Animal Welfare in the Shelter and Community

Millions of cats and dogs enter shelters in the United States each year, where they can face increased stress, reduced quality of life, and, in some cases, an elevated risk of euthanasia. Developing a complex understanding of shelter management/structure and the environmental, behavioral, and physical factors that impact animal welfare are critical to developing constructive, evidence-based, and humane decisions and programs for both shelters and the community. Particular emphasis will be placed on behavioral problems and assessments as behavior is a leading risk factor for the relinquishment of dogs and cats and can drastically impact animal welfare. Shelters and welfare organizations are also striving to improve animal welfare in the community through public health type programming including addressing concepts like access to care and harm reduction. In this course, students will learn about key factors that impact animal welfare in the shelter and community and understand the utility of welfare assessments and scientifically informed policy. Students will discuss the multi-faceted role of animal shelters in the community in the context of One Welfare. They will also critically evaluate programs and policies designed to improve animal welfare using current scientific literature. In their final project, students will utilize this knowledge to recommend a protocol/policy to implement in a specific shelter or community setting. They will create a scientific policy paper targeted at the academic/scientific audience and then translate that information and present it to a lay audience via recorded PowerPoint. Prerequisite: VCSP 6330 AND VCSN 6390 AND VCSP 6390 AND VCSN 6500 6 Credit Hours