Author: admin

The Rides

I pined for a Schwinn Stingray. A sleek banana seat and raised handlebars. Looking back, I know my reasoning fell on the deaf ears of a police officer father who had just two boxes to check when it came to acquiring a bicycle for his 8-year-old daughter. Safety and economy. The boxes got checked with
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His Wallet

There’s nothing as personal as going through a man’s wallet after he’s died. The worn black leather wallet felt heavy in my hands. Filled with the cards and treasures of a man who valued information, and connections. His wallet was a microcosm of his life and home. Stuffed full of the useful, no longer useful,
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28 Logan Terrace

Now that he’s gone, I sometimes regret my impatience. But only sometimes. I felt like a hostage more than a passenger when he decided to go on a driving tour. I cut myself some slack now because it was never a mutual decision nor an invitation to come along. How much more meaningful it would
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The Tree

It was a production like all the things that mattered to him. It was his job, and he did it well. No one else could do it. Like cutting the grass or cooking meat on the grill.  Thin sheets of plastic and newspapers draped all around. The smell and the mess, I have to wonder
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tawny hammond media

Is Austin proof that no-kill doesn’t work?

"No kill is not achieved by the shelter alone but rather is an achievement of the community by working hand in hand with partner organizations. No kill animal services are rooted in transparency and integrity because every life matters and the killing isn’t hidden. Asking the community for assistance is fundamental to a no kill strategic plan."

Is no kill a numbers game?

Lifesaving progress on the level necessary to end the killing of companion animals as soon as possible calls for accuracy in language, swiftness of action, setting aside misunderstandings of the past, forging relationships, compassion for all and integrity in all that we say and do.

When to move on

When to soldier on through the difficulties, when to stand and fight and when to move on are all options to consider because we cannot let the challenges and obstacles related to ending the institutionalized killing of pets in animal shelters stop us from our calling of lifesaving leadership.

The critic’s omission of context

Animal services leadership needs activists pushing them to do better. It’s part of the process. It may not always feel comfortable, but I always reminded myself when I was a director that necessity is the mother of all invention and innovation.

Waiting your turn

The clock was ticking for thousands of pets every day who would breath their last breath before being lead to a room without windows. An urgency existed. I used my entrepreneurial background and quarter of a century in public services leadership and I got to work.

When to revolt

Knowing When to Support and When to Revolt: The Lifesaving Balance in Animal Services Leadership in animal services is no easy task. With lives on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Knowing when to support leadership and when to challenge them can mean the difference between life and death for shelter pets. Misjudging this
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