Norfolk Animal Care leader focuses on adoption

By Jasmine Washington
The Virginian-Pilot

As the new bureau manager of the Norfolk Animal Care Center, Barbara Hays is trying to get the word out about adoptions to anyone who will listen. All she needs is a few minutes to convince her listeners that a shelter animal will make a great addition to their household.

“A lot of people think they are going to get damaged goods. We like to call them pre-loved animals.” she said. “You may find a diamond in the rough, but so many of our animals are really gems.”

Hays is five months into her job heading up the city animal shelter, which took in more than 5,900 animals last year. It has a staff of 15, as well as 50 active volunteers. She says her top priority as manager will be to refocus the once-struggling center’s attention on drawing more human visitors to the shelter. That, hopefully, results in empty cages.

“I think in any animal shelter if you do the same thing you did last week, you aren’t doing it justice. We are constantly going to be changing and reviewing,” Hays said.

One of the first things Hays streamlined was the adoption process. The seven-page application was reduced to one page front and back. She also eliminated the criminal background check for people who want to adopt pit bulls, which was intended to weed out those who might fight dogs. Hays said the center discourages the practice still through neutering and spaying; groups such as The Humane Society say that can lower aggression.

An animal lover all her life – she has several cats, an Afghan hound and a sheltie, all from shelters – Hays started out as a volunteer with a local humane society in Rochester, N.Y. The unpredictable atmosphere of the shelter combined with her passion for animals persuaded the then-30-year-old Hays to abandon her career as a merchandising buyer for JCPenney and make animal welfare her full-time gig.

At the center, she relied on her retail background to make some aesthetic changes. Cats, usually in a back room, were moved front and center in the main foyer so visitors would stop to pet and maybe even consider adopting one. Christmas lights now dangle from the ceilings in between the rows of kennels to provide a friendlier appearance to a place that most residents don’t know exists.

The facility, located on Sabre Road, is in a former warehouse near the intersection with North Military Highway. Hays said a combination of a tight advertising budget, facility space and a location that doesn’t stand out can contribute to a low adoption rate, along with the misconception of abused, unhealthy shelter animals.

Karen Lauderback, a volunteer and former board member of Friends of Norfolk Animal Care Center, said Hays is committing to dispelling misconceptions about the facility and its animals.

“A shelter can do all it can to feed and make sure the animals are healthy,” Lauderback said. “At the end of the day, we need more adopters.”

At Hays’ previous job at a regional animal control center in Springfield, Mass., she said they, too, once had a low adoption rate. When she left, it was upwards of 95 percent for adoptable animals. She also said staff training in customer service as well as maintaining relationships with new owners are vital to the process.

Jake Roos, kennel supervisor, who served as interim manager before Hays was hired, admires her ability to maintain a balance among the concerns of the adopters, adoptees and the staff at the center.

“Things can get tense and emotional at times, and she just seems to have a nice, even-keel, level head about not being too reactive when people are upset, but also at the same time not sitting back and accepting things the way they are,” he said.

Roos also said simple changes like establishing a written protocol for cleaning made the center more organized.

Some of Hays’ plans for the center include a foster family program so people can take home young or injured animals for a designated time, a better match system for potential cat owners, increasing volunteer recruitment, and shelter management software for better record keeping.

Still, she admits to being impatient in her desire to get things done. “Sometimes you leap before you look. I love this job and love that I get to do it every day. It has its frustrations, but I don’t know what I would do without it.”

Jasmine Washington, jasmine.washington@pilotonline.com