Center for Shelter Dogs

Introduction to the Shelter Experience

Entry
Dogs enter the shelter via many routes, some enter as strays from the street, most are brought in by their owners and some also enter the shelter due to law enforcement cases.  Dogs are accepted into our shelter only if they have no prior known history of serious bites or attacks that resulted in human injury.  If an animal has a history of aggression, we will recommend behavior modification with our behavior department or in very severe cases involving dangerous animals, euthanasia.

Evaluation
After dogs have had a few days to adjust to their new environment, we conduct both a behavioral test and a physical exam to increase our knowledge of the dogs’ behavioral traits and physical health.  The behavioral test that we use is the MATCH-UP (Marder-ARL-Test-for Canine Homing using Understanding and Predictability) evaluation. This 15-step test is used to learn about each dog’s general behavior traits, their likes and dislikes, and their sensitivities.  Knowing about each dog allows us to match the dog with an appropriate owner.

Rehabilitation and Enrichment
Each dog in our shelter participates in twice weekly shelter dog classes as well as daily walks and play sessions with volunteers and shelter staff.  In these classes dogs learn commands and acquire agility skills that increase confidence and help reduce stress caused by the shelter environment.  Also, after evaluations, dogs receive special attention based on the results of their individual behavioral evaluations. For example, if a dog is afraid of people, then the staff will use positive techniques to make the dog feel better when meeting people.  If the dog is hard to control, jumps up, and pulls on the leash, the shelter staff will fit the dog with a training harness and teach the dog to have good manners through positive training.

Adoption
Once we have learned all that we can about a dog’s medical history and behavior traits and have followed up with  necessary treatments, the dog is made available for adoption and is posted on Petfinder.com.  They are then able to be viewed by potential adopters online and in person at the shelter.  Once a potential adopter decides that they are interested in an animal, they must first go through a thorough interview process so that they understand the needs of the dog that they want to adopt.  Sometimes the dogs have special needs and those needs need to be understood by the potential new owner.  A member of the behavior department then demonstrates handling and training routines so that the new owner can easily live alongside their new dog. 

Follow-up
Once the animal has been in his or her new home for a week, our shelter staff contacts the new owner to evaluate how the dog is adjusting to their new home environment.  If any problems are reported, the staff member recommends a consultation with our behavior department or with the shelter veterinarian.