55% of organizations offered rehoming advice and resources, only 36% of those organizations considered them highly used (Russo et al. 2021). However, given the low resource investment and potential benefits, direct rehoming services are still a valuable safety net program for appropriate scenarios.
5.3.1.4 Lost‐and‐Found Programs
In 2018, approximately 50% of all canine and feline admissions into sheltering organizations were animals identified as stray or at‐large (Shelter Animals Count n.d.). Safety net programs that aim to prevent companion animals from becoming lost or facilitate reunification of stray pets with owners are vital to reducing shelter intakes and shelter length of stay.
Safety net programs targeting the stray pet population ideally include efforts to avoid the animal entering the shelter as a stray in the first place, including escape prevention initiatives. Some such programs aid in the construction of appropriate fencing for dogs. Others provide pet owners with information about how to secure gates and doors, how to train dogs to come when called, and how to recognize behavioral factors that may lead to escape attempts.
If a free‐roaming companion animal is found, proper identification can facilitate reunification with their owner in the field by the finder or animal control officer, avoiding intake into the shelter. In one study of cats and dogs adopted with a free collar and identification, 94% of those pets were still wearing identification at follow‐up approximately eight weeks later (Weiss et al. 2011). Reunification can be further facilitated by implanting microchips, which can increase reunification rates to twice those of unmicrochipped dogs and over 20 times those of unmicrochipped cats (Lord et al. 2009).
Shelters should maintain a thorough and up‐to‐date lost‐and‐found pet database and avoid unnecessary barriers to reunification such as heavy fees. An organization’s website and social media outlets are ideal platforms to post photos and descriptions of found animals. Coordination and sharing of lost‐and‐found information with other community sheltering organizations is vital to ensure a robust reunification system.
Both preventive and reunification efforts are of clear benefit to pets and clients by helping to avoid the animal running at‐large, impoundment, and the loss of the animal from the family. These efforts can also have a measurable effect within the community by reducing public safety and nuisance concerns related to free‐roaming companion animals. In addition, stray pet safety net programs can provide the initial opportunity for connection with the client to encourage use of other services, such as accessible veterinary and behavioral care. In particular, owners reunited with a lost pet may want resources to address factors that led to the animal’s loss, such as a reproductively intact status or an incomplete understanding of normal pet behavior.
Lost‐and‐found safety net programs are critical, and often required, operational components of organizations taking in stray animals. However, initiatives to prevent escape and facilitate reunification should also be considered by organizations not mandated to admit stray animals. Programs that go above and beyond the minimum lost‐and‐found standard of care, such as public microchipping clinics, can be an ideal opportunity for collaboration between private and municipal organizations in the community.
5.3.1.5 Temporary Sheltering
While safety net programs generally strive to keep animals in their homes, there are some circumstances in which temporary separation is necessary. Clients may be unable to care for their animals on a short‐term basis for a variety of reasons, including disasters, health concerns, or domestic violence. The importance of care for the family pet in these times of crisis is emphasized by the inclusion of provisions for pet‐directed response in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Bazan 2005) as well as by literature supporting the importance of companion animal safety in the decision‐making of those affected by domestic violence (Ascione et al. 2007; Collins et al. 2018; Taylor et al. 2019). See Chapter 21 for more information on temporary sheltering as a component of disaster response.
Animal welfare organizations may voluntarily initiate or be called upon by governmental or human social services to aid in temporary sheltering of animals. Effective temporary sheltering programs avoid permanent relinquishment by facilitating reunification once clients’ circumstances allow them to safely resume caring for their pet. Ideally, even this temporary separation would be avoided through co‐sheltering of people and companion animals, but logistics and client circumstances often make co‐sheltering impossible. As an alternative, the use of foster care for these animals is ideal to avoid the medical and behavioral detriments of sheltering as well as to avoid shelter crowding. Regardless of whether displaced animals are sheltered in foster homes or in a shelter’s kennels, legally approved agreements and thorough guidelines should be set up for temporary sheltering programs to create clear expectations for all participants and to avoid ambiguity regarding the duration and extent of care.
Temporary sheltering programs require a fair investment of resources on the part of a sheltering organization to oversee the program and ensure adequate housing/caregiving without detrimental impact to the existing shelter population. However, their benefit to the client and animal has the potential to be significant. Times of crisis are likely to be periods in which maintenance of the human‐animal bond is critical for the client’s emotional health. Without these programs, clients may avoid seeking help for themselves due to fear about their pets’ well‐being (Ascione et al. 2007). Program oversight can be greatly aided by collaboration with governmental or non‐profit human social services, allowing the animal welfare organization to focus primarily on animal care. Because of these connections, the benefits of a temporary sheltering program extend to the organization and community by strengthening a community framework of support for pet owners.
5.3.1.6 Humane Education
Humane education programs are a popular community outreach method for animal sheltering organizations. While often less directly applicable to relinquishment prevention, these programs still fall into the broad category of safety net programs by fostering a community that values and understands responsible pet ownership. Traditionally, these programs have focused on humane education for children. School‐ or camp‐based humane education programs have a documented positive impact on children’s knowledge of animal husbandry and emotional needs (Muldoon et al. 2016; Tardif‐Williams and Bosacki 2015). In addition, there is evidence of the enhancement of prosocial behavior and empathy in children participating in these programs (Samuels et al. 2016). However, information is lacking regarding the impact of educational programs geared toward adults and the impact of these programs on pet retention.
The benefits of humane education programs for pets and clients vary widely with the scope of the program, and the impact is often less easily measured than for other safety net programs. However, there is value in the connection between the organization and community fostered by these programs and in their potential to enhance the visibility of the organization within the community. Humane education programs are also an excellent opportunity for collaboration between the sheltering organization and community groups such as schools, camps, childcare settings, and adult education programs. Depending on the community and the structure of these programs, these programs can also provide a revenue source for the animal welfare organization.
Like the benefits gained from the implementation of a humane education program, the resource investment required varies widely based on the scope of the program. Single visits by shelter staff to a classroom require minimal resources, while in‐house educational programs such as after‐school programs or camps can be resource intensive. Development of extensive humane education programs requires careful assessment of the available resources of the organization and existing community programs. However, as resources allow, humane education programs can be highly rewarding for shelter staff and volunteers
