Item 4 - MMAC Urgent Placement List March Memo — original pdf

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M E M O R A N D U M Mayor and Council Members Stephanie Hayden-Howard, LMSW, Assistant City Manager Don Bland, CAWA, Chief Animal Services Officer TO: THROUGH: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: March 29, 2024 Urgent Placement List Earlier this week the Animal Services Office (ASO) published a list on our website titled “Urgent Placement.” I wanted to provide more context for you about the information posted and its purpose. A multidisciplinary team of shelter employees meet weekly to discuss dogs that have significant barriers to placement. From there, ASO created a list that we chose to make publicly available. The list is modeled after KC Pet Project’s list, which is a nationally renowned no-kill shelter serving the municipality of Kansas City, Missouri with a live release rate of 93%. They tested many communication methods surrounding potentially at-risk dogs and found that providing concise, easy-to-digest information was the best method. We modeled our list after theirs, and utilized language that has been successful for their shelter. The list’s primary goals are to: 1. Identify the dogs that have significant barriers to adoption and facilitate their placement into appropriate foster or adoptive homes. 2. Notify stakeholders of which dogs could potentially be at risk of euthanasia. The webpage has been updated to reiterate that the normal process of euthanasia notices will be followed should that become necessary. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 512-978-0565. cc: Jesús Garza, Interim City Manager Page 1 of 1