Animal Welfare Professionals

In light of the volunteer who was recently attacked and killed by an adoptable shelter dog, I am wondering what lengths other shelters go to for safety? We all like to think this could never happen to us, but freak things happen. I am reviewing our safety protocols and how to advise staff and volunteers to keep themselves safe should the unthinkable happen, and am wondering if any of you have input or ideas on what kind of precautions we can implement.

All dogs are staff only until vetted and assessed. Then our dogs are on a tier system (color coded) so different volunteers know which dogs can be accessed by staff only, staff & guardians only, & all volunteers (which one color is “this dog is strong so be sure you can handle them on walks” and one is “this dog is easily handled by anyone”). Shelter dogs are re-evauled weekly through playgroups, volunteer feedback, etc. If there is any questionable behaviors, the dog gets knocked up a tier so we can figure out what occurred.

We move all leashes/harnesses away from the kennels so dogs are less excitable thinking they are always going for walks. We have a system in which only one dog can be in transit at any time. Everyone else must wait until the all clear for another to be on the move.

our shelter is currently very small so no one is ever really alone or outside an ear shot distance if help is needed. We will be moving to a much larger facility and increasing our capacity A LOT in the next several months so I expect we will be re-examining these too.

i will also note that before a lot of our dogs come in, we “know” of most of them. We do at least weekly evals from the local animal control from where we pull & most owner surrenders we already know too bc we focus a lot on community outreach (including diversion). That can help a lot as we might already know some potential quirks coming in.

Where i previously worked, we did a basic assessment at intake which allowed us to assign collar color. Sometimes that collar color would change over time, but it allowed us to start providing enrichment right away.

I recommend having volunteers/staff carry whistles if they are going out alone, to be able to call for help. And recommend regular trainings re: defensive handling and what to do if a dog-dog fight occurs.

Sheila

- On top of whistles for staff and volunteers, having staff carry walkie-talkies that they can easily call on staff to help can cut down on the time it takes for back up to arrive.

- One thing that might help is to think about ways to implement a more structured volunteer time. For example, volunteers might show up for their volunteer shift and are greeted by staff who can have a conversation about that volunteer's skills, experience, and preferences - maybe they aren't comfortable walking very large dogs or maybe they would like a high energy challenge that day or have walked a dog previously that they really enjoyed. The staff then come up with a plan of which dogs will be worked with by which volunteers (if volunteers are regular and recurring, this plan will likely become a breeze) and it is up to the staff to go in and leash/harness dogs and take them out to the volunteer and relay information on that particular dog and where to take them. Then once the volunteer comes back they pass the dog back to the staff who put them away before taking out the next dog. Having less people coming in and out of kennels for walks can cut down on incidents and I think an added benefit to this approach is that it means much more ongoing communication and interaction between staff and volunteers - and a chance to show volunteers appreciation! There may be some pushback from volunteers who feel that they are being micromanaged or that tasks they were previously trusted with are now being limited, but I think by putting a focus on the volunteer's experience, interests, and preferences can help to make a structured plan a more rewarding experience than volunteers just dropping in where they might not have much interaction or communication with staff or other volunteers. Having a staff member stationed in the kennel getting dogs in and out for volunteers and monitoring the dogs/assisting the public can also be useful for keeping the kennel areas more safe. 

- Emphasize to staff to check equipment and throw out/replace any leashes or harnesses or tools that are faulty or chewed through or no longer safe to use... and make sure staff and volunteers know how to use the equipment correctly and confidently.