This makes me think of a song by the great Tom Lehrer,
Lobachevsky. He was making fun of Soviet mathematicians, but the idea applies here. I am trying to put together and end of life policy for my shelter and my starting point is a document from Austin Pets Alive. If I am using the forum software correctly it will be attached.
The first page should be of some use to you, the second is focused on physical problems and you will probably have to make a new list. Well, two lists, cats and dogs have different behavioral problems. In the case of cats there are a number of behavioral factors that will make a cat unsuitable for adoption but perfect for a barn cat program or return to whatever outdoor home they had before.
My first impression when I looked at page 2 was that this is in no way an objective measure of anything. Upon further reflection I don't think it is supposed to be an objective measure as much as a list of factors you should consider before making a decision. I suspect that there is no objective measure, so this is the best we can do.
As for who is involved in the process I am writing the policy myself. The next step is to run it past the board, the shelter director, and any senior volunteers who may be able to add something. I think it's important to start with a document written by one person, it is much easier for a group to edit a document than create one from scratch.
Good luck with this, it's not a fun policy to think about.
One last thing, the forum software helpfully added a link under related content:
https://americanpetsalive.org/blog/behavioral-euthanasia-decisions.
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Andrew Jergens
Board President
The Scratching Post
OH
(513) 271-1124
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-17-2022 03:39 PM
From: Tiffany Warden
Subject: How do you make adoption/euthanasia decisions?
Hi,
Our shelter is beginning to develop protocols around our euthanasia decision-making process for dogs and cats and i'm looking for ideas related to the process surrounding decision-making, your criteria around who is safe to place and who is reponsible for the decision.
How did you develop the protocols that you have? Did you borrow them from someone else? If you developed them internally, who was involved in the process? Any tips or does anyone have a protocol you'd be willing to share? Or any online resources that you found helpful? I'm more interested in behavior than medical, but i'd appreciate veterinary protocols too!
Thx!
Tiffany
#AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms
#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment
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Tiffany Warden
Shelter Manager
Franklin Animal Shelter
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