The business of saving animal lives
By Christie Keith
January 5, 2009
I’ve been doing some consulting for Maddie’s Fund — which I think is a bit like letting a crazy football fan be the waterboy for his favorite team. As part of Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation’s fifth annual “Business of Saving Lives” conference, I’ll be joining Maddie’s Fund president and no-kill pioneer Rich Avanzino for a plenary session called “Wags Work,” aimed at helping shelters develop customer service strategies to boost pet adoptions:
If hundreds of eager new adopters came knocking on your door tomorrow, would you be ready for them? Maddie’s Fund President Rich Avanzino and pet columnist Christie Keith have important news about an exciting national pet adoption campaign — but it won’t work without you. Find out how to take advantage of this opportunity and the important role customer service will play.
The conference is on Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15, in Walnut Creek, Calif. “Wags Work” will run from 2:30 – 4 PM on Saturday, and will be followed at 4 – 6 p.m. by a Maddies Fund Networking Reception featuring comedian Mark Pitta.
There’s more information here — I hope to see some of you at the session!
And by the way… the photo of Rich was taken by Pet Connection’s own Morgan Ong, and Gina took that photo of me one day on the front steps of my house… and it’s become a favorite of mine ever since.
Ha, I just sent a link to your article to “Whole Dog Jounal.” Perhaps you could send them an invitation.
They definitely need education after their “What’s Wrong With “No-Kill” Animal Shelters” in their latest issue:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/
Comment by ChrisRL — January 7, 2009 @ 10:47 am
I like and respect Pat Miller as a trainer, but she’s definitely “old school” when it comes to the “shelter” industry, in which both she and (currently) her husband have worked.
It’s a shame that someone who “got” positive dog-training techniques in a heartbeat doesn’t recognize that bashing “bad people” doesn’t work any better than bashing “bad dogs.” She doesn’t appear to get what the no-kill movement is about, and she doesn’t seem to understand that it’s about communities, not hoarders and closed-admission shelters.
S’OK. Change is hard, especially when it challenges long-held beliefs. But change is already here when it comes to “shelters” that kill for population control and blame “bad” pet-owners for the industry’s own lack of vision and leadership.
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“Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — January 7, 2009 @ 11:48 am