Continuing Pet Care Az Humaine Society
Leading up to spring, animal shelters were preparing for the busiest time of year – kitten season. At the Arizona Humane Society, we were bracing for this intensity and triple-digit temperatures that keep our Emergency Animal Medical Technicians running from rescue call to rescue call.
Our most challenging time of year ... until COVID-19.
Overnight, we were faced with dozens of unknowns:
- What would this mean for homeless pets?
- How would we continue to care for the Valley's most vulnerable pets while protecting the people who love them?
- Would people be frightened to adopt?
- How would our staff and the community respond to a constantly changing situation?
While I don't have all the answers, I can say that our staff, volunteers, Foster Heroes, donors and the community have responded. And in a big way.
We created drive-up, virtual adoptions
Within days, hundreds of pets were placed in permanent homes, with Foster Heroes, and with animal welfare partners. Drive-up foster services and Virtual Matchmaking Adoptions became the new norm, programs as essential as our field rescue and medical teams. Without pause, our teams implemented modifications to programs to help safeguard our community.
Arizona Humane Society's Foster Hero program now features curbside pet delivery and follow-up telemedicine appointments so that Foster Heroes can remain in their vehicles or at home.
Virtual adoptions allow adopters to schedule their own appointments online as adoption matchmakers get to work finding them a match. This modification allows for minimal on-site staff and maximum social distancing.
The society's trauma hospital, which treats 12,000 homeless pets annually, shifted to a 24/7 model to ensure physical distancing while still providing emergency care to sick, injured and abused pets.
We're doing more to support pet owners
Our full-service veterinary clinic expanded to seven days a week so pet owners have urgent care and affordable treatment options available. After all, we need our pets now more than ever.
We've further witnessed this in calls to the Pet Resource Center, where compassionate individuals are armed with resources to keep pets and people together.
Our Pet Resource Center was initially designed to support pet owners in need, but we recognized early on that we can't care for animals if we don't care for the people. During this pandemic, the Arizona Humane Society team has grown to include a bilingual social worker, or Resource Navigator, devoted to helping those on the other end of the leash – the person.
The road ahead is uncertain and many have asked how they can help. Over time, the need for a steady stream of adopters and Foster Heroes will remain critical. It is likely that we, like many other nonprofit organizations, will see a decline in annual giving, the foundation of what keeps us going.
We're better equipped now to survive this
In fact, we are forecasting a $1.35 million net shortfall between lost fundraising revenue and lost service revenue from areas such as our public clinics and we are carefully managing expenses to keep this deficit as small as possible.
But there is a silver lining.
Had COVID-19 happened 10 years ago, it would have likely meant the end for many animal welfare organizations and a significant loss of lives. Fortunately, animal welfare here in Maricopa County has undergone a significant transformation allowing us to save pet lives regardless of the situation.
We have learned to listen to our teammates, bounce ideas off partners, reallocate staff and resources and do whatever it takes to preserve supplies for the workers at the front of this pandemic.
If COVID-19 has taught us anything it is that our community will always rise to the occasion, allowing us to save nearly 18,000 of the most vulnerable homeless animals each year, while also enriching the lives of pets and the people who love them.
Steven Hansen is president and CEO of Arizona Humane Society. Reach him at shansen@azhumane.org; on Twitter, @DrStevenHansen.
Source: https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2020/04/30/covid-19-social-distancing-dont-stop-humane-society-pet-services/5155963002/
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