So in the style of Mr.Letterman (without his trademark humor), here is my own version
of Joan’s Top List of “What I Am Most Grateful For … from 2011”:

1. Our Staff:  
   Observing your compassion, dedication, skills and talents amid the harsh realities of shelter life is inspiring. You entered this field because of your love for animals, and came face to face with life’s reality… caring for a lost or abused animal, soothing a family’s sorrow as they say goodbye to a beloved pet, treating for the ill or injured. 
   I’ve seen you struggle as you had to make difficult decisions about homeless pets because people unknowingly added to the over-pet population. I’ve witnessed your empathy, passion and shock when someone abandoned a wonderful pet to the streets.  I’ve watched you ache personally for a family who’s lost a pet or for unfortunate challenges that brought families to Willamette Humane seeking solace or perhaps a joyous reunion.  I watched you carefully tend to a special needs pet, delicately approach a scared or anxious stray, return a recently spayed/neutered pet back into their family’s arms or hand over the carrier or leash of newly adopted pet to their proud family members!
   We celebrate together the “smiley side of the shelter” and comfort each other when we are forced to make the tragic decisions because the community has more homeless pets than open households. Thank you for the extra hugs, caresses and special attention that you provide a lonely shelter pet as well as the behavior training and socialization to improve a pet’s chances of being adopted or retained by their family. You are the heart of our organization, and I am proud to call you colleague.
2. Our Volunteers:
   You are collectively our lifeblood, for without your tens of thousands of hours every year, we simply could not operate, could not maintain our standards of care, and could not exist as we do.  You give of yourself; you take time from your own family and pets  to come and walk dogs, socialize cats, scrub kennels, do laundry, wash dishes and instruments, file, sort and input data, take photos and work special events.  For little more than a thank you, a purr and a swish of a tail, I am in awe of your dedication.  You arrive on a national holiday, wear rain coat, hat and boots during our wet/windy Oregon weather or long pants and closed-toe shoes during the hottest days of the summer.  I’ve seen you clear brush, pull weeds, pick up poo and help search for lost or runaway pets.  You take your volunteer shift seriously, you bring in your own treats, foster small cats and dogs who would not survive in the shelter at your own expense, and you serve on committees or Board of Directors, support our social media, and provide valuable professional in-kind services that we need yet have no funds to pay.  You help in our Thrift Stores; you handle thousands of pounds of donated clothes and household items and gladly help a customer find a work shirt, interview outfit, toy, gift, costume or book.  We appreciate your kindness and your hard work more than words can ever say –your gifts are legendary here. You represent the soul of our organization and we are indebted to you for your kindness.
3. Our Partners:
   You help us serve our collective community; you are part of the circle that forges the bridge from those in need to our complimentary services.  While we might differ in philosophy, size, funding or focus – together we strive to work ourselves out of existence.  We dream that someday we might eliminate the need for rescue, shelter and sanctuaries because society has taken care of the root causes of animal abuse, poverty, and unwanted pet births.  We call on each other to help fill an overwhelming need, share resources, skills, talents and ideas.  Local law enforcement officials respond when a citizen calls with a concern and sister shelters help with overcrowding if they have “no room at the inn”. When I first arrived at Willamette Humane you openly answered my call for insights, expertise, resources and education, sharing lessons learned and great suggestions with a sense of companionship and connection not competition.  Your partnerships eased our leadership transition, accelerated my own learning curve and offered new perspectives from which to view the animal welfare and rescue/shelter world.  Your ideas sparked innovative discussion and added varied nuances which refined solutions.  Your support is crucial to our individual and joint success. You are part of the foundation, from which we operate and continue to build our future.
4. Our Vendors:
   We, our pet and human customers depend on your products, supplies, and services.  Your microchips help reunite a lost pet, your software helps gather important data about a pet for re-homing or to track critical treatments and history.  Your medications and supplies help protect, heal or rehabilitate those in our care; you nourish, light, disinfect and treat the thousands of pets we serve annually in our shelter, our clinic and our canine training program.  Resale of your toys, treats and pet items financially supports our services and programs.  I am especially grateful to those special vendors who sponsor our events to reach more friends, families and donors, who offer us discounts or multiple extras to help achieve our mission.  For your corporate good citizenship, we gladly help promote your products to others. You provide the tools from which we can do our work.
5. Our Donors:
   You give us hope, you keep the lights on & the doors open; you help pay the bills and support the care and feeding of thousands of souls right here in your local community.  Willamette Humane depends 100% on your donations, grants, bequests and in-kind gifts to operate. You help accept a stray cat found on the side of the road, shelter and adopt a wonderful family dog when their family can’t care for them any longer, teach families how to train their dogs so they become good canine citizens, and subsidize low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to reduce unwanted litters and pet overpopulation.  You help fund our humane education program in local elementary schools to teach young children responsible pet care, how to avoid an animal bites and install a compassion for living things that directly translates into good citizenry. You are truly our benefactors – no matter how small a gift, each of your contributions are personal to us and held in high regard as we know you could choose many worthy organizations but you choose us! We are honored by your gifts.  You gift stock, vehicles, household goods, homes and land; you include us in your estate planning to ensure our organization endures to serve another day, another year, and another decade. For you, we are most grateful – without you we could not serve the 15,000 households we served last year. You are the bedrock from which we stand.

Of course, no list would be complete without recognizing our amazing shelter pets, who trust in us and offer their love and companionship for a new family; for you – we devote our work.  To all the companion pets who visit, shop or come for training, who find shelter and warmth, who find new siblings, who delight, challenge and complete us and especially to those we strive to save. Every day I am grateful for the love, the licks, tail wages, the purrs and the joy you offer to anyone lucky enough to drift across your kennel or bed. You are our inspiration, our cause, our passion and our reason for existing and we will work tirelessly, even with limited resources, to find you your new forever homes.

Yes, I am most grateful this year for many things – mostly for the Willamette Humane Society.

On Saturday night, around 400 people gathered to support and celebrate the work done by Willamette Humane Society by attending Bowser’s Boo Bash.

Bowser's Buddies enjoy WHS 2011 Bowser's Boo Bash

Since this event always falls near Halloween, costumes are encouraged, which by itself makes it appealing to me – getting dressed up and being able to ooh and aah over everyone else’s costumes (the Willy Wonka group was one of my favorites this year) is such fun!

 This week also marks my 10 year anniversary in the field of animal welfare, when I began working at another humane society as a part-time animal care technician. Over the last decade, I have lived the day to day struggles and triumphs of sheltering.

As you’d expect, some days are better than others. Some days it’s easy to see the shining faces of the family who is reunited with a lost pet or hear the first purr from the semi-feral kitten who is finally trusting a human.

Other days it’s hard to move past the frustration of the demanding customer or the sadness of the animal we just can’t save. There have been plenty of tough decisions and many uncomfortable conversations. I have seen suffering and fear and been allowed to work within my means to alleviate distress of the animals in my care.

As you also may expect, one can easily become overwhelmed with the challenges, rather than focus on the successes.

Aside from the wigs, fake eyelashes and spray glitter, the remarkable thing about an event like Bowser’s Boo Bash is its ability to reconnect me to why I do what I do on a daily basis. The support given (both in spirit and donations) motivates me and reminds me that I am not alone on the front lines of animal welfare.

We have champions in our community. We have committed supporters.  We have dedicated volunteers. Seeing those who believe in our mission and seeing them give freely is inspiring.

There are those who believe in the work we do.  Because of the support of these compassionate individuals, I get to keep working to provide services for our community, making a difference for one animal and one person at a time.

Thanks Bowser for the great evening. See you next year!

Guest Author: Jamie Fitzpatrick, WHS Director of Operations

Nationally, every 4.5 seconds someone’s lost pet is taken to an animal control agency and only one in five may be reunited with their families despite the agency’s best efforts (CharityWire).

Last year at Willamette Humane, stray dogs returned to owners fared slightly better than the national average; Cats returned home remained abysmal – only 2% of the thousands of strays brought to us were returned to their families.

How can you help protect your pet?

• Provide your pets with an easily readable microchip (size of rice grain), that is stored permanently under the skin, where it cannot be removed, lost, altered, worn out or unreadable like an external tag.
• Have your veternarian scan your pet’s microchip annually to assure readability;
• Update your address in the microchip database;
• Play an active role in searching for your lost pet to help your pet return home if found by a compassionate neighbor.

How can you get your pet chipped?
Contact your local veterinarian or adopt from committed shelters like Willamette Humane Society that microchip all adoptable animals before they go home with a new family.

If you haven’t yet spayed/neutered your pet, this is a great opportunity to achieve both  simultaneously!  Contact WHS’s community Spay/Neuter Clinic (503-480-7729) or a local veterinarian for this crucial component of responsible pet care!

Then sit back, enjoy a cool drink and revel in the last of this glorious summertime weather and know your pets are protected.
Enjoy, JT

P.S. Willamette Humane currently installs 24PetWatch microchips in every pet adopted from our shelter; information about microchips and our partner can be found at: http://www.24petwatch.com/rfid-microchips.asp

Willamette Humane cares for lost, neglected, abused and abandoned pets and rarely knows what breeds, ages or challenges will be presented daily.

This common misconception was reinforced for me when a friend asked me to look out for a certain cat breed and another business colleague asked me to call when a certain dog was brought into the shelter.  Then a woman left us a message to”put in her order” for a very specific puppy. (She didn’t want a pet yet, just wanted to assure we held a certain type of dog for her for when she was ready to get him.)

I understand the hope that a shelter worker-friend may remember to contact them when a special dog or cat arrives. Yet, with ten thousand animals  admitted annually to our shelter alone, amid thousands of adoptions, transfers and pets reunited with their families, sheer numbers make this request to “think of them” challenging and unlikely.

Animal welfare advocates gladly share insights, observations and history (if we have one) of our adoptable pets – to build a connection and to encourage adoption. While we strive to help families make a good pet match, we simply can’t accept ‘special requests’ to track personalized preferences for specific shelter pets.

Instead, we focus on showcasing our available pets. We inform and educate visitors about breed generalities, individual pet personalities and recommended family dynamics. We strive to balance an adopter’s family structure, lifestyle and environment with a shelter pet’s personality, age, needs and background in order to foster successful adoptions.

When asked to “Call Me when you get a ______”, our staff will politely explain our mission and how you can learn about our adoptable pets.  If you or your family are searching for a very specific pet, we’ll suggest researching other rescue shelters or asking friends or veterinarians for respected breeders to meet your family’s unique needs.

The next time you chat with a shelter worker, please ask how you can meet pets waiting for their new family and forever home; you might just be surprised and find a perfect match from a pet you hadn’t yet envisioned!  You could be rewarded with bountiful love and companionship, and, if studies are correct, longer life!

View currently adoptable pets at WHS, Salem, OR at http://willamettehumane.org/animal/shelter/adopt/available_pets/or stop by our shelter. To hear more about our specialized adoption program, view: http://www.youtube.com/willamettehumane and learn how you can meet your new #1 Fan!

Lessons of the Garden

While clearing a very weedy bed, and thinking of project management and the art of leadership today, I was struck by the similarities with weeding. No matter what the project or task - focused time, adequate resources and capable talent remain crucial.

Focus
Weeding briefly before the sun goes down is vastly different from having a full day or weekend available to spend in the garden. Limited time requires you prioritize and focus available time;  weeding one section yields immediate results and is immediately reinforcing. Indiscriminate weeding as you pass throughout the garden might fill the garden cart, yet is it as effective and pleasing as one completed section? Which offers the best return on your backbreaking work?

Leadership focus is crucial.   Devising a plan, identifying core activities or top priorities helps determine what might become a distraction and what will achieve the desired outcome.  Maintain your focus, such as clearing one garden bed, and you will achieve results and not become side-tracked by interruptions.

Tools
Pruning with a dull blade is not only ineffective, it requires more energy and can damage the targeted or prized plant. Like many gardeners, I have favorite tools for certain conditions; they need to be clean and sharp and key to the task-at-hand.  For every job there is a tool that makes the job easier or more efficient, and can prevent much aggravation, injury and pain!

Do you have the right tools, skills, or resources to achieve your goals? Often, organizations try to save money by retaining older (inefficient) processes or poorly performing equipment and waste time and valuable resources making them work.  Lean operational principles demonstrate how process evaluation and modification can increase production, efficiency and ultimately expand resources and capacity.  An objective review of your resources might be informative, cost effective and timely given today’s competitive economic climate.

Capability:
Clearing a garden of weeds requires some knowledge of how to best address the problem coupled with the ability to complete the task.  For years no matter how hard I pulled, chopped, and sprayed (yes, I did spray years ago) those determined Oregon blackberry vines still exploded through my 100 ft long fence. I eventually was successful within my garden gate because I addressed the problem when it was small.  Unseen on the other side of my fence, the problem grew and quickly became overwhelming.  I depend now on proactively addressing the problem early and expanding my capacity with additional resources when the problem grows unwieldy. This same strategy is key with most organizational challenges.

Do you have a task that you and your team are determined to achieve but keeps missing the mark? Are you able to address an issue in some areas but not consistently throughout your operation?  When is the last time you took inventory of your company’s resources and compared them with today’s needs? Often we just need a different tool, new talent or added ability when undertaking larger projects.

Yes, weeding can be Zen-like. Given dedicated focus, proper tools and sufficient ability weeding or leadership challenges can easily be solved.

Vita Sackville-West said it best:
“The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before.”

May you all be gardeners …with or without soil.

Who cheers, comforts, rallies, endears and helps you embrace life? Is it a best friend, spouse, partner, family member or co-worker? Do you enjoy a pet-fan club or one top canine or feline fan whose love defines you?

For me – I feel blessed to have a diverse fan club whose love, support, honesty, and encouragement sees me through life and living! They cheer and celebrate my success, encourage me through challenge, and are always there for me in sorrow and tragedy.

My #1 Fan: Mom

If I had to choose my top fan, it would have to be my Mother.
From childhood to today she remains my major supporter and cheerleader. Even as an adult, this amazing woman understands me and offers exactly what I need – often when I don’t even recognize it myself. Her guidance, love and support are what I cherish most, even when we’re thousands of miles apart.

Who Leads Your Fan Club?
Intrigued I opened a dialogue and inquired of others “who’s your #1 fan and why”?

A joyful waitress immediately said it was her beloved 4-yr. old daughter “She makes me smile, keeps me going, believes in me“. While showing me her daughter’s photo on her cell phone, you could see the love in this young mother’s face. Tereza described how her daughter brightens her day, providing Tereza with the courage to believe in herself.

Chatting with a dear WHS volunteer, she mentioned the recent loss of her beloved cat, her best friend, confident and comforter for 18 years. Patches not only shared Fran’s life, her feline fan brightened the joyful moments, comforted her through personal grief, and offered companionship in life’s busy moments.

Write in – tell us who is your #1 Fan – upload a picture if you dare and share your joy about your pet, your buddy, your love in recognition of your top fan!

Willamette Humane helps people find their #1 pet-fan; the wag of a tail, a cat’s soft purr, their pure joy when you return home, the cuddles and kisses your pet #1 fan offers daily!
To those visiting the mid-willamette valley, stop by and add a new fan to your life!
For those out of our region, please consider visiting a nearby shelter, rescue or humane society.

Share Your Story … and tell us … Who is Your #1 Fan?

This blog was created to embrace life and share lessons learned at Willamette Humane  Society (WHS),  discuss leadership in today’s non-profit community as well as the animal welfare industry.

Posts will share our joy and our struggles, give voice to those who cannot speak, share the triumphs as well as the challenges and hopefully offer an opportunity to engage our community.  We have much to learn from our pets and from each other.

Life at an animal welfare organization is full, complex, purposeful, emotional and focused on service.

Sharing observations about shelter-life,  surrender, education and adoption, volunteerism and contributions, events and resources,  helps strengthen the bond between pets + people.

WHS’s mission is to promote animal welfare through leadership, education and action,
a perfect match for a blog right?

Blogs offer the opportunity to add to the ever-expanding information stream, to explore new ideas and perspectives and collaboratively embrace community.   Like many bloggers, I welcome your connectivity – via comments, input and ideas. And of course, every blogger’s hope is that you will share posts with your network. Interested? Subscribe now to be alerted to new posts!

This blog is offered in honor of WHS staff, board of directors, volunteers and  donors – and of course our beloved pets.  Your collective gifts are too numerous to capture, let alone mention. A simple thank you will have to do … for now.

JT