LifeLine Animal Project · LifeLine’s Dog House and Kitty Motel opened in 2003 to provide a safety net for victims of animal cruelty and animals with special needs. LifeLine’s

Atlanta, Georgia: Dekalb and Fulton counties

– Rebecca Guinn

Best Friends National Conference

July 14 – 17, 2016 1

Nationwide Strategies to Save Them All:

Atlanta, Georgia

Fulton and DeKalb Counties

LifeLine Animal Project

LifeLine Animal Project

• Mission: To end euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals in Atlanta area shelters.

• Strategy: Assess the needs of Atlanta’s entire animal welfare community and create solutions.

• Strategic Result: RUN the county shelters.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 2

LifeLine: Strategic Lifesaving

Online Collaboration

“How Can We Help?”

• AtlantaPets.org, the virtual shelter, launched in 2002 to showcase all adoptable animals in the area.

• Volunteers assisted under-staffed county shelters with photographing and posting adoptable pets online.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 3

Halfway Home

LifeLine’s Dog House and Kitty Motel opened in 2003 to provide a safety net for victims of animal cruelty and animals with special needs.

LifeLine’s Avondale shelter

helps animals most in need

– dogs and cats with

medical or behavioral

issues as a result of abuse

or neglect.

Our Commitment of Life, Love and Care


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 4

The Cornerstone: Spay & Neuter

• Prevention is our key solution.

• The first LifeLine Spay & Neuter Clinic opened in 2005 in Avondale Estates.

The Cornerstone: Spay & Neuter

• Our second clinic opened in College Park in 2010.

• As the largest provider of spay/neuter services in the area, LifeLine has performed more than 95,000 low-cost and no-cost procedures.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 5

The first and largest organized program in the Atlanta area dedicated to humanely controlling feral cat colonies

Catlanta: Assistance for Outdoor Cats

• Catlanta provides resources and support to effectively manage feral cats without killing them.

• Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is now the first response for all free-roaming cat issues in Fulton and DeKalb Counties.

Catlanta: Assistance for Outdoor Cats


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 6

Catlanta: Saving Lives, Saving Money

• Catlanta has sterilized more than 30,000 feral cats through TNR.

• In addition to Fulton and DeKalb community cats, Catlanta has provided subsidized spay/neuter for cats in 19 other metro counties.

• Over $3 million saved in taxpayer dollars by keeping these cats out of county shelters.

Catlanta 2.0: Feral Freedom

• Partnership with LifeLine, Best Friends, and DeKalb County was implemented in 2011.

• Cats trapped by animal control officers are brought directly to LifeLine’s clinic for spay/neuter and vaccination, then returned to their outdoor homes.

• Lifesaving results: Shelter euthanasia for cats dropped from 69% to 22% in less than a year.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 7

Over the first 5 years, 25,000 fewer animals were euthanized in DeKalb and Fulton County shelters.

The Impact

DeKalb and Fulton County Impound and Euthanasia Rates

Lifesaving Impact

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

2003 2005 2006 2008 2010 2012

Impounded

Killed

Spay/Neuter

Feral Freedom

49%

65%


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 8

Advocacy to Action DeKalb County Animal Services Task Force

• Recruited community leader not affiliated with animal issues.

• Met with all major candidates for DeKalb County CEO – top elected official.

• Met with County Commissioners.

Advocacy to Action DeKalb County Animal Services Task Force

• Task Force created by joint action of the newly elected DeKalb County CEO and Board of Commissioners.

• Comprised of current Animal Services Director and staff, prosecuting attorneys, representatives from animal welfare, concerned public.

• Conducted six public meetings.

• Issued findings on policy and ordinances, facility, lifesaving initiatives, and outsourcing.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 9

Advocacy to Action Task Force Findings

• Inadequate shelter facility in chronic disrepair

• Non-functioning shelter management software and incomplete data

• Insufficient enforcement staff

• Insufficient animal care staff


“[T]o enumerate all of the Task Force findings with respect to animal care would serve no real function but to shock the reader. The DeKalb County shelter facility is a chamber of horrors. It is overwhelmingly difficult for the staff. It is even worse for the animals.”


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 10


“[T]he actual procedure for euthanasia, particularly for feral cats, raises grave questions concerning the division’s humane treatment of animals. According to staff, cats are restrained with the use of a “rabies pole” or “catch pole” – a long metal pole with a metal cable noose that tightens around the animals neck – then immobilized by an officer stepping on the animal’s back or legs while the euthanasia drug is administered.”

Advocacy to Action Task Force Recommendations – The Result

• Board of Commissioners adopted the the Task Force recommendations as a blueprint for reform.

• The CEO and Board of Commissioners appointed an ongoing Animal Services Advisory Board.

• Within a year, an RFP was issued to outsource shelter operations.

• LifeLine was the only bidder.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 11

Advocacy to Action Fulton County

• Outsourced for over four decades and operated by the Atlanta Humane Society until 2003.

• Vendor from 2008 to 2012 experienced escalating intake and euthanasia rates up to 65%.

• Volunteers and advocates urged Fulton County to take action.

• Vendor opted not to rebid contract.

Advocacy to Action

• July 2012: Both Fulton and DeKalb Counties issued RFPs for Animal Services vendors.

• LifeLine was the only bidder in DeKalb, but no action was taken to award the contract after the bid.

• Initially, there was no bidder in Fulton County.

• Fulton RFP re-issued in December 2012.

• LifeLine bid on the Fulton contract and received Fulton advocates’ support.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 12

Advocacy to Action Getting What You Wish For

• In January 2013, LifeLine was awarded contract to manage Fulton County Animal Services.

• Also in January 2013, LifeLine was unexpectedly awarded contract to manage DeKalb County Animal Services.

• Fulton contract commenced on March 15, 2013, and DeKalb contract commenced July 1, 2013.


Lifesaving Strategies

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

2003 2005 2006 2008 2010 2012

Impounded

Killed

Spay/Neuter

Feral Freedom

49%

65%


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 13

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

2003 2005 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2015

Impounded

Killed

Spay/Neuter


Lifesaving Strategies + Leadership

Feral Freedom

13%

65%

LifeLine


Fulton DeKalb

Adoptions Up 107% Up 253%

Transfers Up 40% Up 27%

Euthanasia Down 84% Down 56%

2012 vs. 2015


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 14


Fulton DeKalb

Adoptions Up 107% Up 253%

Transfers Up 40% Up 27%

Euthanasia Down 84% Down 56%

6,400 more lives saved each year!

2012 vs. 2015

Promoting Adoptions

• Increased staffing, creating a dedicated and experienced team of rescue and adoption coordinators

• Created more welcoming adoption environments: – Free-roam cat colony area at entrance to

Fulton County shelter – New bonding area for DeKalb shelter

• Encouraged pre-adoption for animals in stray hold period and discontinued waiting lists

• “Adopters Welcome” open adoption policy


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 15

Promoting Adoptions

Reduced-Fee and Fee-Waived Promotions

• Enhanced marketing with seasonal and fee-waived promotions

• Extensive PR outreach:

– Pet of the Week articles in 22 community newspapers, print and online

– Partnerships with less likely players – yoga conference, local movie premiers – to increase exposure

• Offsite events

Rescue Partners and Transports

• 4,200 animals, just under 30 percent of total intake, transferred to other organizations.

• Over 100 different local rescue partners.

• Local traditional humane society accepts less than 300 animals of the 15,000 animals LifeLine takes into its shelters.

• About 300 animals transferred annually to shelters in the northeastern U.S.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 16

Social Media

• Five different Facebook pages for different audiences • “Urgent” pages for rescue partners and fosters • Dedicated social media staff along with rescue and adoption

teams

Volunteer Engagement

• Variety of opportunities to fit volunteer interests and lifestyles

• Key long-time volunteers in leadership positions

• Volunteer orientations and foster training – Animal handling – Bottle feeding – Dog training


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 17


Dog for A Day Tails on the Trail


Charm School Run Club


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 18

Field Services

• LifeLine’s animal control officers respond to more than 2,000 calls for service every month.

• Responsible for enforcing county and state animal laws and animal cruelty provisions.

• Goal is to move enforcement services from complaint-driven to community-driven.

• Dispelling dog-catcher mentality: animal services officers becoming a community resource for resolving animal-related issues.

Owner Assistance

• Owner surrender counseling program: – Appointment required

– Surrender fee, with limited exceptions for genuine hardship

• Counselors offer free spay-neuter and vaccinations, free pet food, free doghouses and referrals to low-cost and free veterinary care.

• Counseling programs keep 50 to 100 pets out of LifeLine’s shelters every month.


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 19

Neighborhood Solutions for Pets and the People Who Love Them

• Service initiative to provide free spay-neuter to pets of residents in low-income communities and assist with pet wellness, veterinary care and training.

• Utilizes animal control officers and surrender counselors to generate referrals and identify neighborhoods.

• Helps provide alternatives to impoundment: “Breaking Chains” program works with pet owners to help repair fences or provide outdoor kennels.

Community LifeLine

Healthy Pets Events

• 400+ pets helped at each event

• Free vaccinations

• Vouchers for free spay/neuters

• Free transportation to LifeLine’s clinics for appointment if needed

• Free dog/cat food and leashes, collars

• S/N vouchers redeemed for 75% of unaltered pets at each event


– Rebecca Guinn


July 14 – 17, 2016 20

Keys to Success

• Find the right people – 150+ amazing employees and

hundreds of dedicated volunteers

• Demand transparency – Accept responsibility and

correct mistakes

• Be willing to improvise • Engage the community • Don’t give up

Together,

we will make Atlanta

a no-kill community

in 2016.

Are you in?

Documents

LifeLine Animal Project · LifeLine’s Dog House and Kitty Motel opened in 2003 to provide a safety net for victims of animal cruelty and animals with special needs. LifeLine’s