The most recent meeting at MADACC was the most promising yet. Unfortunately, I arrived a few minutes late to the new location ((more on that in a minute)) and I missed the public comment portion. But what followed was a hope-filled executive director's report. MADACC has re-vamped its foster program to include short-term fosters. They are teaming up with the Wisconsin Humane Society in order to get animals out of MADACC, into a transition home where they can recover from colds and such ((like Sinatra needed)), and then instead of being locked into a foster home until they can get adopted, the animals will go to the Humane Society where they will be safe until a forever home comes along. I love this idea for two reasons.
1. The ultimate goal of this is to get cats and dogs out of MADACC in eight days. This is important because right now it's clear the shelter is not properly set up to deal with sick animals. And when one gets sick, it quickly spreads. Taking the animals out sooner will help with this. It also gets animals out before they can be put on the kill list. Right now MADACC has to keep an animal for eight days then they are allowed to kill it. I'm glad this new ED realizes this is the case and is doing everything she can to prevent that, although she is unwilling to take on the board right now and just put her foot down and say we will not kill here any longer.
2. It takes a village. No really, read my Master's thesis. The one area where Nathan Winograd and I disagree is on this point. I think it takes an entire community, an entire animal welfare system, everyone, in order to save every animal who ends up in Milwaukee County. I have always been a big advocate of community support and collaboration Teaming up with the Wisconsin Humane Society and individual fosters is a HUGE step forward toward No Kill Milwaukee.
The best part about the meeting, we were talking about SAVING lives, not just killing less, but SAVING! There is a difference. Another part I also appreciated, more and more people from the community continue to show up to these meetings. So much so that they had to move the location to a bigger room at the West Allis city hall building. I am so glad no one is letting this new executive director off the hook, and I'm even more glad she doesn't seem to want us to either. Ch-ch-changes are a coming.
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