“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.”
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 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.
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.
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.
Knowing when to revolt and when to support leadership can be the difference between life or death for shelter pets. If you do one when the other is more appropriate you are most certainly contributing to the problem. When I […]
The word Kill is a violent word. To be Killed is even more violent. People choose to work at an animal shelter because they love animals. They must be trained to end the life of a pet that is not […]
“If you want to make everyone happy, sell ice cream, don’t be a leader” – Steve Jobs I came into animal services after 25 years in park services. I had some surprises. Like the first day shelter staff brought me […]
For 30 years I made professional excellence the focus of my public service career. When I embarked on a second career in animal services after a quarter of a century in parks management, I was caught off guard by the […]