Feb 28, 2022
GUEST: Scott Giacoppo. Scott is the Director of National Shelter Outreach for Best Friends Animal Society and oversees the development of lifesaving efficacy and sustainability for animal welfare partners across the U.S. Prior to Best Friends, Scott was president of NACA – the National Animal Care & Control Association – as well as chief of Animal Field Services for the District of Columbia for 10 years, overseeing all animal control and cruelty investigations team members for Humane Rescue Alliance. He began his animal protection career with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as the Special State Police Officer for Cruelty Investigations.
MAIN QUESTION: How can leaders and managers get staff and public buy-in for return-to-field programs?
TAKEAWAYS:
- Removing cats doesn’t work, never has and never will. Removing a cat is not serving the community; it’s clearing a call log. It only solves the problem for a few weeks at most, as new cats will invariably move in to fill the void.
- Give your team all the information they need to fully understand why RTF is a better approach, how it works in other communities and why the old way is not effective.
- Some staff may be resistant to change because they don’t want to face the fact that they’ve been doing something that doesn’t work or because doing something new that goes against the way they have always done it can be scary.
- When someone calls to have cat picked up, that’s when the discussion about RTF should start. Explain that:
- Removing cats isn’t effective, as another cat will show up to fill the niche.
- Getting the cat fixed, vaccinated and returned decreases nuisance behavior, including spraying, yowling and fighting as well as preventing the birth of kittens.
- Share humane ways to deter cats from their garden or yard.
- When an officer has an encounter that doesn’t work out well, talk it through with them, asking them how it may have been handled differently and offering suggestions.
LINKS:
- Best Friends Network
- Leadership recommendation: Leadership Freak blog