Animal shelter chosen for pilot program
Out of seven northern states, Flathead County Animal Shelter was one of four shelters chosen to take part in a pilot program aimed at teaching staff and leaders the newest techniques in shelter care and medicine.
Hosted by the University of Wisconsin’s Shelter Medicine Program, the Northern Tier Shelter Fellowship Program has invited shelter administration to take part in training held on the college campus in June and take that training back to teach their staff and spread to other facilities in the region.
The fellowship program has offered training for shelter veterinarians in the past, but 2018 marks the first year training has been offered to shelter leadership.
Through the program, Cliff Bennett, the county shelter director, will learn about the latest advancements in shelter areas such as cleaning and sanitation protocol, disease control, vaccination techniques and more.
According to Bennett, the Flathead County shelter works to stay up to date on new research and techniques by attending various conferences and expos on shelter animal care each year.
“We’re doing what we’ve been taught to do at educational conferences, which is to get animals as healthy as we can and get them out as fast as possible, so we’re really proud of that,” Bennett said.
Bennett said the organization reached out to him, asking him to apply for the program and represent one of the most advanced and successful shelters in the northern tier.
Flathead County Animal Shelter boasts exceptionally low euthanization rates, coming in at just 3 percent while the national average sits at nearly 16 percent.
Their holding time also ranks far below the national average, with dogs averaging a stay of about seven days and cats averaging around 16 days. Nationally, dogs remain in shelters an average of 26 days while cats average around 51 days.
Bennett attributed the shelter’s success to the staff’s training, experience and dedication to getting and keeping their animals healthy for as long as they remain in their care.
“Animals are a lot easier to adopt if they don’t have any obvious health issues,” Bennett said. “That’s just kind of our job here, to get these animals out of these small enclosures here and get them into new homes.”
Those goals are accomplished through thorough veterinary care, preventative measures like vaccines and spaying/neutering and strict sanitation and animal handling guidelines, all of which must be performed on a budget.
Following the conference in June, Bennett will return to pass on his new training to his staff of six at the shelter and will also give a presentation at the annual Animal Care Expo.
Funding provided though the program will cover the cost of his travel and training.
“It’s humbling and it’s an honor and it’s a great opportunity for a small shelter in a rural part of the world to learn how to provide the best kind of care possible. The rest is up to us to put in to practice,” Bennet said.
For more information about the Flathead County Animal Shelter, visit www.flathead.mt.gov/animal.
To learn more about the Northern Tier Fellowship Program, visit www.uwsheltermedicine.com/shelter-support/northern-tier-shelter-support.
Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com or at 758-4459.