Solution-Focused: Part 1
- Sam Wilson
- Mar 9
- 4 min read
Over the next few weeks, my campaign update posts will be focused on a few of the core issues I will advocate for if elected as a City Council Representative for District 1 here in Cedar Rapids. With a lifetime of passion to protect animals and the earth, my education led me to the non-profit sector, where I could make a positive impact. Now looking back on over a decade of nonprofit experience, it is clear to see that my skills have been forged in the fire of a solution-focused work culture. The first core focus of my campaign and hopefully my service as a City Council Member will be improving our community for animals and the humans who care for them.
In the political arena, this is likely a surprising focus area. In today’s post, I will highlight both WHY this issue is important and specific efforts I would strive for in office. First, the lives of humans are objectively improved with animal companionship. The Human-Animal Bond Research Institute states, “People are happier and healthier in the presence of animals. Scientifically-documented benefits of the human-animal bond include decreased blood pressure, reduced anxiety, and enhanced feelings of well-being.” This is not surprising to those of us who have beloved pets we share our homes with, and even less surprising for those who have worked in animal welfare. Simply put, a growing sentiment in our culture is that companion animals are part of our families. This highlights the underlying value that all individuals have inherent dignity and worth, and therefore deserve love and companionship. This issue isn’t solely reserved for passionate animal advocates like me; it transcends into intersectionalism, affecting housing stability, domestic violence situations, and even how efficiently municipal resources are used. A national study identified the second highest reason for relinquishment of a pet to a shelter was housing or moving at 18% (Kisley, et all, 2024). In my time working at Iowa Humane Alliance, housing was informally identified as the top reason for relinquishment in at least 3 of our primary shelter partners. “According to Campbell Research and Consulting, a staggering 71 percent of pet owners in abusive relationships reported that they would rather stay in an abusive environment than abandon their animals” (Psychology Today, 2024). To my third point, “implementation of these best practices accelerated Memphis Animal Services' progress toward a live release rate of at least 90%, particularly for cats, dramatically decreased kitten euthanasia, increased the RTO rate for dogs and severed the historical correlation between euthanasia and intake” (Frontiers, 2022). If we can pivot into solution-focused efforts that align with best-practices, we will see a healthier community; improving the lives of animals, those who care for them, the neighborhoods we live in, and the municipal agency responsible for responding to all animal related crisis in Cedar Rapids. So, what are these best practices I have mentioned?
The following have been adopted by one of the premier animal control training agencies (National Animal Care and Control Association):
- Managed Intake - Creates an opportunity for citizens to self-resolve and the shelter to offer resources that may help the pet parent avoid relinquishment
- Safety Net Programs - Pet food pantries, vaccine clinic, co-sheltering services for those in domestic violence situations or who are experiencing homelessness, and emergency medical funds are a few examples.
- Return-to-Field Programs - Rather than perpetuating the over-population crisis of community cats buy euthanizing all non-social felines, healthy cats are spayed/neutered, ear-tipped, and returned to their outdoor home. The more active Trap-Neuter-Return and Return-to-Field programs are, the fewer cats are born outside, the fewer nuisance issues there are, and the fewer cats needing shelter services result.
- Spay/neuter assistance programming - reducing birth rates and improving health of animals living in under-resourced households.
The importance of transitioning to community-based animal control activities using best-practices is accentuated by an article in Frontiers in Veterinary Medicine which states “Traditionally animal control services have operated with a punitive enforcement-minded approach and primary duties have included issuing citations for animal-related infractions, transporting non-aggressive, healthy, free-roaming animals to the shelter for intake, and seizing animals. However, this approach is not conducive to the goals of a modern shelter, particularly reuniting lost pets with their owner and engaging collaboratively with the community… Transforming field services into an assistive rather than punitive role also encourages constructive interaction with the community, helping to build trust and a collaborative relationship with the shelter.” Overall, this evolution toward community-based best-practices will lead to fewer intakes, fewer animals euthanized, more animals staying in loving homes, and more focus on solution-based practices that will lead to progress, not continue perpetuating the same cycles.
But I have left a key factor out, haven’t I? The housing crisis for our human community members affects our animal community members as well. This is why I will advocate for and work toward an increase in affordable housing in our community, to include affordable PET-FRIENDLY housing. Truly pet-friendly housing does not discriminate based on size or breed of animals while also does not require crippling procedures like declawing but encourages spay/neuter which helps animals be better neighbors. I am looking forward continuing to work with the community and meet others who would like to see these improvements toward a healthier community for all!
References:
Kisley MA, Chung EJ, Levitt H. Investigating the Reasons behind Companion Animal Relinquishment: A Systematic Content Analysis of Shelter Records for Cats and Dogs, 2018-2023. Animals (Basel). 2024 Sep 7;14(17):2606. doi: 10.3390/ani14172606. PMID: 39272391; PMCID: PMC11394480.
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