I am attending the Best Friends’ No More Homeless Pets Conference for the first time this year.

I slid into the Best Friends’ Conference on homeless pets last Friday morning at about 8:30 a.m. I was waaaay behind the curve. The first panel was just getting started and the large room was full. I found an empty chair at the back, fortunately.

The panel was labeled “Game Changers”, and featured people who have challenged the status quo and taken different kinds of leaps for the sake of animals. The panel included Rick DuCharme, Elizabeth Oreck, Becky Robinson, Bill Bruce, and Holly Sizemore. Rick founded First Coast No More Homeless Pets in Jacksonville, FL, then later worked with the city to introduce the Feral Freedom program. Elizabeth manages Best Friends’ Los Angeles programs. Becky is president and co-founder of Alley Cat Allies. Bill is Director of Animal and Bylaw Services of Calgary, Canada. Holly is Executive Director of No More Homeless Pets in Utah.

All of the panelists have developed and had remarkable success with programs that reduce the number of animals dying in shelters. It was clear from the different activities that they represented that it takes a multitude of actions to achieve the goal of no more homeless pets. And not everyone will agree on every step.

For example, the moderators posed the question of mandatory spay-neuter laws.  Elizabeth went on record as supporting such laws, but clarified that she supported them only when sufficient low-cost and free spay-neuter services are available and accessible to the residents. And when the law is punitive only of those who simply refuse to have their animals fixed. The other panel members did not support such laws because they criminalize people who simply have not the means to get the work done so they either throw away their animals or are fined, which does not accomplish the goal.

I was gratified to hear a common theme – that the commitment of shelter operators to no-kill is a critical component of successful programs, and that widespread education in the form of public service videos and other means can bring a community together in support of no-kill.

It is gratifying, too, to find that so many rescuers attend these conferences and are exposed to new ways of approaching their jobs. The old ways do not work and we cannot wait for some Utopian future when everyone is compassionate and responsible. We have to use techniques that work in peoples’ and organizations’ self-interest. Then we can really achieve no-kill nationwide. It can be done today, and I hope conferences like this one lead the way.

Look to the conference website for more detailed blogging on each session and an opportunity to comment as well.

Sections: Vegan Et Cetera
Topics: animal shelters, conferences, no kill