An Introduction to the Hoopeston Animal Shelter Phone: 217-283-0779 Thank you and welcome to the Hoopeston Animal Shelter team. In this handbook we would like to introduce ourselves and provide some insight into our policies regarding the handling of our animals and our community relations. About Hoopeston Animal Shelter Hoopeston Animal Shelter is an animal control shelter for the city of Hoopeston, Illinois. We opened in 2013 as an open intake facility for the city of Hoopeston and have one animal control officer that provides animal regulation services to city residents in regards to handling animal nuisance complaints, neglect and/or abuse complaints and general concerns regarding domestic animals. Our facility infrastructure (rent, utilities, maintenance) are partly funded by the city of Hoopeston, but we rely on donations to pay for veterinary care, supplies and all other costs regarding the direct care, housing and transportation of the animals in our care. We have no paid employees for the direct care of our animals and rely solely on volunteers to clean, feed, socialize and fundraise for the care of our animals. We take in all strays and owner relinquishment animals from within the city limits and animals from out of area on a limited case by case basis. We are able to take in most species of domesticated animals, including; dogs cats, rodents, birds, and reptiles, however the vast majority of the animals we care for are cats and dogs. We cannot house or care for orphaned or injured wildlife, however we try to aid in finding help for these animals when we can. Our Mission As a team our mission is to provide a safe place for lost, abandoned, neglected or unwanted animals until they are reunited with their family, placed in adoptive homes, or transferred to no kill rescue organizations. As of Fall 2015, when this handbook was written, we have yet to euthanize any animal for non health related reasons. We are able to do this only with the support of our community and a network of rescues. While our hope is to get animals back to their families or into adoptive homes, most of our animals are transferred to no kill rescues and shelters that have higher adoption rates meaning the animals we send are often adopted into forever homes much faster than they would in our rural area. As an organization we strive not only to provide the best possible care to the animals, we also strive to achieve a good community standing and support. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF OUR RULES AND REGULATIONS. THESE ARE FOR YOUR PROTECTION AS WELL AS THE SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF THE ANIMALS IN OUR CARE.
Hoopeston Animal Shelter Volunteer Hand Book If you have received this hand book you have most likely expressed interest in joining our team of volunteers. We ask that all new volunteers please read the following policies and explanations. These policies have been set in place to ensure that the care and safety of our animals, as well as our volunteer staff. Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of our team. If you have any questions regarding anything please feel free to ask one of our senior volunteers. General Volunteer Policies Attendance We ask all volunteers to understand that we rely entirely on them to keep the facility running and we expect our volunteers to treat this as a serious commitment. We ask that volunteers be able to commit to certain days/times/events in all possibility and honor those commitments. If a volunteer is scheduled to work a certain day/event, but is unable to make it we ask all volunteers to be courteous and inform either our volunteer coordinator and or director immediately so that we may find another volunteer to cover the day/event. Volunteer times vary depending on the day and type of event. Basic cleaning/direct care starts as early as 8 am and continues until 4-5 pm. Direct care volunteers are needed every day of the week. If you are not scheduled to work or working on a project, we ask that you call the shelter before coming in as some days may be more hectic than others. We are not a hangout. If you come in expect to work. Dress Code Working in an animal shelter will involve handling dirty kennels, litter boxes, as well as chemicals like bleach and other cleansers. We advise all volunteers to dress appropriately. Except when volunteering during community events we suggest wearing work clothes that one would not care if they became bleached or stained. During community events we ask volunteers to wear casual but nice clothing. All clothing must be appropriate for a semi professional environment and anyone who wears revealing clothing (dragging pants, short skirts, ect) will be asked to leave and change. Rubber soled shoes are a MUST often times volunteers will encounter wet floors, urine, feces and chemicals. We ask that volunteers do not wear jewelry, especially bracelets or anything that dangle and get caught in cage doors or by animals. We suggest not wearing rings due to the close work with chemicals. Hygiene Volunteers are advised to wash hands thoroughly before starting work at shelter, between specific areas of cleaning, and before leaving shelter to reduce the risk of spreading diseases that may be present both inside and outside the shelter environment. Gloves are optional except when handling certain animals; however, we encourage gloves to be worn while cleaning. Personal Conduct Hoopeston Animal Shelter as an organization does not tolerate disrespectful behavior and as a community shelter we do not condone any type of criminal or violent behavior. We ask all our volunteers to treat each other and our community members with respect. Any disagreements between volunteers must be brought to the attention of our director and will be handled accordingly.
Hoopeston Animal Shelter reserves the right to remove anyone from our volunteer list if said volunteer has acted in a manner that may jeopardize or limit the future success of the shelter. Animal Handling Cat Care Please wash hands between handling cats/cleaning each cages, especially quarantine areas. * NOTE Please do not handle any animal or enter any area that has been labeled as quarantine unless authorized. The majority of the shelter is dedicated to the housing of cats. As a city shelter we house cats who may be sick and/or aggressive. We often have cats that are under quarantine for health and behavior. Only senior volunteers are allowed to handle these cats. Areas that may be under quarantine would be all kitten cages, cages housing feral/aggressive cats, and any cages holding a cat with illness. Daily Tasks o All litter boxes are dumped of all litter and scrubbed out every day with hot water, bleach and dish soap. Since the shelter goes through a lot of litter after scrubbing and drying litter box only place enough litter to cover the bottom of the box (about 1-1/2 scoops) o Water is drained from bowls, and the bowl cleaned with hot water, bleach, and dish soap and refilled with fresh water daily and checked throughout the day. o Food bowls must be checked daily to ensure uneaten dry food has not gotten wet or has a lot of hair/litter in it. If clean, fresh dry food is added to bowl, if the food has gotten wet or has hair/litter the food is dumped, the bowl washed in hot water, bleach, and dish soap then refilled. o All cages are swept out to remove litter/food then wiped out with hot water and bleach daily. o Any bedding in the cage must be inspected, if dirty soft bedding needs to be put in laundry area, raised beds need to be washed and dried. o After all cages in an area/room have been cleaned floors must be swept and mopped. All rolling or free standing cages must be pulled out and swept/mopped underneath. Moving Cats o Sometimes it is necessary to move cats for a variety of reasons, they may be leaving the shelter, moved to a bigger cage, or moved to make room for another cat. Moving cats from one cage to another can only be done with senior volunteer approval. o If a cat is being placed/moved into a cage that has not been disinfected in 24 hours the cage must be wiped down with bleach and hot water. When moving one cat to another the cat s current litter box and bowls should be moved into the new cage with the cat after being cleaned. Soft bedding should be put in the laundry during cage changes. o Anytime a cat is moved out of a cage the cage must be disinfected. If the cat is leaving the shelter the litter box and bowls must be dumped and washed in bleach, dish soap and rinsed with hot water. Soft bedding must be placed in laundry. Dog Care * NOTE New volunteers and junior (under 18) volunteers are not allowed to handle dogs unless authorized and under the supervision of a senior volunteer. Volunteers are not allowed to enter the main dog area unless authorized and should not approach dogs in any manner unless supervised. Daily Tasks
o Morning: Dogs are either let out into yard or leash walked. Dogs are fed once in morning unless there are special circumstances. o Kennels must have any waste/debris removed then sprayed with bleach/dish soup. Kennels must be wiped/scrubbed then rinsed with hot water. The kennel must be dried before placing the dog back into the kennel. o Water bowls and buckets are dumped then washed with dish soap, bleach, and hot water daily. Used food bowls are placed in sink and soaked in dish soap/bleach. o All raised beds must be sprayed down with bleach/dish soap then rinsed with hot water and towel dried, soiled soft bedding placed in laundry. Please note that some dogs may not be allowed bedding due to destructiveness. o Dogs are let out as often as possible during the day, but at least once more in the afternoon before closing. o Kennel and Quarantine Room floors are swept and mopped and the grates in the kennel room are lifted and washed daily with dish soap, bleach and rinsed with hot water. o The yard/walking areas must be poop scooped daily. o When appropriate dogs are given nyla bones to chew on. When soiled nyla bones are removed and soaked in dish soap and bleach, then rinsed with hot water and allowed to dry. Other Animal Care Occasionally the shelter receives exotic pet animals, such as hamsters, rats, snakes, domestic birds, the care of these animals is determined based on the species and care needs. Occasionally the shelter receives wildlife. As a shelter, Hoopeston Animal Shelter cannot house injured/orphaned/any wildlife and all wildlife is transferred to a vet or rehabber as soon as possible. Medical Handling To ensure the safety of animals and humans only senior volunteers are allowed to handle any and all direct medical care for the animals which includes giving meds, fluids, vaccines, parasite control, and so on. General Facility Maintenance Daily Tasks All surfaces such as counters, sinks, and so forth must be cleared of clutter wiped with bleach and organized daily. Any and all dishes, toys, or other objects must be cleaned, dried and put away. All floors are swept and mopped daily. Laundry is to be checked often throughout the day. Before placing soiled bedding in the washer it should be shook out to remove litter and other debris. Once dried bedding needs to be folded and placed on the appropriate shelves. While folding laundry any bedding that is ripped may be thrown out. ALL trash is to be removed daily. Special Tasks Special tasks are tasks that must be done on a regular but not daily basis, such as, but not limited to; washing walls, base boards, cleaning the dog food closet, rearranging supplies, touching up paint and so forth. These are done before special events and/or when there are enough volunteers to cover daily tasks and special tasks. General Shelter Policies Shelter Policies on Euthanasia As a city shelter Hoopeston Animal Shelter is not a No Kill facility, however we consider ourselves a Low Kill facility. A No Kill facility is an animal shelter that does
not euthanize for non medical or behavioral reasons or if the medical or behavioral issues can be handled through treatment or modification. A No Kill facility reduces population through adoptions and limiting their intakes. A low kill facility is an open intake facility, meaning they must take all strays or relinquishments in their operating area. A Low kill facility manages shelter population mainly through adoptions and transfers but may resort to euthanizing for non medical or behavioral reasons if the population becomes critical. Hoopeston Animal Shelter has not had to euthanize for non medical or behavioral reasons to date, however it may be an option in a worse case scenario. We manage to do this only with community support and working to move animals into homes or rescues in order to prevent euthanasia due to space. We however do have to make the unfortunate decision to euthanize. Animals that are too ill or injured to treat or that are deemed too dangerous for adoption or rescue will be considered for euthanasia. Feral cats, if deemed fit for release may be released through TNR program. Shelter Policies on FIV/Felv Cats Hoopeston Animal Shelter policy is that neither FIV nor Feline Leukemia are viruses that require immediate euthanasia unless the animal is medically compromised already. Instead we place as many as possible up for adoption or send to rescue if they remain healthy. Trap/Neuter/Return The city of Hoopeston has approved a TNR program to be allowed within city limits. This allows the shelter to reduce euthanasia and shelter population by allowing cats deemed to be feral to be released back into the areas they were trapped from within city limits instead of relocating them. All cats released through the TNR program must be neutered/spayed, vaccinated, and ear tipped. A feral cat is a cat that has lived all or a majority of its life with little to no human contact, they are often very fearful and even aggressive towards humans and are able to care for themselves, meaning they can hunt for food, as well as find water and shelter on their own, unlike most house cats. Animal Intake/Out Intake of Animals o Hoopeston Animal Shelter as a city shelter focuses on housing and caring for strays and owner relinquished animals from the city of Hoopeston. Residents of Hoopeston may relinquish any animal for any reason for no relinquishment fee, but must have proof of residency such as drivers license, state ID, utility bill. All strays found within city limits are accepted. We encourage people to call our police dispatch for pick up. o Animals from out of city limits are only accepted on a case to case basis and only when the shelter has enough cage space to accommodate any city animals that may come in as well as the out of area animals. Non Hoopeston residents are required to pay a fee and to have the animal(s) tested, i.e. FIV, FeLV for cats and HW for dogs to relinquish an animal to Hoopeston Animal Shelter. Strays found outside city limits should be taken to the Vermillion County Animal Shelter, Hoopeston Animal Shelter may take the animal if circumstances require it, but only shelter director can make that decision. Adoptions o Adoptions of any animal are handled by office/management volunteers only. o All potential adopters go through a screening process and must fill out an application before they are considered for adoption.
o Once an application is received it may take a week or more for the application to be reviewed in its entirety depending on the situation. o Adoption is not guaranteed and is done in the interests of the animal foremost in mind. And an applicant may be denied for any reason. o In the event that multiple parties are interested in a single animal all applications are reviewed and a decision is made as to what home would best fit the animal. o Occasionally shelter staff may approve an applicant however feel that another animal may be a more suitable fit for the applicants situation, in this case other animals will be suggested to the adopter and it is at the choice of the potential adopters as to whether they want another animal. Transfers o Most of our animals are transferred to other shelters/no kill rescues. This allows us to keep our population from going out of control while limiting the need for euthanasia for space. It also increases the animals chance of quick adoption as most of the rescues we work with have much higher adoption rates. Rescues must go through a screening process before animals are sent to them. o Potential rescue partners are asked to contact the shelter director and complete the pull approval form as soon as possible. o Animals are sent to rescue on a case to case basis and in the event that one animal has several rescue interests the animal will be transferred to the rescue shelter staff feel will suit the animal best. o All rescue pulls must be approved by the shelter director before the animal can be transferred. Animal Control Cases Privacy Rights o As an animal control facility the shelter does house and care for animals that may be part of a criminal case and/or investigation. Volunteers are not to discuss these cases in any form outside the shelter environment to protect the privacy of any person or persons involved with the case. Community Shelter Visitors Open to the public shelter days often change due to availability of volunteers, planned events and so forth; however, the hours usually remain between noon and 4pm on days the shelter is open. Non volunteer visitors are not allowed to roam the shelter unescorted. They must sign in at the front desk if they wish to tour the facility, regardless of their reason. Visitors are asked not to stick fingers in cages or handle animals while they are in cages and are not allowed into quarantine areas unless under special circumstances. If a visitor wishes to visit with a specific animal the visit must be done in another area if possible. Fundraising/Community Events Hoopeston Animal Shelter often attends or hosts a variety of events, such as adoption events, fundraisers and so on. All volunteers are welcome to participate in these events, but we ask they do so in a professional manner. Social Media Hoopeston Animal Shelter often does a lot of advertising, fundraising, communications and so on through Facebook and emails. Becoming a volunteer implies that a volunteer is consenting to have his/her picture/name and so on posted on Facebook and possibly other social media. Any volunteer who does not wish for any pictures or their name to be publicized must inform shelter staff immediately.