FAQ > Services
Every individual animal is assessed by staff for behavior and health. Our behavior assessments are standardized assessments developed by the ASPCA and shelter dog expert CPDT Sue Sternberg, and modified to address the particular needs of shelter dogs.
Aggressive animals that cannot be safely handled also cannot be safely evaluated for health. Even if we can adequately restrain them for their exam there’s still a possibility of injury to our staff or volunteer vets, not to mention that it's also incredibly stressful for the pet. Using chemical restraints such as a tranquilizer for a simple physical exam sets a dangerous standard for basic care. Not only are tranquilizers expensive, having to render a pet unconscious to have a veterinarian look at it will not encourage an adopter to provide adequate veterinary care. Putting a veterinarian at risk of being bitten, as someone who relies so heavily on their hands for their livelihood, is irresponsible.
Animals that are behaviorally sound will also be assessed for health. Volunteer veterinarians donate their time to examine our pets with health concerns and develop a plan of treatment for the staff to deploy if needed. However, we lack a lot of diagnostic equipment and we can only do so much with the resources available to us. If a pet requires blood work, x-rays, surgery, or some other kind of specialized treatment that requires specific equipment or training, we either have to pay for the treatment at a local vet clinic or rely on grants or donations to cover the cost.
Healthy pets or pets with manageable or rehabilitatable issues can go up for adoption or transferred to one of our rescue group allies. A manageable issue is an issue that needs addressing by a knowledgeable adopter or foster home with easily implemented modifications to a pet’s day-to-day life. Examples might be mild food/toy guarding or some mild reactivity to other animals. It might be a chronic illness that needs specialized care in the home. This kind of issue is unlikely to ever be completely resolved, but it is unlikely to cause harm. A rehabilitable issue is an issue that could, with the right approach, be 100% resolved in the future. Rehabilitatable issues might include recovery time from a trauma or surgery, or an illness that will resolve with proper treatment. Many of these treatable issues can be handled in-house or with the generous support of a donor, foster home, or compassionate adopter.
Healthy, friendly pets can be placed up for adoption. Adoptable pets are monitored daily for stress and health issues. The shelter environment is a lot louder and has much higher traffic of both people and germs than a home environment. If a pet takes a turn for the worse, we need to be able to address that pet’s needs promptly. We can provide enrichment in the form of training programs and time spent playing and cuddling with volunteers. More on the volunteer program here.
Every individual animal is assessed by staff for behavior and health. Our behavior assessments are standardized assessments developed by the ASPCA and shelter dog expert CPDT Sue Sternberg, and modified to address the particular needs of shelter dogs.
Aggressive animals that cannot be safely handled also cannot be safely evaluated for health. Even if we can adequately restrain them for their exam there’s still a possibility of injury to our staff or volunteer vets, not to mention that it's also incredibly stressful for the pet. Using chemical restraints such as a tranquilizer for a simple physical exam sets a dangerous standard for basic care. Not only are tranquilizers expensive, having to render a pet unconscious to have a veterinarian look at it will not encourage an adopter to provide adequate veterinary care. Putting a veterinarian at risk of being bitten, as someone who relies so heavily on their hands for their livelihood, is irresponsible.
Animals that are behaviorally sound will also be assessed for health. Volunteer veterinarians donate their time to examine our pets with health concerns and develop a plan of treatment for the staff to deploy if needed. However, we lack a lot of diagnostic equipment and we can only do so much with the resources available to us. If a pet requires blood work, x-rays, surgery, or some other kind of specialized treatment that requires specific equipment or training, we either have to pay for the treatment at a local vet clinic or rely on grants or donations to cover the cost.
Healthy pets or pets with manageable or rehabilitatable issues can go up for adoption or transferred to one of our rescue group allies. A manageable issue is an issue that needs addressing by a knowledgeable adopter or foster home with easily implemented modifications to a pet’s day-to-day life. Examples might be mild food/toy guarding or some mild reactivity to other animals. It might be a chronic illness that needs specialized care in the home. This kind of issue is unlikely to ever be completely resolved, but it is unlikely to cause harm. A rehabilitable issue is an issue that could, with the right approach, be 100% resolved in the future. Rehabilitatable issues might include recovery time from a trauma or surgery, or an illness that will resolve with proper treatment. Many of these treatable issues can be handled in-house or with the generous support of a donor, foster home, or compassionate adopter.
Healthy, friendly pets can be placed up for adoption. Adoptable pets are monitored daily for stress and health issues. The shelter environment is a lot louder and has much higher traffic of both people and germs than a home environment. If a pet takes a turn for the worse, we need to be able to address that pet’s needs promptly. We can provide enrichment in the form of training programs and time spent playing and cuddling with volunteers. More on the volunteer program here.