Animal Welfare Professionals

The Association of Shelter Veterinarians Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters, 2nd edition, states the following about behavioral euthanasia: "Euthanasia is the appropriate outcome for animals at high risk of causing serious harm to people." Euthanasia is a super difficult part of our work, whether you work at an organization that rarely to never euthanizes animals or are at an organization that euthanizes animals frequently.

When your organization makes a decision to euthanize a dog who poses a significant risk of serious harm to your community, how do you communicate the decision to staff, volunteers, and others? 

Join us on Wednesday, March 20 at 10 am PT/ 1 pm ET when we'll hear from @Leah Craig Chumbley, Executive Director at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, who will discuss shifting organizational culture around behavioral euthanasia and communicating an organization's stance and decisions to stakeholder groups, including staff, volunteers, partner shelters, fosters, donors, community supporters and adopters.

We'll also watch short video presentations from @Kristen Brown of Lynchburg Humane Society and @Stephanie Bilbro of Austin Pets Alive!.

Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition happens on March 20 and April 3 from 9a – 1p/PT, 12p – 4p ET.  Learn more here.

Please use this thread to discuss and ask questions about this topic now and after the Camp Maddie event.

#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment

------------------------------
Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB
Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist
Director of Community Solutions
Maddie's Fund
Pleasanton CA
9258608284
------------------------------

Will this be available on this site after the 20th?  Like in a recorded version?   Hoping so.  Thank you

------------------------------
Laura Coan
Volunteer
Novastar Rescue
AR
------------------------------

Hi Laura,

Yes, all of the sessions will be recorded. All registrants will get an email with the link within 2 weeks after the event.  We'll post the link here, too,  Register even if you cannot attend the live events:  https://maddies.fund/CampMaddieBehaviorRegistration

Hope to see you there!

Alison

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Alison Gibson
Media Projects Manager
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2024 05:35 AM
From: Laura Coan
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Will this be available on this site after the 20th?  Like in a recorded version?   Hoping so.  Thank you

------------------------------
Laura Coan
Volunteer
Novastar Rescue
AR
------------------------------

This has always been such an important topic for rescue workers, in the UK we are 100% seeing a change in the landscape which is effecting the thinking around these decisions. thank you for including this in the speaker 

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Tom Candy
behaviour and welfare trustee
Hope Rescue
VI
------------------------------

We have walked the road of moving from pure chaos when it comes to euthanasia decisions (especially behavioral euthanasia decisions) to a place of set expectations with stakeholder groups, outlined policies and procedures, and lines of transparent communication. It has made a world of a difference for our organization, the people who interact with us on all levels (staff, vols, donors, fosters, community supporters, other shelters, etc), and the animals we serve. I hope that my sharing our story we can help others! Looking forward to talking with you all this week.

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Yes, this is a tough one - it came up the other week in our local animal welfare coalition. Fortunately we are not a shelter and don't have to make those decisions directly, but we occasionally have pet owners who may need to consider this option. I am looking forward to learning more so we can better advise!

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Gabe Horton
Executive Director
Pawster Nashville
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-18-2024 09:28 AM
From: Leah Craig Chumbley
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

We have walked the road of moving from pure chaos when it comes to euthanasia decisions (especially behavioral euthanasia decisions) to a place of set expectations with stakeholder groups, outlined policies and procedures, and lines of transparent communication. It has made a world of a difference for our organization, the people who interact with us on all levels (staff, vols, donors, fosters, community supporters, other shelters, etc), and the animals we serve. I hope that my sharing our story we can help others! Looking forward to talking with you all this week.

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"What is Brother Wolf's view on what it considers 'unadoptable' dogs that do have a Quality of Life at shelter with safe daily interaction with staff/volunteers."

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Hello and thank you for your question! We do not consider life in a shelter/kennel to be a good quality of life for any animal. If we can't safely place an animal into a home environment, we believe that the most humane option for that animal is euthanasia. 

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:11 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"What is Brother Wolf's view on what it considers 'unadoptable' dogs that do have a Quality of Life at shelter with safe daily interaction with staff/volunteers."

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"How would you work to change a shelter-wide culture that behavior euthanasia and those making these daily decisions are bad or 'killing animals'?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

I love this question, yes! We have gone through this journey at Brother Wolf and I would LOVE to talk about how we walked that road. Join us for the follow up workshop about Conveying Euthanasia Policies and Decisions to your Staff Members on April 9th with Maddie's Fund. We can dive into it together!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:11 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"How would you work to change a shelter-wide culture that behavior euthanasia and those making these daily decisions are bad or 'killing animals'?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"How do you assure the home the animal is going into is safe?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Hello! We follow an open adoptions policy. Luckily, research shows that there is no difference in outcome for animals when a shelter uses an open adoptions model vs when a shelter does vet checks/landlord check. The big difference with open adopters is that the pet gets out of the shelter and into a home faster, so that we can turn around and save another life. Open adoptions also creates great beneficial relationships with our adopters. We're big supporters of open adoption policies and have had great success after putting these policies in place about 4 years ago. You can learn more about open adoptions through Maddie's Fund, Best Friends, ASPCA Pro, HSUS, etc.

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:12 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"How do you assure the home the animal is going into is safe?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"When first implementing this, what happened with the warehouse dogs? We cannot get ours to move even with implementing changes."

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

The dogs that had lived at our shelter for many many months and even years (we had a dog who lived in our shelter for 5 years; so sad) were not moving into adoptive homes due to their extensive history of aggressive behaviors. Once we made the decision not to adopt out dogs who we consider to be unsafe placements in our community and put our Adoptability Criteria in place, we said a sad goodbye to the animals in our care who did not meet that Adoptability Criteria because there was no pathway forward for getting those animals into homes safely.

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:13 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"When first implementing this, what happened with the warehouse dogs? We cannot get ours to move even with implementing changes."

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"When it comes to liability, responsibility, etc do you encourage more in depth owner surrender forms to try and capture important info, or do you find its often hard to translate or an immovable label on that pet based on its past home?"

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Thank you for your question! Yes, we do everything we can to get all of the details from a previous owner - the more we know about the animal's history the better. We do not have an issue with moving past "labels." We take into account all data we have, including our team's own experience with the animal while they are in our care. I hope that helps!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:14 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"When it comes to liability, responsibility, etc do you encourage more in depth owner surrender forms to try and capture important info, or do you find its often hard to translate or an immovable label on that pet based on its past home?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"Do you reference the 5 freedoms when your team makes decisions on adaptability?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Thank you for your question. We use our Adoptability Criteria as our guidelines. I do think the 5 Freedoms can be a great place to start from!

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Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:15 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Do you reference the 5 freedoms when your team makes decisions on adaptability?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"Do you consider the 'no kill' label as limiting? this is what's going on at Miami Dade AS where I volunteer, they fight for that 90+% of positive outcome but it's so limiting, and it's really flawed."

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

The No Kill languae is extremely challenging because it's so misleading for the public. You can read more about Brother Wolf's position on the term No Kill right on our website: https://www.bwar.org/no-kill/. We also address it a bit on our animal outcomes page too here: https://www.bwar.org/about-us/annual-outcomes/

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:16 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Do you consider the 'no kill' label as limiting? this is what's going on at Miami Dade AS where I volunteer, they fight for that 90+% of positive outcome but it's so limiting, and it's really flawed."

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

The "No Kill" label is unrealistic for a municipality with a #1 public safety mission.  We have the complex task of euthanizing animals that will not be adopted at a shelter due to many reasons and allowing animals that are adoptable back into the public.  We can never shut down our intake due to overcrowding, or be selective in what we intake like most shelters.  We have to do our job so that Shelters, Rescues, and Humane Societies can do theirs, but they get all the accolades, grant opportunities, etc., because they CAN hit the 90%.  This is where my frustration begins with the current No Kill label.

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STEVE MARRERO
DIRECTOR
LIBERTY COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES
HINESVILLE, GA
steve.marrero@libertycountyga.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:16 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Do you consider the 'no kill' label as limiting? this is what's going on at Miami Dade AS where I volunteer, they fight for that 90+% of positive outcome but it's so limiting, and it's really flawed."

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"Did you find some strategies were particularly useful in navigating disrespectful comments around this topic when sharing education on the why? (Such as attacks on character, etc.)"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Deescalation techniques for sure. Would highly suggest putting your team through a deescalation training if you think you're going to have to navigate conversations like that.

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:16 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Did you find some strategies were particularly useful in navigating disrespectful comments around this topic when sharing education on the why? (Such as attacks on character, etc.)"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"How do you effectively utilize these policies and strategies in a shelter with two part time staff and 9 kennels?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

I think that no matter the size of your team, implementing transparent communication pathways, setting expectations with stakeholder groups (our vol/foster orientations are recorded videos they watch), and putting procedures in place (adoptability criteria etc) can be accomplished and can be extremely helpful. With small teams, bringing in consultants to put these things in place might help take that work off of your staff - while of course including them in the process.

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:17 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"How do you effectively utilize these policies and strategies in a shelter with two part time staff and 9 kennels?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"Are you still considering the particular situation the dog was in that might have caused a bite in the home - such as body language and if the action of the dog was predictable or not - when determining if the surrendered dog could be taken in by Brother Wolf?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Thank you for your question! We always work to get as much information as possible, yes. However, let's say the dog in question on an owner surrender form has recently killed a dog in that home who he has lived with peacefully previously. Something like that, a very high level of aggression in the dog's history, would be a clear sign to us that we could not serve that dog because the dog would then not meet our Adoptability Criteria. Many dogs face hard situations that are stressful and challenge their bite inhibition; many dogs still choose not to bite. So while we certainly talk through all of the circumstances, there are some aggressive behaviors that are too egregious to move forward with placement in a home. I hope this helps.

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:18 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Are you still considering the particular situation the dog was in that might have caused a bite in the home - such as body language and if the action of the dog was predictable or not - when determining if the surrendered dog could be taken in by Brother Wolf?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"Do you or have you considered reaching out to rescues to see if they have potential for working with the animal before euthanasia? Volunteering with three different rescues, they can get a good amount of support from volunteers who provide behavioral support and training/fostering for a dog we might feel there is still hope to counter condition and find a family for them."

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Thank you for your question! We are blessed at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue to have the resources to give dogs (and cats) what they need as far as veterinary care and behavior support. We have a robust staff, hundreds of volunteers, and hundreds of foster homes which gives us the flexibility to try many avenues with animals. While we have a dog trainer on staff, we also engage outside trainers both before and after adoption. So we're able to provide all of the support that we can dream up for the animals in our care and pathway plan accordingly.  We believe that there are some behaviors that are too dangerous to place into any community, so we do not transfer out animals who display those behaviors.

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:19 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Do you or have you considered reaching out to rescues to see if they have potential for working with the animal before euthanasia? Volunteering with three different rescues, they can get a good amount of support from volunteers who provide behavioral support and training/fostering for a dog we might feel there is still hope to counter condition and find a family for them."

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"Was there any concern with full transparency that an owner /foster might not tell you the truth about an incident?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Hello and thank you for your question! We work to build mutually trusting relationships with our stakeholders by modeling behaviors like transparency. Educating them about the organization's stance against placing animals with severe histories of aggression into adoptive homes in the very beginning of their time with us helps people opt in or out based on whether or not they are in alignment with the organization's policies. Therefore, the majority of our stakeholders are aligned with our policies or are at least clear from the start about what the organization's policies are. Of course none of us can control someone else's behavior, and sometimes the reality of being in a situation verses reading it on paper does cause people to behave differently than even they may have expected. We find that for the most part, we do get this information from volunteers/fosters/staff. We struggle sometimes to get it from adopters if they have been very shaken up by the situation, which is completely understandable. We collect and document all information we can and follow up with all sources to make sure we've notated all the details of the situation that we can. I hope this helps!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:19 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Was there any concern with full transparency that an owner /foster might not tell you the truth about an incident?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"We are dog trainers. We have offered rescue organizations free training, Positive reinforcement, R+ no positive punishment training. They do not think it is important. How would you address that situation?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

That sounds like a frustrating situation where you're trying to help and you're not able to find a way to engage. Are there dog trainers/behavior team members at the organization who may be looking for volunteer help? Perhaps if you started as a volunteer to learn from the organization and from the people who are already doing the work (if they are at this org) then you could see if there was alignment in your approaches and as the relationship develops, you might have the chance to offer more support. Thank you for your desire to help shelter animals!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:20 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"We are dog trainers. We have offered rescue organizations free training, Positive reinforcement, R+ no positive punishment training. They do not think it is important. How would you address that situation?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"How do you approach the culture of handing off a dog that is extremely critically ill, with a poor prognosis, and/or a has concerning behavioral safety issues, if a rescue says that they'll take the dog? Is a dog handed off to a rescue no matter the dog's status/health/discomfort?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

I imagine if we had that situation at Brother Wolf, the pathway planning for that animal would not include transferring that dog out because it sounds like we would have enough information at that time to know that the dog's health prognosis is very guarded, which could make the dog have a very poor quality of life (like you said, dog's health and discomfort could be poor). We always want to do the best next step for the animal, of course. And if that animal is suffering due to illness, has that very guarded health prognosis - with no fix know -, and has behavior concerns (which may be exasperated by the health decline),  we would likely go through a QOL analysis. Culturally, we would share with our team the realities of the dog's situation, their daily life experience due to the illness and behavior, and our concern over the dog's QOL today and in the future with the very guarded prognosis. With all of the upfront work that we do with our team, they would understand this stance because they understand that the organization never wants an animal to have a poor QOL and we hire people who are aligned with that view. Come to the follow up workshop on April 9th with Maddies Fund where we'll dig into working with staff on these topics. Hope to see you there!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:21 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"How do you approach the culture of handing off a dog that is extremely critically ill, with a poor prognosis, and/or a has concerning behavioral safety issues, if a rescue says that they'll take the dog? Is a dog handed off to a rescue no matter the dog's status/health/discomfort?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Hi,

leah mentions the adoptability criteria being available in resources but I don't seem to be able to see it unfortunately 

can someone point me in the right direction 

------------------------------
Tom Candy
behaviour and welfare trustee
Hope Rescue
VI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-21-2024 08:14 AM
From: Leah Craig Chumbley
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

I imagine if we had that situation at Brother Wolf, the pathway planning for that animal would not include transferring that dog out because it sounds like we would have enough information at that time to know that the dog's health prognosis is very guarded, which could make the dog have a very poor quality of life (like you said, dog's health and discomfort could be poor). We always want to do the best next step for the animal, of course. And if that animal is suffering due to illness, has that very guarded health prognosis - with no fix know -, and has behavior concerns (which may be exasperated by the health decline),  we would likely go through a QOL analysis. Culturally, we would share with our team the realities of the dog's situation, their daily life experience due to the illness and behavior, and our concern over the dog's QOL today and in the future with the very guarded prognosis. With all of the upfront work that we do with our team, they would understand this stance because they understand that the organization never wants an animal to have a poor QOL and we hire people who are aligned with that view. Come to the follow up workshop on April 9th with Maddies Fund where we'll dig into working with staff on these topics. Hope to see you there!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:21 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"How do you approach the culture of handing off a dog that is extremely critically ill, with a poor prognosis, and/or a has concerning behavioral safety issues, if a rescue says that they'll take the dog? Is a dog handed off to a rescue no matter the dog's status/health/discomfort?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund

You should be able to find them here: https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/camp-maddie-behavior-edition-day-1-3202024-certificates-for-live-attendance#tab-product_tab_handouts. It's under "Handouts" on that page and is the 6th resource listed. It's titled "Discussions about Animal Behavior and Pathway Planning that can help inform an organization's Adoptability Criteria Guidelines"

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-24-2024 01:22 AM
From: Tom Candy
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Hi,

leah mentions the adoptability criteria being available in resources but I don't seem to be able to see it unfortunately 

can someone point me in the right direction 

------------------------------
Tom Candy
behaviour and welfare trustee
Hope Rescue
VI
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 03-21-2024 08:14 AM
From: Leah Craig Chumbley
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

I imagine if we had that situation at Brother Wolf, the pathway planning for that animal would not include transferring that dog out because it sounds like we would have enough information at that time to know that the dog's health prognosis is very guarded, which could make the dog have a very poor quality of life (like you said, dog's health and discomfort could be poor). We always want to do the best next step for the animal, of course. And if that animal is suffering due to illness, has that very guarded health prognosis - with no fix know -, and has behavior concerns (which may be exasperated by the health decline),  we would likely go through a QOL analysis. Culturally, we would share with our team the realities of the dog's situation, their daily life experience due to the illness and behavior, and our concern over the dog's QOL today and in the future with the very guarded prognosis. With all of the upfront work that we do with our team, they would understand this stance because they understand that the organization never wants an animal to have a poor QOL and we hire people who are aligned with that view. Come to the follow up workshop on April 9th with Maddies Fund where we'll dig into working with staff on these topics. Hope to see you there!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC


Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:21 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"How do you approach the culture of handing off a dog that is extremely critically ill, with a poor prognosis, and/or a has concerning behavioral safety issues, if a rescue says that they'll take the dog? Is a dog handed off to a rescue no matter the dog's status/health/discomfort?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund

Question from the chat:

"We want to be transparent with our volunteers, unfortunately being transparent with them led to a facebook wildfire. Any suggestions on how to get volunteers on the same page as staff?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Yes, great question as this happens at many orgs! Please come to our follow up workshop with Maddie Fund in April about this - we will talk about our vol/foster orientation, which has been a game changer for us. Transparency through information sharing at orientation (at the start of their time with the org) gives the incoming vol/foster the information they need to know if they align with the organization's policies and values, or not. This helps folks who aren't in alignment to self check out at the beginning. And it helps those who are aligned understand the details about how the organization makes decisions. We also implemented a code of conduct with our volunteers/fosters, which helps to set expectations about behavior right from the start. And we make sure they know who to go to for information and what communication lines they can expect from us. This all helps greatly. We'd love to tell you even more in the April workshop; hope to see you then!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:22 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"We want to be transparent with our volunteers, unfortunately being transparent with them led to a facebook wildfire. Any suggestions on how to get volunteers on the same page as staff?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Question from the chat:

"For @Leah Craig Chumbley - Who signs off on each euthanasia decision? Is that a multi-person process, even with the adoptability criteria in place?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
------------------------------

Hi, yes, it is a multi-person process as we have about 8 team members in our Animal Care & Support weekly meetings who talk through these decisions. It typically is unanimous among the group since we all stand behind our Adoptability Criteria. Sometimes there is someone who feels "too close" to the situation to make a decision one way or another and in those cases they state that they support the team's decision and will support what the team decides but that they are too close to have an opinion. We do not mandate that it be a unanimous decision, again though it typically is since our team is aligned on the Adoptability Criteria. Hope that helps!

------------------------------
Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:23 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"For @Leah Craig Chumbley - Who signs off on each euthanasia decision? Is that a multi-person process, even with the adoptability criteria in place?"

------------------------------
Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
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Question from the chat:

"How would you go about addressing euthanasia with staff/volunteers who are attached to a canine who is not thriving in the shelter environment, when euthanasia has been denied by others but staff are seeing the animal deteriorate, not eat, self harm etc, but these behaviors are not seen by other staff"

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
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Thank you for your question! If an animal was deteriorating in the kennels, not eating, self harming, etc. and that animal could not be safely placed into a home, we would humanely euthanize due to the animal's quality of life. We would let the staff/vols know the reason behind the decision and if you've done the pre-work with setting expectations with those groups, they typically understand (though they may not always like) the decision. An animal's QOL is top priority.

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Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:24 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"How would you go about addressing euthanasia with staff/volunteers who are attached to a canine who is not thriving in the shelter environment, when euthanasia has been denied by others but staff are seeing the animal deteriorate, not eat, self harm etc, but these behaviors are not seen by other staff"

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
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Question from the chat:

"What about behavior euthanasia that is not linked to aggression?"

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
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Thank you for your question! Please check out the worksheet about creating an Adoptability Criteria - it's a resource from my talk so you can find it within the resources for that day's event. I think this will be helpful to you, as it talks about all kinds of behaviors that we all may encounter in animal populations we help - not just aggression. Talking through with your team what you might do in cases where an animal is displaying one of those behaviors  is a great start to coming up with guidelines you'll follow for pathway planing for animals in your care. I hope this helps! 

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Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:25 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"What about behavior euthanasia that is not linked to aggression?"

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
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Question from the chat:

"Have you had a dog transferred from another shelter, and does well in your shelter, but has repeated unsafe behavioral tendencies in a home (resource guarding people, couches, unrealized triggers, etc.)? What did/would you do in this situation?"

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
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Thank you for your question! If an animal was displaying behaviors that made us come to the conclusion that they would not be a safe placement into a home, then we would move forward with humane euthanasia. At Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, we do not believe that life in any shelter long term is a good life for a dog as we do not believe that the animal can maintain a good quality of life if living at a shelter permanently. We talk with our source shelters ahead of time, sharing our Adoptability Criteria, so that they understand which behaviors we believe to be unsafe to place into a home environment. If they want us to contact them if/when the situation occurs that an animal we transferred in from them becomes a euthanasia decision, then we're happy to do that so that they can understand the specific reasons behind the decision. I hope this helps!

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Leah Craig Chumbley
Executive Director
Brother Wolf Animal Rescue
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:25 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Have you had a dog transferred from another shelter, and does well in your shelter, but has repeated unsafe behavioral tendencies in a home (resource guarding people, couches, unrealized triggers, etc.)? What did/would you do in this situation?"

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
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Read all of the string of discussions and am glad to see this subject discussed.All euthanasia decisions are not taken lightly here. We are a small enough organization that all staff are familiar with all of the animals (whether they primarily work with the dogs or the cats). When a case arises we seek/give both information on the animals situation.We take into account their emotional sensitivity as well. They have an input in the process(not the decision though).

Written euthanasia policies/ processes are integral for transparency,communication, data ,consistency, etc. Our surrender form also informs clients of our euthanasia policy. We have not really had any major negative fall out .What minor stuff has occurred has been handled with a professional behavior, educated discussion , and with a one on one discussion  with the party who is upset and/or generally misinformed. We have to balance preserving  animal lives with preserving public safety. I feel our process has several layers of due diligence built in that is protective of both the animal (means of last resort) and the organization. Glad to share the info. upon request.

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Rochelle Hamp
Executive Director
Headwaters Animal Shelter
MN
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 11:25 AM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: The Hard Stuff: Behavioral Euthanasia Discussion (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)

Question from the chat:

"Have you had a dog transferred from another shelter, and does well in your shelter, but has repeated unsafe behavioral tendencies in a home (resource guarding people, couches, unrealized triggers, etc.)? What did/would you do in this situation?"

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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
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Hi, the riskassessment/capacity to care form shown in the second presentation, is this available at all?

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Tom Candy
behaviour and welfare trustee
Hope Rescue
VI
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Does anyone have organisational risk built into there euthanasia policy's or procedures. its becoming more of a topic of conversation for us as falls separate to behavioural euthanasia but we don't have a risk matrix for org risk yet

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Tom Candy
behaviour and welfare trustee
Hope Rescue
VI
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Its hard to discuss with volunteers because obviously they love the life of animals. But they also understand its necessary and we address it with compassion, due to each individual processes such a choice differently. We only do it if its a must, if the animal has cancer/terminally ill ; Injuries where they are so bad they wouldn't live a "normal" animal life and then of course the dangerous/aggressive animals. 

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Jessica Stratton
Animal Control officer
Yazoo City Animal Contril
MS
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