Roadblock-free is the way to be.
Now more than ever, being a part of the sheltering and rescue community means actively looking for ways to keep pets in the places they call home and inviting more animal-loving folks to the lifesaving party.
Learn more about removing common roadblocks below.
Thank you to everyone that took the pledge to be roadblock-free!
Featured Resources
- Rescue Roadblock Pledge Participants Share Their Successes: Last fall, we challenged our Network partners to become roadblock-free. By getting rid of intrusive application processes and a plethora of requirements for every dog or cat going into a new home, our industry will be better positioned to reach our shared goals of reducing the number of pets in shelters, increasing the number of animal-friendly communities, and providing more resources to keep pets in their homes in the first place.
- What’s Next: Reducing Racism in Animal Welfare - In this editorial, eight African-Amercian, Hispanic, Native American and mixed-race Best Friends members discuss what steps they feel we should be taking to change the face of animal welfare to one that is more inclusive and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. And the first is to take stock of where we are today.
- Leveling the Field: How to Remove Barriers for Underrepresented Communities and their Pets - Town hall panel discussion on animal policies and laws which inadvertently create barriers for BIPOC and lower-income communities to adopt, reclaim, and remain in compliance to keep their pets.
Fewer pets in shelters. More resources for people with pets. More animal-friendly communities. Healthier, happier animals with safe places to call home.
These are our shared goals. But are we all doing as much as we can to achieve them?
For example, what does your pet adoption process look like? Is it welcoming, conversation-based and solution-oriented? Or does it have roadblocks like these:
- Home visits
- Vet checks
- Landlord approvals
- Multi-page applications
- Family restrictions
- Fencing requirements
- Income questions
Now more than ever, being a part of the sheltering and rescue community means actively looking for ways to keep pets in the places they call home and inviting more animal-loving folks to the lifesaving party.
Learn more about removing common roadblocks below.
DOWNLOADABLE PDFs, PLAYBOOKS, & SOPs
- Best Friends Playbook: Culture Initiatives- what culture is, why you should care deeply about it, and how to implement a culture initiative that can maximize your employees’ contributions while making each one feel exactly what they are: a unique and valued part of the team.
- Best Friends Playbook: Open Adoptions - Basic considerations and steps that every agency can take to create a well-rounded open-adoption program.
- Best Friends Lifesaving Training Module: Client Service & Open Adoptions - Exceeding client service expectations to increase lifesaving.
- Best Friends Adoption Barrier Study - Qualitative study to understand the pet acquisition process, existing barriers (real or perceived) to adoption, and potential solutions to overcome those barriers.
- Best Friends Tool: How to Use Data to Prove the Community-Supported Sheltering Model - A guide to the importance of knowing your data (especially now), what you need to be measuring, and how to use it to increase lifesaving with your community.
- Best Friends Pet Adoption Survey Results - How do Americans feel about pet adoption, and what do they really know about shelter animals? Those were two key questions Best Friends hoped to answer through its inaugural “Pet Adoption” survey.
- Hearts Speak- This easy to edit Pet Resource Guide is meant to help you create a one-stop reference tool for your community pet owners. From how to access medical or behavior expertise in your area to guidance on rehoming or what to do with community cats and everything in between, this template can be completely customized to fit the needs of your organization and your local community.
- Click here to access template
BEST FRIENDS TOWN HALLS & PODCASTS
- Best Friends Town Halls
- Times they are a changin' - The impacts of COVID-19 on every aspect of life are immeasurable and animal welfare is no exception. However, one of the greatest realizations to emerge from the pandemic is that real change is possible in our field. In this three part Best Friends Town Hall mini-series, we dove into navigating the landscape of change, especially as it pertains to leveraging our communities and removing barriers to support lifesaving work.
- Leveling the Field: How to Remove Barriers for Underrepresented Communities and their Pets - Panel discussion on animal policies and laws which inadvertently create barriers for BIPOC and lower-income communities to adopt, reclaim, and remain in compliance to keep their pets.
- Moving Beyond Bias with CARE - A discussion with animal welfare leader and president of Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity (CARE), James Evans. James talks about how the animal welfare movement got to where we are today and how we move forward.
- The Collective Impact of Community Centered Lifesaving - What happens when rescues, spay/neuter, community resource groups, transport groups, and shelters all work in concert? Lifesaving! Panel includes a network of organizations collaborating to meet the needs of their community.
- Re-opening a Different & Better Tomorrow - Panel discussion about new technology and community-based programs that are saving lives, how to communicate with the public and key stakeholders, and how to build and retain operational changes beyond COVID-19.
- Covid-19: Preparing for the Housing Crisis - Panel with housing and eviction experts from both the animal welfare and public housing fields. Their discussion includes how to get ahead of the curve, how to support families in crisis, and how to keep pets and families together.
- Saving America's Pets Vlog
- The Best Friends Podcast
- Rebecca Guinn - Atlanta's Lifeline
- Idaho Shelter Coalition leading Push Toward No-Kill Statewide
- Removing Lifesaving Barriers
- More than 40 million pets at risk of eviction - What can we do to prepare for what may be the biggest challenge we've faced in the modern era of animal sheltering?
- Treating animals and people as individuals
- American Pets Alive! Piloting Social Services Model of Sheltering
- Permission to Feel with Dr. Marc Bracket
EDITORIALS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION