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Welfare Assessment

Welfare Assessment. Quality of Life- The Five Freedoms. Need for suitable diet Need for suitable environment Need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns Need to be housed, with or apart from, other animals Need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

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Welfare Assessment

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  1. Welfare Assessment

  2. Quality of Life- The Five Freedoms • Need for suitable diet • Need for suitable environment • Need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns • Need to be housed, with or apart from, other animals • Need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease

  3. The take home message here is that the tip of the pyramid can only occur when the lower levels are present Problem solving (learning) Confidence and ability to cope with uncertainty (tolerance to stress) Affiliative behaviour and social inclusion (belonging) Security of self, resources and significant others (free from fear) Metabolic stability and optimism (hunger, thirst, maintaining body temperature)

  4. Priorities • Safety (human and dog) • Welfare • Will these have an impact on safety and/or welfare? • Dog showing aggression? • Self mutilation, compulsive behaviour • Health concerns

  5. Staff safety- why is it important? • If staff or volunteers get bitten they may be off sick or reluctant to return • You could be considered responsible for the injury and potentially held accountable • This in turn could affect you financially and your reputation as an animal shelter

  6. Minimising Risk • Once a dog has been identified as a staff safety risk suitable management protocols need to be put in place • This could involve separation of the dog to an area away from the general population • Reducing the handlers who deal with this dog • Having a Behaviour Modification Programme in place to build trust and a feeling of safety from the dogs point of view.

  7. Records • What do we record • Why? • When? • Where? • How? • Context-specific

  8. What are we assessing for? • Type of home • Dogs ability to cope with people • Dog to dog interactions • Ability to cope in kennels? • Needs of the individual • Health • Rehomability • Safety • Welfare

  9. What do humans want from dogs? Everybody has a different expectation • Non-competitive individuals • Low impulsivity • To be tolerant of environmental change • Sociability without dependency • To join multispecies households without any signs of aggression So how will they get it? • Desirable behaviour requires reinforcement • Inconsistency creates problems • Safety is paramount

  10. Does age make a difference? • Do all dogs have the same needs? • What considerations should be made for age? • Needs? • Practised behaviour? • Mobility? • Do we need to assess puppies?

  11. Discuss

  12. Records • Have a system that works for your shelter • Consider ease of use • Ease of identification

  13. Options Rehome – protocols Rehab – rehome knowledge Rehab – maintain in kennels finances/space Euthanasia - protocols

  14. Aggression A dog showing aggression is likely to be welfare compromised • This may be due to fear • This may be due to previous negative experiences with people • This may be due to being in pain or discomfort • This could be enhanced by the environment

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