Press Release

ASPCA Selects Sacramento, Calif. and Shelby County, Ala. to “Join ASPCA^® Mission: Orange^™” in 2009

March 4, 2009

ASPCA Media Contact

NEW YORK—Two years after it launched ASPCA^® Mission: Orange^™, the ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) has selected two more communities, Sacramento, Calif. and Shelby County, Ala., as finalists to join the growth phase of its national campaign to provide positive outcomes for at-risk pets by curbing the needless euthanasia of healthy and adoptable animals. As a natural extension of ASPCA Mission: Orange, this competition phase, called “Join ASPCA Mission: Orange,” is an effective way to disseminate the principles of the campaign in more communities across the country.

The two communities include partnering humane organizations: in Shelby County, they are the Shelby Humane Society and Shelby County Department of Environmental Services; and in Sacramento, they are the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Sacramento County Department of Animal Care & Regulation, City of Sacramento Animal Care Services, and Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary.
 
“These selections, respectively, represent a level of commitment and integrity that serves as a model for other organizations,” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “These communities have demonstrated that they are more than ready for the challenges that lie ahead and to make a difference in the lives of companion animals.”

For the next year, the public and private partner agencies in these communities will work with experts from the ASPCA to develop and implement programs specifically designed to increase the live release rates* in their communities.  At the end of the year, one of these three communities will have the opportunity to apply to become a full-fledged ASPCA Mission: Orange target community.

In selecting which communities would participate in “Join ASPCA Mission: Orange,” a key consideration was that between two and five agencies in each community work together, including the major private and public organizations that together shelter 80 percent or more of that community’s homeless animals.  Each of the applicants went through a rigorous, competitive selection process involving interviews, submission of extensive supporting documents and a written application.

“While the geography and demographics of the selected communities vary widely, they all have several things in common: established working relationships among the participating agencies, high volume spay/neuter, and leaders with a real and demonstrated passion for making positive change,” said the ASPCA’s Julie Morris, Senior Vice President of Community Outreach. “The more we can replicate success in different communities, the faster we can provide a proven, sustainable approach to improving live release rates for all communities.”

In Shelby County, key strengths considered included the fact that the two groups already have a working collaboration, and share their data to identify areas of focus. They also have solid relationships with the local government, and their Live Release Rate has been improving over the last few years.  In Sacramento, the partners have a positive reputation for collaborating through the Sacramento Area Animal Coalition, and high-volume spay and neuter activities are already in place. However, their Live Release Rate has leveled off at 40 percent for the past few years despite the coalition’s efforts, so the ASPCA will provide the needed assistance to help these partners improve their Live Release Rate
Participating communities and partner agencies have one month to collect and record detailed animal population data using the ASPCA Mission: Orange “dashboard” in order to form a detailed snapshot of the baseline year. From this data, ASPCA statisticians and professionals will determine which animal populations are most at risk in each community and why.  Participants will then travel to the Richmond SPCA, a designated learning laboratory, for a two-day retreat during which ASPCA and Richmond SPCA experts will help zero in on specific problems and identify policies, practices and program changes targeted toward solving issues affecting homeless animals. Participants will return to their communities to begin the implementation process, reporting their data on a monthly basis. They will track their progress against their baseline year data, consulting regularly with ASPCA and Richmond SPCA experts including shelter veterinarians, animal behaviorists, fundraising, and other seasoned animal welfare professionals.

The goal, according to the ASPCA’s Todd Cramer, who directs this most recent effort, is to teach communities how to use their data most effectively to target limited resources toward the most significant impact on saving lives. “As we build capacity in the field for this kind of data collection and analysis for targeted programming, we will unlock the key for all communities to save more lives,” said Cramer.

ASPCA Mission: Orange was originally launched in 2007. The hallmark of the campaign, which is taking place in Austin, Tex., Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss., Spokane, Wash., Tampa, Fla. and Charleston, S.C., is collaboration with leading animal welfare agencies and organizations to work toward a live release rate at or above 75 percent for unwanted pets entering shelters. The ASPCA has made a three-year commitment to each of these communities and is investing in capacity-building and education in each community; increases in adoptions and spay/neuter efforts have played a key role in the successes seen thus far. The ASPCA is also implementing ASPCA Mission: Orange principles in New York City, where it is a founding member of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals.

*Live Release Rate: The number of animals that exit the shelter system alive, either by adoption, transfer to another agency for adoption, or return to owner.

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