vb animal care & adoption center & vb animal ......background in december 2011 the animal...

VB Animal Care & Adoption Center & VB Animal Enforcement Team

2014 Accomplishments

Background In December 2011 the Animal Care and Adoption Center and Animal Enforcement

Team transitioned to a new state of the art facility located on Birdneck Road.

The new physical space immediately improved conditions both pertaining to the

working climate as well as for the quality of housing for sheltered animals.

In addition to the physical changes that were immediately obvious, many

operational changes and initiatives occurred and have since continued to improve

the lives of shelter animals, promote awareness, impact release rates/adoption

rates, and to carve a positive niche in the community for the Animal Care and

Adoption Center.

The Animal Enforcement Team has continued to provide the community with

excellent response to its animal-related needs.

Together, both entities work to provide the City of Virginia Beach holistic animal

services.

Adoption Statistics Adoption Rates: Adoption Rates have been on the rise over the last few years.

Here is where we have been and where we are now.

**Adoption rate is based on the following formula: Total numbers of animals by category (dogs and cats) reduced by the number of animals returned to their owner or turned over to other rescue agencies

reduced by the number of animals determined to be non-adoptable.** Formula does not account for animals still on-site thus with no final disposition.

2012 Year to Date Totals

INTAKE RTO ADOPTED TRNSFER* TRNSFER EUTH EUTH ADPTION

SPCA AGG/ILL* OTHER RATE

DOGS 3518 1705 1146 259 6 389 0 99%

CATS 3382 210 839 76 156 1793 245 73%

OTHER 400 9 254 70 1 23 3 86%

What do the numbers mean? This tells us how successful we have been adopting out animals that are able to be adopted. Able – meaning animals whose owners have not reclaimed, that have not been transferred to other facilities and who are medically and behaviorally appropriate to send back into the community.




DOGS 3613 1909 1231 198 2 249 0 98%

CATS 3031 198 981 89 127 1461 162 85%

OTHER 280 10 199 33 0 12 7 88%




DOGS 3531 1901 1193 170 2 305 0 103%

CATS 2944 190 1177 127 172 1212 32 95%

OTHER 382 12 272 41 0 38 1 93%

Live Release Rate (LRR) Statistics

2012

INTAKE RTO ADOPTED TRNSFERRED EUTH LRR

DOGS 3518 1705 1146 265 389 89%

CATS 3382 210 839 232 2038 39%

OTHER 400 9 254 90 26 93%

ALL SPECIES 7300 1924 2239 587 2453 66%

The LRR is calculated by dividing total live outcomes (adoptions, outgoing transfers, return to owner/guardian) by total outcomes (total live outcomes plus euthanasia not including owner/guardian requested euthanasia which were Unhealthy & Untreatable or died/lost in shelter/care).

What exactly does do the numbers mean? This is the percentage of animals that we were successful in re-placing back into the community

2013


DOGS 3613 1909 1231 200 249 93%

CATS 3031 198 981 216 1623 46%

OTHER 280 10 199 33 19 93%

ALL SPECIES 6924 2117 2411 449 1891 72%

2014


DOGS 3531 1901 1193 172 305 91%

CATS 2944 190 1177 299 1244 57%

OTHER 382 12 272 41 39 89%

ALL SPECIES 6857 2103 2642 512 1588 77%

At what point is a shelter considered “no-kill”

According to the No-Kill Advocacy Center a Save Rate (Live Release

Rate-LRR) of 90% is considered No-Kill.

If you look at our LRR for K9s for 2014 you will see we are at 91%

(second consecutive year at above the 90% threshold) and for cats we

are at 57% (11% increase over 2013). We still have plenty of work to do,

though we are well on our way with a 77% LRR overall!

The term “No-Kill”

Means different things to different people/organizations. At VBACAC we believe

that this term, though becoming more frequently utilized in the sheltering

community, is distasteful and incongruent with our organizational mission. There

are times when humane euthanasia is appropriate and it is our job to ensure that

animals in our care have quality of life and that the safety of our community

remains paramount in our decision-making. The term “kill” in any context implies

an action other than lawful, humane, compassionate euthanasia, thus this is a term

that we at VBACAC do not embrace.

HOWEVER

VBACAC is and will always remain an open-admission shelter and it is our goal to

maximize Live Release (LR) and work to our fullest potential in a responsible

manner so as to preserve quality of life. It is our goal to improve with each passing

year and believe that we can and will reach a 90% or greater LRR for each species.

2014 Initiatives to Increase Quality Live Release

• Continued expansion of foster program (87 parents in 2013 to 100 in 2014)

• Enhanced efficiency of foster program (Animal were in/out foster care 738 times in 2014)

• Continued use/contact of rescue organizations (15% increase in use of rescues over 2013)

• Continue to utilize a Special Events Team to increase of marketing and social networking of scheduled

events; new this year – Special Events planning training offered by Beach Events

• Second year of our Barn Cat Program to place cats, that would be inappropriate for in-home living, into

an environment where they can be successful. 2014 saw a 100% increase in barn cat adoptions (10

adoptions in 2013, 20 in 2014)

• Continued use/partnership with adult and youth volunteers to assist with animal enrichment,

socialization, and customer service (volunteer stats are up over 2013 – see slide 9)

• Continued staff expectation/accountability of ZERO valid customer service complaints

• Continued adoption follow-up phone calls/assistance with any identified behavioral issues

(approximately 2600 calls)

• Routine training classes offered to volunteers: 12 course titles with approximately 800 volunteer training

hours provided (volunteer orientation, caretaking, K-9 handling basic and advanced, adoption counseling,

adoption follow-up, customer service, feline handling – 2 courses, greeter/shelter guide, grooming, pet

portal)

• Approximately 40 speaking engagements and shelter tours provided to various groups throughout 2014

o Arrowhead Elementary

o Kempsriver Women’s Club

o Atria Assisted Living

o Citizens Police Academy/Senior Citizens Police Academy

o 4 Girl Scout Tours

Quality of Life Improvements Within the Shelter environment

o Increased enrichment of felines; addition of interactive items

o Enhancement of volunteer training to include basic and

intermediate/advanced skills for canine handling.

o Implementation of pod captains and daily schedule/tasks lists for each

canine animal pod

o Strive (via staff and volunteers) to reach goal of ensuring that every dog

housed in adoption and transition gets outside time every day.

o Increased marketing of fostered animals and of felines and small

companion animals.

Volunteerism: Its on the rise

Statistics: 2012 2013 2014

# of Volunteers Youth 50

Adult 291

Youth 113

Adult 348

Youth 179

Adult 353

Service Hours 1665 22,681 3246 28,556 3920 31,446

Job Opportunities for Volunteers have been expanded and will continue to expand. A healthy volunteer program is essential for the shelter to progress and achieve success.

Here are the ways that volunteers help us achieve our goals:

• Cat Room Ambassador Newsletter Editor Calltaker • Tag Flipper Newsletter Team member Pet Portal • Dog Walker Adoption Follow-up Youth Mentor • Grooming Volunteer Coordinator Special Event Team • Dog training/Agility Adoption Counselor Member • Caretaking Foster Parent Emergency Pet Sheltering • Off-site/On-site special events Transporter Team Member

Small Animal Companion Vet Assistant Team Leader (various) • Petsmart Volunteer Professional Vet Services Greeter/Shelter Guide

Pod Captain

Current Needs

• Staffing

o Subsequent to our continual workload assessments, and supported by an audit

performed by the City Auditor’s office, we have requested additional clerk and

caretaker positions for FY 15/16. We will know the status of the requests after the

budget is finalized in May 2015.

Impacts on the City, Department, Community

Recognizing our good fortune, we continue to strive to give back by considering

what positive impacts we can make toward the City’s goals, the Department’s goals

as well as our community. Ways that we strive to achieve this include:

• Continuing to serve veterinary needs of Police K9 and Mounted Patrol to offset

their costs

• Providing opportunities for job skill training to community’s youth

• Providing opportunities for job skills training and/or enriching activities for

special needs groups/individuals.

• Providing community service opportunities for multitude of diverse groups (i.e.

church groups/civic groups)

• Assistance to other City Depts for placement of Light Duty personnel, as

appropriate

• Offer court ordered community service opportunities

• Partnership with VA Aquarium - sharps disposal, volunteer and staff

recognition, veterinary equipment and staff, emergency sheltering

Outreach Initiatives in 2014 • Skills Quest - Training and Support through volunteerism at shelter

o Expanded to two teams

• Work Experience Program - SECEP & Landstown High – Job skills

o Expanded hours to two teams, on 5 days per week

• Young Marines (maintenance and adoption of path behind bldg)

• Brownie troop/Girl Scouts/Boy scouts and Eagle projects (tours, donations, special

age appropriate work projects); partnership with Girl Scouts for routine

outreach/service projects of all local troops

• Spartan Program (Summer Work Experience through Youth Opportunities Office)

• Educating the public, via various venues, on Emergency Pet Sheltering (schools, civic

groups, businesses)

• Numerous speaking engagements at area schools (various topics)

o Continued Partner in Education with Arrowhead Elementary

• 4th year participation in the Animal Control Unit Advisory Board

• Continued use of food bank partnership with Southeastern Food Bank of Hampton

Roads – Approximately 4000 pounds donated

• Atria Assisted Living residents – shelter visits and treat delivery

How are we doing compared to open-admission/City or City-contracted shelters in the region?

Chesapeake Animal Control Portsmouth Humane

Peninsula SPCA Norfolk Animal Care & Adoption Center

2013

INTAKE RTO ADOPTED TRNSFER EUTH LRR

DOGS 1809 683 484 89 549 69%

CATS 2004 69 333 113 1472 26%

OTHER 99 2 73 1 20 77%

ALL SPECIES 3912 754 890 203 2041 47%

2013


DOGS 1104 280 564 33 214 79%

CATS 1238 18 665 13 294 56%

OTHER 24 3 17 0 1 83%

ALL SPECIES 2366 301 1246 46 509 67%

2013


DOGS 3294 852 1417 19 983 69%

CATS 3089 45 894 2082 30%

OTHER 0 0 0 0 0 0

ALL SPECIES 6383 897 2311 19 3065 51%

2013


DOGS 2667 774 1066 53 757 71%

CATS 2993 67 1145 42 1726 42%

OTHER 150 20 87 20 27 85%

ALL SPECIES 5810 861 2298 115 2510 56%

Data gleaned from VDACS website – online State reporting

2013


DOGS 3613 1909 1231 200 249 92%

CATS 3031 198 981 216 1623 46%

OTHER 280 10 199 33 19 86%

ALL SPECIES 6924 2117 2411 446 1891 72%

Lost and Found

What are we doing to ensure that animals are reunited with owners as

quickly as possible?

• We continue to taking pictures of dogs that were impounded at the

shelter and who had not been reclaimed within the first 24-48 hours by

their owners. Pictures are posted on Virginia Lost and Found Facebook

page. Additionally, information on what to do if a pet goes missing is

periodically posted on Craigs List and Facebook.

Continue to posting lost felines on Virginia Lost and Found Cats,

Facebook.

• We continue to accept lost informational flyers (both electronic and

paper forms) from the public and we post them on our lobby bulletin

board. Staff attempts to make matches though owners are encouraged

to come to the shelter for 100% certainty of their animal’s status.

2014 Shelter Events (not all-inclusive) • January: “Fabulous Foster Weekend”; Marketing of animals in foster program

• February : Groundhog Day Event; Special adoption pricing based on if groundhog saw shadow or not

• March : “Saint Pitties and Paws Day” Adopters can spin the “lucky” wheel of fortune for adoption

discounts.

• April: “April Showers Spring Fling” Spin the “SPRING” wheel for adoptions

• May: “Cinco de Meowo” all cats are $5, spin the adoption wheel for dog discounts.

• June: “Alumni Weekend” Previous adopters may adopt at ½ off, all others can spin the adoption wheel

for discounts.

• July : “Independence Day Weekend” $17.76 adoptions for all animals that came in from January until

June 2014. All others can spin the wheel for discounts.

• August: “Cool Cats, Hot Dogs and Happy Hamsters!” spin the adoption wheel for discounts.

• September: “Snakes and Such” all exotics are BOGO, spin prize wheel for other adoption specials for non-

exotics.

• October 2014: “Pittie Awareness Month” all bully breed dogs will be ½ off all month.

• November: Veterans Day Event: All active duty and retired military with ID can adopt all weekend ½ off.

Spin prize wheel for non-military.

• December: “Winter Blast”: ½ off adoptions.

• ½ off foster adoptions every last weekend of each month.

• ½ off adoptions if people adopt during their birthday month.

• Senior citizens discounts every Wednesday.

Off-site events included: Neptune Festival, Hampton Bay Days, K9 Carnival, VBSPCA sponsored Regional Adoption

Event at Priority Automotive Supercenter, Hunt Club Farms Adoption Event, Tractor Supply Adoption Events,

PetSmart Adoption Events, Pet Expo, Virginia Beach Library Birthday Bash, Mega Match a thon sponsored by VBSPCA,

Equikids Charity Run

How can you help? • Join our Volunteer Team

• Become a Youth Mentor

• Become a Foster Parent

• Team up with a reputable rescue organization and work with ACAC to transfer animals

• Spread the good word about our mission, goals, and good work

• Advocate in the community the benefits of adopting from a shelter

• Share positive adoption and reclaim stories on social media outlets about ACAC

• Learn about our programs and initiatives and jump aboard and to assist

• Attend Animal Control Advisory Board meetings

• Are you already an employee and you want to help in a way other than your typical job duties?

Take the time to learn our protocols; then use spare time to socialize with an animal, ask shelter

employees what they could use help with in the moment, interact as an advocate on Facebook and

You tube for ACAC and the entire Animal Control Unit, and find matches between lost animals

posted on Craig's List and Virginia Lost and Found with those in the shelter.

• Are you part of or know of a civic organization that is looking to do a special project? – We are a

dynamic and ever-evolving shelter and there is always work to be done! We pride ourselves on

welcoming diverse groups and individuals and believe that there is something valuable for persons

of all abilities to offer in our shelter environment and we strive to create opportunities for

everyone.

ACAC Future • Continue our strive toward maximum live release

for all species. It is our goal to see a statistical

improvement each successive year

• Continue to improve and enhanced customer

service

• Increase educational opportunities to the public

• Continue to improve marketing of animals in foster,

increase use of foster parents and decrease time

between foster and final placement

• Increase foster parents to 200+ active parents

• Increase land use behind shelter as a community

resource and enhanced shelter awareness

• Continue to request increased staffing

• Job reassessment of some existing job descriptions

• Repair of some flooring issues throughout kennel

• Installation of shade sails/canopies for shade coverage

in outdoor play areas

• Continue to expand routine training for staff and volunteers

• Purchase/replacement of beds that are elevated off floor in dog runs

• Installation of outdoor water source near dog run area

Animal Enforcement Team 2014 Statistics

Bite Reports/Animal Exposure

• Calls for service

• Exposure reports resulting from Calls for Service

Dog Bites Cat Bites Other Animal Bites

1071 338 121

Cat/ Cat

Cat/ Wildlife

Dog/Cat

Dog/Dog

Dog/ Wildlife

Wildlife/Human

Cat/ Human

Dog/ Human

Other Animal/Human

3 6 19 167 64 36 335 885 12

Humane Animal Traps

• Effective July 1, 2013 a new trapping policy was implemented:

o Animal Control Officers respond to pick up no more than 6 healthy

wildlife animals from an address. Once a resident reaches 6 healthy

trapped wildlife animals, they are referred to exercise other options for

dealing with wildlife. Animal Control Officers continue to respond to all

sick and/or injured wildlife calls for service

o Since the implementation of the policy, trapping calls for service are as

follows:

2014

939 live animals in traps 1074 empty traps

Enforcement Team Actions

• Summonses (written and magistrate)

Total

1,338

Animal cruelty or inadequate care (3.2-6503 or 3.2-6570)

77

Action Agreements 26

7 cases resulted in defendants rights to own animals being restricted

• Dangerous Dog Charges obtained for Dangerous

Dog hearings

31

Active Dangerous Dogs in the City as of 12-31-14

20

• Animals impounded/picked-up by Animal Control Officers 10,287

• Animal Cruelty Calls for Service 1,945

vb animal care & adoption center & vb animal ......background in december 2011 the animal...

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