DCAP's Five Year Co-option Plan

The city shelter in Seagoville, Texas has been one of the most impressive shelter turnarounds - if not THE most impressive - I've ever seen. It proved that the No-Kill Equation is within every shelter's reach, even those with small premises, few paid staff and a high intake.

So...wouldn't it make sense for the City of Dallas to sit up and take notice?

Instead, the Dallas Companion Animal Project, aka DCAP, is insisting they need five years to implement no-kill - and they aren't even 100% sure it will happen. As I've mentioned before, DCAP is a textbook example of co-option as explained in Nathan Winograd's book Redemption.

Recently, the Web site dallascityhall.com posted a PDF of a DCAP presentation made in January. You can download it here. DCAP's presentation begins on Page 8 of the PDF.

DCAP's summation page of their five year plan was as follows:

 Now…
 Request Quality of Life and Government Services Committee support
of the Dallas Companion Animal Project.

 First year
 Focus on the detailed one-year business plan and multi-year strategic plan
 Finish prioritizing and begin implementing programs and initiatives
 Determine related costs and funding

 Years Two - Four
 Continue to implement, expand and build momentum

 Year Five
 Celebrate Success! If all major initiatives have been successfully implemented, our community will be one of the largest no-kill communities in the country.

(I particularly like that Get Out Of Jail Free clause at the end - "IF all major initiatives...".)

How about Dallas simply follow Seagoville's lead? True, the DCAP folks and some of the Animal Services Commission would have to do some things they wouldn't enjoy. Things like:

1. Mend fences with all the local rescue groups they've ostracized.
2. Smarten up and stop sleeping with the enemies - the HSUS and THLN. Neither support no-kill.
3. Admit that Nathan Winograd might have a point. Note: NOBODY in DCAP attended Winograd's recent local presentation. Only Jody Jones was spotted in the audience.
4. Get off their butts and spend more time with hands-on volunteering. Nobody needs further "education".

The folks at Seagoville skipped the presentations, the photogenic/useless Advisory Board, and months of committee sitting. They just made up their minds to stop the killing. Does this really take five years to decide?