COVID-19 Impact Across the Country

This Best Friends Town Hall focused on these topics:

• Veterinary updates from the CDC
• Updates on how COVID has impacted shelters and organizations across the country

The following panelists joined us to lend insight and expertise: 

• Dr. Erin Katribe – medical director, Best Friends Animal Society
• Denise Deisler – Chief Executive Director, Jacksonville Humane Society
• Shannon Wells – Executive Director, Lawrence Humane 
• Risa Weinstock – President & CEO, Animal Care Centers of NYC 
• Terri Rockhold – Executive Director, Fresno Humane Animal Services 
• Alexis Pugh – Director, Memphis Animal Services 
• Emily Klehm – Chief Executive Officer, South Suburban Humane 
• Ed Jamison – Director, Dallas Animal Services 

Click the timestamps below to skip to that portion of the town hall:

• CDC Update with Dr Erin Katribe- 1:51
• Intro to panel- 5:40
• Jacksonville Humane Society- 8:12
• Lawrence Humane Society- 16:27
• Animal Care Centers of NYC- 25:11
• Frenso Humane Animal Services- 36:24
• Memphis Animal Services- 42:41
• South Suburban Humane- 51:06
• Dallas Animal Services- 1:00:05
• What is the game plan for getting animals out of foster homes when this is all done- 1:07:00
• What are you doing to respond to push back around not taking in healthy animals and strays- 1:09:35
• How does the transfer of a pet from foster home to adoptive home take place in a virtual adoption- 1:13:34
• Can you elaborate on how you are using technology to limit public contact- 1:15:34

VIDEOS, WEBINARS, & PODCAST  

• Adoption without spay/neuter video: 10 Minutes With The Experts - Shelter Medicine 3-23-2020
• Ask the Expert - How are shelters handling home checks for fosters?
• Ask the Expert: Lifesaving without spay/neuter 
• American Pets Alive!- Redefining Animal Sheltering webinar
• Arizona Humane Society’s Virtual Adoption Matchmaker Program
• Best Friends continues lifesaving with food delivery
• Business Leadership Planning for Budget Cuts During COVID-19 
• COVID-19: Fundraising During a Crisis webinar 
• Lifesaving Proven Strategies for Animal Shelters online learning module
• Managing Intake 101 webinar 
• Profiles in Leadership Podcast Episode 08 - COVID-19 and Animal Shelters with Dr. Ellen Jefferson and Kristen Hassen
• Profiles in Leadership Podcast Episode 09 - Texas Animal Services Director Talks COVID-19 & Lifesaving
• Profiles in Leadership Podcast Episode 10 - Lifesaving measure in the City of Norfolk
• Profiles in Leadership Podcast Episode 11 - Dr. Erin Katribe on COVID-19 and the future
• Profiles in Leadership Podcast Episode 12 - Voices of Animal Services Leadership during COVID-19
• Radical RTO: A Conversation between Gina Knepp, National Shelter Engagement Director, Michelson Found Animals Foundation, and Tawny Hammond, National Director of Leadership Advancement, Best Friends Animal Society webinar 
• Year-end Social Fundraising online learning module

DOWNLOADABLE PDFs, PLAYBOOKS, & SOPs

• American Pets Alive! - Emergency Foster Protocol
• American Pets Alive! - Intake Diversion Protocol 
• American Pets Alive! - Open Fostering: Removing Barriers to Fostering During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Best Friends- Remote Volunteer Engagement Ideas
• Create or update your Amazon Wishlist with special or day-to-day items needed for the animals in your care or your staff. Check out this how-to article to get started. 
• Example: Creating an Online Orientation for Animal Foster Care Volunteers 
• Maddie's Fund - Marketing your foster pet
• Managed Intake or Admissions Training Playbook 

PARTNER EXAMPLES

• Animal Care Centers of NYC: Working from home? Foster or adopt! - Two unbranded videos available for shelters and rescue groups to use. Please be sure to click "play" first to show "Download" option.
  • Download 1x1 version (ideal for Instagram)
  • Download 16x9 version (ideal for Facebook, website)
• Cowley County Humane Society communicating closure and modified community services
• El Paso Animal Services- How to deliver an animal safely
• Fort Bend County Animal Services: Virtual Adoption Promotion and Shelter to Dog Delivery services
• HeARTs Speak 
  • Communications & Marketing Guide For Shelters, Amid COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Response: Marketing & Communications Graphics 
• Lynchburg Humane Society: Foster Pending Spay/Neuter Agreement
• Norfolk Animal Care and Adoption Center foster plea during closure 
• OKC Animal Welfare: #QuarantineBuddy
• San Diego Humane Society: Find a Litter? Be a Sitter! 

READY TO GO TEMPLATES

• Animal Services Business Plan Template
• Appeal Letter Template 
• Queer Ideas - Free resources for creating a Coronavirus Appeal 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & INFORMATION

• Best Friends Vet Access
• Best Friends Network Fundraising Proven Strategies
• Finding Rover - Pet Facial Recognition. With Facial Recognition Pets Find Their Home Register your pets today and protect them if they ever get lost! It's Free!
• HelpingLostPets.com - Helping Lost Pets is FREE to use and when you list a pet as Lost or Found, our members in your area are alerted. We also partner with many amazing volunteer groups across the country that will share your listing on Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
• Home to Home - Keeping animals out of shelters through direct home placement.
• Pet FBI - The Free Information Center For Lost and Found Dogs, Cats and All Other Pets Search Pet FBI’s big, user-friendly database!
• Rehome - Rehoming your pet should be easy and stress free both for you and your pet. Our experts at Adopt-a-Pet.com, the largest non-profit pet adoption website, with support from The Petco Foundation, have created a simple, reliable, free program to help you place your pet from your loving home directly to another.
• Swain Strategies - Your COVID-19 Fundraising Event Toolkit 

If you enjoyed this town hall, you can find our complete catalog of town halls here.