Abstract
This paper explored the role that social entrepreneurship may play in helping to improve euthanasia and live release rates in animal shelters. This paper used a qualitative, comparative ethnographic study that included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and archival research. It compared two large animal shelters from the U.S. and Australia. Collectively, 21 formal interviews, more than 30 informal interviews, and participant observation were conducted over a 6-month time frame between the two countries. Findings indicate that three main factors may contribute to the transformation of non-profit animals shelters and result in improved euthanasia and live release rates, as well as animal caregiver burnout. These include: (1) professionalizing shelter management, (2) engaging with non-profit social enterprise activities, and (3) improving the efficiency of daily operations. In this paper, we argue that by embracing non-profit social enterprise activities, animal shelters may improve anthropocentric animal shelter activities to positively affect human and non-human rights, welfare, and agency. We do not contend that non-profit animal shelters should sacrifice their stated mission or ethics to include business practices. Rather, by professionalizing management and operations that include self-sustaining diverse revenue streams, it may free up time and resources to make a greater effect in positive non-human animal welfare and outcomes.
Highlights
Euthanasia rates of healthy adoptable dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and cats (Felis catus) in the U.S remain staggeringly high, with ∼670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats destroyed annually [1]
We first review the literature related to changing human perceptions of non-human animals, profiling animal shelter workers and caregiver burnout, and non-profit social enterprises related to animal shelters before describing our methods and findings from a cross-country comparison study of two large animal shelters, one from Australia and the other from the U.S
Respondent #10 at the Australian Animal Shelter shared that “the major positive changes have been around going from something like 50%, euthanasia, to 11%.”. This is a major improvement, but it should be noted that the Live Release Rate (LRR) are calculated slightly differently in Australia compared to the U.S as the LRR includes non-health-related euthanasia for humane reasons
Summary
Euthanasia rates of healthy adoptable dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and cats (Felis catus) in the U.S remain staggeringly high, with ∼670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats destroyed annually [1]. Social Enterprise Model to Improve LRRs declined over the last decade, with ∼6.5 million dogs and cats entering U.S shelters in 2019, down 9.7% from an average of 7.2 million in 2011 in the U.S [1]. We contend that professionalizing shelter management, engaging with non-profit social enterprise activities that generate self-sustaining revenue by selling goods or services (e.g., retail operations, selling data software, etc.), and improving the efficiency of daily operations has contributed to more positive human perceptions of companion animals, decreased animal caregiver burnout, and improved LRRs at animal shelters. We first review the literature related to changing human perceptions of non-human animals, profiling animal shelter workers and caregiver burnout, and non-profit social enterprises related to animal shelters before describing our methods and findings from a cross-country comparison study of two large animal shelters, one from Australia and the other from the U.S
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