INTERVIEW: Evans and Trifaux on the Cancellation of Summit 2015

The sudden cancellation of Summit 2015 came as a surprise to everyone. In the aftermath, InfoStream (IS) contacted Larry R. Evans (LRE), Managing Director and Thomas R. Trifaux (TRT), Chair of PetLynx Corporation to gain their perspective.

IS:  What brought about the cancellation of Summit 2015?

LRE:  Several elements contributed to the crisis encountered late on Friday, October ninth. The Urban Animal Foundation was carrying a deficit from 2014 and did not receive the delegate fees and sponsor dollars expected during the final pre-event week. The final straw was a change in terms by Delta which was made known to us at 1730hrs on Friday. Essentially, the shortfall for the 2015 event amounted to $100,000 (+/-) in addition to the 2014 deficit of $50,000 (+/-). Early on Saturday morning the PetLynx Board declined to cover anymore shortfall and the process of unwinding the 10th Annual Summit for Urban Animal Strategies began.

TRT: Other factors impacted PetLynx thinking in that moment. At Summit 2014, PetLynx had completed an investment of a million dollars over nine years and had seeded the Foundation with the first $50,000. By establishing the Urban Animal Foundation and setting up independent governance during 2015, PetLynx expected stronger support than what materialized. Finally, in early September PetLynx began the search for a partner and was no longer in a position to redirect thousands of dollars.

IS:  How much money was invested in the 2015 Urban Animal programs and is this value lost?

LRE:  Both questions have yet to be determined. The 2015/16 forecast shows annual expenses in the order of $480,000. During the past week we have provided delegates of Summit 2015 with a form that allows them to contribute the fees they have paid to the Foundation OR seek reimbursement in whole or in part. At the same time, staff are working to recover deposits and sponsor commitments. Once we discover the sunk costs as well as the contributions of alumni, sponsors and delegates we will bring this information to the Foundation board. In the meantime, others are working to send out the Annual Summit Briefing Book as well as to complete the Summit Awards and IRED Scholarship programs using alternate strategies.

TRT:  Financial elements are important and must be sorted out in a transparent manner. However, in my mind, the intrinsic investment by Urban Animal Alumni, Associates and Collaborators, by PetLynx, by Evans and his family and by Sponsors is of greater value. This contribution to relationships, communication, collaboration and a more positive experience for people and pets over the past decade is unassailable. I am encouraged that Larry has received communication from hundreds of people around the globe who recognize these values and will pitch in to see it continue. Clearly, it is now up to the industry to take this investment and develop a move forward strategy.

IS:  What do you see as the future of the Urban Animal program?

LRE:  Right now isn’t the best time for me to comment. While I am encouraged by the compassionate response received from so many, it is  unclear how this vision will move forward. The most important thing for me and my family, for my partners and for the millions of pet owners served by PetLynx is to invest the expertise we have to improve and protect the online services they use. I believe all those involved with Urban Animal have observed what can be accomplished by a few passionate people who have faith and confidence in each other. My faith constrains me to expect good things while working through these present challenges.

TRT: I would like to see the Urban Animal Program move to pre-funded programs as we have suggested. The risk for Urban Animal may be industry leaders who don’t see value for their business. While there has been lots accomplished, there still remains a tremendous opportunity for improving the experience of people and pets across the entire industry. For PetLynx, the risk was an overwhelming financial obligation. Urban Animal is a valuable program that is not sustainable without broader industry support.

IS:  Is there anything else you would like to say to InfoStream readers?

TRT:  We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous time. In military and business terms we call this situation VUCA! The changes to our experience as individuals and organizations are immense. I hope that InfoStream readers take comfort from the relationship they have with PetLynx and in particular with Evans who always sees the future more clearly than any of us. In my opinion, having him focus attention on finding a suitable PetLynx partner without distraction will serve shareholders, PetLynx subscribers, the Urban Animal industry and his family best! I know cancelling the Summit was a very difficult decision to take but I’ve also observed Evans to be a resilient and productive person. As he likes to say, ‘Onward and Upward’.

IS: Thank you for providing this prospective for InfoStream!

Cancelled - 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies!

SUMMIT 2015 HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Just hours ago, the Urban Animal team began to unwind local arrangements. We respectfully request that attendees immediately cancel flights and other arrangements they have in place to attend the Summit next week (October 14-17th).

During the coming days the team will examine the future of Urban Animal. In particular, the team will determine if the Urban Animal IRED and Summit Award programs can be completed using an alternate strategy to recognize the good work already accomplished during 2015.

We thank those who have worked hard for the past nine years to deliver the vision of a more collaborative and client centric industry.

Larry R. Evans, Executive Producer

Urban Animal

2015 Summit Forum: Compassion Fatigue

From volunteers to veterinarians, literature shows the Urban Animal industry is experiencing ‘care/compassion fatigue’ sometimes with deadly consequences. Does imperial evidence exist to define the magnitude of the problem and the possible solutions?

Sarah Hylton-Foster created a website to help people understand compassion fatigue. The ASPCA has also provided resources for people working in the pet industry. It is designed to help people understand the signs of compassion fatigue and provides resources to help people overcome it.

Can a strategy be developed that solves this dilemma across an entire industry? Can the urban animal industry build emotional intelligence and resilience for human resources that eliminates critical interventions and removes this blight from professional careers?

Get the facts, have your say, move the industry.

If you are interested in participating at the 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies please contact Shannon Woodward, Urban Animal Program Manager. 

2015 Summit Forum: Rescue Dogs

Animals are regularly adopted from rescues while dog breeding has taken a downturn; it is becoming less socially acceptable to purchase a dog from a breeder. Part of this stems from the idea that there are too many dogs and that breeders are contributing to the homeless dog population. A study in the United States has shown that this is not the case, purebreds make up a very small proportion of homeless dog.

The homeless dog population in North America is declining and has been for years. This can cause rescues and shelters to run out of adoptable dogs. A simple solution to this problem is to import dogs from other jurisdictions, countries, and even continents. However, the importation of dogs does not help the environment that they came from. It does not help other dogs. It does not help the dogs or people in our own country; in fact, humane relocation poses serious health risks to our pets and to civilians. How can health regulations be enforced? What guidelines are in place to allow a dog to enter the country? Should the movement of these dogs into the country be tracked and regulated? Is there a way to recast this dilemma as an opportunity to enrich communities or should these imports be shut down?

People are also concerned about the ethics of animal rescue. Is it always truly best for the animal? Another concern is the increasing behavioural problems that people are experiencing and the increase in dog bites. As rescue dogs become more prevalent in the adoption environment from myriad sources, issues in the areas of health and socialization have emerged. Who should be assessing dogs to ensure they contribute to a safe environment for people and animals?

Get the facts, have your say, move the industry.

If you are interested in participating at the 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies please contact Shannon Woodward, Urban Animal Program Manager. 

2015 Summit Forum: Service and Assistance Dogs

It is a widespread belief that service dogs can enrich the lives of people yet there are so many barriers for people requiring their use. In Canada there are provincial standards with each province having different requirements. This can allow a service dog to legally work in one province while it cannot in another one. What guidelines should govern whether an animal is a service animal or not?

National standards are currently being developed for psychiatric service dogs that serve Veterans. What needs to be done to develop federal standards for other service dogs?

In the spring, British Columbia introduced a “Guide and Service Dog Act” which would require all service dogs to be trained by a facility accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) or the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). This would prevent internationally certified trainers and behaviourists from training service dogs. Who should be able to decide who trains a service dog? Why is British Columbia limiting training to a duopoly? Why does it matter who trains the dog, provided the dog can perform its required duty while remaining impeccably well behaved in public?

Communities, airlines, school boards, penal institutions, service industries and breeders need industry help to recast this dilemma so more lives are enriched using companion animals.

Get the facts, have your say, move the industry.

If you are interested in participating at the 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies please contact Shannon Woodward, Urban Animal Program Manager. 

Summit Award Poll FOUR - Current Leaders

The current leaders in Poll FOUR of the 2015 YourSay™ Summit Awards are identified below. Those who haven't yet voted, can still honour industry nominees by clicking on the VOTE NOW link below:

Sheltering
There are TWO nominations in this category: 
48.7% Mackenzie Blackburn - Parkland County Animal Shelter
51.3% France Dubois - S.P.C.A. de l'Outaouais

Individual Achievement
There are THREE nominations in this category: 
13.4% Heather Brown  
55.5% Dr. Karen Becker
31.0% Judanna Dawn

VOTE NOW

In 2015, Urban Animal presents the tenth annual Summit Awards program by inviting the public to vote on Summit nominations. Please use the following link (copy and paste) to share this poll through email, websites and social media and other digital channels. Please note, you must use this EXACT link!

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ebl6su8nievk00d2/start

Poll FOUR closes Wednesday, 30 September at midnight MST. 

REVIEW NOMINATIONS

* All nominations are subject to the discretion of the Program Manager and Urban Animal Action Council. Nominations may be moved between categories if the merit discussion is better suited to another category. 

**Unless there is a clear distinction between submissions, nominees are only eligible in one category per year. Duplicate nominations found in more than one category will be vetted and placed into the single category that best suits the criteria.  

Get the Facts, Have YourSAY™, Move the Industry.

Summit Award Poll FOUR - Current Leaders

The current leaders in Poll FOUR of the 2015 YourSay™ Summit Awards are identified below. Those who haven't yet voted, can still honour industry nominees by clicking on the VOTE NOW link below:

Sheltering
There are TWO nominations in this category: 
85.6% Mackenzie Blackburn - Parkland County Animal Shelter
14.4% France Dubois - S.P.C.A. de l'Outaouais

Individual Achievement
There are THREE nominations in this category: 
39.1% Heather Brown  
11.7% Dr. Karen Becker
49.2% Judanna Dawn

VOTE NOW

In 2015, Urban Animal presents the tenth annual Summit Awards program by inviting the public to vote on Summit nominations. Please use the following link (copy and paste) to share this poll through email, websites and social media and other digital channels. Please note, you must use this EXACT link!

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ebl6su8nievk00d2/start

Poll FOUR closes Wednesday, 30 September at midnight MST. 

REVIEW NOMINATIONS

* All nominations are subject to the discretion of the Program Manager and Urban Animal Action Council. Nominations may be moved between categories if the merit discussion is better suited to another category. 

**Unless there is a clear distinction between submissions, nominees are only eligible in one category per year. Duplicate nominations found in more than one category will be vetted and placed into the single category that best suits the criteria.  

Get the Facts, Have YourSAY™, Move the Industry.

Summit Awards Poll FOUR - Now Open!

Poll THREE is now closed (thank you for your votes!) making way for Poll FOUR. This final poll in the 2015 Summit Awards program elects the Summit Award winners for the following categories:

SHELTERING
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT

In 2015, Urban Animal presents the tenth annual Summit Awards program by inviting the public to vote on Summit nominations. Please use the following link (copy and paste) to share this poll through email, websites and social media and other digital channels: 

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ebl6su8nievk00d2/start

Review all Nominations

VOTE NOW!!

This survey will close Wednesday, 30 September at midnight MST. Finalists will be announced early October and winners will be announced during the 2015 Summit Awards Gala, 16 October.

The 2015 Summit Award elections will be accomplished in four polls of 2-3 categories. Each poll will take about 3 minutes. Voting for the 2015 Summit Awards is by secret ballot using the YourSAY™ electronic polling system. 

Summit 2015 Polling Schedule: 

Poll 1 (Distinguished Service Provider, Retailer, Community): Sept. 3 - 9

Poll 2 (Pet Owner, Wellness, Breeder): Sept. 10 - 16

Poll 3 (Collaborators, Homing, Lifetime Achievement): Sept. 17 - 23

Poll 4 (Communication, Sheltering, Individual Achievement): Sept. 24 - 30

The International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies has developed an overnight package for those who live close by or plan to be in the area on Friday, 16 October. Please contact Shannon Woodward for details.  

* All nominations are subject to the discretion of the Program Manager and Urban Animal Action Council. Nominations may be moved between categories if the merit discussion is better suited to another category. 

** Unless there is a clear distinction between submissions, nominees are only eligible in one category per year. Duplicate nominations found in more than one category will be vetted and placed into the single category that best suits the criteria.  

Get the Facts, Have YourSAY™, Move the Industry.

INTERVIEW: Dr. Robert McCarthy - Research Poster Scholarship Recipient

Dr. Robert McCarthy is a veterinary surgeon that specializes in orthopedic and soft tissue surgery. Dr. McCarthy received admission to veterinary and medical school but decided to pursue veterinary medicine. Currently, Dr. McCarthy works at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. McCarthy has a keen interest in feral cat population management and has performed research on the topic; specifically the effects of trap-vasectomy-hysterectomy-release. Releasing sterile felines that retain their sex hormones and associated characteristics may be more effective than trap-neuter-release programs. Dr. McCarthy will be presenting his work at the 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies.

InfoStream (IS): What do you feel are the key issues with feral cat overpopulation?

Dr. Robert McCarthy (RM): Everyone agrees that there are way too many feral cats. There are two divergent camps on how to deal with this problem. Essentially, trap-neuter-release advocates and those that recommend some sort of lethal control method. The problem is that both of these groups believe their respective method would work, if just used enough. Unfortunately, the reproductive potential of cats is incredible, and there is absolutely no evidence that except in very exceptional circumstances either method will succeed. Massive amounts of financial resources have been expended employing these methods with almost no success.  

It is time to think outside the box. How much money and manpower needs to be spent before we come to the obvious conclusion that what we are doing simply does not work?

IS: How did this research develop; what interested you about sterilization techniques for feral cats?

RM: I am an avid SCUBA diver and spend as much time as possible diving around tropical islands. On many of these trips, when learning that I was a veterinarian, local residents would complain that feral cats are destroying the indigenous flora and fauna. They would indicate that for many years groups of veterinarians from the US and Canada have come and performed TNR, but there were just as many cats as ever. Essentially, in their minds, there was no question that TNR simply did not work.

I have an interest in wildlife and wildlife management, and it is well accepted that successful reproductive control in the wildlife environment requires maintaining normal reproductive behaviors. Feral cats are essentially wildlife, and it made sense to me that their control should be treated in the same manner.

IS: How was your research performed?

RM: When I returned from a dive trip several years ago I contacted a biologist (J Michael Reed) and a computer engineer (Steve Levine) at Tufts about trying to construct a computer model on the predicted effect of maintaining hormones in a feral cat control program. Essentially we looked at feral cat control by trap-vasectomy-hysterectomy-release. Over several years we hashed out the model, and published the results in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The results suggested that feral cat population control is likely to be much more effective if reproductive hormones remain intact.

IS: Why are vasectomies and hysterectomies more effective at reducing the feral cat population?

RM: Trap-Vasectomy-Hysterectomy-Release (TVHR) creates a large group of sterile male and female cats that cannot be differentiated from fertile cats in the population that were unable to be trapped. Dominant males that have been sterilized by vasectomy will still compete for females, use up the female’s receptive time, and fight off fertile males that are attempting to copulate. Females that have been sterilized by hysterectomy will continue to attract males and compete with fertile females for male courting and breeding time. Since neither sex can tell who is fertile and who is not, both sexes spend a large amount of wasted time and energy copulating but not producing offspring.

Female cats are in heat (and therefore sexually receptive) essentially every other week during the entire breeding season. In a typical 8-month breeding season, females will therefore have 16 periods of sexual receptivity, and 16 possible chances to become pregnant. Provided there is an intact male in the population, pregnancy is essentially inevitable. An unusual characteristic of the cat reproductive cycle, however, is that if a female has a sterile copulation (such as with a male that has had a vasectomy) she will not come back into heat for another 8 weeks. Only 4 periods of sexual receptivity (and therefore 4 chances of becoming pregnant) will then be possible during the entire breeding season.

Male cats sterilized by vasectomy may prevent immigration of new intact male cats into the area better than castrated cats.

Adult feral cats sterilized by traditional methods in a TNR program have been shown to live longer, thereby counteracting attempts at population control. In addition, kittens living in a feral cat population have been shown to live longer when the adults are sterilized by traditional methods even if they themselves are not sterilized. Because hormones remain intact, sterilization by vasectomy and hysterectomy will not have the undesired effect of increasing the lifespan of either adults or kittens in the population.

IS: What are the main barriers to implementing these different surgical techniques for feral cats?

RM: Thinking outside the box. The great majority of funding for feral cat control projects comes from individuals, governments, and institutions with preconceived notions of what will work, and vested interest in what they will support. There is extensive and conclusive data that shows none of the methods currently employed is likely to work. The vasectomy/hysterectomy method has to be at least as effective as current methods.  Our computer model suggests that it may be much more effective.  

IS: Are vasectomies and hysterectomies easier or more difficult for a vet to perform? They are becoming more popular for dogs however many vets will not perform these procedures.

RM: A hysterectomy is about the same difficulty as an ovariohysterectomy for a vet to perform. The main difference is with the castration vs. vasectomy. Vasectomy requires a very small abdominal incision whereas castration does not. This is certainly a bit more difficult, but is still a very easy surgical procedure that can be done with minimal training by any general veterinary practitioner. The question of vasectomy in dogs is really good. There is increasing evidence that sterilization with preservation of hormones may also be very important in pet animals. Veterinarians, like everyone else are trained in a certain way and are slow to change.  

IS: Is there anything else you would like us to know?

RM: I think the only thing I would like to stress is that I got into this issue as an unbiased outsider. I am a diver, and simply was told repeatedly by local residents that TNR wasn't working. I researched the issue, found that lethal control is also not effective and came up with an alternative plan. I really didn't have any preconceived notions or goals. I don't have any financial incentive or bias. I simply researched the issue and these were the results. Sterilization with preservation of hormones is likely to be much more effective at reproductive control.

Pet Sales - What Do Americans Prefer?

In a survey conducted by Harris Poll Online, Americans wanted to see higher dog breeding standards with enforcement (67%) versus banning the sale of animals in pet stores (33%). 2,025 adult Americans participated in the poll. 89% of participants believe that tougher breeder standards will decrease puppy mill operations. 81% believe that banning dog sales at pet stores will not end puppy mills.

National Alliance for Dog Breeding Reform founder and Senior Vice President, Ron Sturgeon said, "We would all like to see a world where dogs bred for profit are treated humanely, shown kindness and bred using medically sound principles. The American Pet Council's survey shows that the American pet owners understand the limitations of pet store sales bans. Working toward higher standards for dog breeding is the best long-term approach to improving the lives of dogs being bred for profit. Banning puppy sales at pet stores does not solve the problem of bad breeding practices.” Sturgeon continues, "I would like to see pet stores selling more puppies and even adding dogs from local shelters into the mix. When they do sell dogs from a breeder, they should chose local reputable breeders and display full information so that consumers can meet the breeder and visit the kennel.”

At the 2015 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies specialists from across North America will be participating in a discussion and brainstorming event regarding rescue dogs (Forum 2015.C). As dog overpopulation decreases in North America and negative pressure is increased on dog breeders potential dog owners are finding it more difficult to find a good dog. Shelters have fewer dogs to adopt out and many are participating in humane relocation. Humane relocation, or the importation of dogs, poses risks to dog owners and the public.

What is the solution to safe and positive pet acquisition in Canada and the United States?

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Summit Awards Poll THREE - Current Leaders

The current leaders in Poll THREE of the 2015 YourSay™ Summit Awards are identified below. Those who haven't yet voted, can still honour industry nominees by clicking on the VOTE NOW link below:

Collaborators
There are TWO nominations in this category: 
63.1% Alberta Alliance for the Safety of Animals and People / Pet Safekeeping Program
36.9% Ontario SPCA / City of Markham

Homing
There are FIVE nominations in this category: 
1.8% Jane Russett - Air Angels  
88.2% Shelley Cunningham - Litters N Critters Rescue
5.9%  Lyndsay Tischer - Humane Animal Rescue Team (hart) 
4.2% Judaea Dawn - Angels Animal Rescue Society 
<1% Britaney Courtney - RPets4U

VOTE NOW

In 2015, Urban Animal presents the tenth annual Summit Awards program by inviting the public to vote on Summit nominations. Please use the following link (copy and paste) to share this poll through email, websites and social media and other digital channels. Please note, you must use this EXACT link!

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ebi3jtc3ie4ezvsf/start

Poll THREE closes Wednesday, 23 September at midnight MST. 

REVIEW NOMINATIONS

* All nominations are subject to the discretion of the Program Manager and Urban Animal Action Council. Nominations may be moved between categories if the merit discussion is better suited to another category. 

**Unless there is a clear distinction between submissions, nominees are only eligible in one category per year. Duplicate nominations found in more than one category will be vetted and placed into the single category that best suits the criteria.  

Get the Facts, Have YourSAY™, Move the Industry.

Summit Award Poll THREE - Current Leaders

The current leaders in Poll THREE of the 2015 YourSay™ Summit Awards are identified below. Those who haven't yet voted, can still honour industry nominees by clicking on the VOTE NOW link below:

Collaborators
There are TWO nominations in this category: 
59.9% Alberta Alliance for the Safety of Animals and People / Pet Safekeeping Program
40.2% Ontario SPCA / City of Markham

Homing
There are FIVE nominations in this category: 
1.9% Jane Russett - Air Angels  
88.4% Shelley Cunningham - Litters N Critters Rescue
4.3%  Lyndsay Tischer - Humane Animal Rescue Team (hart) 
5.0% Judaea Dawn - Angels Animal Rescue Society 
<1% Britaney Courtney - RPets4U

VOTE NOW

In 2015, Urban Animal presents the tenth annual Summit Awards program by inviting the public to vote on Summit nominations. Please use the following link (copy and paste) to share this poll through email, websites and social media and other digital channels. Please note, you must use this EXACT link!

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ebi3jtc3ie4ezvsf/start

Poll THREE closes Wednesday, 23 September at midnight MST. 

REVIEW NOMINATIONS

* All nominations are subject to the discretion of the Program Manager and Urban Animal Action Council. Nominations may be moved between categories if the merit discussion is better suited to another category. 

**Unless there is a clear distinction between submissions, nominees are only eligible in one category per year. Duplicate nominations found in more than one category will be vetted and placed into the single category that best suits the criteria.  

Get the Facts, Have YourSAY™, Move the Industry.

Summit Awards Poll THREE - Current Leaders

The current leaders in Poll THREE of the 2015 YourSay™ Summit Awards are identified below. Those who haven't yet voted, can still honour industry nominees by clicking on the VOTE NOW link below:

Collaborators
There are TWO nominations in this category: 
56.0% Alberta Alliance for the Safety of Animals and People / Pet Safekeeping Program
44.0% Ontario SPCA / City of Markham

Homing
There are FIVE nominations in this category: 
3.3% Jane Russett - Air Angels  
87.6% Shelley Cunningham - Litters N Critters Rescue
5.9%  Lyndsay Tischer - Humane Animal Rescue Team (hart) 
2.3% Judaea Dawn - Angels Animal Rescue Society 
<1% Britaney Courtney - RPets4U

VOTE NOW

In 2015, Urban Animal presents the tenth annual Summit Awards program by inviting the public to vote on Summit nominations. Please use the following link (copy and paste) to share this poll through email, websites and social media and other digital channels. Please note, you must use this EXACT link!

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ebi3jtc3ie4ezvsf/start

Poll THREE closes Wednesday, 23 September at midnight MST. 

REVIEW NOMINATIONS

* All nominations are subject to the discretion of the Program Manager and Urban Animal Action Council. Nominations may be moved between categories if the merit discussion is better suited to another category. 

**Unless there is a clear distinction between submissions, nominees are only eligible in one category per year. Duplicate nominations found in more than one category will be vetted and placed into the single category that best suits the criteria.  

Get the Facts, Have YourSAY™, Move the Industry.

Summit Awards Poll THREE - NOW OPEN!

Poll TWO is now closed (thank you for your votes!) making way for Poll THREE. This third of four polls in the 2015 Summit Awards program elects the Summit Award winners for the following categories:

COLLABORATORS
HOMING

In 2015, Urban Animal presents the tenth annual Summit Awards program by inviting the public to vote on Summit nominations. Please use the following link (copy and paste) to share this poll through email, websites and social media and other digital channels: 

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07ebi3jtc3ie4ezvsf/start

Review all Nominations

VOTE NOW!!

This survey will close Wednesday, 23 September at midnight MST. Finalists will be announced early October and winners will be announced during the 2015 Summit Awards Gala, 16 October.

The 2015 Summit Award elections will be accomplished in four polls of 2-3 categories. Each poll will take about 3 minutes. Voting for the 2015 Summit Awards is by secret ballot using the YourSAY™ electronic polling system. 

Summit 2015 Polling Schedule: 

Poll 1 (Distinguished Service Provider, Retailer, Community): Sept. 3 - 9

Poll 2 (Pet Owner, Wellness, Breeder): Sept. 10 - 16

Poll 3 (Collaborators, Homing, Lifetime Achievement): Sept. 17 - 23

Poll 4 (Communication, Sheltering, Individual Achievement): Sept. 24 - 30

The International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies has developed an overnight package for those who live close by or plan to be in the area on Friday, 16 October. Please contact Shannon Woodward for details.  

* All nominations are subject to the discretion of the Program Manager and Urban Animal Action Council. Nominations may be moved between categories if the merit discussion is better suited to another category. 

** Unless there is a clear distinction between submissions, nominees are only eligible in one category per year. Duplicate nominations found in more than one category will be vetted and placed into the single category that best suits the criteria.  

Get the Facts, Have YourSAY™, Move the Industry.