When a resident of Sacramento, California, calls the 3-1-1 customer service hotline to report kittens in need, they don't route that call to a uniformed animal services officer. Instead, a member of a new volunteer-powered field response team is assigned the case. 

These dedicated volunteers (who were already performing T-N-R across the city on their own) are empowered to make decisions based on what they feel is the best solution in each instance. This repeatable and straightforward program is another way to engage the pet-loving public in the work of saving lives.

Heather Wright and Denise Bell, the co-leads of the Front Street Animal Shelter's Kitten Action Team, joined us to talk about the ins and outs of the program and how it's been going in the first few weeks since they hit the streets.