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 balance—supporting when you should be pushing back, or fighting when you should be collaborating—can hinder progress and, worse, contribute to the problem.
A Director’s Perspective: The Challenge of Leading Lifesaving Efforts
During my tenure as an executive director, our shelter achieved a save rate between 96% and 98%—one of the highest in the nation. Yet, despite this success, I found myself under constant scrutiny from self-proclaimed activists focused on issues that mattered most to them but did little to address the pets still at risk or contribute to the strategic, long-term goals of lifesaving.
It became a weekly ritual: long hours spent at city hall, explaining and defending decisions that were rooted in science, data, and best practices. Whether it was open adoptions, spay/neuter programs, or how donation funds were allocated, I was forced to justify approaches that had already been proven effective nationally.
Unfortunately, city leaders, new to their roles and eager to appear transparent and inclusive, often gave these activists a platform. They didn’t fully grasp that our department was modeling some of the best lifesaving practices in the country—practices being emulated nationwide.
The impact wasn’t just time lost. I had to hire a full-time staff member solely to handle the onslaught of public information requests. Time and resources that could have been spent saving lives were instead redirected to appease demands for every email containing words like “walk” or “adoption.”
This relentless pushback didn’t end with me. The next director inherited the same environment, showing how counterproductive activism can perpetuate issues when misdirected.
When to Support Leadership
If your animal services director is open to learning, consistently engaged in lifesaving problem-solving, and striving for improvement, they need your support—even if you don’t agree on every detail. Constructive communication and collaboration are far more effective than constant conflict.
Here’s how you can constructively support lifesaving leadership:
- Keep communication lines open: Share ideas respectfully and focus on solutions.
- Volunteer with purpose: Contribute to the mission with a constructive mindset, not as an extension of activism that disrupts internal culture.
- Avoid dual roles: Activists who also volunteer within an organization often unintentionally create discord. If your passion lies in activism, stay outside the organization and continue in that role.
Leadership, too, has a responsibility. Animal services directors should set clear expectations for volunteers, holding them to the same standards of conduct and behavior as staff. If a volunteer’s actions are better suited to activism, leadership should have an honest, respectful conversation about finding a better fit.
When to Revolt
There are times when leadership fails to meet the mark. If animal services leadership is unwilling to learn, resists change, or shuts out community input, it’s time to take action. But revolting effectively requires strategy:
- Identify the decision-makers: Understand who holds the ultimate authority over animal services in your community.
- Apply pressure strategically: Focus your efforts on those with the power to enact change, rather than wasting time on individuals without decision-making authority.
- Stay solution-oriented: Clearly articulate what needs to change and why, using evidence-based approaches to back your arguments.
Misplaced activism—storming the wrong fort, so to speak—only wastes time and resources without advancing lifesaving efforts.
The Stakes Are High
Every day, shelter pets’ lives depend on the decisions we make. Leadership and activism are both crucial to progress, but their roles must be balanced carefully. Activists and supporters should focus their energy where it matters most, ensuring that their efforts contribute to saving lives rather than creating distractions.
For leaders, the path is equally challenging. Open communication, transparency, and collaboration are vital, but so is setting boundaries to ensure that time and resources remain focused on lifesaving goals.
At the end of the day, the mission is what matters most. Whether you’re a leader, an activist, or a volunteer, ask yourself this question before taking action: “Will this help save more lives?” If the answer is yes, roll up your sleeves and get to work. If not, it may be time to reevaluate and redirect your efforts.
Together, through thoughtful support and strategic action, we can build communities where every pet has a chance at life—and where the killing of shelter pets becomes a thing of the past.
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.
