While interviewing, our people group talked about complicated, nuanced topics with many different points of views. We wanted to understand these systems and contexts to gain insight on their frustrations and refine our design goals. We conducted a literature review more focused on the topics our people group spoke about, including: how animals end up in shelters, what influences surrender and adoption, employee working conditions, and compassion fatigue. Then, we mapped out relevant systems visually and annotated it with evidence and connections.

The diagram shows the path an animal will take during their time in the animal shelter/rescue space. Animals enter the system either by being taken off the streets by animal control officers, by owner surrenders, or are transferred in from other facilities (1). Then depending on the circumstances they either go to a shelter or a rescue. The main difference between the two is where the facility gets funding. Shelters are governmental funded while rescues are privately funded (2). First, the new additions are given an overall health check (3). From there, animals may get the opportunity to go to fosters. Fosters are volunteer citizens usually affiliated with an organization that take individual animals out of kennels until they can be adopted (4). Daily care is provided by volunteers and full-time staff working together to provide for the animals. For this system, there are three possible outcomes. Firstly, if an animal is homed in a shelter there is a chance that they will be euthanized. This may happen because of overcrowding at the facility, sickness, aggression, or injuries (5). Seconding and ideally, the animal will be adopted out to their forever home. Lastly, an animal may be adopted out but then surrendered back due to financial, behavioral or other unforeseen barriers (1).

This diagram shows relevant stakeholders and their connections to one another. Connections were grouped into four categories: provides a service, funds, collaborates, and employs.

The first observation is where animal shelter workers and animals fall within this system. Animals are the reason that this system exists and they don't offer anything of value except companionship to humans. Animal shelter workers provide care to animals and are at the front lines when interacting with people in communities. This system map shows how the emotional weight of issues falls on animal shelter workers while they are also providing care and services. It is no wonder they experience such high compassion fatigue and burnout... yet seem most forgotten about. A literature review shows there are only four studies related to specifically animal care worker compassion fatigue (6). There is not enough research in this area, so our people group is recommended best practice guidelines set by other care professions which is insufficient. Jake, an animal shelter worker we interviewed, mentioned how the compassion fatigue experienced by animal care workers is different from other types of service workers. More work needs to be done to understand these nuances.

The next observation is that money brings a lot of power and influence. Funding drives the mission to help animals and innovation. There are two main funding avenues for shelters: governmental or nonprofit/private. Communities pay taxes to the government in exchange for social services and resources. Animal welfare is a public concern so the government allocates budgets for shelters to operate and to employ other related services like animal control. However, with government funding, there is a lot of red tape, inefficiencies, and restrictive policies. With these barriers and not enough resources, private organizations and shelters have popped up to help meet demand. People in communities who are interested in the welfare of animals provide additional donations to nonprofits. Nonprofits gain power with the influx of money and exercise it by collaborating with the government to make policies and advocate for more resources. Although, this model is not as linear in real life and practice. A statistical study has shown that shelters who are private but accept governmental contracts or collaborate with governmental facilities are the most efficient and effective (7).

The final observation is although the government has the most power, communities drive the need for social services. Community economic stress is related to lower adoption and higher euthanasia rates (7). Budgets for shelters are based on local taxpayers, so lower income communities are less likely to receive the same types of services and are more likely to have strays and surrenders. Community-based programs that emphasize education, lowering adoption pricing, provide low cost veterinary services and transportation to them, and bi-lingual access reduce stress on the community and in turn shelters. There seems to be a big disconnect between the government and community's wants and needs.

Power/Interest Model

After analyzing main stakeholders and understanding their connections to one another, a distinct observation was made: there is a discrepancy between those who have the most power and those who have the most interest. We developed a power/interest model to further investigate what was observed in the stakeholder value network.

First, we mapped how much power each stakeholder has relative to each other. Money and funding is almost synonymous with power. Since the government provides funding, dictate policies, and holds the most influence, it comes first. Private funding comes in close second as they collaborate with the government and have money, but do not have as much power as the government. Full-time/experienced animal care workers are next as they tend to be leaders and run the facilities. Then come volunteers who also participate in day to day operations but do not hold as much power as the leaders. Then, owners who actively participate in adoption, surrender, and individual care of their animals. Lastly, citizens in communities have the least amount of power or participation in the system unless they are abnormally interested.

Then, we mapped how much interest each stakeholder has. Full-time animal care workers have the most interest. They spend at least 40 hours per week at the facility and have dedicated their lives to the cause. They also take on the most emotional baggage being on the front lines. Private funding comes second as they specifically focus on animal rights and care and provide large funds for the facilities. The government comes after private funding in this case because they take on the moral obligation and responsibility to the community, but have more interest in solving different problems. Then comes volunteers who give up their free time, but do not have the obligations that other stakeholders have. Then comes owners. Some care for their pets and want to adopt while others use facilities as their get out of jail free card and abuse the system. Lastly comes general people in the community who do not think about these issues on a daily basis or participate with the system actively.

After developing power and interest frameworks, we joined both to create a 2x2 matrix for power and interest combined. This model is very telling when thinking about the issues animal care workers face. Funding sources hold more power but less interest; while the workers hold less power but more interest. This causes misaligned goals, inefficiency, and breakdowns in the system. While owners and citizens, who are directly responsible for problems or making things worse, care the least.

After researching and creating annotated systems models, we reviewed and revised our how might we statements from project 1 to then re-evaluate and improve our design goals.

Capacity for Care

• How might we engage people to adopt?

• How might we reduce pet surrenders?

  1. Our research indicates that pet surrenders are directly related to the socioeconomic health of the community.

  2. How might we make pet owner ship more accessible?

  3. How might we support struggling owner with pet care?

• How might we find temporary spaces to accommodate facilities during high influx?

  1. Our research has highlighted fosters as a frequented source for pet space overflow until pets can be adopted

  2. How might we increase fosters?

  3. How might we support current fosters?

Motivation

• How might we help people overcome burnout and compassion fatigue?

  • Our research noted that compassion fatigue in animal care workers is an under-researched topic

  • How might we create awareness for compassion fatigue in specifically animal care workers?

  • Our research noted that one of the reasons for compassion fatigue comes from animal termination (Euthanasia)

  • How might we decrease animal termination rates?

  • Our research noted that rotation of roles helps with compassion fatigue

  • How might we diversify roles for animal care workers?

• How might we help this people group connect with comprehensive mental heath resources?

• How might we encourage introverted people to speak up and keep themselves accountable?

Responsibility

• How might we educate new owners during the adoption process?

• How might we screen for responsible people without reducing adoptions?

• How might we match pets to the right families?

• How might we engage people to connect with animal social workers?

• How might we prepare reactive animals for new environments?

• How might we make the surrender process less stressful for animals?

• How might we educate and raise awareness to the general public about animal needs and behaviors?

Staffing

• How might we utilize volunteers and full time employees differently?

• How might we outsource certain tasks to reduce strain?

• How might we train volunteers more effectively?

• How might we reduce high turnover?

• How might we find resources to hire more full time employees?

• How might we find resources to increase salaries of full time employees?

Our original goal was...

• How might we decrease surrender rates?

which would...

• Reduce over crowding

• Reduce animal stress

• Reduce burn out

Evidence shows that over 25% of dogs enter shelters due to relinquishment by owner (8). There is also about 94.2% population balance meaning the population across shelters is increasing by 5.8% (8). Paired with our system models, we observed that pet surrenders stress the system into overcrowding and other related issues. Our research also indicates that pet surrenders are directly related to the socioeconomic health of the community (7).

Due to this new evidence we revised our design goal to...

• How might we make pet owner ship more accessible or support struggling owners with pet care?

which would...

• Reduce surrenders

• Reduce over crowding

• Reduce animal stress

• Reduce burn out

1) N.a. (n.d.) Shelter Intake and Surrenders. ASPCA. Accessed 10-27-22: https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender

2) N.a. (n.d.) What's the Difference between an Animal Shelter and an Animal Rescue. HUGO Coffee Roasters. Accessed 10-27-22: https://hugo.coffee/whats-the-difference-between-an-animal-shelter-and-animal-rescue/#:~:text=What%20Is%20an%20Animal%20Rescue,run%20out%20of%20private%20homes.

3) Randall, S. (n.d.) Guest Column: 8 things that happen after a dog arrives to the shelter. Diamond. Accessed 10-27-22: https://www.diamondpet.com/blog/adoption/strays/what-happens-after-a-dog-arrives-at-a-shelter/

4) N.a. (2012, March 20) What is pet fostering? The Wet Nose Blog. https://www.petsforpatriots.org/what-is-pet-fostering/#:~:text=Most%20shelters%20and%20rescues%20require,Nursing%20cats%20and%20dogs

5) N.a. (2016, August 25). Animal Shelter Euthanasia. American Humane. https://www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/animal-shelter-euthanasia/#:~:text=These%20animals%20may%20have%20been,enter%20animal%20shelters%20are%20euthanized.

6) “Interventions for Occupational Stress and Compassion Fatigue in Animal Care Professionals—A Systematic Review.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2018-09296-001.

7) “Community Factors and Animal Shelter Outcomes.” Taylor & Francis, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888705.2022.2063021?journalCode=haaw20.

8) Shelter Animals Count, 11 July 2022, https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/.