If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you already know I have some strong opinions about where animal sheltering is headed.

I don’t think pretending everything is fine is helping anybody.

Shelters are full. Rescues are overwhelmed. Communities are struggling to find help when they need it. Spay and neuter access has become harder in many places. Dogs are staying in shelters longer. Staff are burning out. And somewhere along the way, we started measuring success by a number instead of asking whether the system is actually working for animals and the communities we serve.

So this Sunday, September 20 at 7:00 PM ET, I’ll be joining Lisa Milot, Director of Vermont’s Division of Animal Welfare, for a live Zoom conversation hosted by Cara Achterberg of Who Will Let the Dogs Out.​

We’re talking about Responsible Sheltering for a Humane Community, including some of the issues we desperately need to be willing to discuss:

• Open intake and what happens when shelters stop being the community safety net
• The pressure surrounding “no-kill” numbers
• Overcrowding and long shelter stays
• Behavioral safety and responsible adoption decisions
• Spay/neuter access
• What shelters actually owe the communities they serve
• And what we should be measuring if we really want to know whether we’re succeeding

This is not going to be another conversation where everyone politely agrees that we should “save more animals” and then goes home.

We need better systems. Better expectations. Better accountability. And frankly, some uncomfortable conversations.

I’d love to have you there.

Sunday, September 20​
​7:00 PM ET​
​Live on Zoom

Bring your questions. This is exactly the kind of conversation The Shelter Shift was created for.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Roxanne

​​​