Feature

Hire Education: Tips on Finding Great Employees
Those who hire new staff need to know much more than that time-tested interview question: “So tell me about yourself.” For shelters in particular, the task of finding and choosing candidates who will thrive in the chaotic environment of animal care and control can seem challenging at best. But by learning to screen applicants effectively through careful resume review and detailed interviews, shelter managers can avoid making bad choices and learn to select people who have what it takes to become dedicated, long-term employees.

Departments

The Front Lines

• California commission says state owes shelters big bucks
• Shelters find creative and comical ways to promote their programs through pop-up ads
• Canadian agencies join forces on a cross-reporting project on the link between animal cruelty and human violence
• JAVMA study on obsessive-compulsive disorder in dogs and cats 
• AVMA survey confirms cat's status as top dog
• Beyond the Frontlines: From Hawking Gin to Helping Critters

Profiles:
Faced with out-of-shape humans and shelter dogs in need of outdoor exercise, the city of Lubbock, Texas, finds a way to solve two problems with one leash.

Resources

• A police training video on animal abuse
• AnimalKind posters

ShelterSpeak
Members of The HSUS’s National Companion Animals Advisory Group discuss their policies on categorizing shelter animals according to adoptability. 

In Practice: Customer Service Survey
An effective customer service survey can give shelter staff valuable feedback. 

Perspective: Weighing in on the Scales
HSUS Director of Captive Wildlife Protection Richard Farinato discusses the challenges and consequences of caring for and placing reptiles.