Overview of the Issue: During the Dogs & Data Webinar on July 28 hosted by Pedigree Foundation and Shelter Animals Count, we explored how with crowded shelter conditions comes increased stress among shelter dog populations which can result in increased bites and other safety incidents. At this Dogs and Data session, we talked to animal welfare experts who are focused on tracking safety data and improving animal shelter and community safety. Participants also completed a shelter safety self-assessment to determine potential gaps in safety procedures.
Key Takeaways:
+ Increased Length of Stay: SAC Executive Director, Stephanie Filer, shared the most recent data on length of stay, which shows the length of stay increasing for small, medium, and large dogs, with large dogs experiencing the most significant increase in length of stay.
+ Field Services Database: Up until now, we have not had a national tracking system for animal control data, which means we have not been able to look at aggregated bite and other animal control data beyond the individual shelter level. NACA Executive Director, Jerrica Owen, joined the conversation to announce a collaborative partnership with SAC to build a field services database to start tracking animal control data nationwide. This will be a significant step towards understanding how dog management in communities and shelters impacts safety.
+ Capacity for Care: Program Director at the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine School, Dr. Kate Hurley, spoke about the role of capacity for care in maintaining a safe, humane environment for animals and people. She explained the three tenants of capacity for care and shared insights about this particular moment of animal sheltering. You can read more about it in our recent SAC article, Shelter Capacity: It’s Not Just About the Number of Kennels.
+ Shelter-Level Safety Data: Pima Animal Care Center Director, Monica Dangler, shared bite data alongside euthanasia and live release numbers for Tucson, Arizona over a ten-year period. She showed the audience how she has tracked bites in the shelter, bites in the community, and bites by adopted dogs. She made the compelling case that decreasing euthanasia does not correspond with an increased risk of bites and other safety incidents. You can read their public safety report here.
+ Dog Play Groups: Emily Grossheider and Lauren Revier of Dogs Playing for Life shared safety data related to shelter dog play groups. They showed that play groups do not pose a significant safety risk for handlers or dogs involved in play groups.
Watch the webinar recording below:
Learn more and join the Dogs and Data Zoom calls on the third Friday of every month.
Are you reporting data to Shelter Animals Count? Now is the perfect time to sign up to integrate your shelter software platform with SAC to help us achieve our mission of counting every shelter animal!
