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4. c. Records Management (continued) <br />6. Include specific questions regarding health and behavior on Owner Surrender Questionnaire to <br />facilitate appropriate placement, determine whether fostering may be necessary for <br />health/behavior reasons, and learn of life-threatening conditions such as diabetes, kidney failure, <br />or communicable diseases. Surrendering an animal is often a difficult moment for the owner. The <br />Shelter's requests for information should be presented to the owner as evidence of the Shelter's <br />sincere desire to place the animal in a suitable home. <br />7. Each animal will be given a plastic hospital-style tag with an i.d. number upon entry to the <br />Shelter. This is standard practice for shelters that are run in a responsible and professional <br />manner. As noted in the HSUS report, mistakes in euthanasia can occur if animals are not <br />identifiable. <br />8. Check all animals upon entry for rabies tag and microchip implant. Verify ownership through a <br />call to the national log registry (if microchip) or CD ROM (current rabies registration information is <br />available on CD ROM). Front desk attendants will be required to initiate verification of information <br />as quickly as possible. This alone will greatly improve the Shelter's relationship with the <br />community it serves. <br />Microchip data and rabies numbers will be entered on log sheets. By end of day, front desk <br />manager must initial every log sheet (until transition to computer complete) to ensure that data are <br />complete and that verification of ownership/tag tracing occurred. No less than 45 minutes will be <br />allotted for log sheet review. Front desk manager will confirm to Assoc. Director that review is <br />complete. <br />9. Health Exam Form must be completed within end of day of entry, at the latest. Initial <br />vaccinations must be given and noted on form within day of entry. Management-level employee <br />will be responsible for reviewing and initialing each Health Exam form by day's end. No less than <br />45 minutes will be allotted to this task. If an animal has not been given an entry exam or has not <br />been vaccinated, an employee must complete the task. Management-level employee will notify <br />Assoc. Director that Health Exam Form Review is complete. Strict enforcement of this procedure <br />will result in significant decrease in costs for medical treatment (particularly antibiotics) since sick <br />animals can be immediately isolated and will not infect other shelter animals. Unnecessary <br />suffering will decrease since injuries and illness will be quickly identified. <br />10. The administrative assistant or other responsible employee or volunteer will be responsible <br />for ordering/replenishing forms (log sheets, health exam) at least once a month to ensure that the <br />correct forms are always available. <br />11. The HSOC is committed to accurate record-keeping. Such records are necessary to protect <br />the animals passing through the Shelter, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of programs and <br />policies. The public should have access to vital statistics. To that end, the percentages of <br />animals adopted, returned to owners, and euthanized will be posted prominently on a bulletin <br />board in the Adoptions Room. An informed public is a Shelter's best friend. The more those <br />citizens know, the better it will be for animals in need. <br />24 <br />