Animal Center Workshop
Capacity for Care (C4C)
2 • Guidelines of the Association
of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV)
state that “Every shelter has a
maximum capacity for care
and the population in their
care must not exceed that
level.”
• C4C is a shelter management
model that helps shelters
better meet the needs of the
animals in their care.
Five
Domains
of Animal
Welfare
1. Nutrition
2. Environ-
ment
3. Health4.
Behavior
5. Mental
Well--
Being
Elements of Capacity for Care (C4C)
3 Calculating Capacity for Care considers:
• Housing capacity for Primary Flow
• Optimal for Dogs 102
• Optimal for Cats 60
• Required stray holding capacity
• 72 hours or 3 days in California
• Staffing capacity for basic care
• Positive Outcome driven capacity
• Average length of stay
• Definition of temporary housing 14 days or less
Current Trends
4 • Due to economic and subsequent challenges, shelters across the nation are experiencing increases in animal
intake and decreases in adoption
• The majority of intake is made up of large breed dogs such as Huskies, Pit Bulls and German Shepherds
• Decreased out of state rescue transport options
• Oregon raising fees on shelters based on animals rescued • Shortage of Veterinarians and Registered Veterinary
Technicians to meet the demand for affordable
spay/neuter
• Limited access to affordable veterinary care
New York Animal
Care Center
Limited Access to Veterinary Care
5 Fresno County’s Veterinary
Accessibility Score on a scale of 1 to
100 was:
12 or Nearly Inaccessible!
• Veterinary employees per 1,000 pets 1.5
• Veterinary employees per 1,000
households 1.6
• Number of veterinary hospitals 57
• Total pet population (dogs & cats)
341,877
• Total pets per household (dogs & cats)
1.1 Shelter Intake 2023
6 County Cat Intake Dog Intake Total Intake Population
Total intake
per 1,000
residents
Dog Intake
per 1,000
residents
Cat Intake
per 1,000
residents
Los Angeles 52,266 53,317 105,583 10,014,009 10.5 5.3 5.2 Riverside 20,798 25,744 46,542 2,418,185 19.2 10.6 8.6 San Diego 20,617 24,872 45,489 3,298,634 13.8 7.5 6.3 Sacramento 13,316 13,729 27,045 1,585,055 17.1 8.7 8.4 Fresno 7,054 13,084 20,138 1,008,654 20.0 13.0 7.0 • Fresno County has highest dog intake per 1,000
residents when compared to the highest 5 intake
counties.
*
Source Shelter Animals Count
Outcomes of Open Intake
7 • Unchecked Admissions not balanced to positive outcomes. • Animal intake and length of stay are leading to exceeding capacity for care (C4C).
• Crowding, stress and disease.
• Poor customer experience.
• Compromised staffing efficiency.
• Decreased operational effectiveness.
• Missed opportunity to provide targeted services.
• Continued unproductive cycle of impound, care, undesired outcomes.
Capacity for Care on Dec. 1, 2023.
8 • Majority of staff less than one year at Fresno Animal Center.
Staff Training and Skill
• 61 employees – 23 for kennel care, processing animal intake and other duties for a 7- day operation.
Staffing Levels
• Average of 86 days from January to November 15, 2023 for Dogs Length of Stay
• 506 Dogs in Kennels vs 102 optimal or 496 percent overcapacity • 149 cats in Cat Condos vs 60 optimal or 249 percent overcapacity Humane Housing – Kennel Inventory (663 Total)
Kennel Data as of 02/29/24
9 Activity Summary Dogs Cats Total
November 30, 2023 506 149 655
Intakes (Dec-Feb) 961 152 1,113
Adoption (Dec-Feb) (334) (68) (402)
Rescue (Dec-Feb) (570) (88) (658)
Return to Owner (Dec-Feb) (132) (4) (136)
Euthanasia* (Dec-Feb) (186) (85) (271)
February 29, 2024 245 56 301
*Majority of Euthenasia has been for severe illness, injury or behavior issues including kennel stress.
Outcomes of not crowding (C4C)
10 • Reduced Stress for the Animals
• Reduced likelihood of exposure and spread of disease and • Reduced need for euthanasia
• Reduced risk of dog bites
• Quieter Kennels
• Allows dogs to better cope within the shelter environment • Improves kennel presentation
• Reduced Stress for the Employees
• Improved staff morale and retention
• Ability to match service delivered to need
• More time to invest in reuniting lost pets with owners (the prioritized outcome)
• More community engagement and services
Goals
11 • To allow every animal that enters the Center, the best opportunity for a live outcome.
• By following a needs-based service model and working with community partners, help to ensure that our residents receive the assistance they request to care for their pets.
• To return lost pets home to where they are cared for. • To support community members in easily adding a pet to their home.
• To have the resources to provide humane care to every animal who enters the Fresno Animal Center and to provide the best (most appropriate) outcome.
Grants Received
12 California for All Animals
• $5,000 Welcome Grant
• $350,400 Balance of $600K
• $182,200 Animal Balance
• $156,900 ‘Regreso a Casa’
• $5,000 NACA Grant
$699,500 Total Grants
Foster, 30,400
Marketing, 4,500
minor fence
repairs and
supplies,
20,000
Spay/Neuter,
457,200
Staffing, 68,400
Supplies, 10,000
Tags/Microchip,
34,000
Veterinary Access
to Care, 75,000
Foster Status as of February 29, 2024
13 •Working to increase Foster participation to allow animals an environment in a home rather than in kennels.
•Allows animals socialization skills that they would not receive at the shelter.
Foster Reason Dogs P uppies Cats Kittens Total
Bottle Babies 0 0 0 2 2
Medical 2 0 0 0 2
Space 13 3 0 0 16
Total 15 3 0 2 20
Staffing
14 • 77 Full Time Permanent Positions Approved
• 11 Filled Permanently
• 10 Temporaries
• 11 Youth Job Prep Program
• 43 full time Limited
• 18 Recruitments Completed
• 817 Applicants
• 1 Veterinarian Hired / 2nd Veterinarian interviews scheduled • 95 Percent Retention Rate (Dec.1, 2023 and Feb. 29, 2024) Volunteers
15 • 126 Volunteers served in:
• Animal Balance Clinics
• Outreach Events
• Microchipping event
• Walking Animals
• Christmas Meals for Animals
• Making Tags
• Prepping Foster Kits
• Prepping Support Supplies
• Implemented new Volunteer Management Software
Outreach and Marketing
16 • 400 Microchips Implanted during Free Microchip Drive Through • Updated FresnoAnimalCenter.com website, continuous
improvement as new resources are identified.
• Continue to grow social media following.
• Attended 59 community events since January 2023.
• Partnered with PetcoLoveLost to increase animal exposure to increase return to owner.
• Posting on local lost and found social media pages to maximize views of animals in our care.
Grants Awarded 23 at $2,500 each
17 • Ally For Pets
• Animal Rescue of
Fresno
• Bandit's Buddies
Rescue
• Central California SPCA
• Dogwood Animal
Rescue Project
• FART Foster - Adopt -
Rescue - Transport
• Feral Felines of Fresno
• Paw Squad559
• Sunshine Rescue
Ranch
• The Cat House on the
Kings
• The house of muddy
paws
• Valley Animal Center
• Valley Animal Haven
• Wally Don't Bite Dog
Rescue
• Westside Rescue
• Fresno Bully Rescue,
Inc.
• Fresno TNR
• Halo Cafe Pet Food
Pantry (Halo Café Inc)
• Hella Dam Bitches n
Queens Rescue Inc
• Kirkland Foundation
• Labrador Retriever
Rescue of Fresno, Inc.
• Lucky Dog Rescue @
the Ranch
• Mell's Mutts
Historical Intake - Dogs
18 Intake 2019 2020 2021 2022* 2023*
Owner/Guardian Surrender (1) 1,409 967 1,477 1,085 326
Seized / Custody (2) 4,019 2,329 2,227 1,233 174
Stray 3,749 2,242 2,613 4,960 7,204
Total Intake 9,177 5,538 6,317 7,278 7,704
Outcome
Adoption 2,532 1,950 2,380 1,596 1,583
Return to Owner/Guardian 1,129 776 877 863 963
Rescue 1,658 1,167 1,086 2,546 3,673
Euthanasia 3,481 1,441 1,780 1,971 1,304
Other(3) 377 204 194 302 181
Total Outcome 9,177 5,538 6,317 7,278 7,704
Live vs Non-Live Outcomes
Total Live Outcomes 5,319 3,893 4,343 5,005 6,219
Total Non-Live Outcomes 3,481 1,441 1,780 1,971 1,304
Live Release Percentage (4) 58% 70% 69% 69% 81%
(1) Owner/Guardian Surrender 2022 Total of 1085
includes CCSPCA 845, FHAS 240
(2) Seized Custody 2022 Total of 1233 includes
CCSPCA 1196, FHAS 37
(3) Other Category includes Administrative Missing,
Died in Care, etc.
(4) 90 percent Live Release is considered No-Kill
0 1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
10,000
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Intake Live Outcome Non-Live Outcome
Spay/Neuter to Reduce Euthanasia
19 • Strong correlation between shelter
intake and euthanasia rates.
• Communities with low pet sterilization
rates tend to have relative high shelter
intake rates.
• A report published by the Access to
Veterinary Care Coalition in 2018 stated
that households with income less than
138 percent of the poverty level were
less likely than higher-income
households to own sterilized cats and
dogs
Spay Neuter Surgeries Performed
20 Shelter Animals
Dec
2023
Jan
2024
Feb
2024 Total
Animal Balance 183 177 33 393
S P C A 2 83 33 29 3
Valley Animal Center 20 42 86 148
Tulare Animal Service
s 01 31 42 7
Fresno Animal Center 25 78 61 164
Total Shelter Animals 256 343 226 825
Public Animals
Local Veterinarians 41 41 42 124
Animal Balance 17 23 150 190
Total Public Animals 58 64 192 314
TOTAL ANIMALS 314 407 418 1,139
Future Spay Neuter Surgeries
21 • Agreements in process for low-cost vouchers with two local high volume high quality spay/neuter clinics.
• Agreements in process with California Spay Neuter
• Agreements in process with Fresno TNR
•S N I P B u s
• 2024: April
• Animal Balance clinics transitioned to servicing Public Owned Animals
• 2024: March, April, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
• San Francisco SPCA
• 2024: May and working on additional
• Grant Funds for Fresno City and County
QUESTIONS