SHELTER WELFARE CONCEPT
Whole–of–life–care
Some might believe, that having a roof over your head with daily food and water would already meet all animal needs‘. But there is so much more to rescuing homeless animals and giving them a happy life. Preventive Whole–of–Life–Care.
The individual animal needs can be translated into physical and physiological needs. As we all know translated into the 5 Freedoms of Welfare.
1. Freedom from hunger and thirst
The need for a suitable diet
2. Freedom from discomfort
The need for a suitable environment, for example, shelter from direct sun and rain.
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease
a healthy diet, continuous care and veterinary care
4. Freedom from fear and distress
a personally tailored environment
5. Freedom to express normal behaviour
this includes being able to interact with other con–species and exercise together
To be able to ensure these 5 Freedoms of Welfare, the shelter needs to ensure they do not exceed their maximum capacity. Each shelter needs to assure they do not exceed the maximum number of animals they can keep.
This maximum number of animals is taking into account the maximum financial capacity plus the maximum care the caretakers can give physically and emotionally, besides the capacity of the housing. Going beyond the shelter‘s capacity is a gross violation of Animal Welfare.
As we all know, stress can lead to illness and even death. Creating a stress free and fear free environment is as important as shade against the sun and rain, water and food. In a shelter setting it is necessary to create a ‘safe–haven” for all, a ‘fear free” environment. Do not mix species. Cats and dogs might get along in your home setting because you taught them to respect each other. But a fear free environment for cats is very different of that for dogs. It all has to do with their species–specific behaviour. In a shelter separating the two species is strictly adamant. Understanding the natural behaviour of dogs and cats is key to creating a stress free shelter.
To ensure freedom of diseases and injury a tailored SOP for each shelter should be in place focusing on preventive care. Preventive care is a corner stone in keeping animals, the people interacting with the animals and shelter finances in a healthy state.
