Solutions for People Created with Animals / Mission and Goals Statement

Our Mission:

Purpose:
To explain the overall three tier mission of Solutions for People Created with Animals.

1. To bring a range of quality Pet Related - Human Services that are worthwhile to Pet Owners and communities in the Northern Arkansas & Southern Missouri by providing real solutions to those who find themselves in need of assistance during times of personal or family temporary crisis. Service programs are designed to keep a loved pet within the home that loves it, rather than see it relinquished to a shelter. These programs reduce the number of pets in local area shelters as well as create a working relationship between an animal welfare groups and other organizations which are primarily human services based, which in turn, develops a sense of comradery between organizations, staff and volunteers who may otherwise never consider the connections between our shared goals and missions. Programs are also designed to provide stray and otherwise unwanted dogs with new opportunities for a quality life through retraining into specialized areas such as becoming Service Dogs for the disabled and Therapy Assistance Animals.

2. To provide an educational facility for homeless individuals as well as young people and adults who wish to seek a career in an animal welfare related field by utilizing Intern programs, Summer Youth programs, Clubs, etc, which are designed to give individual instruction on the care and keeping of domesticated animals, along with the business and management aspects of operating a shelter or other services oriented organization. These programs assist government employment programs such as Experience Works and Work Force by providing Animal Welfare Related Educational Employment Opportunities for program participants as well as takes instruction into the classroom for children in grades 1 - 6, and for young people's organizations such as the 4-H Club, FFA, Boy & Girl Scouts, etc. The program also partners with other organizations which provide shelter services to homeless people through referrals to our educational programs.

3. To provide emergency pet services in the way of temporary pet shelters to the Directors of the Offices of Emergency Management primarily in the counties of Marion, Baxter, Boone, Searcy, Izard, Stone, and Fulton counties, as well as the State of Arkansas disaster relief agencies including the Arkansas National Guard, the State Homeland Security Office, the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and other agencies which are members of the Arkansas State VOAD, when called upon in times of natural or man-made disaster where pets and their owners require assistance.

Our Goals:

With each new year, comes a re-evaluation of goals and ideas. What were we able to accomplish over the course of the last year? What still remains to be done? Are our goals reasonable / can they be achieved? What changes do we need to make to see them come true?
As we look back over our fiscal 2009, we cannot be disappointed. We moved the entire shelter to a new home, a better location and a better landscape. In spite of the economy downturn, our Human Services Programs continued to grow. New and old relationships with other area organizations became stronger. We added another full time staff member to our team. Even though we do not consider numbers to be a factor in finding new forever homes for abandoned dogs and cats, we understand that others do, and our overall adoption rate was very good for a shelter our size with our capabilities. More new programs to help our community be a better place for everyone who lives here were developed. Over all, 2009 was a very good year for the SPCA.
So, what's in store for 2010? Although we expect to lose our founder and President, Charlie Campbell to cancer sometime this year, (you can Read Charlie's farewell letter here), we still intend to operate as normal, continuing the Human Services programs, and expanding the complex to house interns and people who will enroll in the Stepping Up program.

We have been asked back to the Yellville/Summit Elementary and Middle School to hold classes with our dogs and cats. We want to see this co-operation between the shelter and local area schools continue to grow and a real education of our young people about their pets begin by getting our Young People's Education Program into more area schools and classrooms.

We want to see the local area people become more involved in the treatment of pets and animals in our area through voting for candidates who are concerned about pet and animal issues, through helping us to be able to do something about the many animal abuse calls that come through our office, and through helping us to promote the Human Services programs we offer to the elderly and other pet owners in our area.

Our Intern programs are nearly complete and will be ready to begin accepting students interested in becoming Animal Caretakers and Shelter Managers as soon as housing upgrades are finished. Students enrolled in the Shelter Management program who successfully pass the course will be prepared to go anywhere in the country and operate a "Next Generation" Animal Shelter. It is our hope to train people who will want to open and operate shelters in one of the many surrounding counties where no shelter exists.

We now have a qualified dog obedience trainer, Beth Levine. Beth and Josh will be working with dogs as they come in on basic obedience skills which will better prepare them for their new lives with new families. As well, low-cost Basic Obedience classes are now being offered through the organization with new classes beginning year-round.

Beth is also certified to train Service Dogs. This is something we had been after for a couple of years, trying to find a trainer who has the skills to teach these special tasks, yet no local trainer we talked to felt they had the skills necessary. In November 2009, we began training some of the shelter dogs (those that passed the tests and had what it takes) so that they were ready to be placed with a handicapped individual who can benefit from the things a good Service Dog can provide, and then could undergo Advanced Service Dog training with the person who will partner/team with them. As of June 2010, the program had placed 5 dogs, each successfully, with 4 more in training, and 3 others in foster homes undergoing basic obedience training and getting ready. Beth also currently works with disabled individuals who already own a dog and want that one trained to help them. This year, we expanded this program to include Southern Missouri and intend to reach yet further to serve more people in more areas. We will also hold classes throughout the year to educate the public on what Service Dogs are, what they can do, and what the legal issues are regarding ownership.

We will begin to work on an Animal Assisted Therapy program under the guidance of the Delta Society to begin to be able to also use dogs and cats in therapeutic situations in our area. As it is becoming established practice around the country to utilize animals in therapy situations of all types, we will train and provide dogs and cats to be available for use by hospitals, nursing homes, caretakers, and any other health professionals who are interested in using this type of therapy in their programs.

We will begin in earnest our Stepping Up program developed to help homeless individuals to get back on their feet by providing them an education in the animal welfare sector. Participants will also receive training in business, managerial, and office skills that they can take into any job opportunity and be successful. This program will partner with the Catholic Charities of Arkansas, and we hope other local area organizations who may wish to participate.