the first seven days. At the end of this period, if unclaimed, it may be returned to us, and ownership transferred to us, under section 149 (6) (b) EPA 1990. We may then rehome the dog. A certificate to the effect that the dog has been handed to us under the appropriate section of the EPA should be obtained from the Local Authority. If the Local Authority refuse to accept responsibility for the dog, notify Head Office, who will negotiate with them.

(v). In Scotland the situation is different. Either the above procedure can be followed, which is the best solution, or we may tell the Local Authority that we wish to keep the dog. In that case, however, we have to keep the dog for two months before ownership passes to us and we can rehome the dog. Scottish Centres should therefore avoid pursuing this course if at all possible.

(vi). In Northern Ireland the situation is different again and the law there allows Local Authorities to dispose of unclaimed dogs after five days. However, legal ownership of the dog does not pass to Dogs Trust as recipients of any such dogs. Technically, therefore, the former owner could conceivably surface at some time in the future and ask for the return of his or her dog. Such an event is unlikely and in practice we have to accept this risk in Northern Ireland.

(vii). If it is outside Local Authority working hours, notify the nearest police station, tell them that we, as finders, do not wish to keep the dog and offer to deliver it to them. The police are then required to treat the dog as if it had been seized by them under Section 3 of the dogs Act 1906 and should accept the dog. At the end of seven days the police are empowered to sell the dog to us for rehoming, but it should be noted that, in this case, legal ownership of the dog never falls to us. It is thus preferable to pass this category of dog to the Local Authority. If the police refuse to accept the dog, log the call, notify them that you are doing so, retain the dog and try to pass it to the Local Authority at the start of their working hours under the procedure given at (iv) above.

(viii). Note that, if we tell the Local Authority or the police that Dogs Trust wishes to keep dogs that come to us in this category as Lost or Abandoned, we have to retain them for 28 days at our own expense. Also, legal ownership never passes to Dogs Trust. Technically, therefore, the former owner could conceivably surface at some time in the future and ask for the return of his or her dog. While such an event is unlikely, it does occur from time to time and is best avoided by ensuring that Lost and Abandoned dogs are passed to the Local Authority initially.

SOPs

4. Dogs Handed over by the Local Authority.Definition. These dogs are either those coming from Local Authorities for whom we have agreed to board dogs for the statutory seven day initial holding period, or those which we accept for rehoming after the seven day holding period, either after we have boarded them, or after they have been held elsewhere.

Procedure.(i). A few centres still have agreements to board dogs for the seven day statutory holding period. Charges for this are raised at a daily rate, as notified to the Centres concerned. Vaccination charges will also be raised, as appropriate, at the rate notified to the centres concerned. Dogs arriving in our care under these agreements will be handed in, with appropriate documentation, by the Dog Warden. As far as is practical, these dogs are to be held separately from other dogs. If unclaimed after seven days, these dogs may be passed to us under section 149 (6) (b) of the EPA 1990. These dogs then become our property and may be rehomed straight away. A certificate to the effect that the dog has been handed to us under the appropriate section of the EPA should be obtained from the Local Authority.

(ii). Most Centres have agreements to take unclaimed strays from Local Authorities once the seven day holding period has expired. These dogs are passed to us under section 149 (6) (b) of the EPA 1990 and become Dogs Trust property. A one off charge, as notified to the Centres concerned, is normally raised. These dogs may be rehomed by us straight away. A certificate to the effect that the dog has been handed to us under the appropriate section of the EPA should be obtained from the Local Authority.

7. Further Guidance. The relevant parts of the legislation about stray dogs can be found in the Dog Law Handbook, of which each Centre has a copy. If any further direction is needed, Centres should refer to the Field Department or the Legal Department at Head Office.

AND SO IT GOES ON, UNTIL FINALLY:

AGIs

• ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS

– NOT INTENDED TO GIVE A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO A PROCESS

– BUT INTENDED TO SPECIFY MEASURES TO BE TAKEN IN ORDER TO ALLOW OPERATIONS TO RUN SMOOTHLY

AGIs

AGI 05 GRADING OF DOGS FOR HANDLING

Introduction. In order to reduce the risk of injury to our staff and in accordance with our duty of care for employees, a system of grading of dogs is to be implemented on receipt of this AGI. Dogs are to be assessed, classified and appropriate control measures are to be put in place. These may include restricting access to the dog to certain members of staff only, so far as this can be achieved within work rosters. Grading. All dogs entering a RC are to be assessed immediately and given an initial grading. The assessment is to be carried out either by a TBA, or by a member of the management team, or by an experienced CC2, preferably a CC2 (Trainer). The dog is to be graded as follows:

(i). Grade 1 (white). Safe to be handled by all members of staff.

(ii). Grade 2 (amber). Safe to be handled by most members of staff. There may be some minor handling problems and some control measures may have to be put in place.

(iii). Grade 3 (red). Dog to be handled only by named members of staff, of sufficient competence and training to cope with the problems shown. Strict control measures may be needed.

Assessment is to be continuous, both during the settling in period and thereafter. Dogs' gradings may be changed as their behaviour modifies in our care.

Record keeping. It is imperative that accurate records are kept of each dog's grading and the reasons for the grading. The record is to show who carried out the assessment, and the date. This will allow managers' to discuss the grading with the assessor and help them in their decision as to who should be allowed access to the dog.

AGIs

Keeping staff informed. Staff members must be made aware of the grade of each dog, so that they do not inadvertently expose themselves to a greater degree of risk than necessary. In order to achieve this, appropriately coloured self-adhesive stickers are to be placed on record cards / kennel name tags of Grade 2 and Grade 3 dogs. The object is that the grading should be visible to all staff members. Grade 1 (white) dogs will have no stickers

Grading of staff. While it is tempting to introduce a grading system for staff, to match the gradings of dogs, such a move might cause confusion in light of the recent introduction of the career structure and grading system. Furthermore, a rigid system of grading would not take into account the individual nature of both humans and dogs and the fact that certain dogs may relate to some specific staff members, but not to others. In general, however, particular care, even with Grade 1 (white) dogs, must be taken with probationary or inexperienced staff; most qualified CCs should be able to handle most Grade 2 (amber) dogs; only TBAs or other very experienced staff should be allowed to handle Grade 3 (red) dogs.

Practicalities of life. In reality, small RCs with few staff may find it difficult to implement these measures fully. This does not, however, relieve management of the need to assess dogs and grade them. Nor does it mean that sensible control measures can be ignored. It is much better that some inconvenience is borne by the staff in order to get as close as possible to compliance, than to have someone bitten and perhaps scarred for life, or maimed, simply because it was inconvenient to take the necessary control measures.

Conclusion. At first glance the above scheme may appear cumbersome, time consuming and difficult to implement. In fact, the vast majority of dogs will be Grade 1 (white), with diminishing numbers at Grades 2 (amber) and 3 (red). We can never eliminate risk entirely, and the very nature of work at a RC means that staff members will occasionally get bitten. However, if someone has assessed a dog as honestly as possible, within the limits of their ability and experience, and we have then acted upon that assessment to the fullest extent practical, we will have done as much as we can to ensure the safety of our employees.

RUNNING A SHELTER AS A BUSINESS

Running a shelter as a business

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