From the E.D.'s Desk
From the E.D.'s Desk
Edmonton Humane Society Executive Director
Stephanie McDonald
Welcome to our "From the E.D.'s Desk" portion of our website. This is an exciting feature to take you into the "heart of the shelter". There are so many wonderful moments in our Edmonton Humane Society world that few people know about. For example, the "above and beyond" actions taken by our staff members and the general public which go a long way to save animals' lives.
My intention with this section is to share some thoughtful moments that I come across every day as I stroll through our shelter, and as I have contact with colleagues in the companion animal care world. I hope that my regular postings provide you with exciting "dinner talk" to share with your loved ones, and that my entries touch your heart.
Enjoy!
Stephanie McDonald
Edmonton Humane Society Executive Director
Posting #6, May 28, 2010
Why we have launched our attention getting "Certified Pre-owned Cats" campaign
A couple of weeks ago while out of town on a conference I received an urgent call from Dr. Lange our Director of Veterinary Services. She told me that our adult cats were completely gridlocked. Hardly any adoptions over a few weeks, coupled with many admissions of beautiful cats, meant that cats were being held back because there simply wasn’t room for them on the adoption floor. She used the term urgent and crisis in the same sentence. In my 10 years of working very closely with Dr. Lange, never have I heard her make this appeal to me that I had to do something to find homes for our wonderful adult cats right away.
The cat crisis situation has been deeply concerning for most animal shelters in North America; many are trying several marketing strategies to place their adult cats into the homes they deserve. Last year I heard about the “Certified Pre-Owned Cat” marketing plan. I have to admit that when I first heard about it I did not feel that this campaign would be very well received in our area. I asked myself questions such as: “Does this increase cats’ value?”, or “Can the shelter afford to lose the money?”, and “Who will come in and to adopt free cats?”- If they cannot afford the adoption price, how can we expect them to be able to afford the medical and food that a cat needs?
I attended a workshop at the conference where this marketing strategy was discussed and some analysis of the results were provided including science based study showing that this campaign appeals to all levels of income, people just want a deal. What really ended up prompting me to explore if this campaign might help us during the crisis situation in our shelter was hearing that our beloved shelter was in fact 4th choice on the list of where people get their new family pet from. “Free to a good home” is listed in the classifieds, Kijiji, your next door neighbor and family members who had an oops litter, even flea markets give them away. So how do we compete? Yes, when you get them from our shelter you receive various services with your new cat, such as spay/neuter, vaccines and even your first veterinarian visit. What a great deal we offer. However, somehow in our community and many others, cats are viewed as disposable and replaceable. We can speculate as to the reasons why, - is it because there always so many available? Is it due to irresponsible breeding? Is it because of the social stigma that they are independent and really are not interested in people?
Each day I get the great privilege to meet a fabulous feline that is looking for a new family and I marvel at the beauty of these creatures and the really unique personalities that they have. Some can hardly wait for a volunteer to come in for the human touch; in fact you can see it in the photo of one of our volunteers enjoying a loving moment in our cat chalet.
Will this campaign get the public attention, will we save more lives, will more of our cats find life-long homes? Well it has in more positive ways that we could have imagined, it has generated community discussion and people are talking. Just as some of us wait for the great boxing day sales, even if we can afford a TV we still for some silly, goofy reason stand in freezing temperatures for hours before the store opens with other silly people hoping to storm the store to get that great deal. This plan is simply a creative way to get your attention. We partnered with Lexus of Edmonton, which is perfect for this campaign, a luxury car to showcase our luxury cats, how wonderful is that? For some people in the community this has rubbed them the wrong way as they think we have devalued our cats, where in fact comparing them to a luxury car is brilliant. Many people don’t look at their cars as disposable, in fact just the opposite they are treasured, looked after and some even name their cars. Cars are not disposable property and neither are our cats.
We want the very best for our cats and want to be able to continue to offer care to the many other cats that also need us. When we have no room here, we cannot help out. If the community is talking about this then we are making strides to get our cats noticed.
Our cats deserve a family and a home, rather than sitting here day after day waiting. Let us make EHS the first stop rather than the 4th choice. Our shelter is wonderful but it is not meant to be a sanctuary it is simply a temporary home.
Warmest Regards,
Stephanie
This past weekend I was shopping in a local mall and noticed a group of people enjoying a litter of sweet puppies playing in the window of the pet store. The puppies’ antics were infectious, and even though I found myself smiling at them, I had to question why they were even there. It seemed unreal to me that these puppies were so highly desirable given that on the very same day, our shelter was hosting puppies from other communities that had lived in their local shelter for more than 4 months, because no one wanted those puppies.
A significant part of the pet industry is the shelters and rescue groups that simply try to do the right thing and find homes for those who have none. This is what The Edmonton Humane Society does every day. And when we find ourselves in a position where we can lend a helping hand to agencies that are in desperate situations, we do. And so we launched our Animal Transfer Programs.
These transfer programs have gained international attention. We have worked hard to spread the word that many of the adorable designer dogs found in pet stores, on-line ads or notices in the newspaper have been bred in puppy mills. We know that this message has reached many of you.
How do I know that this program is succeeding in its main goal to put a dent in the puppy mill and puppy broker industry? Because I have had some calls from local "so called" breeders, suggesting that we are hurting their business.
Reputable breeders who truly care about their animals, genetics, and the people they provide animals to, do not care about making a profit.
The success of our program and others like it, have changed how the brokers and the mills are operating in pursuit of what is called "my right to business". As we build awareness, their marketing strategies get more creative. Say, for example, you think you have found a new “rescue group” online. They have a very large variety of designer breed dogs and puppies. Do you ask yourself and them, where those puppies came from? Why did they need “rescuing” in the first place? Do they ask you about your lifestyle and what kind of companion you’re looking for, or are they simply interested in making the sale?
Ultimately, I know that the actions that we are taking are impacting the darker side of the pet industry. We will continue to work hard to build awareness using innovative methods like our transfer programs as long as our community continues to choose the Edmonton Humane Society when they are looking for that perfect puppy to complete their family.
Warmest regards,
Stephanie
What does “humane” mean to you? What is it that you expect from a “humane society”?
We are finding that with our new building, the Edmonton Humane Society has been placed into a position of success and leadership with respect to animal care. And with this success comes increased expectations.
For the most part, we have met and exceeded the expectations; we have elevated the level of care that we are providing to unwanted animals to new heights. We have been able to draw more attention to the plight of homeless animals and the serious problem of the pet population explosion in our community and beyond. We have expanded our education programs and are shaping young minds and increasing the communities’ awareness of the essential services that we provide.
Despite this, we are consistently faced with disappointed individuals because we did not meet their expectations of what a “humane society” should be doing.
Take the phone call I recently took from a lady who adopted a dog from us many months ago and wanted us to help her pay her vet bills. She really felt that as a “humane society” we should help her…
Take the call from a man who has a dozen dogs that he can no longer care for and asked us for money to help him. He did not want to release the dogs into our care. He simply felt that as a “humane society” we were obligated to help him…
And then, take a call from a veterinary clinic about a client of theirs who could not pay for their cat’s fractured leg. They felt it was the shelter’s responsibility to fix all broken animals that live in the city and that surely as a “humane society” we must ensure that no animal suffers…
It seems that to some people the “humane society” is expected to be “all things to all people and animals at all times”! How can any “humane society” accomplish this? It is simply not possible or reasonable!
The word “humane” has many different meanings and contexts. What “humane” really means to us at the shelter is opening up our hearts and doors to help those creatures that can’t speak for themselves – the 11,000 homeless or abused animals that come into our care every year.
To us, “humane” is when staff members go the extra mile to try and modify a dog’s behavior problem that is preventing it from being adopted. To have that dog live in their home for months and months and face giving her up to go live with someone else.
To us, “humane” is when a new Animal Health Technologist offers to take home 2 extremely ill puppies from a litter of 13 that were abandoned and brought to us. She did this, only to spend the entire night with her husband trying to keep them both alive, never imagining that her CPR skills would be essential just to help the sick pups get through the night.
To us, “humane” is when our surgeons spend 4 hours tirelessly working on a mixed breed shepherd to try and save her leg after it had been severely injured following an unknown accident.
Each and every day, we strive to fulfill our mission statement of sheltering and speaking for homeless and abused companion animals. That is what a “humane society” does.
And so I end as I began, with two simple questions…
What does “humane” mean to you? What is it that you expect from a “humane society”?
Warmest Regards,
Stephanie
Humbled by the amazing generosity of others toward our shelter animals...
We recently had a special afternoon at our shelter to thank a few of our supporters at an appreciation event. It included a simple program and it was such a wonderful time for me to meet many of the folks that believe in us. I am humbled by the generosity of our supporters and I sometimes think about the motivation behind why the Edmonton Humane Society is the recipient of their gifts. In many cases, the obvious is the love of animals, but as I reflect on this more I think it is far deeper. Could it also be social enterprise and how much we want to change our community?
I’m often asked the same question over and over – “How do you do it?” Well ... how do we not do it? We have to do all that we can and tap into each one of our resources to save lives. This could not be possible without the support from the community. I just want to thank each and every one of you reading this that supports the EHS. You make the world of difference to the animals in our shelter community. I want to thank you for the faith, trust, and belief that you have in us; to steward your support in the best way for the animals, and ultimately save lives.
If it wasn't for supporters like you, animal shelters all over North America would not be able to complete families. In the end, that’s what we hope for each of the remarkable animals that come through our doors. We hope to create the unbelievable bond between human and animal. I leave you with a fantastic example of this bond. Enjoy this emotional video of a beloved family pet welcoming home her "master" when he returns from overseas fighting for his country.
(click here 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysKAVyXi0J4)
Warmest Regards,
Stephanie
Those who know me well truly understand my passion for the animals in our care; which is usually about 600 or so at one time. I get so focused on those animals and my “EHS world” that sometimes when I am in a different culture, I get a reality check. That is exactly what happened during my October holiday trip to Cancun, Mexico.
I came to that country with the expectation of seeing homeless dogs living on every street corner. I did see quite a few wandering the streets in small towns, but not nearly as many as I thought I would. I was preparing myself to see thousands of feral cats and companion dogs without homes. What I didn’t prepare myself for was seeing iguanas everywhere in cities and towns, part of the community, away from their natural habitat. They are like our stray dogs in Canadian cities and towns, wandering everywhere any time of the day or night!
Also shocking to me was how often animals seem to be exploited for entertainment, specifically dolphins. In the resort area where I was staying, there were at least ten different places you could go swim with the dolphins. Most of them were confined to tiny pens with no option of a good swim. In my mind, seeing these dolphins forced to interact with tourists multiple times a day in their tiny pens parallels the puppy mill situation plaguing North America. As we’ve stated many times, dogs in puppy mills are kept in deplorable conditions and confined for most of their lives to a tiny space (like a 2 foot by 2 foot cage), all for a person’s financial gain.
I witnessed more exploitation while visiting a local Mexican zoo. There, I saw about 13 older monkeys in a clearing and each one was tied to a totem pole; essentially on a tether, only able to go up and down the pole. My heart sank. I asked where they came from and was told that the government brought them to the zoo after seizing them from the illegal animal trade. I wondered whether these monkeys could be the same ones that were recently offered to a nearby monkey sanctuary that I had just visited. The sanctuary unfortunately had to turn them away because they didn’t have the resources to care for anymore. They already had 17 in their care, and were spending about $5,000 each month just to feed them. I really hoped that the zoo was not capitalizing on those monkeys that the sanctuary could not take in; using their cuteness for entertainment value.
The next place I went to was a pristine beach where people were not allowed to visit, except for members of the local community who were desperately trying to save a threatened turtle species. It was baby turtle season and this group was gathering each freshly hatched baby and protecting it for about two weeks until its shell hardened. Once the babies were ready, tourists were being encouraged to help release them into the wild during the night to avoid natural predators. I felt that group was doing fantastic work to make a difference, and that it was great that tourists were allowed to help them. What a fabulous experience that would be!
To me, that turtle beach and the monkey sanctuary were wonderful alternatives for myself and my partner, Al, to experience Mexico’s animal kingdom without adding to exploitation. It was peace of mind to me.
I share all this with you, in hopes that you may do some thorough research before YOUR next trip abroad if you are considering adding animals to your entertainment. Hopefully you may rethink a dolphin experience, for example. Or if you really need to go, maybe at the very least find out where the dolphins that you want to swim with came from. Were they taken from the wild to entertain you, or were they saved and nursed from a serious injury and not able to survive if sent back to the ocean? What conditions to they live in when they are not performing, and how often do they perform?
I think it’s no different than what a person should do when they want a purebred dog; do extensive research on that animal. A person really should learn all they can about that dog’s history and the conditions it and its parents have been living in. Wouldn’t it be horrible to learn after the fact, that you purchased a dog linked to a puppy mill? It would be the same awful feeling to return from a wonderful holiday to learn that upon further education, you helped exploit the animals you paid money to be close to.
My reality check after returning from my Mexico trip was that there are so many similarities across the miles in this world. It is a shame that not enough people are aware of the exploitation of animals for financial gain, and not aware of so many wonderful alternatives out there for us to utilize in order for us to share our hearts with animals.
Warmest regards,
Stephanie
Posting #1, October 7, 2009:
Giving thanks to everyone contributing to our life saving "California Canine Cuties Animal Transfer Program", as we lauch the 3rd Phase:
As we head into the Thanksgiving weekend, I'd like to give thanks to a special group of people who have been going "above and beyond" for months with one of our major life-saving initiatives.
You may have heard about our California Canine Cuties Animal Transfer Program. We had two very successful phases after first launching the program back in November of 2008. So far, we have brought up and found "forever homes" here for more than 80 adorable small-breed dogs from central California. These wonderful pets were about to be euthanized at a Fresno animal shelter because of a tragic overpopulation problem down there.
Not only are those lives saved, but when the dogs come available up here at our shelter, there is so much excitement from the public that we get new visitors. Those visitors often come to see one of the California dogs, but end up taking an "Alberta native" pet home instead. It's truly wonderful to see our overall adoption numbers spike when we bring in a group from down south.
We regularly run animal transfer programs with other shelters and rescue groups. However, this one in particular has an additional goal; to help us put a dent in the puppy mill industry. The extremely popular small-breed dogs that we rescue (Chihuahuas, Yorkies, etc.) are often sold in local pet stores or in on-line ads, sometimes provided by puppy brokers working on behalf of puppy mills. We want to be the first stop for anyone looking for one of these dogs, in the hopes that fewer people will take the other route.
So with the success of the program so far, we launch the third phase tomorrow (October 8). Thanks to generous EHS supporter, Jan Folk of "The Orange Dog", a jet is being arranged to flying up more than 80 more! This time, the dogs are coming already spayed and neutered. So they will be available for adoption much earlier than during the first two phases. We expect that the first group will already be up for adoption starting on Saturday, during the Thanksgiving weekend. We will have about 10 or so available each day for about a week, to give you ample time to adopt one if you are interested.
This would not be possible without the unbelievable dedication going on down in California to get these dogs here. Volunteers have spent endless hours preparing for this - from arranging for the spay/neuter operations; to vets volunteering to give immunizations and examine each dog; to fostering each pet and caring for them until they make the trip; to driving the dogs 8 hours from Fresno to Los Angeles for the flight up to Edmonton. The "above and beyond" actions are amazing! (click here to read more about C.C.C. phase three)
I can't thank everyone involved down in California enough! I also give thanks to the hundreds of people here in our region who have been supporting this wonderful initiative. We are so thankful to people who have either adopted one of these cuties, thankful to others who have been waiting patiently for the next group to get here if they missed out on adopting one so far, and thankful to everyone who has been donating to our Animal Transfer Fund. The generosity is overwhelming and greatly appreciated!
I also give thanks to you for taking the time to care enough to read about this. I hope this brings you valuable insight, and a feeling of warmth - knowing how lives are saved not only here, but in animal shelters everywhere, every day.
Regards, and happy Thanksgiving to you all,
Stephanie
A little information to share with you about Stephanie ....
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
Edmonton Humane Society Board Member
BIO Stephanie McDonald has been the Edmonton Humane Society's Executive Director since December of 2001, following a term as an EHS Board Member. Along with launching an extremely successful Capital Campaign for the construction of a new, innovative EHS animal shelter which opened in May, 2009 in northwest Edmonton; Ms. McDonald is also credited with a multitude of shelter operational improvements focusing on improved animal care, customer service, and employee satisfaction. Companino animal advisory council
Stephanie is known for thinking "out of the box" and for going "above and beyond." She led a team of 10 staff members that provided support to American organizations working on Hurricane Katrina recovery and rescue operations in Louisiana in September 2005. The team was honored to receive a special recognition award for this initiative from the City of Edmonton, as well as the Animal Kingdom Kindred Spirit Award from The Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF), and recognition from the Humane Society of United States (HSUS) for dedication and support.
Here are some of her other accomplishments:
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