A great news story from KXAN News in Austin yesterday featuring Austin Pets Alive's holiday weekend adoption drive.
While many people were off work and enjoy three (or more) day weekends for the New Years holiday, a lot of shelters missed the opportunity to have these folks, who were enjoying time with their family, come in and adopt a pet because the shelters closed for the weekend too.
But Austin Pets Alive! stayed open, and found 93 animals homes.
And in the process, got some really great PR for their shelter.
Which will hopefully, and likely, help increase adoptions in the future.
I think it's a great testimate to being open, and doing promotion, and doing the right things and people will come. But it is similar to following the retail model -- which means being open when people have the time to come 'shop' at your store.
Great job to Austin Pets Alive on a job well done and I hope that others will learn from their efforts. It's ideas like this that have helped them save over 3200 animals in the past year.
Wow - amazing for Austin Pets Alive! Thanks for setting such a great example.
On the other hand, Halfway Home Pet Adoptions (the KCMO shelter) must take a worst-of-the-worst prize - it was closed more days over the holiday weekend than even any of kill shelters in Houston. Halfway Home in KCMO was closed Friday, Saturday AND Sunday (with the excuse of traffic for the Chiefs home game, even though traffic is very light by the shelter on those days).
Really unbelievable. It is so frustrating to see them doing the exact opposite of what they should be doing re: customer service and have no power to change it. They have a brochure with a cute logo and they think that means they have a "brand" - when in reality, that matters not at all compared with what "customers" see when they walk in the lobby, how they are treated, and most of all, whether they can actually get to the shelter to, uh, ADOPT a pet - kind of hard to do when it's open only a few hours a day and closed on holidays and closed any time they can find an excuse to do so (ie: the Chiefs.)
Posted by: MDog | January 06, 2011 at 08:09 AM
MDog, I agree on Halfway Homes -- and I think the even more frustrating part is that there were quite a few volunteers that were at the shelter all of those days and yet the shelter wasn't opened. Opening on weekends/holidays doesn't have to fall solely on the staff of the shelter -- as very capable volunteers are much easier to find on weekends/holidays when they, too, have time off work.
Posted by: Brent | January 06, 2011 at 09:16 AM
Yes, that's a great idea. I know volunteers would be more than willing - especially if it was a big event promoted the way Austin did. It is always exciting and uplifting to be a part of something like that. It would be great if volunteers were more involved in the operations and decisions and treated as an asset of the KCMO shelter that can be used for things like this. But it's easier just to be closed.
Posted by: MDog | January 06, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Agreed.
The good news is that this is progress (if you can believe it). Up until 2 years ago there were no volunteers even allowed at the shelter...and they're a valuable asset to saving lives right now.
Posted by: Brent | January 06, 2011 at 11:07 AM
Thanks for the APA! coverage, Brent. I might be a little bit biased, being a foster for APA!, but I actually feel good volunteering for them because they seem to be doing everything right. I have volunteered for other local groups in the past, but those experiences have been more frustrating than rewarding. APA! works smart and really has it together. I'm really pleased with the progress they've made in Austin and I wish more local (and non-local) groups would learn from them.
Posted by: Jennifer | January 06, 2011 at 12:53 PM
Yes, I have to keep reminding myself that this is progress! Many lives have been saved. But there is a LOT more progress to be made, and I hope we will be able to get management in there who follows the example of Austin Pets Alive! and groups like them rather than deciding to be closed based on which sports team is playing that day.
APA - thanks for showing others what is possible! It is really inspiring.
Posted by: MDog | January 06, 2011 at 02:02 PM