Hi Reader I had a couple of different emails planned for tonight. I started writing and everything sounded hollow. I walked away and came back, but first I took a stroll through my instagram messages. It is no secret if you follow me on instagram I am disenchanted with social media, I have pretty much quit posting on Facebook and TikTok is a seventh circle of hell I am not interested in participating in, I am not interested in being a "creator" I am interested in helping animals, shelter...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Dog parks, lots of visitors and visits to Home Depot are a hard No. Hello Friends, We put together a one-page guide for new adopters covering the first 72 hours after bringing a dog home, what to do, what to skip, and how to set the dog up to actually decompress instead of spiral. Here is the complete blog post. It's the stuff most adopters need to hear and don't: keep the world small, watch before you train, secure the exits, don't take anything personally. Short enough to read in two...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The message is incorrect. All of us know it. You have probably seen the coverage. Save rates are up. More shelters going no-kill. The national numbers are trending positive. And if you are working inside a shelter right now, you are probably reading those headlines and feeling like you are losing your mind. Because your kennel is full. Your staff is burned out. Your intake doesn't stop. And the animals coming through your door are harder to place than ever. You are not imagining it. The data...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Dog parks, lots of visitors and visits to Home Depot are a hard No. Hello Friends, We put together a one-page guide for new adopters covering the first 72 hours after bringing a dog home, what to do, what to skip, and how to set the dog up to actually decompress instead of spiral. Here is the complete blog post. It's the stuff most adopters need to hear and don't: keep the world small, watch before you train, secure the exits, don't take anything personally. Short enough to read in two...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, This is a HOT topic in shelter and rescue work right now. Managed intake sounds great on paper. It promises better planning, less overcrowding, and more thoughtful shelter decisions. But what happens when the animal needs help today? In my latest post, I’m breaking down the difference between open intake and managed intake, and why this conversation is not as simple as the polished talking points make it seem. Open intake shelters are often the safety net for animals no one else...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hello Reader, Whether you’ve been on my email list for years or you’ve been here for a few minutes, I wanted to take a second to do a little re-introduction of myself and what you can expect when you see my name in your inbox (because trust me, being allowed in your inbox is a privilege I won’t take advantage of.) So, hi, I guess. I’m Roxanne, and I’m the founder of The Shelter Shift and the Director at the Edgewater Animal Shelter in Edgewater, FL. I started this project (The Shelter Shift)...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Let’s change the narrative. Hello Friends, Shelter dogs are not damaged. They are displaced. And they are waiting. I posted that this week, and it struck a nerve. Which tells me something important. We are still telling the wrong story. People walk into shelters and ask, “What’s wrong with them?” Almost never, “What happened?” That shift matters. A shelter dog is not a problem to fix. It’s a relationship to build. Some dogs need training. Some need patience. Some need structure. So do most...
7 months ago • 1 min read
The Volunteer Myth “Anyone who wants to help should be welcomed.” It sounds kind. It sounds inclusive. It can also cause more damage than most shelters want to admit. Not everyone who wants to help is ready to help here. Or now. Or in the way they imagine. Not everyone understands what a shelter is really all about. It can shock and traumatize them if they are not prepared. When shelters accept everyone without structure, what you get is: Volunteers who disappear, sometimes with strong...
8 months ago • 1 min read