A Win-Win Approach to Animal Control

Mitch SchneiderDirectorWashoe County Regional Animal Services

Synopsis written by M. McKenzie

Mitch Schneider loves his job. He said “Most people go their whole lives never making a difference, we get to it every day”. While he dislikes the term No Kill, he HATES the antiquated term dog catcher.Mitch use to be an ex dog trainer and found there was more behavioural issues with people! He loves dog training, but he found that people resist change. When the County was going through their transformation, he said it was a struggle to carry the non-believers kicking and screaming. He's quite a character.Pre No Kill, the Washoe County Regional Animal Services (WCRAS) had two full time staff that spent their day killing dogs and cats. They would have 15 barrels full of dogs and cats every day in the freezer, they would be emptied each day and the monotony would start again. He explained that killing was expensive. Paying for sanitation, pharmaceuticals, cleaning and maintenance on the freezer, dumping costs, and most importantly – staff burnout is expensive. “It is economically valuable for you move away from euthanasia.” Mitch said.In 2006, Nevada Humane Society, directed by Bonney Brown moved into the building. Mitch did not care for the term No Kill, he liked euthanasia. He did not believe it could work, at least not in Reno, maybe in a more affluent community as they have double the national average abandonment rate, extremely low-socio economics and lower than average unemployment rate.But, he did the maths and thought that we won't know if we don't try. He also pointed out that if it failed, it would not be because the government failed to do something or it was because he does not like the term No Kill, it was about his choice, and if it succeeded it would save tens of thousands in euthanasia costs.A hidden cost to killing was staff burnout. He told us how it was difficult for a human being to do the killing and it created a high turnover in staff. Each new staff member cost more money in HR and training. One staff member told him that she tried as long as she could to ward off the nightmares, but they always came. He believed that it was his duty to give his staff a better environment in which to work and it would make the animals pretty happy too.Mitch knew that he had to think outside the box and was constantly checking his traditional thinking and traditional responses. He knew if he was on the right path, as he just did the opposite! He started to look for ways that would help the outcome of NK. He knew that he had to think like a business person as this could save the tax payers lots of money.He developed the Return To Owner program, think 'virtual shelter'. This is about returning the pets in the field so they don't even enter the shelter system. It is also good business, good

PR and the right thing to do. He mentioned that state Nevada laws recognised the bond between owner and pet in legislation, and so should he.The Return To Owner program decreases costs, facility needs which could potentially save millions of dollars, shelter operating costs by using less staff, food, treatment, utilities and miscellaneous supplies. It decreased risk and associated costs, fewer animals were handled which equals fewer accidents. It decreased the abandonment rate which in turn decreased killing costs and staff burnout. If the animal did not enter the shelter it was not exposed to increased stress and illness that resulted in vet costs.It starts in the field. The Officers responsibility is to call ALL phone numbers, scan for micro chipping, check lost animal reports, check the area and door knock asking if anyone knew where the animal came from and leave a notice at any suspected residence with the Officers mobile number. Mitch also spoke about his controversial element that includes leaving it secure in the owners yard. He says its a common sense approach if you see that the dog has escaped from an open gate, return the dog, shut it and use some wire to secure the gate. So many Officers will take the dog to the shelter as soon as they touch it due to archaic protocols. The owner then has to leave work and at times travel far to collect the dog. At times he will leave it with a neighbour, friend or relative if appropriate. He always documents photo ID on the person he leaves the animal with.The Return To Owner program uses the computer program 'chameleon'. Out in the field, the Officer will take a photo of the animal, collect demographic and other information and post it onto WCRAS website and Pet Harbour (PH is similar to PetRescue, but lists all shelter animals available for adoption, as well as Lost & Found). It is All-In-ONE website that the citizens know where to look and many have it as their home page. Within 10 seconds, the animals image is on the net. The animal is placed in the Officers van and usually the owner calls the Officer before the end of their shift. The animal is never impounded.If the animal is taken to WCRAS, its micro chip is rescanned, the photo on the internet is checked, the animals ID and phone numbers are rechecked. They will hold the animal longer if there is a reason to think the owner might still be found. Mitch spoke about another protocol he created and implemented – providing a billing option for fees when appropriate. When the owner picks up the animal, they are charged $9 per day for boarding, as he believes the tax payer should not pay for impoundments.WCRAS has installed a monitor screen at the entry. Mitch said that many people have walked around the facility and missed their pet. It may be outside or going for a walk, and the owner would leave. Now the large TV monitor has all the photos on the screen, so the owner can view all the animals, identify their pet and its precise cage location – Fido, Cage 4, Aisle 2.The benefits of increased efficacy by using the Return To Owner program has increased their public relations. The citizens respond positively to this approach and are more likely to support WCRAS and its needs. It promotes greater support from elected Officials and they find it has increased their donation rate.The program has decreased negative media. Mitch showed us a newspaper article titled “Dog Owner Bites Dog Catcher”. It was about an Officer that had picked up a dog and was placing it in the van. The owner appeared and asked for the dog and the Officer would not let her have it as it was now the property of the County. She bit the officer. The RTO program is a common sense approach to pets. It focuses on the view that accidents happen, so pets are treated the way you would want your pet to be treated. Officers at WCRAS have had a massive increase in positive feedback, which is great for morale and staff retention. They are often spoken to and thanked on the street. Page 2

Like any good business, marketing is a team effort. Mitch encourages his staff to educate citizens to ID their pet, micro chip and/or license. They constantly PR their website and the RTO program benefits. He also spoke about the need for collaborations and partnerships with shelters, rescue groups, vet clinics and vet universities. He has embraced the TNR programs and says that the traditional approach of killing feral cats is ineffective and way too costly, its a war that you will never win.Holding the pet until full payment is received is bad business and bad PR as it creates the dog catcher mentality. Offer billing options to allow the person to take financial responsibility of their pet. More often, he finds that the money received is far greater than the cost of sheltering and killing the animal. And, it obviously creates an improved community support and appreciation.As a Director, Mitch struggled with people who would not change as WCRAS was transforming. “We've always done it this way” he said does not justify a thing. There was one staff member who would come in and say “Every time I come in, something has changed”. He found that the most resistance to change was created by laziness. He appealed to them that there must be a desire to be better today than yesterday.The success of WCRAS was due to not fearing change. Mitch said that “you can't solve the problem with the same thinking that created the problem” and “you won't get a different outcome if you continue to do the same thing”. He also spoke about how some people felt it was necessary to address every concern before the plan was implemented. Mitch said if he did it this way, he would still be planning for what ifs, just do it or you will never accomplish anything.Be transparent. Tell the community what you are doing, your accurate statistics and how you are spending their money. If they do not know that it is a broken system, how are they suppose to help you to fix it. You need community support to run an effective animal control service.Mitch left us with this - A German philosopher once said that all truths go through three phases; ridicule

violent opposition finally acceptance as the obvious

Mitch Schneider is an inspirational person. He is honest, hard working and most of all funny! His philosophies and protocols reflect a common sense approach and a life saving approach to dogs and cats. In the RTO program, 60% of dogs never enter the system and 70-95% of dogs that do, are reunited with their owner within 72 hours. Believing is achieving.

This article was written by Mia McKenzie who attended the 'Win-Win Approach To Animal Control' lead by Mitch Schneider at the third No Kill Conference, Washington DC, July 2011.

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