Emerging Leader uplifted by 2014 Summit

Anna MacNeil-Allcock

InfoStream Staff Writer 

Serving as the medical director and owner of OrthoPets, Dr. Susan Calverley met all the criteria to receive a 2014 Frederick Lynn Webster Emerging Leader Scholarship. Calverley specializes in canine rehabilitation as a veterinarian with Mission Veterinary Hospital, her work providing consultations, fiberglass impressions, fittings and modifications of veterinary orthotics and prosthetics has truly helped to create healthy communities for pets and people. 

Anna MacNeil-Allcock (AMA): Susan, you were awarded the Frederick Lynn Webster Scholarship for your great work in canine rehabilitation. What is your biggest passion and what would you like to see happen in your sector over the next few years?

Dr. Susan Calverley (SC): I am passionate about the human-animal bond and how we, as veterinarians, play a part in igniting that bond for our families and communities. To this end my "pet" projects are feral cat trap neuter release programs, veterinary orthotics and prosthetics and veterinary rehabilitation in general and mental health and wellbeing for employees in the industry as part of the whole work- life balance challenge.

Over the next few years I would like to see:

1. Cats become better recognized as important family members and not be left out in the cold literally without families or veterinary care. 
2. I would like veterinary orthotics and prosthetics to become mainstream in the veterinary community and taught in the veterinary colleges.
3. I would like wellness in the workplace to be more than just trying to identify and combat compassion fatigue.  I want to see emotionally robust students graduating from tech and veterinary colleges and sources of education for veterinary practitioners about the power of positive psychology and happiness in the workplace.

I did start a conversation on Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Pet Industry and we have a group on a conference call including the Ontario SPCA and the Coquitlam animal shelter at the end of this month. We envision a central information location, possibly a website with links to information available industry wide with a blog on happiness in the pet industry.

AMA: What did receiving the scholarship mean to you?

SC: My original reaction when I was initially nominated for a scholarship to the 2014 Urban Animal Summit in Lake Louise was ‘What is this Urban Animal thing?’

As a seasoned veterinarian and practice owner, I had thought I had my finger on the pulse of what was happening in veterinary medicine and the pet industry in general. As a distributor of veterinary orthotics and prosthetics I smugly thought of myself at the forefront of the industry.

Boy was I wrong. 

I really had no expectations other than a very nice hotel and a beautiful mountain setting. What I was unprepared for was the sense of community and collaboration in the room between absolutely all sectors of the pet industry.  

These days we seem to be bombarded by negativity in the news and social media. After several recent, high profile suicides in the veterinary profession, the topic of compassion fatigue and depression in the veterinary profession has weighed heavily on my mind, 

I was so encouraged, after starting the conversation on Mental Health and Wellbeing in the pet industry, to see how the shelter industry, veterinary associations and colleges are addressing this issue and generously willing to share their knowledge to make our workplaces more emotionally robust, supportive and happy. 

AMA: What was your experience at the Summit and how might it help you in your mission?

SC: My experience at the Summit was uplifting and life affirming. It was so refreshing to see people coming together and collaborating for a common purpose. Having experience with the relatively new field of Veterinary Rehabilitation and watching the struggle as veterinarians and human physical therapists and chiropractors are coming together to improve the well being of our arthritic and handicapped pets, I admire the passion that these members of the Urban Animal Alliance are displaying.

AMA: What was the highlight of the Summit for you? 

SC: The Summit really rejuvenated me and clarified for me the importance of having passion for urban animals and the power of teamwork in creating a fulfilling life and career. The contacts that I made will help with all of my passions and hopefully create opportunities  to take them to the next level.

I am still passionate about urban animals and want to participate any way I can.

Atlantic retailer awarded Emerging Leader Scholarship

Anna McNeil-Allcock

InfoStream Staff Writer 

Pet nutrition blogger and social media savvy Rodney Habib earned the attention of Urban Animal subscribers last year when he was awarded the 2013 Retailer of the Year Summit. His efforts to create healthy communities for pets and people led him into Urban Animal programs as a 2014 Innovation Showcase at the Atlantic Urban Animal Regional Conference where he was nominated by his peers for a 2014 Rolf C. Hagen Emerging Leader Scholarship. 

In September, InfoStream announced the scholarship would be presented to Habib and he began his journey toward Urban Animal Alumni status. InfoStream staff writer Anna McNeil-Allcock caught up with Rodney in his Halifax-based pet retail shop - Planet Paws Pet Essentials - to find out a bit more about this future thought leader. 

Anna McNeil-Allcock (AMA): How did you come to be involved in the pet industry?

 

Rodney Habib (RH): I grew up in Nova Scotia, in a Mediterranean family that did not believe in owning pets. When I was 18, I moved out of the house to attend Dalhousie University and immediately got a kitten. I named him Scribbles because he ran around the house with a pencil in his mouth, leaving scribbles all over the walls.

 

I wanted the very best for him and only purchased food from the Veterinarian. In 2007 Scribbles was affected by the melamine contamination of pet food. Pets in our community started dying. My neighbour had a husky, whose heart exploded, with no real explanation. Scribbles began bleeding from his ears and never recovered from kidney failure and spent the rest of his life requiring support.

 

AMA: That must have been very difficult. How did it affect the course of your career? 

RH: I had a B.Sc. and an advanced degree in Animal Nutrition in order to do my job, which included importing and selling veterinary products in Europe. So I began researching the pet food industry. I was surprised at the lack of rules, standards and regulations. In fact, I became very angry….at everyone…. and decided to start writing about it. I am a terrible writer, but I thought I could get the message out using Facebook.

 

Within 8 months Facebook sent me a message informing me that I had one of the fastest growing pages compared with a million other pages.

 

A real turning point in my life was when my high school english teacher said to me, “Sometimes we must let go of the life we planned so as to accept the one that is waiting for us". So I left pharmaceuticals and started blogging full time.

 

In 2012 my followers persuaded me to open up a brick and mortar store of trusted sources of pet foods and supplies. Since then Planet Paws Essentials, in Dartmouth Nova Scotia, has won a number of awards, but my passion still lies in getting the message out to the world. My goal is to personally inspire every pet owner on the planet. I want to change the world, and I will.

 

AMA: What was your experience at the Summit and how might it help you in your mission?

 

RH: The summit was amazing, especially for it’s ability to bring people together. I was able to sit down casually with leaders in the Veterinary sector to discuss pet nutrition, which is a very rare opportunity.

 

AMA: What was the highlight of the Summit for you? 

RH: Watching all of the innovations happening in the pet world was also a great experience. It was a good exercise for me to spend three days listening rather than talking.

 

I really see the value in the Petlynx database for identifying problems in the pet food industry immediately. It will allow us to catch patterns early and prevent another incident like the one that ruined the last years of Scribble’s life.

 

AMA: What is your current "Pet Experience?" 

Today I share my life with my three healthy dogs and they are helping me to change the world.

 

For more information on Rodney Habib and Planet Paws Pet Essentials, visit  http://planetpaws.ca/ and https://www.facebook.com/planetpaws.ca

Opinion - 2014 Summit a Success!

Stephanie McDonald 
InfoStream Guest Author 

The 9^th Urban Animal Summit in my opinion was a great success. The conference took place in the most beautiful and tranquil setting Chateau Lake Louise. 

The Summit was attended by a diverse group of leaders from many sectors involved with animals from corporate, not for profit and commercial enterprises. The mission of the summit was to illuminate successful strategies for urban animals and to provide recognition for those who lead”

From where I sat they certainly accomplished that and then some. The MC for the weekend, Dr. Jason Coe, was extremely professional, organized, a bit witty and most importantly kept things on time. They had some fun use of technology where they could poll the audience for opinions and even allowed voting for the Innovation Showcase Series following presentations. 

I would not consider this a typical learning conference; I would say that the weekend was about creating conversations and opportunities for national initiatives.

Due to the diverse group attending, the conversations over the weekend opened up different view points and perspectives that previously most would not have the opportunity to be exposed to. With the wide variety of topics explored from survey results, to ongoing studies and some successful projects that are up and running there was never a dull moment. Rich conversations continued into the evening events and new bonds and friendships were made.

The vibe in the room through the entire Summit was collaborative, knowledge sharing and interesting. I do have to say at times though it was difficult to focus on the events as the room sported large windows overlooking the lake and it was easy to get lost in the beauty of nature surrounding you. 

Through the weekend we kept hearing the African Proverb, If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. The reminder of this proverb through the Summit served to keep folks focused on the conversation and to encourage relationships to serve urban animals in the future. 

Great job to the organizers and a thank you to the sponsors.

“Mom, I want a dog!”

Stephanie McDonald
InfoStream Guest Author 

These are the inevitable words that many parents hear from their young animal-loving children. It begins the discussion of whether to add a dog to the household, or not. As parents, they will have to deal with this request and provide a reasonable answer to their child. And, of course, many children will continue a relentless negotiation as their parents make their decision.

“I promise I will walk the dog every day!”

“I promise I will clean up the yard.”

“I promise I will play with the dog, and feed it, and love it!”

I was one of those kids; you may have been too. In the end, I won over my parents and was given the greatest gift of my life, a sweet, little black puppy.  But where did they get my dog from? It certainly didn’t matter to me, at the time.

Back then, some could say, life was easier. We were not overloaded with information, opinions and social pressures. Getting a dog was as easy as shopping at the pet store, finding a neighbour with a litter of puppies, locating a breeder, visiting the animal shelter or searching the classified ads.

In those days, any of those options was as socially acceptable as the next. I don’t think many people gave it a second thought.

The current options are not substantially different—add sourcing a rescue group to the list, and the options for finding a dog today are pretty much the same. But being in the age of readily-available information has changed many people’s perceptions. More people are aware and conscious of the pet overpopulation crisis and are seeking to make informed, socially responsible decisions about where to find their next pet.

For some, the most apparent solution for not wanting to contribute to this massive overpopulation problem is to adopt their dog from a shelter or rescue group. After all, rescue groups and animal shelters have done a pretty fantastic job of getting the “Adopt, don’t shop!” message out there.  But for others, the choice is not so straight-forward.

What if the pet you want is simply not readily available at the local shelter or rescue group? The reality is, certain breeds enter shelters or rescue groups incredibly rarely and, let’s face it, once a family is ready for their new pet, the wait can be nearly unbearable.

So, you head over to the online classifieds and find pages and pages of puppies for sale. In a few clicks in you realize that some of the “breeders” of these pets may not be on the up and up; in some cases they appear to be backyard breeders, others are accidental litters, and in the worst cases they’re puppy-mills disguised.

Presumably, you still want to be part of the solution. You want to make a good decision for your family and make one that takes animal welfare into account.

What now? What happens when your search for information leads to more questions? As a public member simply wishing to do the right thing while adding a new family member, it can begin to feel nearly impossible for you to do just that.

How do animal welfare leaders create a road-map for the public? Despite the pet overpopulation crisis, is breeding animals ok under the “right” circumstances? What are those circumstances? What does it mean to be a “responsible reputable breeder?”  Who defines it? Who regulates it?

Can the breeding industry accept standards, guidelines, transparency and maybe even an accreditation process? Can they reach a consensus on what that process is?

I spent over a decade of my career advocating for animal welfare as CEO of a large humane society. I’ve seen thousands of families choose the adoption option and I strongly believe that it’s a great option for most people, but I’ve also come to understand why that isn’t always the first or best option for everyone.

When faced with the question of where to get a pet when adoption is not an option, I’ve provided the “from a responsible breeder” answer. Guidelines, like these from the HSUS, provide a basis for people to start to figure out what that means. But it’s not necessarily an easy process for people.

I believe that it is time for the pet breeding industry to develop and accept standards and accreditation that account for animal welfare and care throughout the purchase process. The standards need to all-inclusive, from record keeping and health care to housing and environmental enrichment.  They need to account for these aspects for the offspring and for the breeding pets as well.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as I see it, and it won’t be an easy task.  Animal shelters and rescue groups are struggling with this task too. Not all shelters and rescue groups are the same, and they all have different standards.  It is getting better with introduction of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians Shelter Guidelines, but we still have a ways to go.

As animal welfare professionals, I believe we have a responsibility to help the public make the most informed, ethical choices possible.  We should be thrilled when people add animals to their families in a well-considered and responsible manner whether the animals come from a shelter, a rescue group, or from a responsible reputable breeder. But we need to guide this process, set some standards and help people as much as possible, don’t you think?

ABOUT STEPHANIE MCDONALD:

Stephanie and her experienced team provide consulting services for animal welfare organizations. Partnering with Humane Society Management Services Canada LLC.  

Stephanie McDonald was the CEO for the Edmonton Humane Society for over 12 years. She introduced a multitude of innovative shelter operational improvements, focusing on improved animal care, new facility, customer service, fiscal management, disaster response and employee satisfaction.

Stephanie has been recognized internationally and locally for her contributions to animal welfare and has received several prestigious awards.

Summit Conversations: The Key to Designing Exceptional Customer Experiences

Patricia Cameron 
InfoStream Guest Author 

The quality of experience your customers have with your business has a huge impact on whether it thrives, scrapes by, or fails. If a person has a confusing, frustrating, or really bad experience when frequenting your business, there is a very good chance they will never come back.  In today’s connected world, there is also a good chance they will share their negative experience not only with the 11 people they traditionally shared complaints with, but with hundreds, thousands, or even millions of other people.  Ask United Airlines. 

So whether your business is an animal shelter, a veterinary office, a pet supply store, a pet insurance provider, or animal boarding facility, or a groomer, you can start today to design a customer experience that is clear and understandable, convenient, helpful, honest, high quality, and even fun.   The key to successfully designed customer experiences is a rare and precious resource — the resource of empathy. 

Often confused with sympathy or compassion, empathy is defined in a variety of ways, but basically, empathy is “understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives.”  Developing and growing organizational empathy is key to delighting customers, and delighting customers is key to a successful business. 

Every day, lack of corporate empathy creates huge numbers of dissatisfied customers. Below are a few examples of experiences designed WITHOUT empathy — that is without “understanding [your customer’s] situation, feelings, and motives.”

1.  Talking AT people (about yourself).  Many corporate brochures and websites start something like this:  “Founded in 1986, RuffnReady Pets has sold more than 2.5 million pet beds. Our factory is gleaming and modern, and our designers are educated in the latest computer-assisted design processes.”  RuffnReady (fictional) focuses on itself — its history, its sales, its  factory, its designers.  Customers are focused on their own needs (like getting a great bed for their pet) and you should be too. 

2.  Processes that put up barriers to satisfying a customer’s needs and desires.  Many people come to animal shelters hoping to adopt, and excited to help both homeless animals and the organization.  After more than an hour of paper work and what feels to them like interrogation, many go away with hearts and minds filled with confusion, hurt, and anger, rather than arms filled with a new furry friend.  Empathy would help shelters avoid this unfortunate ending.  For example, people are generally eager if not impatient to directly connect with animals, so let them.  Finding out hands-on they have no control of a dog will be more persuasive than engaging them in an argument about whether they have the experience and skill to work with a rambunctious pup. After such a lesson, being directed to animals more suited to their homes will be experienced as helpful rather than interfering or controlling.  

3.  Communication that isn’t. You get a new purchase home hoping to put it to good use, only to be frustrated by the “instructions.”  Since so many products are now made overseas, the use of diagrams rather than text has become commonplace.  Often these diagrams are rudimentary and unhelpful because they were designed on the cheap with little or no concern for the customer’s needs.  If your company sells a product with such horrible instructions, they have a bad experience not with the manufacturer but with YOU. Check for these sorts of problems and provide customers with support — “Hey, the instructions are not great.  Here is an example we assembled.”  Or, “The first few times you use this product can be tricky. Here is our card; give us a call if you have any difficulty.”  

4.  Lying.   There are many examples of companies lying.  Lying really annoys some people who then go on social media and tell everyone about it.   Ask Kashi. Here’s a personal example.   As a consumer interested in personal and environmental health, I choose not to support Genetically Modified (GMO) foods and unless specifically labelled organic, canola is all GMO.  I was looking for a canola-free, Non-GMO mayonnaise at my local grocery store. After much searching, I was excited to see Hellman’s had a mayonnaise boldly labelled “With Olive Oil.” As Yogi Berra memorably said, “You can see a lot just by looking.”  With that in mind, I looked at the label.  The first ingredient was canola oil; olive oil was way down the list.  Now the people at Hellman’s are no dummies — they know the label “With Olive Oil” will be a beacon to consumers seeking Non-GMO mayonnaise — they just lack empathy. If they had empathy, they would know that being lied to results in bad feelings and motivates people to never buy their products again. 

Having empathy, that is truly understanding the people you hope to attract and retain as customers, is a simple path to designing amazing, satisfying, high-trust, loyalty-building customer experiences.  Simple, but not easy.  You will have to talk WITH customers not TO them.  You will need to stop focusing on your needs, your interests, and your agenda.  You will have to let their agenda dictate how, when, where, and what services and products you deliver.  You will have to take the time to really look and to observe how people interact with your organization and its products.    And finally, you will have to be honest and authentic.  

The ninth annual Summit for Urban Animal Strategies is days away. Throughout the year, leaders in the industry have identified dilemmas and developed conversations to recast dilemmas into opportunities. 

The 2014 Urban Animal Forum™ on Friday, October 24th, develops industry conversations into strategies and tactics. InfoStream articles by recognized industry experts, are presented to prepare delegates for this activity.

Get the facts, have YourSAY, move the industry.