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Social Enterprise as a Model to Improve Live Release and Euthanasia Rates in Animal Shelters

This paper explored the role that social entrepreneurship may play in helping to improve euthanasia and live release rates in animal shelters. This paper used a qualitative, comparative ethnographic study that included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and archival research. It co...

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Autores principales: Thomsen, Jennifer, Thomsen, Bastian, Copeland, Kellen, Coose, Sarah, Blackwell, Sean, Dante, Vitoria
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8093507/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33959653
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.654572
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author Thomsen, Jennifer
Thomsen, Bastian
Copeland, Kellen
Coose, Sarah
Blackwell, Sean
Dante, Vitoria
author_facet Thomsen, Jennifer
Thomsen, Bastian
Copeland, Kellen
Coose, Sarah
Blackwell, Sean
Dante, Vitoria
author_sort Thomsen, Jennifer
collection PubMed
description This paper explored the role that social entrepreneurship may play in helping to improve euthanasia and live release rates in animal shelters. This paper used a qualitative, comparative ethnographic study that included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and archival research. It compared two large animal shelters from the U.S. and Australia. Collectively, 21 formal interviews, more than 30 informal interviews, and participant observation were conducted over a 6-month time frame between the two countries. Findings indicate that three main factors may contribute to the transformation of non-profit animals shelters and result in improved euthanasia and live release rates, as well as animal caregiver burnout. These include: (1) professionalizing shelter management, (2) engaging with non-profit social enterprise activities, and (3) improving the efficiency of daily operations. In this paper, we argue that by embracing non-profit social enterprise activities, animal shelters may improve anthropocentric animal shelter activities to positively affect human and non-human rights, welfare, and agency. We do not contend that non-profit animal shelters should sacrifice their stated mission or ethics to include business practices. Rather, by professionalizing management and operations that include self-sustaining diverse revenue streams, it may free up time and resources to make a greater effect in positive non-human animal welfare and outcomes.
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spelling pubmed-80935072021-05-05 Social Enterprise as a Model to Improve Live Release and Euthanasia Rates in Animal Shelters Thomsen, Jennifer Thomsen, Bastian Copeland, Kellen Coose, Sarah Blackwell, Sean Dante, Vitoria Front Vet Sci Veterinary Science This paper explored the role that social entrepreneurship may play in helping to improve euthanasia and live release rates in animal shelters. This paper used a qualitative, comparative ethnographic study that included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and archival research. It compared two large animal shelters from the U.S. and Australia. Collectively, 21 formal interviews, more than 30 informal interviews, and participant observation were conducted over a 6-month time frame between the two countries. Findings indicate that three main factors may contribute to the transformation of non-profit animals shelters and result in improved euthanasia and live release rates, as well as animal caregiver burnout. These include: (1) professionalizing shelter management, (2) engaging with non-profit social enterprise activities, and (3) improving the efficiency of daily operations. In this paper, we argue that by embracing non-profit social enterprise activities, animal shelters may improve anthropocentric animal shelter activities to positively affect human and non-human rights, welfare, and agency. We do not contend that non-profit animal shelters should sacrifice their stated mission or ethics to include business practices. Rather, by professionalizing management and operations that include self-sustaining diverse revenue streams, it may free up time and resources to make a greater effect in positive non-human animal welfare and outcomes. Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-04-20 /pmc/articles/PMC8093507/ /pubmed/33959653 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.654572 Text en Copyright © 2021 Thomsen, Thomsen, Copeland, Coose, Blackwell and Dante. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Veterinary Science
Thomsen, Jennifer
Thomsen, Bastian
Copeland, Kellen
Coose, Sarah
Blackwell, Sean
Dante, Vitoria
Social Enterprise as a Model to Improve Live Release and Euthanasia Rates in Animal Shelters
title Social Enterprise as a Model to Improve Live Release and Euthanasia Rates in Animal Shelters
title_full Social Enterprise as a Model to Improve Live Release and Euthanasia Rates in Animal Shelters
title_fullStr Social Enterprise as a Model to Improve Live Release and Euthanasia Rates in Animal Shelters
title_full_unstemmed Social Enterprise as a Model to Improve Live Release and Euthanasia Rates in Animal Shelters
title_short Social Enterprise as a Model to Improve Live Release and Euthanasia Rates in Animal Shelters
title_sort social enterprise as a model to improve live release and euthanasia rates in animal shelters
topic Veterinary Science
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8093507/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33959653
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.654572
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