From Los Angeles to Washington DC, and El Paso to Atlanta, these large US cities are serving as models, embracing key strategies for making positive, immediate change. The work of the coalition team focuses on keeping animals in their homes and communities, building foster-centric animal services agencies, and empowering animal lovers to find solutions for common human-animal challenges.
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Learn MoreAnimal welfare leaders envision a new world of animal services, where most pets are housed in homes and communities, not in the shelter. In this reimagined system, the role of animal services is to keep pets with their families, get pets home quickly, and help pet owners who are struggling to meet their pets’ needs.
The organization operates a comprehensive lost pet reunification service to successfully get most roaming pets home without them having to enter the shelter system.
Pet owners can access pet support services, including housing, medical and behavioral support, as well as food and supplies, to help keep the human-animal family together.
Pet owners who can no longer keep their pets are given the tools to safely and quickly rehome their own pets with ongoing support from shelter staff or volunteers.
Pets physically entering the shelter have outcome pathways identified before or at the time of intake, so in-shelter length of stay is drastically reduced.
The core functions of the physical shelter are to provide emergency medical care and short term housing for pets with urgent needs and to ensure public safety and public health priorities are met.
Animal control and field services protect public health and safety, enforce animal cruelty and neglect laws, and aim to address the root causes of animal problems. They provide support, education, access to care and providing resources to the community.
Telehealth services are available for pet owners considering surrender, foster caregivers and finders of pets who may be sick or injured. Customers can reach the organization quickly and easily using remote technologies like text, phone and web chats.
The majority of pets who enter the shelter system are placed in foster homes within hours or days of arrival and foster pets are adopted directly from their foster homes.
Animal services personnel serve as trained case managers, helping people keep their pets; providing resources and support to struggling pet owners; and assisting owners who need to rehome their pets, and helping people find missing or lost pets.
Volunteers are engaged in every area of operations and play a key role in implementation of HASS programs.
Human social services agencies, veterinary practices, rescue groups and other community partners work closely with the animal services organization, treating people and animals as a family unit.
Ensure government services and animal shelters are prepared to assist the public with the inevitable effects of COVID-19 and other crises.
The industry undergoes a professionalization and IT modernization process to better meet the needs of people and animals in distress.
Elected officials and government bodies understand the need and place value on the services that the Human Animal Support Services provides, or should provide, through policy and budgeting processes.
There is a systemic approach to increased, sustainable equity, diversity and inclusion within the animal welfare field.
Data and research is used to inform practices, change laws, and help people.
These shelters have applied and been selected as the first round of shelters to take part in this prototype program to reshape the future of animal sheltering. The HASS Coalition, led by American Pets Alive! (AmPA!), includes thirteen tier one pilot shelters from across the United States and more than 20 tier two pilot shelters who will implement programs based on lessons learned from the tier one animal services organizations.
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