Shelter Experiment

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The recently rehired trainer convinced the DAWG Board President to change shelter operations. It is not clear exactly why the shelter ops were changed, but it was done without consulting any of the stakeholders or lead volunteers at the shelter that would be most affected by the changes. 

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His idea would be to have the dogs be calmer by having the shelter staff pull the dogs from the kennels. Each staff member would be trained to keep the other dogs quiet when pulling.  The lead volunteers didn't think this program would work due to the following:

1. Would slow down the process of walking dogs, reducing the number of walks below the very low levels currently being done.

2. Keeping the dogs quiet is a 2 person operation, one person pulling and one addressing the other dogs. Very hard for one person to do this. 

3. Having one staff member available to pull dogs at all times would cost more. Normally there are 2 staff members available for dog care. This program would require 3 staff members during volunteer hours. It is reported that DAWG fundraising has not been doing well recently. 

4. Volunteer hours reduced from 7-4:30 to 9-4. Less experienced vols assigned shorter hours. This further reduces dog walks.

5. Would cause significant congestion in the area where dogs are given and taken to/from volunteers with possible resulting bites and fights.

6. Would reduce yard time because instead of every dog being given yard time starting at 7am, only pee dogs would go to yards to reduce the barking occurring when dogs were being taken to yards.

7. Board not clear when program would start or other info. 

8. Board President could not provide any studies or documents evaluating the results of this program at other shelters to reassure the concerned people that this was not an idea being tried on the dogs without serious consideration of how they would be affected. 

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As it turned out, these concerns were validated by the performance of the program as it was rolled out. Significantly, the Board President sent out an email saying that the hours would be implemented on 5/31, but the staff started making the vols wait for the dogs on that day as well.  Waiting for the dogs reduced the number of dogs walked by a volunteer from 6 to 4.  This was reported to the Board President but no response was received. The 3rd staff member was not always available to pull dogs. Congestion was not an issue with 5 of the 9 lead vols in April stopping their dog walking volunteering because of the way they were treated. When the dogs were walked under this new program, volunteers reported that they seemed to be very amped up compared to how they were prior to the program. They wanted to run farther and faster than ever before because of the decrease in exercise they were receiving. 

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The program is continuing as of July 2017 with no assessment of its effectiveness provided by the trainer or the Board President.

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