This week has included a number of trips to town to the vet because my dog Leia is having surgery tomorrow. (She is the black dog smiling at you when you visit the NAPRP Web site.) Leia has a lump on her front leg that needs to be removed. Her bloodwork wasn't great and she's 13, so I'm a bit worried about her.
Anyway, because of the various issues going on this week, I didn't get a chance to write back and personally thank those people who responded to my question in last week's post about how you communicate.
As most of you know, email takes a back burner to the needs of the furry members of the household!
However, I wanted to share some of the great ideas I received so everyone can benefit.
1. Petfinder Message Boards. It sounds like these can either work really well or not at all. One reader wrote: "we needed to find a rescue willing to take...puppies that lost their mother. I posted these pups on the message board on Petfinder and within minutes I was receiving calls." However, it sounds like this approach isn't a magic bullet. She continued to say that when she posted about a different dogs, she "did not get one response." But she posted the plea on Facebook and got a response. (I think the moral of that story is that if one thing doesn't work, try another!)
2. Google Groups. Julie from Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue (SCLRR) wrote in to explain how they use groups to communicate with volunteers who monitor dogs in need at shelters both in person and online. Although they have a "techie person" who set up a database for them, she mentioned a new online tool called Wiggio (http://www.wiggio.com/) that has a lot of features that can be helpful for working with groups.
3. Directories. Rebecca from the SPCA of Franklin County wrote about the directory she created in 2003. As you can see on the North Carolina Animal Welfare Directory page on their site, it's an online searchable database of more than 400 organizations that will also be available in hard copy. Keeping a database like that updated is a considerable effort, but well worth it if it can help people connect and work together.
Rebecca pointed out that no matter how we opt to communicate, often in the animal welfare world "personalities get in the way," which obviously doesn't help the animals. I've seen a lot of that too, and I agree that human egos and politics are arguably the biggest obstacles to forward progress.
In each example, it's exciting to see how people are creatively using technology to help the animals. Although sometimes it can seem like setting up Web sites and dealing with mountains of email has added more work to already complicated work schedules, I think back to 1996 or so when it felt like I was desperately scrambling to find phone numbers for rescues and usually coming up empty. We have a lot more ways to communicate with people far and wide now, which is a GOOD thing. The more people know about animals in need; the more people can help.
As always, thank you for all you do to help the animals ;-)
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