Tompkins County SPCA’s Seventh Year with a 90+% Save Rate
For the seventh straight year, the open admission Tompkins County SPCA achieved a better than 90% rate of lifesaving, finishing 2009 saving 92% of all animals. Executive Director Abigail Smith will participate in a panel discussion “The 90% Club” at No Kill Conference 2010.
Nevada Humane Society Doubles Adoptions
The Nevada Humane Society broke its own record of 8,635 just one year prior by finding loving homes for 9,184 animals in 2009, culminating in a 90% countywide rate of lifesaving. That is up 102% under Executive Director Bonney Brown. In 2006, the year before she took over, NHS adopted 4,539, less than half. Bonney will be leading a workshop on adoptions at No Kill Conference 2010.
Charlottesville SPCA Also Does it Again
Under Executive Director Susanne Kogut, the Charlottesville SPCA also finished 2009 with a 90% rate of lifesaving, an achievement it has matched for four years in a row. Susanne joins Bonney and Abigail at No Kill Conference 2010. She’ll discuss leadership strategies.
To celebrate Charlottesville’s success, actors Sissy Spacek and actor/singer Schuyler Fisk recorded a PSA and single with all proceeds benefitting the SPCA. To watch the PSA, click here. You can purchase the song, “Love Somebody,” on iTunes.
And the Good News Is:
What makes Tompkins, Reno’s, and Charlottesville’s achievements especially exciting is that they are no longer unique or even the most successful. No Kill communities now dot the American landscape. A new day dawns:.
No Kill Conference 2010
Last year’s No Kill Conference was the sold out, must attend event of the year. In addition to No Kill leaders like Avanzino, Kogut, Brown and Smith, some new and exciting voices and topics are being added to this year’s event including:
- Mike Fry on Technology: Technology is revolutionizing the No Kill movement, allowing shelters to increase adoptions, redemptions, revenue, and volunteers. It also has the potential to find missing pets. For a teaser, read “Saving Lives 2.0-³ by clicking here.
- Lucy Schlaffer & Paul Bonacci on Shelter Design: Shelter design can eliminate URI in cats, reducing length of stay and boosting your adoption rate. It can also help reduce and in many cases, eliminate barrier frustration in dogs. Innovative shelter architects ARQ who designed the groundbreaking San Francisco SPCA Pet Adoption Center and the nation’s first green-certified shelter at the Tompkins County SPCA will give a workshop on innovative, state-of-the-art shelter design.
- Brent Toellner on Challenging BDL: Brent Toellner of Kansas City Dog Advocates will challenge breed identification and breed discriminatory legislation and give you the data you need to be successful fighting it in your community.
- Ginny Mikita on Defending Dangerous Dogs: She has filed countless lawsuits in order to defend dogs scheduled to be killed after they have been arbitrarily declared dangerous. Former PETA and Animal Legal Defense Fund attorney and staunch No Kill advocate Ginny Mikita will lead a workshop on how to defend so-called “dangerous” dogs.
- Bernice Clifford of Animal Farm Foundation and Aimee Sadler of the Longmont Humane Society combine to lead workshops on kennel enrichment strategies for long term, hard to place, and exuberant dogs, as well as exercise and socialization programs in a shelter to boost adoptability. These efforts saved 92% of all dogs at the open admission Longmont shelter.
Workshops will also include defending feral cats and their caregivers, enrichment strategies for shelter cats, questioning the notion that cats are “invasive” and do not belong outdoors, and more. Click here to see a list of speakers and click here to see a list of workshops.
More information/register by clicking here.
Of all attendees registered to date:
- 52% are affiliated with a shelter
- 32% are affiliated with rescue groups
- 16% are otherwise affiliated: policymakers, government officials not associated with a shelter, media, and animal rights advocates.
Please note: Last year’s conference sold out months in advance. If you are considering attending, do not delay. Once sold out, there are no waiting lists and no exceptions.
Building a No Kill Community
Join me for an inspirational multi-media presentation on Building a No Kill community seminar, followed by a book signing:
- Shelby County, KY. March 6, 2010. For details, click here.
- Melbourne, FL. April 3, 2010. Details coming soon!
In May, I’ll also be flying to New Zealand as part of the No Kill Equation’s quest for global domination! (Insert mad scientist laugh here!)
More dates and cities will be added soon.