Agenda - 09-19-2006-7b - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orange County Animal Services Sheltering Practices and Philosophies 12 HSUS Statement on Limited-Admission Animal Shelters lil The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) believes that limited- admission animal shelters, commonly called "no-kill" shelters, can play a helpful role within a community in helping homeless companion animals find responsible, lifelong homes. However, The HSUS strongly believes that limited- admission shelters must operate in accordance with certain ethical and managerial principles, as described below. Admission Polices Limited-admission shelters vary widely in scope and philosophy. However, they are distinguishable from open-admission animal shelters primarily by the fact that they choose not to euthanize animals in response to the tragic problem of companion animal overpopulation. As a result, these organizations limit the numbers of animals they will accept because they lack the space and/or resources necessary to properly care for the numbers of animals they would otherwise receive. Limited-admission shelters keep or foster all animals they choose to admit until the animals can be placed in adoptive homes or die of natural causes (many do euthanize suffering or aggressive animals). When alimited-admission shelter does not accept every animal brought to it, -fhe HSUS believes that the organization has an ethical mandate to ensure that that there is an animal shelter in the community whose doors are open to all homeless and unwanted animals.. Where no such shelter exists, an organization that turns away a stray or owned animal being surrendered, or that asks someone to keep the animal until space opens up at the shelter, risks losing that animal to abandonment or some other cruel fate, and bears partial responsibility for that fate. In short, an organization that choose not to accept every animal can supplement an open-admission animal shelter, but it cannot substitute far one. Animal-Care Standards The HSUS believes that limited-admission shelters should implement all animal- care policies and procedures regarded as fundamental to the responsible sheltering of animals. These include (but are not limited to) such practices as performing health exams on all animals upon admission and before adoption; separating animals by species, sex, age, and health status; housing animals in a way that minimizes stress and disease transmission; providing animals with proper food and water, protection from the elements, adequate ventilation and temperature control, exercise, human interaction, and veterinary care; using htamane methods when an animal must be euthanized; screening prospective adopters using established standards; accepting previously adopted animals when they are returned by an adopter for any reason; and preventing the reproduction of shelter animals by spaying and neutering them, or, at the least, guaranteeing that all adopted animals are sterilized.