Shelters – want to increase adoptions? Join this call tomorrow!

The National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals is an awesome community for anyone involved in dog breed rescue, cat rescue or who works for a humane society or animal shelter. They have both a free and a paid membership option and provide some excellent resources and support for all you’re doing to help animals! For example:

Tomorrow (March 24) at 1pm Pacific (3pm Central), they’re hosting a teleseminar for anyone who is interested, about “Increasing Adoptions" with Bonney Brown, Executive Director for the Nevada Humane Society!

Call details:

• Wednesday March 24, 2010 at 1pm Pacific Time, 3pm Central
• Phone-Number to Dial: 206-701-8388
• Use Conference ID: 178426#

Get the Handout!

Download the PDF before the call from the home page of the NAPRP Web site at http://www.naprp.com/ (it's on the right-hand side under Announcements)

About Bonney Brown:

Bonney is the Executive Director of the Nevada Humane Society. She joined the organization in 2007 and within a few months Washoe County went virtually no-kill. From 2006 to 2007, the NHS increased it's adoption rate by 53%. Despite a per-capita intake rate higher than many communities nationwide, NHS is the safest community of its size for dogs in the United States and one of the safest for cats.

In 2009, thanks to innovative programs and their commitment to saving lives, the humane society is enjoying a 93% save rate for dogs and a 95% save rate for cats. In 2009, they adopted 9,184 animals, which is an increase of 6% (549 animals).

Before joining NHS, Bonney was the Chief Operations Officer for Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. She also served as Best Friends’ Communication Director and National No More Homeless Pets Director. As the Campaign Director for Alley Cat Allies Bonney managed their Katrina rescue and recover project.

FYI Golden Paw members of NAPRP will be able to access a recording of the call for on-demand listening at your convenience.

We think this is a great opportunity to join other pet rescue professionals and learn from someone who has proven results. Check back in with us afterwards and share your thoughts about the call – we’d love to hear your great ideas for increasing adoptions too!

Emergency and Disaster preparedness for pets

News of natural disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes always serves as a reminder that we should consider our own emergency plans. And it’s not only catastrophic events that might require that you implement your plan – severe weather can easily create conditions that can escalate quickly into an emergency-response situation, and household emergencies can be triggered at any time.

And, improvements following Katrina notwithstanding, making sure your pets are safe and can stay with you is going to be a challenge.

So do as the Boy Scouts do and be prepared! A bit of planning now can save you a world of heartache in the event of a disaster or emergency.

Get informed

Learn about what you should plan for and do in the event of an emergency or disaster. There are plenty of good information sources online:

• FEMA information for pet owners
• ASPCA disaster preparedness
• HSUS Disaster Preparedness brochures

 Pet First Aid and CPR training

Remember, there is no 911 for pets, so your knowledge of basic first aid can be the difference between life and death, and it’s so easy everyone should know it. Here are some local resources:

• Red Cross Pet First Aid/CPR course (Plano, TX April 25th) 
• PetsAmerica Basic Pet First Aid & Disaster Response Workshop
• PetTech instructors offer a variety of workshops
• CPR-Now CPR and First Aid for Pets (Dallas, Tx) 
• Petco online first aid course

Can’t afford the time or money for a class? Here are some useful books and DVDs:

• DVD - Pet first aid for cat and dogs
• A list of Pet First Aid books and DVDs on Amazon.com

Pet First Aid kits

There’s nothing worse than having to scramble and improvise when you know a pet’s life could be in danger. Even minor injuries are easier to deal with when you have the right provisions! Have a basic first aid kit at home and in your car (imagine being able to help an animal who has been run over simply because you thought ahead!).

You can easily (and cheaply) put together a kit yourself, or you can purchase an already-assembled kit (a bit pricier).

• Petfinder.com recommended Pet First Aid kit (build it yourself)
• A variety of first aid kits available through amazon.com – from as low as $15 and up!
• Comprehensive List of Pet First Aid Kits at wholesale prices

Emergency/Disaster preparedness kits

More comprehensive than a simple first aid kit, these are designed to help you through that critical first 72 hours or so after a disaster, when infrastructure is down and first responders are still working on stabilizing the situation. Comprehensive information and kits are available.

• Emergency and Disaster survival – pet survival
• www.fussycat.com – an awesome emergency evacuation and pet survival kit that is both a carrier and a litter box, and contains emergency supplies. Also, if you enter “American Humane” at checkout you’ll get a 5% savings AND AmericanHumane.org will receive $12 towards its work on behalf of animals!

Hopefully you and your pet will never need these resources but as always, it’s better to be safe than sorry!