01/1/25
Dark image of a crossbreed dog with downcast ears behind bars, with its nose extended in front of the bars. Image has 'leemakennels.com/blog' along the top and 'Tips for Pounds rehoming pets' on the side.

Tips for Pounds Rehoming Pets

Dark image of a crossbreed dog with downcast ears behind bars, with its nose extended in front of the bars. Image has 'leemakennels.com/blog' along the top and 'Tips for Pounds rehoming pets' on the side.

Currently, there is a large demand on pounds and rescues in South Australia. Compared to the ‘boom years’ of COVID-19, there is now a cost-of-living crisis, in conjunction with a housing crisis, which is seeing many households forced to surrender their animals or unable to afford to reclaim animals from pounds.

Personally, I have been contacted by several councils in South Australia looking for surrender options. Excess animals in care is a problem for council pounds in South Australia. This article looks at ways that councils can reduce homeless animals, by:

  1. Reducing impounds
  2. Increasing returns
  3. Rehoming animals

1. Reducing Impounds

Councils can undertaken a number of actions in order to make sure that dogs never end up in their facilities in the first place! This includes:

In-field microchip scans

If an animal is collected in the field, rangers should be equipped with a microchip scanner and the ability to immediately look up the owner details. The ranger should not only use the DACO database, but also use all national databases across Australia.

Utilising any other identification

Some animals may wear identification, and rangers should call numbers on this identification. There are also some QR tags and capsule-like identification options. Rangers should be across all these forms of identification. By contacting an owner while in-the-field, the ranger can then return the animal without it ever being impounded.

Check lost records

Many councils encourage owners to report missing pets to them. These records should be checked prior to impound. Rangers can also check Facebook groups (such as Lost Pets of South Australia and Lost Dogs of Adelaide) or pages (local to their community) to see if there are any lost animal records. Again, if an owner is identified, then the animal can hopefully be returned without impound occurring.

Door knocks

Animals are often found close to where they live. Rangers should door knock homes within the area that the animal was collected to identify ‘leads’.

Note that while an animal may be returned prior to impound, this does not mean that the owner is not due recourse in keeping with the Dog and Cat Management Act (see PDF). Council can choose issue expiation notices to animals who are roaming at large, even if the animal is returned prior to impound.

If an animal is impounded, council should have a proactive system to check ranger process. An animal that is not returned prior to impound should be considered a failure. What went wrong? Was the animal checked for identification? Were lost records checked? Were door knocks completed? Councils need to implement robust processes to prevent animals being impounded.

2. Increasing Returns

If the above fails and an animal is impounded, then councils need to take immediate action in order to get that animal home again. These strategies can include:

Medical care, including vaccination

An animal cannot return home if they are dead. If an animal enters the facility, they should be given preventative care, including worming and vaccination. This helps to minimise the risk of animals becoming unwell while they’re impounded. Additionally, if an animal is impounded with broken bones, significant mange, or open wounds, it requires veterinary management. All medical expenses can be invoiced to the owner on reclaim.

Impound photos and distribution

When an animal is impounded, staff should take a clear image that shows the features of the animal. Photos that are blurry or distorted are not useful for reclaims. Once this image is taken, it should be distributed widely, including the council’s website and Facebook page. (Again, Lost Pets of Adelaide and Lost Dogs of South Australia can be used.) Keep in mind that pets sometimes travel far before they are impounded, so advertising just in one council region may not be sufficient in getting a pet home.

Accurate impound description

Some of my friends have a running game where we share hideous mis-descriptions of dog breeds shared by council. I say ‘game’ but, in reality, this can be lifethreatening to animals. If a dog is impounded and described as a ‘staffy x’, when in reality the dog is a Boxer, then a person looking for their pet may dismiss this animal based on the description. The description needs to be accurate. Research shows that people cannot guess a dog’s breed based on its appearance. Councils need SOPs to help guide them in creating accurate descriptions. Instead of using breed, they may describe coat colour and type, the animal’s size, the set of their ears, and distinctive features.

Additionally, get the sex right! Have a look or a grope for external genitalia and use it in the description. Don’t guess. Put unknown if the animal can’t be handled.

Impound microchip check

Out in the field, it is difficult to do an accurate and comprehensive microchip check. If an animal is impounded, then councils should:

  • scan the dog’s whole body for a microchip,
  • with a reader that is 100% charged,
  • and, once complete, this process repeated by a second person with a different fully charged reader.

That is: 100% of the dog is scanned with a 100% charged readers by two different staff members using two different readers (that is the 100%x100%x2x2 method). Staff should assume that every dog and cat is microchipped, as is South Australian law, and work hard in order to find this microchip.

Following all leads

If identification is found for the animal, but the person contacted says the animal has been moved or rehomed, then keep going. Ask them who they rehomed the animal to. Ask them for the contact details. Contact the emergency contact. Call the private microchip databases and check that there is no microchip change pending. Contact Dogs SA, if the dog is a purebred, to see if the microchip is on their database. Dig and dig and dig until you find who owns the animal now.

If the phone number doesn’t work, send a registered post letter. If they have a residential address, rock up to the address and ask them about their animal. Use the email address listed. Contact the emergency contact. Microchips are mandatory because they’re a valuable resource, but only if animals are checked properly for a chip and then the databases appropriately used in aid of reunification.

Be open for reclaims

So many pounds are open 9-5, Monday to Friday, or worse. For the typical person working full time hours, they can’t get to the pound to reclaim their pet. Your opening hours should not prevent returns. Open late at least twice a week. Open on weekends. If it’s really hard, open on appointment only, or deliver the animal to an agreed location for the owner to reclaim. By all means, charge owners for these kind of services, but don’t deny the service all together.

Animals are not held hostage

It is reasonable for councils to charge a fee for animals who are roaming at large and who utilise council resources. However, animals should not be held hostage until fees are paid. If someone neglects to pay their rates, you don’t repossess their house. Animals are sentient and sentimental and the idea that councils still emotionally blackmail owners to reclaim pets only when fees are presented is at odds with sound animal welfare policies. Let people take their pets home. Implement debt collection processes as necessary, but just let them take their pet home.

If an animal reaches the end of its mandatory hold period, then there has been two failures: The animal was impounded in the first place and, then, the animal’s owner wasn’t reunified with their animal during the impound period. Again, council should have an evaluation at this point. What went wrong? How was reunification attempted? How many phone calls were made? How many enquiries fielded? Collect data in order to ensure that necessary internal processes can change and improve.

3. Rehoming Animals

It’s unfortunate that a council gets to the point that an animal needs to be rehomed. However, if the council has failed to both prevent impound and encourage reclaim, there is a number of ways in which council can ensure animals leave the facility to new homes. This includes:

Advertise pets available for rehoming

The best marketing tool for a pet is an excellent photo. Many professional photographers are willing to volunteer with pounds in order to help animals find homes. However, with the strength of phone cameras, it’s likely that a staff member who can access the animal in a unpressured manner may be able to get some photos that really ‘sell’ an animal. Videos can also be a great advertising tool – especially for animals that are too wiggly for a photo!

An animal also needs to have an honest but positive bio that helps potential adopters imagine their life with that pet.

Once there are great photos and a great bio, councils can advertise the animals available through their Facebook page, their council website, Gumtree, PetRescue, SaviourLife, anywhere and everywhere! Some councils may even have a pet-lovers newsletter where they can send featured animals like this.

Make impounded animals better

Animals in care should be vaccinated and wormed (preferrably on intake), and microchipped and desexed (before sale). People want animals who have been vet checked, who have had prevented health care, and who cannot reproduce. The benefit of getting a ‘rescue’ animal is that all the work is done. If your facility is not undertaking this care, then there is no real advantage of purchasing a rescue animal from your council as opposed from purchasing an animal from any other source.

If behavioural problems have been identified in an animal, have trainers and processes. For example, a SOP could describe how a cat who refuses to toilet in its litterbox can be managed to improve its behaviour. A dog that displays some aggressive behaviour may need to have a trainer engaged to help address these concerns. People want animals that are well behaved. Pounds are often environments where behaviours decline, and so councils again need to take a proactive approach.

Be open for adoptions

Most people work 9-5, Monday to Friday. If your pound is only open at these times, a lot of people are not going to be able to enter the facility to adopt. Make sure the facility is open at least two nights a week. Be open on weekends.

Hold events

Running special weeks, weekends, events, or deals can often help bring adopters in. Many cat rescues, for example, hold a ‘buy the kitten get mum for free’ deal. The individual specials that a council runs depends on their own community needs.

Use rescue groups

Some rescue groups may be able to assist rehoming animals – especially some of the breed specific rescue groups. However, rescue groups should not just be used for the bigger and energetic animals. Make sure rescue groups are appropriately reimbursed if they choose to take an animal from your facility.

But how do we afford this?

For many councils, the expense of these suggestions can be prohibitative. The thing is, animals are an emotive issue and there are many people in the community who are willing to volunteer to help animals find homes. If your impound facility routine kills impounded pets, it’s understandable that attracting volunteers would be difficult. Alternatively, if your impound facility is vibrant, fun, focussed on marketing and improving pets in care, and generally spreading positivity around reclaiming and rehoming pets, many volunteers would be enthused to assist.

The Dog and Cat Management Act specifies that registration fees for animals must go back into councils animal management. Communities deserve to see proactive and innovative pound facilities funded by their registration dollars.

08/27/15

Flea Prevention in a Foster Home

Anyone who has had fleas in their house before knows what a nightmare it is – for the humans and the dogs. The clean up following a flea infestation is very painful as well.

In coordinating a dog rescue for about seven years, I have got flea control down to an art. Here are my suggestions on ensuring that foster homes stay free of fleas.

When a dog enters care and has evidence of fleas (e.g. flea dirt around their groin), or for any dog that has come from a pound environment, flea treatment and prevent starts on pick up.

  • As I put the dog in the car, I treat with a spot-on flea treatment for dogs (like Frontline).
  • In the case of multi-dog transport, then all dogs in the car are treated with a spot-on treatment.

Once the dog has vacated my car, I then have to make my car flea-free. I use bug spray on pretty much everything. This includes bug-spraying:

  • Each side of the bedding the dog had in the crate.
  • The internal surfaces of the crate.
  • On all surfaces in the car, including in particular fabric surfaces.

Any bedding the dog used then goes either straight into the wash, or, if soiled, into a secured bag and into the bin.

Any other pets in the new foster household should be treated with a spot-on as well.

Following these steps should help flea infestations taking hold in a foster home. If, however, a dog ‘sneaks’ fleas into the house, then you will need to take remedial action. My process is:

  1. All animals in the household are dosed with a flea treatment.
  2. All bedding occupied by the flea-infested dog is treated with bug spray and washed.
  3. All areas of the house are vacuumed.
  4. All surrounding areas the dog came into contact with (like carpets, couches, etc) are doused in bug spray. I particularly concentrate the bug spray in nooks (e.g. under and behind furniture) and on the thresholds of rooms (e.g. in doorways).

It took me quite a few years to work out the exact method for getting a handle on flea infestations. I have learnt that prevention is easier (and cheaper!) than cure. Despite having some close encounters (such as foster dogs sneaking in their flea-visitors), I have never had a major problem in recent years. I put it down to these techniques.

Do you have any additional ideas on controlling fleas in a foster home?

 

Other posts of interest:

5 Ways to Keep Fleas Out of the House

Parasite Treatment Comparisons

Oral Flea Treatment Most Effective in Dogs

11/16/13

Rescue vs Breeders

There are a lot of people who love dogs. They may express this love in many different ways: some people own many dogs, some people make donations to important dog causes, young children may adorn their lockers with images of dogs, others may find their joy in training dogs for specialised tasks. While this expression of love is wildly different, there is no denying the central thread: a love of dogs.  This love makes up the dog world.

But there’s division in the dog world.

There is a perpetuated myth that dog lovers who engage in dog rescue are some how more experienced, or compassionate, or just better than people who breed dogs.

There is a theme: the dog rescuer versus the dog breeder.

Sometimes the expression of this phenomena is not even subtle:

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During Facebook discussions, I see people describe themselves as a ‘rescuer’ or as a ‘breeder’, and therefore differentiate themselves from others in a conversation. Like this:

Picture 4

As you can imagine, the term ‘breeder’ is sometimes used interchangeably with offensive terms like ‘greeder’, or ‘producer’, and then these are also used to delegitimise the experiences of the breeder in hand.

Like the rescue group below (another screen shot from Facebook, in regard to ‘Desex the bad ones!‘):

Picture 3

It’s frustrating when I criticise proposals like the Select Committee Recommendations in SA, or the Breeding and Rearing Code in Victoria, to be told that my biased because, as a breeder, the recommendations would influence my ability to make a profit.  Anyone reading my blog would find that I object to many government recommendations for a variety of reasons –  not one of them is “because it’ll be harder and more expensive for me to breed puppies”.

This divide in the dog world is not just seen online and on Facebook.  I have blogged before on The Sin of Breeding Dogs and the judgement I receive for being a breeder when out and about.

Let me share a secret: No one wants to see dogs euthanised in shelters.

When talking about ‘rescue vs breeders’ on Facebook, Allie, from Maggie’s Farm, said:

I don’t think it’s particularly helpful to talk about “breeders” and “rescuers” because it kind of presupposes two homogenous groups, which isn’t the case. Among some breeders, “rescuers” are “animal rights” people, which to them is like a dirty word. And to some people in rescue, breeders are terrible, selfish people who make more dogs, when they are already dogs needing homes. And implying that there’s some zero sum game here, where a breeder bred and bought dog means a shelter dog dies. It’s not that simple. I think people who fall into both groups can be guilty of alienating the other, because it’s easy to have someone to blame and dislike.

Allie is of course right. There’s not just two groups in the dog world – the dog world is an amazing assortment of people with differing interests and passions. It is this very stuff that unites us.

 

What unites the dog world?

Comments and images, like those used above, are made like there is no glue in the dog world – and no potential for cohesion. It builds up a divide and splits the dog world into different sides. Our compassion and passion for dogs and their welfare unites the dog world, and this similarity should be embraced, not diminished.

The fact is, there are many in the dog world that bridge both sides. For example, I worked at a shelter for 3 years, have fostered about 45 animals in the last 5 years, and yet I also breed dogs. These roles aren’t in contradiction. I actually really like dogs, in all forms, and so fill up my life with them.

But, in conversations like that above, the dog world is polarised – between rescue problems, morals, and ethics and those of breeders. Between ‘the rescuers’ and ‘the breeders’.  As Allie pointed out, it’s not as simple as that – the groups aren’t homogenous.

This terminology stops rescues and breeders being united and does nothing for animal welfare.

 

The divide impacts upon animal welfare

Rescuers and breeders have different skills and expertise. They have a lot to offer one another. I think it is important for us to recognise how animal welfare could be improved if we were to work more tightly together.

  • Rescues are often key in finding purebred dogs in rescues and returning them to their recognised breeder. Sometimes, without ethical rescues, ethical breeders would never have the chance to get their dog back. This is a win for rescue, too: one less dog in the rescue system as ethical breeders will take back dogs in need.
     
  • Breeders are an excellent knowledge base for rescues, especially when it comes to matters concerning newborn puppies, or when it comes to breed specific knowledge.  As a personal example, when my bitch Clover whelped a singleton litter, she then fostered 9 day old rescue puppies as well. My knowledge as a breeder was important to these puppies as they arrived emaciated, dehydrated, and practically dead. On the flip side, because rescue entrusted me with these puppies, I learnt a lot that I didn’t already know.
     
  • Breeders often have a list of people interested in dogs, and receive puppy and adult dog enquiries on an ongoing basis.  Letting breeders know about dogs locally who are somewhat ‘like’ their breed (in looks or temperament) may mean that breeders can refer enquiries to rescues.

Currently, breeders criticise rescue and rescuers criticise breeders. This is not good for anyone. Having a reciprocal relationship is, obviously, much more desirable.  Quite simply, by not tapping into shared passions and shared resources there is a risk of opportunities being lost.

Be Responsible - Save a Pet!
Celebrate those uniting factors

Guess what?

Both rescuers and breeders love dogs.

Both rescuers and breeders want to see animal welfare improved.

Neither breeders or rescues want to see shelter euthanasia at its current level.

Both want to keep dogs out of pounds and rescues to start off with.

There is a lot in common that we can use to our advantage, moving forward.

 

How can breeders work with rescue?

If you’re a breeder, you can:

  • Contact your local rescue group and see what areas they need help.
     
  • Provide breed-specific advice to rescue groups or adoptive families.
     
  • Foster or kennel dogs in need.
     
  • Donate information that you’ve designed for your puppy packs.
     
  • Make a monetary donation.
     
  • Offer to groom rescue dogs.
     
  • Offer to transport rescue dogs (especially if you’re travelling interstate to dog show events or for servicing a bitch).
     
  • Share your local rescue group’s dog for adoption, including with those that enquire wanting a purebred – their perfect dog may just be in the local shelter.
     
  • Make efforts to stay in touch with your puppy buyers to ensure that your puppies stay out of the rescue system.
     
  • Educate yourself on the rescue and sheltering system.
     
  • Congratulate and support those who choose to adopt a dog.
     
  • Do not take a ‘breeder’s side’ by default – recognise the diversity among breeders and feel free to criticse unethical breeders, as well as celebrating ethical rescues.

 

How can rescues work with breeders?

Responsible BreederIf you’re a rescue, you can:

  • Contact breeders to see if they can help with boarding or fostering rescue dogs.
     
  • Ask breeders to share rescue dog’s availability with puppy enquirers.
     
  • Avoid posting breeder-slamming content (like that on the right) on social media (or anywhere else).
     
  • If you can identify the breeder of a dog in care, please contact the breeder – it’s their baby, too.
     
  • Utilise breeders as a resource – especially when it comes to rearing baby puppies or breed-specific advice.
     
  • Becomes informed on what ethical breeding practices look like, and support ethical breeders.
     
  • Support those who choose to purchase a dog from an ethical breeder.
     
  • Don’t take the side of ‘rescue’ by default – criticise unethical rescues as well as celebrating ethical breeders and other ethical rescues.

 

Moving Forward

When I asked about this topic on Facebook, one of my friends said,

There are ethical and unethical people on both sides, reasonable and unreasonable. I believe the ethical and reasonable can effectively work together in the best interest of dogs, the other side there isn’t much you can do about it.

Only those who are ‘reasonable’ and ethical will understand what this post is getting at.

Overall, we need both rescue and breeders to promote ethical places to acquire dogs from:

  • From a registered breeder
  • From a private rehoming
  • From an ethical rescue

We are all passionate about dogs and their welfare. So; Let’s focus on the dogs, and not each other.

 

Further reading:

Our dogs are our beloved companions 98% of the time (written by a breeder)

I love dog breeders.

Patricia McConnell on Breeders Versus Rescues (Responsible breeding – an oxymoron?).

It’s become fashionable to hate dog breeders.

I hate dog breeders.

08/9/13

Downtown Dog Rescue have Dog Rescue Down

Would you like to keep your pet out of this shelter? Ask us how.

I recently ‘liked’ the Downtown Dog Rescue Facebook page and since have had my newsfeed collect many wonderful good news stories from the organisation. I had to share at least some of their amazing stories in South LA.

So what’s to like about Downtown Dog Rescue?

 

Surrenders are a Poverty Issue, Above All Else

Downtown Dog Rescue recognises that the number one reason that people surrender their pets is poverty.  South LA has 40% of its population living below the poverty line, and there is only 1 job for every 7 people (from the DDR website).

Mandatory spay neuter and prohibition of chaining means that owners must have their pets spayed or neutered, and must have fences to keep their pets.  When people cannot afford to meet their legislated ownership requirements, they feel they have no choice but to surrender their pets. While there is low cost spay and neuter available, as DDR says, ‘Low cost is not low enough’ and it’s true.

Downtown Dog Rescue makes it really clear that there are real human issues that prevent dogs being at home. For example, this son went to reclaim his deceased father’s dog, but couldn’t afford the reclaim fee and also pay for his dad’s funeral. DDR helped him out, but it’s just one example where very real, poverty-related issues impact upon pet ownership.

Importantly, poverty doesn’t make someone ‘irresponsible’ or otherwise unworthy of pet ownership – and DDR never makes this claim.

 

Part of Dog Rescue is Preventing Dogs from Needing Rescue

An overlooked part of dog rescue is to prevent dogs ever being in the position of needing rescue. That is, preventing animals from entering shelters to begin with.

On the 31st of July 2013, they proudly posted that they intercepted 30 surrenders. 33 animals were presented to the shelter for surrender, but DDR managed to keep 30 of those animals out of the shelter! Wow! On the 27th of July, they proudly intercepted 23 surrenders. That’s over 50 dogs kept out of a shelter in less than a week.

Earlier that month, they intercepted 20 pets and 30 pets.

So how exactly do you stop animals from ending up in the shelter? The pie chart below shows areas that DDR are helping in regard to the 650 intercepted animals in April-June 2013.

Downtown Dog Rescue Shelter Intervention Service

Spay/neuter is the big problem. When people come to the shelter wanting to surrender their pets because they can’t afford spay/neuter surgery, DDR refers them to their free spay neuter program. Like this dog.

Some people feel they need to surrender their pets because of their current housing arrangement. In some situations, like this cat, DDR helps by paying the necessary pet bond and thereby keeping the family together.

The ‘humane euthanasia for senior pets’ always brings tears to my eyes when reading their Facebook posts. Many pet owners, knowing their pet is elderly and sick, can’t afford euthanasia and so bring the pet to the shelter to surrender-for-euthanasia. Instead of allowing animals to die in a foreign and scary environment, surrounded by strangers, DDR helps families be by-the-side of their pet in a vet clinic euthanasia. It’s a small last act of kindness that made a difference for this dog, and this one, and this one, and this one, and many more.

You can read more statistics here.

 

Utmost Respect for their Community

Downtown Dog Rescue never blames the ‘irresponsible public‘ for anything. They never condemn or complain about the people they are working with, or shame them. In fact, they take the opposite approach: faming families for desexing their pets or faming individuals who go to great lengths to desex pets. They acknowledge real human issues (such as fear) which inhibits uptake of spay and neuter surgeries, and educates instead of dictates. There is no shaming even those who don’t choose to desex their pets (despite what some of the Facebook commenters may say).

DDR respects the community that they’re working with to improve animal welfare in the area.

 

Rehome from Homes, Not the Shelter

An important role that DDR accomplishes is preventing surrenders by networking and advertising ‘at risk of surrender’ dogs. That is: If a dog presents to the shelter to be surrendered, DDR can try to keep the dog out of the shelter by exploring alternative rehoming avenues. For example, they gave a shout out to find Butter a home, and this litter of puppies were lucky enough to be rehomed without ever setting foot in the shelter.  Excellent outcomes in these two examples, and just one of the many ways DDR is trying to reduce relinquishment of pets to the shelter.

 

Paying Reclaim Fees

It’s a common pattern internationally: Dogs who get impounded, for whatever reason, often have an owner who wants them back, but can’t afford the reclaim fee, and so dogs are effectively held ransom by the council or the shelter until a release fee is paid.  While the motive is to recoup expenses associated with the impounding, and perhaps fines for dogs ‘roaming at large’, in reality it just prevents dogs going home with their families. This is a scenario that DDR has seen time and time and time again. Luckily for the pets involved, the DDR will often assist in paying reclaim fees to ensure pets go home instead of stay in a shelter.

 

Providing Containment Options

Another big thing that DDR contributes to the community is assistance with fencing problems, chiefly, fixing fences or building pens. Many of the fences they fix are so simple, but make a big deal to the life of pets and their owners: They get to stay together.

 

And that’s not all!

DDR does anything they can to keep pets out of shelters, or just improve the welfare of pets in the area. Like:

 

And, of course, they have dogs for adoption too!

 

What we've learned; it's not that people who come to the shelter don't care, but they think they have run out of options.

“What we’ve learned; it’s not that people who come to the shelter don’t care, but they think they have run out of options”.

The situation in South LA is also a careful reminder that introducing animal welfare legislation (such as mandatory desexing or ‘no chaining’) can also have an impact on surrenders… Which in turn effectively nullifies any welfare benefit from the legislation in the first place.

In a world where my Facebook newsfeed is often overwhelmed with sensationalist animal rescue stories, my eyes constantly fall on the understated but hugely significant work of Downtown Dog Rescue. Their good news posts bring tears to my eyes. I can’t get enough of these happy stories! I am so excited for the dogs and people that this rescue is helping.

 

How you can help

DDR works on donations. They currently running a ‘donation special’, where any $1 donated by the public will be matched by the ASPCA. So now is a fantastic time to make a donation to all the good work DDR are doing. There can be no doubt that their services are truly helping pets and people, and providing the exact type of help that is needed. Donate here!

Downtown Dog Rescue

 

 

Further reading:

The Revolving Door: A poverty problem, not a pet problem

Poverty, shelter surrender, and what makes a difference (on DDR from Maddie’s Institute)

“All they need is love”