Help! The Reporters are Calling!

I don't know if anyone has caught the story about the
vet that refused to return a client's dog when said client refused to finish paying the bill. I'm not going to comment on this particular piece of news except to say I think mistakes were made by both parties, particularly in the talking-to-the-media department.

Although a rescue group was not involved with this story, I think it should serve as a warning to rescue groups. The vet, in my opinion, mishandled this situation media-wise. If there's one thing to take from this, it's to have a solid crisis communications plan.

Stories about pets draw readers. Stories involving owners desperately trying to save their pets draw more readers. And I don't fault the reporters because all too often when reporting on a dispute between two parties (here I'm talking in general, not necessarily about rescue) one party will lack the media savvy to effectively communicate their position and the reporter can only report facts that have been ineffectively communicated.

And I'm seeing it happen more and more with rescues. Here's an example from Arizona. And here's another case in North Carolina. I don't want to go into the specifics of these cases as I think the articles speak for themselves. And let's not forget all those ownership disputes involving Katrina pets.

And to be fair to rescue, I think a lot of us never expect to have any involvement with the media other than sending out press releases on fund-raising events or the latest adoptable pets we have. That is, until something happens and the reporters start calling.

How to start with developing a crisis communications strategy? I highly recommend reading The PR Crisis Bible by Robin Cohn. She writes more from a corporate perspective but I think she has excellent points rescues can use. In her book she details the seven deadly sins of poor crisis communication. Sin#1 is the "It Will Never Happen Here," a mantra that can ensnare even the most kindhearted of rescuers.

What happens if you adopt out a dog and the dog's original owners return and claim the dog was stolen and now you're the front page headline in your local newspaper? Or you reject an adoption application because the adopter is dead-set on declawing and the adopter calls the editor of the local paper alleging discrimination?

You can see now why a crisis communications strategy is important. A PR crisis can happen to any rescue. And mishandling a PR crisis can leave a lasting mark that could hurt a rescue's standing in the community, ultimately hurting animals in need.

So this weekend if your rescue doesn't have a crisis communications strategy, please try to get all your members together to develop one. It could mean everything to preserving the reputation of your group in a time of crisis.