SPCA of Texas Animal Handling 1

ANIMALHANDLING

INTRODUCTION TO

Hello! The SPCA of Texas welcomes you to our animal handling program! Thank you so much for coming out to help our animals find their forever homes!

We provide animal handling training for all employees and volunteers that will be handling SPCA of Texas animals. We’ll let you know about our rules, give you guidance on staying safe, and will let you know how we work together to keep our animals safe, happy and healthy.

YOUthe animals&

The goal of these trainings is to get you started handling animals as soon as possible and to help you start making a big difference in their lives so that they can go forward to be adopted.

Safety

• Safety is a big concern at the SPCA of Texas. We have developed a number of practices over the years that help our staff and volunteers stay safe, and to keep our animals safe as well. Be sure to pay close attention to the information provided on the following slides about safety and talk to your supervisor or other staff members if questions come up or you’d like extra instruction.

Health & Wellbeing

We also work toward enhancing the health and wellbeing of every animal in our care. Consistent, proven techniques are used to keep the animals feeling their best both in terms of health and behavior while they are here, and to help them find the best possible home.

Health & Wellbeing

All of these procedures make it possible to do the important work of caring for the animals while also having fun so we require that everyone working here does things the way they’re taught in this slides.

Rev. 7-11-16 ~ Kellie Snider

Behavior Evaluations(BVALs)

BVALs give the Behavior Team information about the shelter animals’ behavior so that they can intervene if there is a problem or capitalize on good behaviors.

But the Behavior Team can’t do this alone. They need to get a report from anyone who sees an animal performing a significant behavior so that they can create a behavior modification plan...

And then after a behavior plan is created they need for everyone to pitch in and make sure the plan is carried out. Everyone plays a part in making the animals successful!

BEHAVIOR EVALUATION (BVAL) v3.1

Animal Name: _______________________ Animal Number: ____________________ Date: _________________

Species: Dog Cat Other Breed: ________________ Color: _______________ Age: _________ Sex: M F

Property where behavior occurred: Rees Jones ACC - Perry ACC - Perry Clinic - Village Fair - Martin Clinic - Private home - Other: ______________________

Area where the animal is currently housed: ______________ Animal’s current Shape:

Describe what happened: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Staff/Volunteer: ___________________ Date: ________Time: ___ am/pm ACC Supervisor Approval:______________

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT OBSERVATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS: See Socialization Questions in Shelter Buddy.

Entered in Shelter Buddy by: _____________________________ Date: _________________Time: ____:____ am pm

The behavior evaluation starts with someone turning in a form that looks like this to the shelter supervisor. These forms can be found at the Adoptions Desk or you can get one from your supervisor.

Describe what happened: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sometimes you may know that other BVALs have been written about the same behavior. Don’t let this stop you from writing your own. We want to hear about your specific experience. And, finding out that the same thing is happening again and again with different people is a piece of information we need to know.

Any kind of behavior that concerns you qualifies as a good reason to write a BVAL. Behavior problems are especially important to report because if the Behavior Team doesn’t know about them they can’t help. The same applies if they find out about them too late. The sooner they know there’s a problem the more they can do.

Some people hesitate to write a BVAL because they think it will create a bad outcome for the dog. In fact, the less you report about problem behaviors, the more likely it is that the outcome won’t be the best.

Good behavior should be reported as well, especially in animals that have been undergoing behavior modification. This can let the Behavior Team know that the B-Mod is helping!

413982Max

Fill the BVAL form out as soon as possible after you see the behavior so that you don’t forget important details of what happened.

It’s very important to fill out the top of the BVAL form as fully as you can so that we know exactly which animal you’re talking about.

It is especially important to get the Animal Number right, so be sure and double check it.

Most of the information you need can be found on the Pet Profile Card hanging on the animal’s kennel. The card will be in a plastic sleeve hanging on the kennel, or it will be inside a slot on the door.

Max 413982 12-15-16Lab Black 7

Holding

Max slipped out of his kennel in holding during cleaning. Each time we approached him he darted away fearfully in a different direction so it took quite a while to return him to his kennel, and it took 3 people.

* Fill out the information from the Kennel Card onto the BVAL form. The Animal’s name, its number, today’s date, whether it’s a dog, cat or another type of animal such as a guinea pig, rabbit, or something else. Fill out the breed (DMH stands for Domestic Medium Hair and refers to a mixed breed cat that has medium-length hair). Write in the animal’s color, age, circle its sex, and then indicate where you saw the behavior. The Rees Jones ACC is the Animal Care Center located in Dallas, and the Martin Clinic is the veterinary wellness clinic in the same building. The Perry ACC and Clinic are located in McKinney. Village Fair is the Spencer Clinic located in south Dallas. Sometimes a BVAL will be written about an animal that was in foster care or was adopted then returned. For those you’ll select the Private Home option.

* If you aren’t sure what we call the location of the animal you’re writing the BVAL about, ask a staff member or supervisor. Circle the animal’s shape.

* Then write a behavioral description of what happened. Just write what you saw, and the situation surrounding it as clearly as possible. Your observation does not have to be long, but provide as much detail as possible. If we need more information we may come and find you to talk about it.

After filling out the information at the top of the page, write a short description of what happened. Just write what you saw, and the situation surrounding it as clearly as possible. Your observation does not have to be long, but provide as much detail as possible. If we need more information we may come and find you to talk about it.

Ellie M.

12-15 10:15

It’s best for you to fill out the BVAL yourself. If you must have someone else write a BVAL for a behavior you saw, you must sign it to ensure that it describes the event accurately.

In our shelter software, Shelter Buddy, the Behavior Specialist will add his or her observations and recommendations.

Some staff members will have access to the completed information in Shelter Buddy. Ask your supervisor how to access them.

In our shelter software, Shelter Buddy, the Behavior Specialist will add his or her observations and recommendations. These can be viewed online.

The animals on these lists are in the greatest need of your attention.

BVAL Quick Reference Guide

We also provide a shortened version of our BVALs called the BVAL Quick Reference Guide. The animals on this list are in the greatest need of attention. Be sure to check their specific needs each time you handle shelter animals.

This can be carried with you as you work in the shelter so that you don’t have to walk back and forth as much to reference the BVAL book.

Volunteers will pick up a copy in the Volunteer office.

Staff can print BVAL Quick Reference Guides from the L: Drive. Ask your supervisor how to find it.

*BVALs SAVE

LIVES!Please use your first hand observations to get help to the animals as quickly as possible!

Stop, Observe, Decide, Act

Animal Handling Series

Stop, Observe, Decide, Act

We love our shelter animals but keep in mind that we don’t know everything about them, and they may not entirely trust us yet. Stay alert and professional while interacting with shelter animals to keep them—and you—safe.

The acronym S-O-D-A is used to help us remember how to appropriately and safely approach and begin an interaction with a shelter animal.

StopObserveDecideAct

StopStop means to simply stop everything else that you are doing or thinking about that is not related to the animal. Animals live in the moment and we need to be there with them.

ObserveWhile you’re observing the animal it’s important to really carefully see what’s going on with this animal at this time. Observe the animal for 10 seconds or more. Check out what he’s doing. Does he move forward to greet you with a loose body or is he huddling in the back of the kennel? Is he staring at you with a frozen posture or is he loose and wiggly?

ObserveIf you see anything unusual or worrisome look around. Is anything going on in the environment that might be upsetting? Is anything making noise? Does the animal look sick? Is another animal or person worrying the animal? Is there anything you can see that might explain the animal’s behavior?

DecideAfter you’ve made your careful observations, you will need to decide how you’re going to proceed. Are you going to go ahead and handle this animal right now because he looks friendly and interested? Or are you going to turn in a behavior evaluation form because you’ve got some concerns? Maybe you will turn in a vet check because the animal appears sick.

Make your decision carefully every time you interact with every animal.

And then act on your decision. First, Do not ever handle any animal you do not feel comfortable handling. If you do not feel like you should handle an animal, tell your supervisor and write a BVAL.

But let’s say you’ve carefully observed the animal, and you’ve decided you’re going to interact with the animal, so everything’s definitely going to be rosy from here on, right? Well, usually! But once in a while something can change. Maybe this dog is startled by another dog on leash, or maybe this cat becomes alarmed because he’s not used to his new location just yet.

Always be prepared for things to change and be ready to adjust your actions to keep yourself and the animal you’re dealing with safe and secure!

When you’re working with animals there can always be surprises! So stay flexible and keep your attention with the animal you’re handling and your environment.

*Protect Us, Protect ThemPreventing InjuriesWhile Handling Shelter Animals

In this section of the SPCA of Texas Animal Handling Series we will cover basic safety issues that affect shelter volunteers, employees and animals.

Working with shelter animals is rewarding, but any time you are around animals there are risks of injuries and illnesses. At the SPCA of Texas we have found ways to reduce these incidents and keep our personnel and our animals safer.

Accidental scratches from dogs, puppies, cats and kittens are among the most frequent injuries we see. Some of these seem minor, but in fact, any scratch or bite can be serious.

Bites from dogs sometimes cause a lot more physical damage, but bites from cats are more likely to become infected.

It’s absolutely essential that we take precautions and handle the animals in ways that reduce the chances of injuries, no matter how minor they may seem.

If an animal scratches and draws blood, even if it’s just a tiny bit, Texas state law requires that we place them in rabies quarantine, even if it was accidental and there was no aggression, no matter how old they are, and even if they have already received a rabies vaccination.

This is the law.

Quarantine consists of a 10 day period of confinement and isolation during which the animals receive food and essential medical care, but otherwise they cannot be handled or touched. This can be very hard on them.

For their well-being we do everything we can to prevent them from being quarantined. The best way to do that is through the use of consistent, professional handling techniques.

SHELTER INFORMATION

We use routing tags on our animals’ kennels to give shelter staff and volunteers more information about who needs to be handled and who requires treatment or caution. Always check the tags on every animals’ kennel every time you handle animals, because they may have changed.

If you see a red Use Caution tag, don’t handle that animal without specific instructions from your supervisor.

Other signs and information may be hanging from the kennels as well, so check before you handle the animal.

OUR BODY LANGUAGE

It’s really important to be careful how we use our body language around cats and dogs. They don’t understand many of the words we say, but they are constantly reading what we say with our bodies.

But humans often use different body language than dogs. We may lean over them or stare into their eyes because we love them, want to be close to them, or even to initiate play.

But as the face of the little dog on the previous slide indicates, that can be a little worrisome and might make him feel defensive. If we’re not careful with how we interact with animals, we might accidentally push them to the point that they will bite or scratch.

So keep your side to the animals as much as possible, don’t lean over or straddle them, and it’s always a good idea to give them treats or petting (whichever they like best) for good behavior!

We want our shelter animals to associate people with the good things in life!

TOWELS!

Believe it or not, bath towels are among the best tools we have in the shelter to reduce injuries. We LOVE bath towels and welcome donations of used ones! Bath towels can be used as bedding, for cleaning, and for protecting skin from accidental scratches!

In addition, they can be used to comfort animals making them less likely to scratch or bite.

Towels should always be kept in all the cat areas, so if you see that there are none stocked, go to the laundry room to get some. Bring more than you need and stock the work area.

The most common place for a shelter worker to be injured by a scratch from a cat or dog is the left forearm or hand. This is because if they are right handed they are usually doing some task with the right hand and the left hand is available for the animal to scratch.

To prevent this common injury, make a bib with the towel. Wrap the towel so that it drapes over the animal’s chest. Secure it with your hand behind her neck to maintain control of her movements and to cover her front feet. If her feet come up to scratch they will grab hold of the towel rather than your hand. In this technique the cat is allowed to keep her feet on a towel that is across the table or work surface so that she feels more secure.

Offer a towel to people that come to adopt animals if they are wearing short sleeves or shorts. You can see in the photo of the girl holding the puppy how easy it would be for an accidental scratch to happen. Just explain to the family that we just want to prevent any scratches both to protect the animal and the person. Most people are very understanding and cooperative.

We have protective gloves in all the cat areas in the shelter. The type we use most of the time leave your thumb and fingers free to handle the animals but protect your forearm while handling animals that might scratch or bite. The gloves are flexible so you’re not restricted when you work. Use these gloves any time you’re doing anything invasive like shots, microchips or temperature taking for cats or dogs.

One very useful technique for reducing scratches is trimming those nails! If you are not skilled at doing this, write a vet check and a veterinary technician will see to it that they are trimmed. If it will be part of your job to trim nails be sure to talk to your supervisor about being trained on this. There is a bit of technique involved to avoid cutting the quick.

It’s not our most popular rule, but it’s really important NOT to allow shelter animals near your face.

As much as we humans like to hug and kiss the ones we love, as you can see from this cat’s face and position, they don’t always feel the same way! When the animal is a shelter animal that is handled by lots of different people and that may not be completely happy to be in the shelter, the risk of injuries to your face are high.

Demonstrate affection for the animals and perform the animal care tasks effectively while keeping your face at a safe distance from theirs. Animal handling in our shelters requires professional behavior!

Stand up, and angle your face away from the animal so that it doesn’t feel threatened.

Continue to part 2.http://www.slideshare.net/secret/ej2NsdaCmPupgK

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