Animal Welfare Professionals

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Do any other organizations have rules about staff or volunteers lying down with dogs in their runs? Lately, we've seen a lot of photos (shared internally) of people lying down to cuddle dogs during in-kennel human-interaction-as-enrichment session, and while the interactions look positive, some safety concerns have come up.

On the one hand, the dogs and people both seem to enjoy it, and it mirrors how many adopters might interact at home. On the other hand, the shelter is not a home - it's a stressful, unpredictable environment. Even if a dog truly trusts that person, something as small as a door opening, a walkie going off, or another dog walking past could potentially trigger a reaction. In that vulnerable position, the person wouldn't be able to protect themselves easily. We encourage in-kennel human-interaction-as-enrichment sessions and generally just say let the dog guide the interaction and engage in activities they seem to enjoy, but I've never given any consideration to dictating what postures are safe or unsafe.

Do your organizations have policies around this? If so, are they applied universally, or only for dogs with a history or risk of aggression? Part of me wants to trust staff/volunteers to use their judgment, but I've seen people lying with dogs who (while lovely 99% of the time) have known histories of unpredictable aggression, which makes me question whether judgment is always reliable. Some people have even raised safety concerns about people simply sitting cross-legged with these dogs, since it still limits defensive ability compared to crouching or kneeling (although to my old knees, crouching/kneeling raises safety concerns all of their own). 

It is also worth noting that we haven't had any incidents yet, but I'm not sure if this is a non-issue or just a matter of time. One wrinkle: I actively encourage lying down when working with undersocial cats (and occasionally undersocial dogs, but this is fortunately rare for us), since it reduces perceived threat - so I wonder if it would seem inconsistent to forbid it only for dogs.

I would LOVE some external opinions! Do you dictate whether people can lie down with dogs in their run? If so, does it depend on the dog? Is it fair to restrict a rule to just dogs? Am I making an issue where there is none? TIA

#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment

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We don't have any policies limiting postures. Management trusts us to understand our animals, where we are with them, what is safe and not safe and to rely on our training and expertise of understanding dog behavior. It would be a major hit to my morale if they started dictating what postures I can hold with the dogs.

I think other things can be done than dictating posture restrictions. I'm a volunteer trainer, and I tell people to watch their face, especially with new dogs that don't know them. As they build up trust, they can put themselves in more vulnerable positions. In fact, a dog understands that when you put yourself in a vulnerable position that you are trusting them.

I also use different postures as socialization tools. Sometimes we get very submissive dogs in, and a great way to build their confidence is to get beneath them. And while laying down is more vulnerable, it's also de-escalatory as dogs lay down to show submission to other dogs. There are ways to defending yourself, too, if things did go wrong, such as grabbing their collar and standing up. People also tend not to just go lay down, they take their time to get into that position.

We also like to pair inexperienced volunteers with experienced volunteers. If an inexperienced volunteer is doing something that could put them at risk and the dog is showing negative signs that the inexperienced volunteer isn't seeing, that's when we expect our experienced volunteer to step in and use it as a learning opportunity for the inexperienced volunteer.

Finally, you haven't had problems. It's probably not worth changing unless there is a problem at some point. This is where you want to make sure you have good volunteer waivers that get checked over by an attorney so that your organization is protected if anything were to happen. Ultimately, training, safety tools such as collars, buddy systems, etc. will provide far more safety in my opinion.

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Drew Domalick
Volunteer
N/A
WI
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This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

We have large dogs, that have limited information as most are strays with no history. For safety purposes, the volunteers are not permitted in the kennels with dogs. They previously were allowed, however, we had a severe bite to a volunteer in the kennel. We did not know the dog was food aggressive (due to limited information and the way we feed them, it's hard to determine). There was a food item under the kennel bed, the volunteer entered, at some point was bit, and was unable to exit the kennel due to the dog being between the volunteer and the door. Fortunately the volunteer was able to use the bed to place between her and the dog prior to help arriving. All our volunteers are mandated to carry walkie-talkies now for safety reasons and are not permitted in the kennels.

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FREE BEHAVIOR EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY:  

While I don't have any SOP's to share pertaining to your question, I would like to share a resource you mind helpful.  

If not already a resource used for all staff / volunteers of your organization, may I recommend implementation of this course as part of onboarding with your organization?   

Provided by the education company Fear Free,  the Fear Free Shelters course (link provided below)  is complimentary and extremely educational when it comes to education about how to identify and accurately interpret behaviors exhibited by shelter animals. 

https://fearfreeshelters.com/

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Michelle Grimes | CPDT-KA, LVT, CVT, Elite FFCP-V, FFCP-T

Animal Control Officer #275
Keene Police Department
Bureau of Special Services
400 Marlboro Street
Keene, NH 03431
P: 603.357.9815
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