A GUIDE TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND PROBLEM SOLVING THINKING
Download: Problem Solving Guide Handout

1. Identify the Problem

   1. Brainstorm a list of ideas and prioritize
   2. Start with a pre-determined problem
   3. Solution not known
   4. Compare ideal vs. current
   5. Must be measurable
   6. Keep scope in mind

2. Grasp the Current Situation

   1. Genchi Genbutsu: Go and see the problem for deeper understanding
   2. Use data objectively to break down the problem into smaller, more concrete problems
   3. Narrow the focus to one aspect of the problem to solve
   4. Make sure it is still a problem – if not, go back to step 1

3. Set a Target

   1. Specific and numeric
   2. Clarify rationale and impact

4. Determine the Root Cause

   1. Brainstorm potential causes for the problem
      Can you turn the problem on and off with the root cause?
   2. Come to consensus on one or two high potential causes (direct cause)
   3. Go and see or collect data to verify if direct cause is true
      If not true, go to next direct cause

5. Develop a Countermeasure Plan

   1. Address the root cause
   2. Clarify roles and involve everyone

6. Implement Countermeasure

   1. Collect data to monitor results
   2. Be consistent in any before and after comparisons
   3. Ensure no adverse effects at neighboring processes

7. Confirm Results

   1. Compare results with target from Step 3
   2. If still off, try next countermeasure or return to Step 4
   3. If on track, cease any short-term measures
   4. Self-evaluate development

8. Standardize / Control

   1. Standardize success to prevent recurrence
   2. Re-train as needed
   3. Audit or create systems to sustain improved standards

Dr. Deresz talks about the importance of spaying and neutering including reducing the number of unwanted pets.

Spaying and neutering is the most effective way to reduce the homeless pet population and end pet euthanasia in our shelters. It is safe for puppies and kittens as young as eight weeks old, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

During January, get your male dog (39 pounds and under) neutered for $30. Make an appointment by phone or online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Click here or call 972.472.3500.

This special $30 rate is even less than our normal low-cost fee and is available to all residents in North Texas. Pet parents who wish to take advantage of this offer must mention the “Happy Neuter Year” campaign when they schedule their appointment.

Bonnie Hill is retiring as our Executive Director after serving Spay Neuter Network (SNN) for 16 years. Below is a note from her to all of our supporters, volunteers, and patrons. Thank you so much, Bonnie!

As many know, I founded Spay Neuter Network in 2004. It has never been just a job for me, but a large part of who I am and a great source of pride. I love SNN – the mission, the clients we serve, and especially the people who make it all happen. My love for our work and impassioned pursuit of greatness for SNN has never wavered. Rather, it has grown as we have pushed the envelope on what is possible. We’ve advanced from a small spay/neuter provider servicing one rural county to the creators of incredible national award-winning work. We’ve grown, from a grassroots organization to a leading national nonprofit helping to change the vision of how animals live across the U.S.
I am leaving a position I absolutely love with an organization that is on the verge of changing the world through new innovative educations programs, surgical veterinary training programs with several corporate veterinary providers, a cat program that requires the community to pitch in and do their part, and a pet resource and support center that is working to change the world of sheltering to no sheltering at all. The time is right for this change, and I have never been more excited about the future of this organization. I work with an incredibly supportive, innovative, and high-functioning board of directors. I am inspired daily by a staff team with unparalleled talents, a constant drive for excellence, and a willingness to step outside the box to come up with new ways to solve our pet overpopulation problem. And I have been deeply motivated by you — our donors and volunteers. You’ve trusted, supported, and partnered with our team as we’ve taken bold leaps and achieved some lofty goals. Your personal stories inspired me and touched my heart every day.
I have always told the team we may be small compared to other organizations, who often have more money, more facilities, and more well-known names behind them, but we are a mighty organization changing the world for animals, which is our reason for being here all these years.
To ensure a smooth transition to new leadership, I will be working with our staff and board of directors over the next few months. With our fantastic team in place, SNN will not miss a beat. When I step aside, Victoria Cowper will take over as interim Executive Director on January 4, 2021. Victoria comes to us with more than 20 years of experience in animal welfare, so we know our team is in exceptionally good hands.
Deep down, we all want to make the world a little better than the condition it was in when we entered it. Working on behalf of SNN, with its local and national partners as well as pet parents in North Texas, has been one of my life’s greatest honors. Because of SNN, millions of dogs and cats have lived and will continue to live happier, healthier, more loving lives.
Thank you for all your support all these years. Because of people like you, we are building more humane communities for dogs and cats in North Texas.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Hill
Executive Director, Spay Neuter Network

On April 6th, Spay Neuter Network (SNN) launched the Pet Resource and Support Center – a collaboration between them, the City of Dallas, and Dallas Animal Services (DAS) – four months earlier than expected. Their goal was to provide services and resources to help keep pets in their homes or place pets directly into foster care or with rescue groups to keep them out of the city shelter entirely. The COVID-19 crisis, however, created the perfect storm where DAS was closed, but pet owners needed help right away, so SNN rolled out the program to meet those needs.

Since then, here are the five ways SNN’s Pet Resource and Support Center is helping pet owners and their pets through the pandemic.

• Provide services and resources to keep pets in their homes. Many times, pet owners just need help getting food or basic medical care for their pets to keep them in their homes. Through the Center, help is available. If someone has a dog or cat that keeps getting pregnant, SNN provides free or low-cost spay-neuter surgery for the pet. If the pet owner needs help with heartworm or flea and tick preventative for their pet, SNN can provide low-cost preventatives to keep their pets healthy. If the pet already has heartworm or skin, ear, or an eye condition that the pet owner can’t afford to treat, SNN can provide or find low-cost services to treat that pet.

 

• Look for alternative placements. If someone absolutely has to rehome their pet, SNN works on finding alternative placements, like with foster care volunteers or a rescue group, as an alternative to the city shelter. With this new model, foster volunteers and rescue groups can view pets being surrendered on a private Pet Resource and Support Center rescue Trello board. The board is color-coded so groups know if the dog or cat has been fixed and is up-to-date on their vaccinations. SNN provides all sterilizations and vaccinations prior to any placements. Even pets that have a scheduled appointment with DAS are listed on the Trello board so if a rescue group can take the pet in beforehand, the pet never has to enter the city shelter. SNN is currently working with a technology company to develop a program to track this huge database of rescue groups and foster volunteers to give them real-time vacancies for pet placement around the city based on a pet’s species, gender, age, and health.

 

• Get the pet owner involved in rehoming the pet. “Even though a pet owner is giving up their pet, most still want the best for their pet, and are often pickier than any animal shelter would be in where the animal ends up,” says Bonnie Hill, executive director for SNN. “We are trying to get the community involved in addressing animal welfare and the only way that can happen is if we get pet owners to become part of the solution.”To that end, SNN provides tips, strategies, and support on how to do this. So far, 10% of the calls they have received during the pandemic have successfully rehomed their pets. SNN is working to finalize partnerships with several rehoming sites to make it even easier for owners to rehome their pets.

 

• Schedule appointments for DAS. If SNN runs out of placement options and the owner can’t keep the pet, SNN is connected with DAS’s internal appointment system and can make appointments for them to surrender their pets, so the animals are entering the shelter on a space-available basis.“Most pet owners don’t want their pets at risk of euthanasia and seem happy to wait for an appointment,” says Hill. “This managed approach streamlines intake and helps DAS know what’s coming into the shelter. They may not have room for a five-year-old, 30-lb. heartworm positive dog today, but they may know they will have space five days later. These few days’ delays in bringing an animal into the shelter could save many other lives.”

 

• Expand the partnership. Even though SNN started with the City of Dallas and DAS, they are hoping other animal groups in Dallas will want to partner in the program. By partnering with other groups in the community, SNN is ensuring that resources and services, like food, crates, spay-neuter, vaccinations, and other health care or behavior-related support, are readily available to keep pets in their homes, whenever possible.Recently, they added Dallas Pets Alive (DPA) to the partnership. DPA has operated a diversion program for many years to keep animals out of DAS. They are now working directly with SNN to further enhance the services and resources available through the Pet Resource and Support Center, and financially supporting the technology development for the program.

 

(Editor’s note: SNN plans to share the database technology being created for the program with any group who wants to start a similar program in their community. To get on the waiting list for the technology roll-out, contact Bonniehill@spayneuternet.org.)

.When the pandemic hit the U.S. earlier this year, Spay Neuter Network (SNN) in Dallas, Texas, was still months away from launching their Pet Resource and Support Center – a new collaborative initiative between SNN, the City of Dallas, and Dallas Animal Services (DAS). Through this initiative, SNN wanted to flip the traditional model of people showing up at DAS to surrender their pets and offer “rescue” to pet owners before the animal entered the shelter rather than afterward.

“We thought if we provided the right mix of services and resources, we could keep more pets in their homes,” says Bonnie Hill, executive director for SNN. “And, if the pet owner still wanted to surrender their pet, the next step was to divert the dog or cat to foster care or a rescue group, so the pet didn’t have to enter the city shelter at all.”

To that end, SNN agreed to take over the City of Dallas’ 311 surrender calls with the goal of launching the project in the late summer of 2020 – when they hoped to have some grant funding to support the project.

But then the pandemic arrived. DAS switched to an appointment-only intake system, which slowed the number of animals entering the city shelter and created an immediate need for the Pet Resource and Support Center to help pet owners find other solutions for caring for or relinquishing their pets. SNN closed their physical operations during the month of April but moved up the launch date for the Pet Resource and Support Center. With only a week to prepare, and one day of training for the staff, SNN began taking the 311 calls on April 6 from people wanting to surrender their pets.

“The calls were immediate and continuous,” says Hill. “So many people were being impacted by the pandemic and didn’t have the resources to feed their pets or treat their pets for minor skin conditions or illnesses. We could see the immediate need this service was going to provide during this crisis.”

Creating more life-saving options

While there are programs in place at DAS to prevent euthanasia, from transporting animals out of state to transferring animals to rescue groups or foster volunteers in the state, rescue has traditionally been done in Dallas and throughout the United States after the animal has been surrendered to a shelter. SNN was proposing a huge paradigm shift to change the outcome for animals in Dallas.

“We just felt if people had more options to keep their pets in their homes or out of the city shelter altogether through rescue first, they would opt for those choices instead,” says Hill.

And they did.

Since taking over the 311 surrender calls in April, SNN has handled more than 2,000 calls. Only one-third of those calls resulted in the pets going directly into DAS. The remaining two-thirds of pet owners who originally wanted to surrender their pets have either kept their pets in their homes because of the services or resources provided by the Center; rehomed their pets with guidance from the Center; or found temporary placement for their pets through the Center with a foster volunteer or rescue group. SNN ensures every animal is spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped before being placed anywhere in the community.

“Engaging the community and getting them to become part of the solution is the next step in saving lives and we hope these achievements will be replicated across the country,” says Hill. “We can see its value long past the pandemic and feel this is the next evolutionary step in saving pets’ lives.”

Grant of $40,000 will extend efforts to reduce shelter intake in Dallas

 Dallas, TX (July 29, 2020) – Spay Neuter Network has been awarded a $40,000 grant investment from the Petco Foundation to help reduce the number of pets entering shelters through its intake diversion program and create a lifesaving community for animals.

The Petco Foundation investment will help pet parents access resources such as veterinary care, training and behavior support, pet food assistance, and intake-diversion counseling with the goal of keeping families together. Spay Neuter Network’s Pet Support & Resource Center works with pet owners to keep pets in the home to reduce shelter intake. When an owner absolutely cannot keep a pet, a network of rescues works to rehome the animal quickly so it will never pass through a shelter.

“Spay Neuter Network is excited about our partnership with the City of Dallas, Dallas Animal Services, and Petco Foundation to help residents find alternatives to surrendering their pets to the City shelter.  So far, this program has resulted in a positive outcome for 65% of pets. These dogs and cats either ended up staying in their homes, were rehomed to a new owner, or went directly into a north Texas rescue instead of entering the City shelter.” Said Bonnie hill, SNN Executive Director.  “We could not do our life-saving work without support from organizations like Petco Foundation.”

Spay Neuter Network’s mission is to eliminate pet overpopulation through spay/neuter while empowering communities to care responsibly for dogs and cats. SNN performs more than 30,000 surgeries annually and provides wellness and preventative services for an additional 50,000 pets each year at little to no cost to pet owners in North Texas.  This is accomplished through a network of three spay/neuter clinics, a surgery transport service for those with limited transportation, and a Mobile Animal Spay/Neuter Hospital (MASH).

For more information about Spay Neuter Network or to donate, contact us at 972-472-3500 or donate here. For more on the Petco Foundation, visit petcofoundation.org and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using the hashtag #PetcoFamily.

About Spay Neuter Network

Spay Neuter Network’s mission is to eliminate pet overpopulation through spay/neuter while empowering communities to care responsibly for dogs and cats. This mission is accomplished by providing free and affordable spay/neuter, wellness, and vaccination services for dogs and cats across North Texas. Our goal is to reduce shelter intake and create compassionate communities free of homeless pets.

About the Petco Foundation

At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we’ve invested more than $280 million in lifesaving animal welfare work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. Through our Think Adoption First program, we partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoptions. So far, we’ve helped more than 6.5 million pets find their new loving families, and we’re just getting started. Visit petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.

We will post updates to this page as information is released.

UPDATE 4.3.2020

Spay Neuter Network has continued to monitor developments with COVID-19 (2019 Novel Coronavirus). When responding to an infectious disease, Spay Neuter Network closely follows the recommendations made by our state and county health department. We also monitor and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, TVMA, AVMA and many experienced animal welfare organizations. After reviewing new regulations and the essential business reduction list from Governor Abbott effective until April 30^th and projected extensions of the Stay at Home orders issued for most North Texas communities, the Spay Neuter Network Board of Directors has voted to close all clinics through May 1, 2020.

This has been a very difficult decision for us as we are a safety net for those that need affordable pet healthcare and April is a time of year that many dogs and cats are breeding and giving birth.

Saving animals lives is what we do every day. However, our team made the decision to shift temporarily to save human lives.  The lives saved are perhaps yours, your loved ones, or a SNN staff member.  We need our community to Stay at Home so that when Spay Neuter Network is ready to begin our mission full steam ahead, the community and our team are healthy.

While you, our customers, are at home safe, our executive team and staff members are working hard (from home) to get ready for the huge increase of unwanted dogs and cats that will  fill our communities over the next month.  Many litters will be born into families already struggling to keep their families fed; many feral kittens will be born on the streets. We need to be ready to go full force when we reopen.

Some of the things that Spay Neuter Network will be working on:

1. We are available to fill your heartworm and flea and tick prevention by calling 972-472-3500 or emailing us at info@spayneuternet.org
2. While most shelters remain closed to the public, our customer service team will be working hard to help owners find new homes for pets that they can no longer care for and providing solutions to help feed, train and keep the pets in their home.
3. Developing a strong targeted program for feral and community cats to get as many fixed as possible when we reopen.
4. Working to coordinate with rescues and shelter to help get pets sterilized as quickly as possible that were adopted with a spay/neuter contract.
5. In addition, so we can better serve you, our technicians and customer service personnel will be working to pass their CVA Level 1 and 2 certifications through the Texas Veterinary Medical Association.
6. We will be working on technology improvements to streamline the new “normal” check-in process so that you can get your pet checked in more quickly and you more quickly on your way home.   
7. We will be working with national funders and spay/neuter groups to prepare for a mega spay-a-thon for early fall so that we can fix a large number of dogs and cats for FREE very quickly to make up for the time we have lost.

Please know that we are available by phone Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm to answer any questions you may have.  We are all in this together and we will make it through stronger and better than ever.  Stay safe.

 

Sincerely,

Bonnie Hill

Executive Director

Is your pet spayed/neutered?

February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month and February 25, 2020 is World Spay Day.

According to Bonnie Hill, Executive Director at Spay Neuter Network, the decision to spay or neuter your pet can be the best decision you make for both your pet’s and your community’s long-term welfare.

The surgery provides important health benefits, including longer life expectancy, lower rates of certain cancers and fewer behavioral issues.

The community can benefit too. Spaying and neutering keeps stray pet populations down, which means fewer homeless pets in animal shelters. If just one male and female cat and their offspring are left to breed on their own, they can have over 2,000 cats in just five years! Spaying and neutering indoor-only pets helps prevent unwanted pregnancies, both in your home and in case of accidental escape.

Spay Neuter Network is a nonprofit offering free and low-cost spay/neuter services across the Dallas and Fort worth metro area as well as surrounding counties. 

For information about spay and neuter services, please call 972-472-3500.

Think of a pet that is already trained and doesn’t chew or scratch everything in sight — a pet who will love you unconditionally. That’s what you get when you adopt a senior pet!

Some people worry that a senior pet comes with problems, but in most cases they’ve had a home and they want one again. An older animal is easier to deal with and is still playful.

At animal shelters and rescue groups everywhere, there are loving, healthy senior pets looking for that one special home to cherish them for the rest of their life, and they don’t ask for much: just a warm place to sleep, good meals and plenty of love.

 

Here are a few more tips from Parade.

1. They come with few surprises. There’s no need to wonder how big they will grow, how often they will need to be groomed, or what their personality will be like. What you see is what you get!

2. Bye-bye, potty-training manuals! Seniors are likely to have already been house-trained—or if they haven’t been, they are physically and mentally ready to pick it up in no time.

3. It’s nice to say things just once. Seniors have been around humans long enough to understand our language. They often know what we are asking or can quickly learn to do as we ask. You can teach an old dog new tricks, and fast!

4. They fit right in. A senior dog or cat has been around the block a few times and has come into contact with many other dogs, cats, and people. Seniors usually know what it takes to effortlessly fit in with a family and can do it with ease.

5. You can relax! Unlike a puppy or kitten being introduced to a home, a senior animal usually isn’t constantly getting into trouble. You don’t have to puppy-proof or kitten-proof your house for months on end.

6. They enjoy brisk walks and don’t ask for much. Older dogs do not require being taken on three runs daily, and they will tire of playing fetch after a short while! Although they do need exercise, seniors are often fine with a nice walk in the morning, aside from potty breaks.

7. Your favorite new shoes will be safe from doggy damage. With their teething years behind them, destructive chewing is usually a thing of the past.

8. Age is just a number. Age doesn’t always mean health problems and expensive medical bills. Young animals can develop health issues as well, and medical bills are usually par for the course throughout an animal’s life. Each animal is an individual and deserves to be viewed without judgment.

9. They give your heartstrings an extra tug. There is something incredibly powerful about providing sanctuary, love, care,
snuggles, and ultimately peace to a senior pet in his or her final years.

10. Short but sweet time spent together. Kids go off to college, people retire, and situations change. Sometimes we might have a more limited period of time to devote to the care of a special animal. You can still benefit from the companionship of a super senior.

 

According to Alicia Parlapiano’s New York Times article, pet euthanasia rates have dropped 75% across the country.  Some of the biggest success is right here at our very own Dallas Animal Services (70%) and it is all due to spay/neuter and adoption. Let that sink in.

All the work, the fundraising, the education. It is REALLY paying off.  So, congratulations to our friends and partners at Dallas Animal Services. THANK YOU to the community for getting your pets fixed and adopting shelter pets.

So, what does it take to be the leading city in the nation with the biggest drop in pet euthanasia over the last 10 years? It takes a lot of work at the shelter and a lot of support from nonprofits.

Spay Neuter Network…

• Works WITH shelters. They need all of our support.
• Forms amazing partnerships, like we have with our friends at Dallas Animal Services, and helps ensure all pets returned home or adopted are spayed or neutered.
• Receives support from local foundations for help with our projects.
• Sterilizes tens of thousands of pets for free
• Provides hundreds of low-cost and free vaccine clinics to help pets and educate the public
• Microchips tens of thousands of dogs and cats to ensure they make it home again if lost…
• Walks door-to-door educating pet owners and making surgery appointments — 100,000 doors knocked so far!
• Reaches millions of people through social media impressions and direct mail
• Visits classrooms to teach humane education, ensuring the next generation are responsible pet owners
• and delivers more hours of dedicated service to end pet overpopulation than ever before

 

The work has been vast but, for just a moment, lift your head and take a look at what we have achieved together.  We have made a difference, so smile, and know that someday we will get this problem fixed. For good.

Spay Neuter Network