The Best Friends Podcast Best Friends Animal Society

In previous episodes of the podcast, we’ve covered the lack of diversity in our industry and how that has affected our ability to save lives. We discussed ways that we can work on breaking down our unconscious biases and how we can focus on meaningful approaches to diversity, equality, and inclusion. But we’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding what we need to do to continue moving forward on this issue. That’s why we must keep the conversation going.
This week we share the audio from a recent Town Hall hosted by Best Friends featuring James Evans, President of CARE (Companion Animals for Reform and Equity), the Senior Director of Culture and Talent for Best Friends, José Ocaño, and Julie Castle, the CEO of Best Friends.

What do you get when you take 18 of the best and brightest lifesaving innovators, pair them up, put them on a Zoom call and hit record? You get magic!
The Best Friends Professional Development Symposium is happening next week. The two-day, online event features short, fast-paced presentations designed to keep attendees engaged and excited. But every single presenter has so much more to share. That left us with a dilemma. How do we capture more from these amazing people to share with Symposium attendees?
These videos, which we’re calling the “Innovator Series,” bring nine hours of informative, thought-provoking discussions between these leaders in our field. This week we’re bringing you a sneak peek of these conversations, and announcing a newly added bonus guest to the symposium. If you’re part of Oprah’s Book Club, then you will know who this powerhouse is!

COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. In our lives, both professionally and personally, we’ve had to make big changes. From working at home to wearing masks to the operational changes we've had to make, life is a whole lot different than it was 6 months ago. And the restrictions on travel and gatherings meant animal welfare's "conference season" was over before it even started.
The Best Friends Professional Development Symposium is not a replacement for the Best Friends National Conference, but this dynamic, two-day, online event features many of the leading lifesaving experts from across the country. This is part of a new initiative from Best Friends, presented in partnership with Southern Utah University.
This week we learn more about the symposium from Tawny Hammond, the National Director of Learning Advancement for Best Friends.

Georgia’s efforts to save pets have come a long way in the last few years. The 2019 lifesaving progress dataset showed that statewide, Georgia increased lifesaving by more than 30-percent over the previous year. Metro Atlanta is a sprawling area consisting of 29 counties and two of them, Fulton and Dekalb, have undergone a radical transformation over the last 7 years.  
Rebecca Guinn founded Lifeline Animal Project in 2003. The organization has saved thousands of animals through its shelter and fixed more than 125,000 pets of owners at low or no cost.
In 2013, Lifeline Animal Project took on the Herculean task of running the sheltering operations in both Fulton and Dekalb Counties - the two counties that comprise the City of Atlanta. Taking on both of those contracts within 6-months presented many obstacles (and a lot of people thought she was crazy!). But Rebecca and the entire Lifeline Animal Project team's drive to take Atlanta to No-Kill has paid off, making Atlanta a model for the entire nation. 

Idaho may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of animal welfare, but it should! Two years ago, a coalition was formed in an attempt to unite the shelters and organizations spread out over this vast, mostly rural state.
The Idaho Shelter Coalition helped drive a 49.4% reduction in shelter killing in 2019, a result that has earned them the 2020 Best Friends Network Collective Impact Award! 
It's another perfect example of what can happen when we work together, communicate our needs, and provide peer-to-peer support - all using the power of data as the foundation.
This week's guests are Nadia Novik, COO of the Idaho Humane Society and President of the Idaho Shelter Coalition, and Brittany Sundell, the Development and Education Coordinator at the West Valley Humane Society.

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 is it full of roadblocks such as home visits, income questions, or multipage applications?
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.
Guests this week:
Rich Anderson, Executive Director/CEO, Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League
Kimberly Elman, Manager of National Outreach Volunteer Programs, Best Friends Animal Society