As the world attempts to return to some sense of normalcy, we're still feeling the impacts of the global pandemic across animal welfare. While there have been positives for the industry, the disruption of our daily lives over the last two years is showing its impact on lifesaving, and it's not all good news.
One particular data point trending in the wrong direction is length of stay (LOS). This measurement is the amount of time an animal is in the shelter and can be a valuable tool to evaluate the efficacy of the lifesaving programs. If there are programs in place, and they are working, LOS will be shorter. Conversely, LOS will increase if fewer animals leave the shelter to positive outcomes through avenues such as adoption.
This week we chat with senior director of national programs for Best Friends, Brent Toellner, about this concerning upward trend in LOS across the country and what shelters and rescue organizations can do to keep animals moving through to positive outcomes.
Resources for this episode:
Best Friends network: https://network.bestfriends.org/education/manuals-handbooks-playbooks/length-stay-manual (Length of stay manual)
Best Friends network town hall: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/best-friends-town-halls/reducing-length-stay-conference-session (Reducing Length of Stay at Your Shelter)
Best Friends network editorial: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/editorials/help-we-just-cant-keep (Help! We Just Can’t Keep Up!)
Best Friends: https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/program-spotlights/removing-rescue-roadblocks (Removing Rescue Roadblocks)

Check out all of the episodes of The Best Friends Podcast here: https://bestfriends.org/podcast (bestfriends.org/podcast)