Is It A Season of Change for the Animals of Milwaukee County?

Monday, David Mangold, director of Justice Alliance Milwaukee sent this letter to the board of directors of Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC).  

A very happy Columbus day to you! Outside, the season is visibly changing, and I get the sense that the community is changing along with it. Once acceptable practices and procedures are beginning to be thought of as antiquated, much like when horseless carriages began replacing the horse. People of great communities are finding new ways of doing things – together – with “Animal Control” organizations such as MADACC.

In today’s world, good, passionate volunteers in their community bring unbounded – and free- energy for the good of unfortunate animals that find themselves in control facilities. They bring not only their energy, but innovation and creativity from the outside. They work together with equally dedicated and passionate paid staff in a collaboration that benefits everybody. With greater volunteer participation, MADACC would benefit greatly from new ways of thinking that will save taxpayer dollars, and at the same time, make their communities safer and more humane.

The greater level of volunteerism, the more “care” gets put into “control” organizations: Animals, staff, and volunteers all benefit from volunteer socialization with the animals, and more transfers and adoptions take place. Maximizing socialization time will help the dogs, resulting in better evaluations – and lives saved.

People of great communities want more “Care” and less “Control”. They want the animals healthy and prevented from becoming sick. Animals become sick because they are stressed out and their immune systems are weak. Use volunteers to help reduce their stress, and this will go a long way.

Below are some new ideas that volunteers can help MADACC animals:

· Volunteers should be able to make use of the outside kennels – offering fresh air to the dogs, keeping them healthier and better adjusted. 

· Volunteers should be able to work weekend adoption hours in the outside kennels to help move animals to homes – utilizing the space effectively, as well as providing free help.
· Volunteers should be encouraged – not punished – for wanting to help. Therefore they should not be required to wash bowls for 8 hours before walking a dog, or go through any other initiation phase. They want nothing more than to walk a dog -- give them a leash, and let them.

· Volunteers should run an animal help desk to reduce surrenders. This has been very easily implemented in other AC facilities-and proven as highly effective.

· Lastly – volunteers should be able to help socialize and train the court case dogs for life outside of the facility. For at some point, a court case will occur, and these dogs need volunteers to know them, to stand for them, to give them a voice. Volunteers will to attend the court trials and ensure justice is done. Volunteers can, and will make a world of difference to these victims of cruelty.

Together – volunteers and staff can, and should, embrace new and better ways of thinking how we handle innocent lives.

Respectfully,

David Mangold

Founder, Justice Alliance Milwaukee

CC: Board of Directors/ Justice Alliance Milwaukee

CC: David Flagler
Justice Alliance Milwaukee's initiatives are to gain freedom for unforfeited seized dogs awaiting court trials in Milwaukee (MADACC), ensuring they are individually evaluated and rehabilitated if possible; to ensure the disposition of subsequent seized dogs in Milwaukee match the American Bar Association’s guidelines for seized dogs; and to update State Statutes to secure the forfeiture, release, fair evaluation, and rehabilitation of seized dogs in as little time as possible. 

Furthermore, we seek to facilitate the seized dog process for all divisions in Milwaukee, including Milwaukee Police Department, Corporation Counsel, the DA’s office, and MADACC. We aim to ensure all communications and process steps are clear so as to facilitate the timely release, evaluation, training, and rescue of a seized animal. Our court advocacy will support the DA’s office on their prosecution on cruelty and fighting cases.

Justice Alliance Milwaukee ensures a compassionate approach is taken when it comes to these victims of cruelty. Our belief is that all dogs are individuals and that seized dogs deserve a chance at life after being saved from their abuser.