Get Started
You've decided to advocate for changes at your local shelter, but where do you start? Here are several books that can help you with things you may not have even known you need to know.
Reform Your Animal Shelter NOW! is described as 'a citizens' guide to forcing change at your local animal control shelter or pound. It's for animal rescuers, animal activists, and anyone else who is horrified by the conditions in some animal control shelters. If you love animals and are ready to take on the task, this book is for you.'
Includes chapters on your rights as an advocate, how to gather data, public meetings, organizing protests, and more.
Available for $5 on Amazon here.
Not Rocket Science - A Story of No Kill Animal Shelter Advocacy In Huntsville, Alabama is a case study telling the story of 'how a group of animal welfare advocates joined forces to speak with one voice to save the lives of healthy and treatable animals in the municipal animal shelter. This advocacy helped change the shelter from one which destroyed more than half of the animals entrusted to its care to a shelter which saves the lives of all healthy and treatable animals instead.'
Currently $5.49 on Amazon here.
The No Kill Companion: A Primer on Humane Animal Care & Services for Legislators, Policymakers, Shelter Managers, Media, Advocates, and Other Stakeholders is a reference manual that 'covers the definition of No Kill, its history, opposition, challenges, controversies, and threats to No Kill success, the state of the movement, costs and benefits of No Kill animal services, model legislation, shelter assessment tools, a glossary, and a primer on various sheltering issues, including temperament testing, community cats, and more.'
Currently $15.99 on Amazon here.
Get Political For Animals and win the laws they need is a step-by-step manual on 'Why and how to launch a voting bloc for animals in your town, city, county or state - and the simple steps it takes to do it'. One testimonial from a former Connecticut State Representative states "A complete activist's primer. This superb book should be studied by every advocate and organization that wants to impact laws and public policies to help animals."
Download for free here. (Note: The manual is 265 pages so you may want to consider having it printed at a copy store)
Data & Tools
You don't need a lot to get your advocacy group started, most just begin with a Facebook page. But there are plenty of things out there that can help make your work easier, your organizing better, and save your group time. Here are some that have been used by other advocates:
Communications/Storage
Google gives you a host of tools under one free umbrella. Set up an account for your email, spreadsheets, documents, cloud storage and more plus you can either assign one point person to handle the account or share access through passwords. Microsoft offers free email accounts through Outlook as well as free access to Word, Excel and Powerpoint here.
Database
If you plan on collecting and tracking ongoing data such as shelter intakes and outcomes, a database can help tremendously. Airtable is simple to use and has a free plan, Excel is another option to try.
Email Tracker
Records and sends you notification when your email recipient opens your email (and how often it's been opened). Try Snovio or Mailtracker (both are for Gmail and free) or just search for 'email tracker' to find others.
Video Tools
Capture, record and share screenshots and video (including computer audio, your voice, and webcam) from your desktop using ScreenRec which has a free plan, search for 'screen recorder' for more options. This works great for when you want to make and share short clips of videos of public comment at meetings or screenshots of website pages.
For quickly and easily making and editing videos, CapCut is a popular free option that includes lots of features.
Anonymization (facial blur) software is useful when there are concerns about potentially revealing identities of individuals in videos. Gallio is extremely easy to use and has a free plan. Blur.me is another option with a free plan.
Open Records
Resources to help guide you in obtaining information through open records requests:
The National Freedom of Information Coalition has a comprehensive site devoted to 'Protecting Your Right To Open Government' with links to individual state organizations. It also lists open records laws by state and offers sample request letters.
Muckrock is a nonprofit that 'brings together journalists, researchers and the public to request, analyze and share government information, making politics more transparent and democracy more informed.' There is guidance on the records request process and you have the opportunity to file requests directly through the site if you wish (this is especially helpful if certain requirements like state residency are in place).
Standards
Here are some sources for best practices and nationally recognized standards that will be updated regularly:
The No Kill Advocacy Center founded by Nathan Winograd 'provides the background, step-by-step guides, and legislation needed to make your community No Kill'. Also gives you access to protocols and model legislation. You can follow the Facebook page here.
The Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters from the Association of Shelter Veterinarians is nationally recognized as 'a set of common standards for the care and welfare of companion animals in shelters based on scientific evidence and expert consensus'. This 84-page manual was recently revised in 12/22 and is indispensable to have for study and reference. The goals of this publication are described below and notably include shelter improvement:
• Guidance that helps animal welfare organizations reduce overcrowding, stress, disease, and improve safety
• A tool for animal welfare organizations and communities to assess and improve their shelters
• References for creating regulations and statutes around sheltering, and benchmarks for organizational change
• Guidance for animal housing in existing facilities and priorities for the design of new construction
• A living document that responds to developments in shelter medicine and animal care research and practice
The National Animal Care and Control Association provides position statements and guidelines on such subjects as: training and safety, animal disposition (adoption, euthanasia, cruelty, etc.), and code of conduct. Continuing education and certifications are additional resources available.
The University of Florida Shelter Medicine Program provides a range of material from sample disease prevention and response protocols (vaccines, parasite control, mange, respiratory infections, parvo, ringworm and more) to a shelter consultation program that examines shelter operations through the framework of the ASV Guidelines above. Consultations range in scope and intensity - a 'Focused Shelter Consultation' is free of charge.
The American Veterinary Medicine Association site gives access to policies on subjects ranging from animal welfare to legislative/regulatory issues as well as resources on animal diseases and nutrition/diet.
Follow
Staying informed and keeping current on trends, issues, and best practices is important. Following groups and organizations that are finding new and creative ways to make progress as well as those that influence shelter policy is something that can help inform your plans, strategy and actions.
Animal Politics is the free Substack account of Ed Boks where people can 'share and discuss proven no-kill strategies for animal shelters and communities; and explore the intersection of animals and politics, covering topics such as animal welfare legislation, advocacy, and the political landscape surrounding animal issues'. Articles are comprehensive and relevant covering topics like transparency in rescue, the pet overpopulation crisis, case studies and book reviews.
%20Facebook.png)
Bailing Out Benji works 'to put an end to puppy mills through research, education and advocacy'. The site contains commercial breeder and pet store laws by state, the world's largest puppy mill database, and a comprehensive list of USDA violations by dog and cat breeders/brokers by quarter since 2022. You can follow the Facebook page here.
Best Friends is influential in shaping policy and trends, and being aware of the impact those policies and trends have on shelter reform is important. The site provides position statements on subjects including cat declawing, aggressive animals, and rescue access to shelters, and links to advocacy efforts by state as well as a database to review data reported by shelters searchable by state.
Nathan Winograd, executive director of the No Kill Advocacy Center, can be followed on his free Substack account here.
%20Facebook.png)
Paws4Change is the website of Aubrie Kavanaugh, the author of 'Not Rocket Science' above. This comprehensive website covers topics related to sheltering such as puppy mills, breed bans, no kill, and spay/neuter. You can also follow Ms. Kavanaugh on her Paws4Change Facebook page here.
%20Fa.jpg)
Who Will Let The Dogs Out is a nonprofit whose mission is 'to raise awareness and resources for homeless dogs and the heroes who fight for them through storytelling, networking, and sharing resources'. A Resource Guide is available with topics on advocacy, community outreach/education, grants, shelter programs, volunteer programs, and more. You can follow the Facebook page here.