Is Data More About the Numbers and Less About the Animals?
Recently, I have noticed a growing trend of jobs using data as a way to track productivity. We often hear about how “the goal is this” and “the goal is that,” and how reaching these goals will help you reach the target you are striving to achieve.
First, before I get started, I’m not against using research data to measure performance. Accurate and meaningful research can help improve productivity. I also definitely believe you should set goals. Goals are long-term or medium-term achievements that can be counted, tracked, and measured.
Nevertheless, some goals being set are unrealistic and can make it almost impossible to get to the place you are striving to reach.
You might ask yourself, “What does this have to do with animals?”
The clear answer is that more animal shelters are using data to track their performance, such as adoptions, volunteer participation, and the number of cats and other animals being returned to rescues, shelters, or organizations.
As I mentioned earlier, tracking this information is perfectly fine. But what are we losing in the process?
Are we losing the quality time we spend working with animals? Isn’t enrichment supposed to be an important part of an animal’s well-being?
Some animal shelters have adopted new systems to track data. I think it is a wonderful idea to track what is going on within your rescue or shelter. By doing so, you can see where there are areas of weakness and where improvements may be needed.
However, sometimes we can go overboard with tracking. When that happens, we may lose focus on the main purpose of being in the animal-care industry: the animals.
When we look at success, we must look at both goals and purposes. But purpose cannot always be counted or tracked.
When you lose focus on one, are you really succeeding?
As much as I think it is an excellent idea to track performance and see whether animals are being adopted, this isn’t the same as tracking the performance of children on their way to college.
Some people may argue, “With better data and research, we can improve an animal’s chances of being adopted.”
True, to a certain point.
But what about an animal’s social, emotional, and intellectual well-being?
I guess you can tell that before animals became my career choice, I was an early childhood educator. Because of that background, I’m always asking myself a question:
Is data becoming more about the numbers and less about the animals?
And, with data, does more funding follow?
We must remember that goals, purpose, and meaning are all intertwined when it comes to animal rescue and any other career. It defeats the true purpose when purpose is forgotten.
Purpose and meaning are important parts of finding fulfillment in a career in animal rescue and care.
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