The Right Place on MMPC Learniverse – The 4 Rights – Part 1 – (self-paced, on-demand on Maddie’s University)

Offering the “Right Care” means animals are not left in dangerous circumstances to cause harm, suffer, or die because the shelter can’t admit them; nor are they admitted to a crowded shelter. In this course, we’re going to talk about matching community need to community capacity and shelter capacity and services to ensure that all animals receive the care that is right for them while prioritizing Right Care and wellness for our staff too.

In this course, you’ll learn principles of humane housing for dogs and cats as well as strategies for strengthening staff well-being and maximizing your capacity to care for animals, with the goal of ensuring animals and people at your shelter can thrive.

The “Right Time” is the time that best allows services to be provided in alignment with animal and human need and shelter capacity. Within the shelter, it includes setting open hours and offering services by appointment, as well as managing animals in care through pathway planning, hold periods, and daily welfare rounds, components critical to moving animals as quickly as possible to positive outcomes. Whether we’re talking about the hours our shelter is open or the demands on our staff time, the system we build directly impacts the time an animal spends in our shelter.

The Right Outcome is the one that best supports the well-being of animals, honors the connections between humans and pets, stabilizes communities, and maintains public health and safety. When we serve animals in the right place, at the right time, and provide the right care while working within our capacity, we make it possible to achieve the right outcome.

 This course discusses Return-to-Home principles as well as barriers to adoption from animal shelters and strategies for avoiding decision fatigue while making decisions with compassion, empathy, and clarity.

Within the Four Rights, every element works in concert to support one another: animals and people are treated as individuals, empowering shelter staff to make the best decisions for everyone; community safety net services are in place and flourishing; and humane care within the shelter is provided, with appropriate outcomes for the animals that do come in, allowing shelters to deliver the Right Care, in the Right Place, at the Right Time, and to the Right Outcome.