Friend, where do we go from here?

Director's Corner

Greetings,

First, CONGRATULATIONS! I could not be more excited about this year's grantees. You are doing tremendous work, and I can't wait to share your successes on behalf of senior dogs.

For those who are new to Grey Muzzle, Director's Corner is a monthly e-newsletter for our grantees that includes the latest information and research on best practices in animal welfare, professional development resources, stories about grantees' success, and much more. Most of all, I hope Director's Corner offers content that helps us grow as animal welfare professionals and embrace ways of doing business that best serve our communities.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have been prominent topics in the Director's Corner, including how DEI plays out in our adoption and fostering practices. In this month's edition, we explore changes the past year has brought and highlight adaptations we might consider keeping around.

As always, we'd love to hear from you! Please share your experiences on our Facebook page. The more we can learn from one another, the more senior dogs we will help.

Sincerely,

Lisa Lunghofer, PhD

Executive Director

Pandemic Positives

Covid-19 forced changes to the way we operate shelters and rescues. While these changes may have been scary or at least a little uncomfortable, many of them produced surprisingly positive outcomes. This article discusses six areas in which what we did to adapt in 2020 might serve us well as we move forward. For example, how can we get rid of practices that serve as roadblocks to adoption? (More on that below!) And what about getting our animals out of shelters and into homes by changing the way we approach fostering? Sometimes adversity is the best teacher...

"You Asked the Potential Adopter What?"

Sue Cosby, senior director of Lifesaving Centers at Best Friends Animal Society, talks candidly about adoption protocols that are in serious need of a makeover. In this essay, she explains how her approach to adoptions has evolved and why embracing new ways of doing business is so important to the animals in our care. She writes, "Our mantra in this field is that we want people to save lives by adopting, not shopping, and we want all adopted animals to be in loving homes. So why do so many of us still make the adoption process about as much fun as doing your taxes or going in for a root canal?" It's a fair question.

Revisiting Adopters Welcome

Introduced more than five years ago by The Humane Society of the United States, Adopters Welcome is an approach that emphasize support for prospective adopters instead of reliance on lengthy applications designed to screen people out rather than in. There is renewed interest in the approach as animal welfare professionals and volunteers consider how we can make the field more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Open adoption policies not only save lives but also make companion animals accessible to people regardless of their race, income, age, or other factors that don’t affect how much they love their pet.

Grantee Publicity Checklist!

The Grey Muzzle Grant Recipient logo should be on your website.

Give us a social media shout-out announcing your grant award by July 31.

Work to get press coverage of your grant award by August 31.

Check out the great coverage Austin Humane Society has already received!

Have questions or need help with this?

Email Amanda

Join the Grey Muzzle Grantee Facebook Group!

Please request to join the group. You will have to answer a question so that we can verify who you are and which grantee you're with.

We're brainstorming ways to make this a more active forum and welcome your ideas. We want you to feel comfortable and empowered to use this group to connect with fellow grantees, share ideas, problem-solve, and brag about all that you're doing.

Join now!

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