Updated July 13, 2022
Audio Resource: Fostering Positive Relationships Between Animal Sanctuaries
Check out the following audio conversation between The Open Sanctuary Project’s staff and P.E.A.C.E. Canada about this topic!
Speaker 1
Leading from what Mckenzee was saying about going and working with sanctuaries. That’s always been like the number one goal. Volunteer with them for a year. See all season. See what it involves. If you’re going to try and start your own fostering, and especially if you’re wanting to start a farm, saying to yourself it’s really important to foster a positive relationship in your team.
There’s this great resource on your website. Positive fostering positive relationships between animal sanctuaries. So if anybody wants to go check that out. Is there any any I guess it’s a hard thing to think of because even within this community, I think there’s this idealism that everybody’s just kumbaya, happy, working together. But when you look across the board with businesses, with even within animal rescueAn organization that helps secure animals from dangerous or unacceptable situations. As organizations, rescues may or may not have dedicated permanent infrastructure for housing animals., when it comes to more companion, would you consider companion animalsAnimals who spend regular time with humans in their home and life. Typically cats and dogs are considered companion animals, though many species of animals could also be companion animals. like dogs and cats?
There’s always these hard things, personality conflicts and things like that. But what’s one tip do any of you have like some key things or one tip for anybody who’s starting a sanctuary and knows the location they want to be at is close to another already established farm sanctuary. Do you have any tips?
00;01;27;15 – 00;01;53;11
Speaker 2
Make friends. Like really if you can. Like, because you know, there’s a lot of really valid reasons why people might feel kind of bad to say. It’s simply that like another organization starts up right next to them, you know, there’s a scarcity mindset that like, you know, they’re going to cut into our volunteers, they’re going to cut into our funding or like, you know, it’s going to get weird between us because we were the only people in the area doing this.
And now there’s this other organization. But, you know, I think I think being on friendly terms with another organization opens up so many opportunities, even if you need to create respectful distance in certain categories, you know, and that can be as simple as just like share your calendar with them and ask them what their calendar is so you don’t coordinate events on the same day.
Like that’s a major thing. Or like maybe you can get to the point where you can do events together, but like, you know, just making sure you’re not stepping on toes and like, you know, like, oh, their annual gala is on like this day. Maybe we shouldn’t have ours the day before or something like. Just be, be aware of the community and be aware of where people are going and just recognize that, you know, this other organization is trying their best and, you know, they might not know about you like especially if you’re just moving to the area and starting an organization.
And I think it’s just really important to like make contact and be and be friendly and like I think a major thing that we recommend in that resource is like don’t just like if you have to say no to a rescue, do not just like send them to that other organization or that person without asking that organization if it’s okay to send people.
Because like then suddenly you’re sending maybe a desperate individual to this organization that also doesn’t have capacity and then they look like somehow worse as an organization, like in, in the community for some reason. Like just try to keep open communication channels and try to keep it cordial because I think so many issues between sanctuaries could be so easily resolved just with more transparent communication and just a little bit of spirit of goodwill and patience.
00;03;37;09 – 00;04;05;18
Speaker 3
And if you work together, acknowledge that, right? Like if you do something together, if you team up together, like acknowledge the folks who are involved, because I think that’s something I’ve seen in the past to sort a source of ill will. It’s like, you know, you’re on Facebook saying like, well, look at this rescue we did and you’re like omitting the fact that the individual went somewhere else first and like, you know, someone drove them or did the rehabilitation or whatever.
Like, really like acknowledging that it’s a team effort when it is. Sorry, Amber, but like we were talking at the same time.
No, I mean, like, that’s a huge thing. Just, you know, it’s that, you know, taking that space, just being aware of of the space that you inhabit in the space that they inhabit within the community. You know, and one thing I would add that I just saw recently in the past year and it wasn’t a farmed animal sanctuaryAn animal sanctuary that primarily cares for rescued animals that were farmed by humans. but a parrot sanctuary, but there they had a disaster, essentially.
But they had a good contingency planA formal or informal course of action planned for certain events, especially emergencies that a sanctuary might face., which was great, which really helped a lot of things that could have been worse there. But there had been another, you know, similar organization with some different ideas about things. Right. Some different philosophy of care, which so that could lead to some contention. But when they were in trouble, they had a fire.
They showed up. They just showed up. And delivered food because they knew that like the shed had like with all the food in it, like they showed up to lend a hand and like so it’s like even when there are times where like you may not be completely on board with everything or agree, you know, exactly on any number of things, you can still show up for them, show up for the animals in a way, and that can really improve and really solidify, you know, like now that now they have this even more communication.
Before they weren’t even really talking so much, but when they had heard this other organization just, you know, they even you know, they had they have different followers, so to speak. And so they had some of their followers, even like they told them the situation they donated. So even from their own like full of, you know, of people, they were like, hey, this other place, this is, you know, this is what’s happening with their birds and, you know, with, you know, with them.
And they showed up and donated a whole lot of food and things to help them cover things until they could get a better temporary, you know, like housing.
00;06;10;10 – 00;06;44;04
Speaker 5
I think that everyone really through that beautifully. And the only thing that I would really want to underline is instead of maintaining or fostering a an attitude of scarcity, it can be very helpful to consider, to consider the work from a mutual aid perspective and consider that none of this is a competition unless someone decides to make it like you can make that choice, then all of a sudden you’re you’re competing with this other organization and that doesn’t really help anyone.
Instead, you can consider how you can complement one to meet one another. And as Amber pointed out, in in situations of crisis, those strengths and complementary abilities of different organizations can really be highlighted. You know, I think about calculating bias here when lots of different groups from all over the country came together to help work on these birds and get them all placements.
And nobody was about the fighting itself when everyone was about the animals. And it was not about competition. It was about highlighting each other, being grateful for the assistance everyone brought to bear, and that mutual aid mindset to me is a much more helpful lens than that of sort of scarcity mindset.
00;07;32;12 – 00;07;53;11
Speaker 2
And I might add, another point that we bring up in that resource that I think is important is, yes, there will probably be times that you don’t agree with. Every single thing rarely do to animal advocates. You might agree on 99% of everything. But not on 100% everything. And it’s that last 1% that really is sticky almost always. And it’s a lot.
It’s very easy to lose sight of that 99% and, you know, if you for some reason really disagree with an organization or feel, I don’t know, slighted or something, please consider before you maybe like do a call out publicly because that doesn’t help animals. It just kind of makes the community look hostile. And from the outside, people just see conflict.
And, you know, the sanctuary movement, it’s a very you know, there’s more sanctuaries. There’s more micro sanctuaries every day. But, you know, it’s still a pretty close knit community. And I think there’s there is more way more downside about like publicly calling out another organization for something and the benefits tangibly to animals. And, you know, I think it’s important for us always to keep that bottom line.
The real purpose of sanctuary in mind when we’re doing anything, the sanctuaries, you know, like what is this doing to help animals or how is this furthering the missionThe stated goals and activities of an organization. An animal sanctuary’s mission is commonly focused on objectives such as animal rescue and public advocacy. of anti speciesismA form of discrimination based on species membership; the belief that different species of animals deserve different ethical considerations regardless of whether they have similar needs or interests. or collective liberationCollective liberation recognizes that all systems of oppression are intertwined and acknowledges that working in solidarity with one another to undo all of these oppressive systems is the only way we can achieve a world where everyone, human and nonhuman, is truly free from exploitation and harm.? And if it’s really just to put down another organization, maybe reconsider it a little bit.
Introduction
Most animal sanctuaries share the following in common as a reason for their existence: an outpouring of compassion for animals, and their subsequent decision to help create gentler outcomes for a number of tragic situations. Hundreds of animal sanctuaries and rescues across the world have been founded with a similar series of good intentions. This creates a wonderful opportunity for collaboration among sanctuaries to promote their shared values, missions, and understandings surrounding the compassionate care of their residents. Many sanctuaries and rescue organizations can and do collaborate together to this end, and the result can be a robust and solid network of caregivers, all focused on sharing work towards a collective goal.
There can a flip side to this however, as unfortunately, when humans get involved with any sort of pursuit, human complications can come along for the ride!
When two or more nonprofit organizations that serve similar populations operate within a close distance to one another, there can be some friction between the two organizations on occasion. For certain animal sanctuaries, this occasional tension sometimes unfortunately grows into frustration, or even outright animosity.
When conflicts like this arise, maintaining compassionate communication around the underlying concerns can really help sanctuaries work towards maintaining a cordial relationship, and if appropriate, potentially work together to do even more for animals in need!
What May Cause Friction Between Organizations
Typically, adjacent sanctuaries may come into conflict for a few reasons:
- Perceived Support Scarcity – Animal sanctuaries generally rely upon community and public support in order to develop a reliable volunteer and donor base. When two sanctuaries with similar missions share one community, there can be the perception that resources are being split (sometimes in an unsustainable fashion), between the two organizations, fostering an unnecessary sense of competition and a need to convince the public that one sanctuary needs more support than the other.
- Philosophy Of Care Differences – Animal sanctuaries, especially those that take care of particularly marginalized animal species (such as farmed animals), typically will have some philosophies and policies that differ from one another. While one sanctuary may passionately believe a certain care decision or organizational choice should be a universal sanctuary policy, another sanctuary might vehemently disagree! What might begin as a philosophical disagreement could turn into hostility if sanctuaries are not respectful of one another.
If Philosophy Of Care differences are causing problems, it’s important to step back and remember that both sanctuaries are ultimately trying their best to reach the same goal, and as long as no harm is coming to residents, the best policy is respect.
Keeping first and foremost in mind the fact that you share more in common than in difference in your joint stance against animal exploitation can help both organizations to realign thinking and priorities in a way that can help you both to focus on your shared understandings, versus your differences.  - Lack Of Communication – Often, a lot of contention can be generated between sanctuaries if organizations operate on assumptions rather than open channels of dialogue with one another. If an organization makes an assumption of how another sanctuary might handle a situation or request without knowing the full picture of their organization’s operations and challenges, this can exacerbate this kind of miscommunication.
Ways To Maintain Friendly Relations Between Animal Sanctuaries
Actively working to avoid the above three friction-causing elements whenever possible are some of the best ways to maintain a friendly relationship with another sanctuary in your area, especially using the following tactics:
Communication Is Key
When working with other animal sanctuaries or rescues in your area, it can be very productive to introduce yourself to those in charge, and keep a friendly channel of dialogue open. Although disagreements may arise, keeping in mind the other sanctuary’s shared compassion and goals can keep tensions from growing. Actively articulating your common ground together can be a positive exercise that can help build solidarity between organizations.
If organizations have a friendly rapport established, open communication can create significant mutual benefits, such as effective technique and policy sharing as well as mutual support in times of need!
Synchronize Schedules
One easy way to collaborate and ensure mutual support for both your organizations is to keep each other up to date on your calendars and events throughout the year. This way, your organizations will never incidentally hold important functions at competing times, which ultimately may end up splitting the community’s support for both organizations.
If your relationship is particularly strong, you can even conduct outreach events together off of sanctuary grounds. This way, you can show your community the impact of a unified front for the animals!
Just make sure that if there are any fundraising elements to a multi-sanctuary event, everyone should first discuss how funds will be distributed, if at all. Short “memorandums of understanding” done in writing in advance of such an event can help clarify agreements and avoid any potential misunderstandings. Never operate on assumptions when it comes to other organizations and revenue!
Ask Before You Refer
If a member of the public makes a request to your organization, like asking you to provide sanctuary to an animal or provide support to a cause in some way, it’s not unusual to need to kindly turn them down. In cases like these, it may seem appropriate to refer the individual to other animal sanctuaries or organizations in your area. Prior to using any other organization as a referral, have a conversation with them and discuss whether this is something they’re comfortable with.
It is important to recognize that having to say no to “owner” surrenderThe act of transferring guardianship of an animal to a person or organization, especially via legal contract. requests for example, can be very emotionally draining and upsetting. Having a discussion directly with another sanctuary about having received such a request and checking their capacity before referring the request can help relieve some of this burden associated with having to refuse it. Often, it can feel hostile to constantly get redirected requests without such discussions!
For sanctuaries who already maintain a positive relationship, you can establish a rescue and request network, either informally or on social media, to help create more solutions for animals in need while cutting down on unsolicited referrals between organizations.
Neutrality, Or At Least Not Outward Hostility
If things just don’t seem like they’re going to ever go particularly well between multiple animal sanctuaries, at least consider establishing an internal policy of public neutrality towards other organizations. This could include basic considerations like not talking negatively about other organizations to other members of the public or amongst your staff, and not critiquing them on social media. This includes avoiding “vaguebooking” other individuals or organizations (where one calls out somebody with varying degrees of obviousness without directly using their name). What may seem like a “subtle” or diplomatic commentary can easily be taken badly by others, even misconstrued by people you may respect, and can cause many unintended hurt feelings.
Ultimately, public bickering amongst sanctuaries doesn’t help animals; it only harms residents who need support and can lower the public’s perception of the animal sanctuary community as a whole. If you feel the need to explain why your sanctuary does things differently, you can do so gently and with supporting information, without putting down any other organization.
If another organization makes the unfortunate choice to openly critique you, consider the benefits of taking the high road and avoiding put-downs or public arguments; the community will always be paying attention, and most community members typically favor calm over calamity! Remember, the hard work of providing animals with sanctuary and compassionate care is an end in and of itself. It is not a competition unless you choose to make it one!
Actions Steps To Enhance Community Among Animal Sanctuaries
Equally as important as the steps you can take to avoid and mitigate conflict between sanctuaries are taking measures to build and enhance the relationships between them! There are many ways that sanctuaries can work together in order not only to foster a strong sense of shared community, but also to improve the lives of their animal residents, create a wider net of support for more animals, and enhance public perception of the sanctuary movement as a whole.
Such steps can include:
- Sharing Transport Resources and Creating Transport Chains:Â Many sanctuaries are lucky enough to have volunteers who are willing to help with transport of animals in need. When sanctuaries network these transport volunteers together, they can often create transport chains that expand their reach to help support animals in need far beyond what they might be able to ordinarily accomplish alone.Â
- Acknowledging And Utilizing Each Others’ Expertise With Different Species/Specialties: Some sanctuaries are known for their special skills with particular species, or for their knowledge of care of certain conditions. It is important to acknowledge that, with the wide breadth of care requirements associated with different species and conditions, not every organization can (or should!) be specialized in the same ways. Instead, it is helpful when one sanctuary lacking a certain knowledge base, say for instance, with respect to disabilities, can feel comfortable asking for and drawing upon advice and support from another sanctuary that might deal with them on a daily basis. Humility and respect on both sides of this kind of interaction are crucial to getting the animals in question the best care possible, which should always be the foremost goal. Â
- Sharing Knowledge And Past Experience With Respect To Caregiving and Other Professionals: All sanctuaries should always be on the lookout for the best possible caregivers for their residents, whether those are veterinarians, farriersIndividuals who provide hoof and trimming care, especially for horses or cows., shearers or other professionals. It can be very helpful for sanctuaries to share knowledge amongst themselves about their experiences with such professionals. Similarly, sharing knowledge about other professional service providers such as accountants or lawyers can also help sanctuaries save time and energy when they are searching for such services. Â
- Sharing Knowledge With Respect to Vendors: Similarly, sanctuaries can help each other by sharing information when it comes to their preferred vendors of things like food, supplies, or even referrals to builders that they may like and recommend. It may even be possible for sanctuaries in proximity to negotiate shared discounts for joint purchases. Again, clear communication in these situations is critical, and it’s always helpful to have the terms of arrangements like shared purchases or commissions memorialized in writing in advance. Â
- Collaborating In “Matchmaking” When Helpful to Residents: Many sanctuaries have residents who flourish in certain kinds of groups, or some individual residents who may prefer or best be kept with certain kinds of companions. For instance, one sanctuary with large breed chickens may keep these particular individuals in their own separate flock apart from non large breedDomesticated animal breeds that have been selectively bred by humans to grow as large as possible, as quickly as possible, to the detriment of their health. chickens, due to their specific dietary requirements. If another sanctuary welcomes a large breed chicken but does not have other similar residents that would be good “matches” for this individual, it may be worth considering transferring the new arrival to the sanctuary who has an established flock into which the bird may be integrated. Sometimes, a situation may arise where a resident loses a long term companion, and there may be no other individuals on site who will make a good “match.” In such a case, collaborations between sanctuaries can be very helpful in helping to find appropriate companions and friends for individuals who need them, provided of course that all proper quarantining and health checkThe Open Sanctuary Project uses the term "health check" to describe health evaluations performed by caregivers who are not licensed veterinarians. While regular health checks are an important part of animal care, they are not meant to be a replacement for a physical exam performed by a licensed veterinarian. precautions are taken.
- Sharing Information About Emerging Medical Issues: Sanctuary caregivers can be in a position to note shifting trends in animal health, particularly when it comes to new resident intakes. Keeping track of such trends and comparing notes with other sanctuaries can help everyone stay aware of and ahead of any issues that could impact their residents.
- Staying In Touch With Respect To Other Community Developments: While sanctuary work can seem all encompassing and involving, it is important to remember that sanctuaries do exist as members of a larger community, and there can be many other community issues, events, or causes which can serve as common grounds to align sanctuaries. For example, if there is mobilization behind state humane legislation, sanctuaries in that state may choose to align together to share support for that legislation. If local zoning changes can potentially impact sanctuaries, it can be helpful for them discuss and coalesce their views and action plans. Even outside of animal related issues altogether, animal sanctuaries can find common ground. Increasingly, sanctuaries are exploring things like community gardening both to supplement residents’ food supply and to offer support to local communities in need of food support. Sanctuaries can support each other in such endeavors by sharing experience, seed sharing, and sharing surplus. Â
Infographic
Positive by Amber D Barnes
SOURCES:
How Sanctuaries Can Work Together to Help More Animals in Need of Rescue | One Green Planet
