Betsy Saul's opening keynote address at BlogPaws 2012: Top Issues for Pet Bloggers

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2. A VERY FAST TOUR
of a (recently) very fast-
changing industry
Animal Welfare Origins
Animal Welfare Today
Hot Topics
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3. 1,500 years of Animal Welfare
3300 BC thru the 1800’s
• 3300 BC: Indus region
religions felt animals are
ancestors reborn (Bronze Age)
• 500 BC: Monotheistic faiths:
Animals as property
• 1800‟s: first SPCAs, first
discussions of general welfare
• Still largely animal control for
rabies prevention
• “Dog catchers” rewarded “per
dog”
• Lots of ugliness and corruption
Onlookers, not protesters
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4. A subtle shift occurs in the 1820‟s
Protective legislation
• Since then, Dual
Principals have guided
“Animal Welfare”
• Human morality (rabies
prevention)
• Humane treatment (animal
rights)
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5. Animal Welfare has everything you should
NEVER discuss on a first date!
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6. 1930‟s: First pet food ads suggest dog‟s value
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7. It still took 45 years to consider adoptions!
Formation of Animal
Protection Societies
• London 1824
• New York 1866
• Erie County 1867
• San Francisco 1868
• Massachusetts 1868
• Pennsylvania 1868
• PA Women’s SPCA
1869 (1st to allow
adoptions. Now called
Women’s HS)
Caroline Earle White - Foremother of American
Animal Welfare
Co-founder of PA-SPCA, Founder of Women‟s
Branch of the Pennsylvania Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the
American Anti-Vivisection Society 7

8. 1960‟s: Animal Welfare as we know it
The Five Freedoms
• Freedom from Hunger
and Thirst
• Freedom from Discomfort
• Freedom from Pain,
Injury or Disease
• Freedom to Express
Normal Behaviour
• Freedom from Fear and
Distress
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9. Also in the 60‟s the Internet was born.
Then, in 1995…
Animal Welfare gets a boost
• Only 100,000 web sites
existed in „95
• Search engines are born
• PETFINDER launches at
www.clemson.edu/~betsy/petfinder.html
• I was told, “You can
never unify adoption
groups. They‟ll never get
along.”
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10. Why was Petfinder‟s impact revolutionary?
New in the last 16 years
• Proliferation of foster-based
rescue system is made possible
• Rescue individuals are
nationally supported for the first
time
• Fostering and marketing
become the norm
• Consolidation of virtual adopters
online allows millions to directly
benefit homeless pets annually
• Shelter worker‟s commitment to
animals is validated by foot
traffic like never before
• Promotion of pets as family to
over 6 million people each
month
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11. Petfinder‟s new call for blogger partners
• New look • Pet care
• New engine • Training (dogs and
• Provides an cats)
opportunity for • Pet health
syndication to • Celebration
Petfinder audience • Funny, cute, too!
of 7 million visitors a
• Pet news
month!
JANE@PETFINDER.COM
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12. Alright, so this is really a story about a Dalmatian
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13. Animal Welfare Today
A fast maturing industry
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14. Animal Welfare today
• Perhaps 5,000 U.S.
physical animal shelters
(12,600 adoption groups
on Petfinder)
• 6-8 million animals enter
shelters each year
• 3-4 million euthanasias
• 3-4 million adoptions
• Unknown number of feral
cats (managed and
unmanaged)
• Over 62% of hhs have
pets (only 30% have
children)
• Over $100 million in
subsidized s/n alone
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15. What informs Animal Welfare Today
Animal Animal
Rights Control
The very passionate field of ANIMAL WELFARE
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16. Who are Animal Welfare partners?
Retailers
Clinics
Follow up
Services
Events
Humane Societies/SPCAs • Municipal/Gov’t Shelters •
Foster Based Rescue Groups • Breed Specific Groups •
State/Regional Associations • Animal “Rights” Groups •
Assistance Groups • Veterinary Offices • Individuals
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17. People are REALLY serious about adoption
How committed are you to adoption/rescue
(as opposed to getting a pet from a pet store
or breeder?)
Very
Somewhat
Not really. I just
want a great
pet.
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18. Audience: Does it matter who your adoption
partner is?
Would you rather adopt from
a shelter or a rescue/foster group?
Don't know the
diff
6% Shelter
19%
Foster Group
Don't care 24%
51%
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19. One lone staff member fell in love
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20. Please ADOPT ME!!!!
Big ideas and hot issues in animal welfare
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21. Calling all FIRST FOLLOWERS:
WRITERS, THIS MEANS YOU!
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22. Still failing: Cats
“The cat situation is a freakin’ mess!”
*quote from highly respected national
animal welfare professional
•Pet Cats / Feral Cats
•Community cats guestimated at 9-90 Million
•Lack of community awareness/involvement
•Cats fare far worse than dogs in Animal
Welfare
•More cats than dogs in shelters
•2.5% of lost cats returned to owners (8.5% for dogs)
•55% of cats in shelters die there (27% for dogs)
•Check out CATalystcouncil.org
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23. Highly controversial: Pit Bull Type Dogs
•Proliferation of Pit Bull type
dogs face:
• Breed-specific legislation
• Insurance and community
discrimination
• Dog-fighting/abuse
•That big head means:
• Longer “length of stay”
Once known as America‟s • Risk of kennel deterioration
babysitter. Maybe next: • Increased euthanasia
Stubby Dog •Need:
• Education; Promotion;
New Yorkie? Population reduction
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24. Watch out: “No-kill”. Seem like a no-brainer?
• Origins SFSPCA partnership • Embedded in this issue:
with animal control to divide • The numbers game to obtain
and conquer (marketing) “zero euthanasia” of
• Incredibly effective for “adoptable” pets
marketing and donations • Many “no kill” organizations are
• No Kill / Kill is divisive and foster groups with no shelter
demoralizing • Some shelters are
• “Euthanasia” is sugarcoating contracted/chartered to take all
and dishonest strays. What happens when
they are full?
• Reality: What do we do with
unwanted pets in our • When a “no kill” facility fills up,
community what happens to the pets they
have to turn away?
• Unintended consequences of
calling a shelter a “kill” shelter
• Less controversial synonyms
• “No Kill” = Limited
Admission
• “Kill” = Open Admission
• Definitely less politically
charged 24

25. Hot Topic: Standards of Care
• Ideal to move to Zero
Euthanasia causes:
• A lot of pressure on institutions
• Holding pets longer
• Physical needs of shelter pets
• Assn of Shelter Veterinarians
have created written standards
Petfinder.com
• Mental/Emotional needs
Foundation‟s: Train To
• Uniform Quality of Life Adopt pilot showed
standards still needed
huge correlation
between mental
stimulation and
adoptability
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26. Opportunity: Transport
Does “Supply” = “Demand”?
Does Supply = Demand? Challenges:
•Some urban areas in the • Regulation/Best Practices
US have far fewer • Disease containment
incoming “adoptable” • Rabies, heartworm
(desirable?) dogs than • Expenses
they need.
•Some folks are filling the
gap by bringing dogs from
overpopulated areas
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27. Crises: Customer Service
• We here stories of Are shelter workers
people being turned off courteous and
of adoption
professional?
• Only 74/120 shelters
passed our secret No
shopper customer 6%
service tests
• Resource-stretched
people / programs
Very
• Compassion fatigue 51%
amongst staff /
volunteers Some
• 6%: Not “people people” what
43%
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28. Hot Topic: Customer Service
Have you ever What has been your
contacted an adoption experience with the
group and received no adoption process?
reply?
Yes Unpleasant
No 40%
60%
Very positive and happy
Mostly positive and Happy
I haven't had an experience yet
Adoption process was unpleasant (but
I'm happy with my pet)
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29. Growing issue: Animal Hoarding
• Complex issue with
components of:
• Mental Health;
• Public Safety; and
• Animal Cruelty
• Increasing in prevalence with
estimated 900-2,000 new
cases each year
• Pressure to avoid euthanasia
or go “No Kill” has led to
institutional cruelty in some
cases
• Prosecution alone
unsuccessful – requires
collaboration with social
services and animal welfare
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30. Shifting Role of Shelters
Meeting the mission Challenge of the last 10%
• Fewer “easy” dogs; cats. • The homeless popluation
• Community outreach into of dogs is harder to treat /
underserved regions care for / adopt
• Maintaining relevance by • Breed-o-graphic issues
expanding responsibilities are more expensive and
• Behavior hotlines controversial to tackle
• Training Wheels • Per pet cost benefit?
• Yappy Hour • Increasing cost of saving a
• Dog parks life
• What if it cost $1000 to
save each pet?
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31. Percolating issue: Mass Sterilization (aka S/N)
Benefits Cost
• Unquestionable over- • $106 Million per year (over
population in some $500 Million if you include
private s/n)
regions • Potential loss of genetic
• Decreases roaming diversity held by “the great
American mutt”
behavior in males
• Shifting adoptable population
• Decreases yucky sexy- to bully breeds
cat behaviors • Behavior and health risks to
pets
• Human health! High • increasing some cancers
positive correlation with • weight related diseases up
rabies control • dog-dog aggression in
females
• Costs (financial and
emotional) associated with
diseases linked to obesity 31

32. Big news: Non-surgical sterilization
17% of s/n is subsidized Impact of not being more
83% is in private practice efficient in subsidized s/n
• Current annual spend
$106,000,000 @ $50 each
• Reduce to $25 and save
$53,000,000 each year
• Check out ACC-D.org
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33. Friday came and slipped slowly by.
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34. So, what can you do?
Embrace your role in Above all else: Pets as
increasing ethical literacy family
• Instigate • Does your point of view of
• Watch out for and identify new pets as family members ring
trends through everything you
• Create new conversations produce?
• Frame the future • Use your might to stretch
• Catalyze the expectations of what it
• Highlight proactive programs in means to be a good pet
your community parent
• Bring people and ideas together • Always spotlight good
• Reiterate citizens (pets and humans)
• New information needs to be • If you see something you
introduced several times and
framed several ways to “catch like, allow yourself to start a
on” movement –by being the
• Use your traditional and your first to follow
social networks 34

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