The animal care and control field is seeing more and more innovation. Changes in approaches,  technology, and even staffing allow agencies to better serve the communities.

This session’s speakers are leaders in their respective agencies. Ed Jamison is the Director of Dallas Animal Services. Meanwhile, Nick Lippincott is the Senior Animal Services Officer within the field division for the Orange County Animal Services in Florida. Finally, Scott Giacoppo is the Director of National Shelter Outreach for Best Friends. They are all from the Board of Directors of the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA).

They joined forces on this webinar talking about trends, solutions, and challenges in animal control. Specifics include:

• Return in field tactics employed by different agencies.
  • The physical and digital efforts that allow immediate notification of lost and found animals.
  • The proactive approach that includes engaging with the community personally and in social media.
• How return in field may result in challenges when it comes to manpower and response time.
• Reframing public perceptions from seeing animal control officers as mere dog catchers to community partners.
• Moving away from direct enforcement methods and more towards raising awareness.
• How Orange County is promoting an education-centered approach by:
  • Using enforcement to incentivize education which helps address the root of the problem.
  • Engaging with the community to further their reach by utilizing social media, online courses, and a feedback system.
  • Promoting transparency to gain the community’s buy-in and empower them to join the cause.
• Initiatives implemented by the Dallas Animal Services to maintain the balance between lifesaving and safety.
  • Leveraging a data-driven approach to understand the challenges, areas for improvement, and the impact of initiatives.
  • Replacing pet licensing with microchipping for a more accurate tracking and effective identification of animals.
  • Spending time on more proactive calls that result in community satisfaction and fewer calls for service.
  • Issuing Fix-It Tickets that allow the animal owner to comply with the policies and address the problems in the first place.
  • Aligning staffing with call volumes for better service levels.
  • Appointing in-house animal control dispatchers to help prioritize the calls.
• The creation of much needed versatile, frequently-updated and cost-effective virtual trainings made accessible through NACA for animal control officers.
• Other sources of external training available for animal control officers.
• What NACA does for the profession and the resources they provide to members.

Ed, Nick, and Scott addressed the following during the Q&A:

• Adopting microchipping in animal control agencies.
• The cost involved in the courses and licensing.
• The expanded scope of Dallas Animal Services’ role.
• Workarounds if regulations do not allow posting signages for lost and found animals.
• Securing buy-in from the city council or overseeing agencies to permit the RTO efforts.

Resources Mentioned During the Webinar

• Recorded Webinar: Hashtags and Hate Mail
• Recorded Webinar: Reducing Recidivism – Creating a Responsible Pet Ownership Program

Audience Comments

• “I was thankful for this presentation. Some information inspired some ideas that we will use.” — Angela
• “Good stuff!” — Peggy
• “A great deal of information on different programs shared.” — Phyllis
• “Great panel and such informative and insightful information. I wish it could have been longer! I think a continuation of these trend discussions would be very helpful.” — Shannon
• “Anecdotal info was very helpful as was the Q&A at the end.” –Renata

View our Animal Welfare Webinar  Schedule and Recordings

This webinar has been certified by the National Animal Care & Control Association and is approved for 1 Continuing Education Unit. Please refer to your NACA membership portal for current CEU submission process. Current NACA Members who attend the live presentation or watch the recording will be able to download a jointly issued attendance certificate that includes the National Animal Care & Control Association logo. Visit the NACA training page for a complete list of future trainings.