Procedures: Cat Room Assistance Start of the Shift Sign in on the volunteer computer Read all relevant notices/alerts Sign out the dog and cat keys you will be using for the day. Remember, only one set of keys per pair of volunteers if you re partnering w/someone. Find your nametag, filed by the day you volunteer, and put it on. Check in with and greet staff assigned to your care area, ask if there are any special projects of specific issues about which you should me made aware. Ask staff if there s anything they need your help with. Greet every member of the public, thanking them for coming in, ask if assistance is needed. Preparation Check cat task board in hallway outside of kitchen. Go to laundry room, start/rotate laundry as needed. Dryer o Check the lint trap on the dryer, then set it to 25 30 minutes for drying and 5 minute cool down. o Fold all laundry, taking care to place everything in the appropriately marked areas on the shelving. Washer o Always wear gloves when handling dirty laundry and wash hands/arms afterwards. o Load the washer full with laundry, leaving only a fist s width of space open at the top. Do not start a load of laundry until the machine is completely full. o Push the door closed using the lever and handle at the same time. Open by pushing the button and sliding the handle at the same time. o Push 6 on the control panel on the front of the machine then push start, the large green button. Go to kitchen, prep, scrape, soak, scrub, rinse, sanitize, dry & store dishes as needed. Always wear gloves when handling dirty dishes in trifectant Refer to How to do Dishes hanging in kitchen on wall across from sink. Getting Started Go to stray, available & Pod 1 cat rooms to check supplies; restock litter, litter boxes, toys, food, bedding, poop bags, etc. Walk through the cats in available, pod 1 & condos 1 & 2 to familiarize your self with who is here, how old they are, whether they were strays or owner releases, etc. Note whether they re okay to go home the same day, or if they need to be neutered before going home. Go through the stray room to get a handle on what types of cats are back there and where they are so you re prepped if you wind up needing to escort the public to view. Focus on interacting w/the available cats that don t have any personal information on their kennel card or have a 3x5 card. The best way to get a cat adopted is to provide honest, positive info describing their personality. Your Shift Training Team/Procedures/CRA Rev. 06/10
Remember to practice safe cat handling at all times, watching the cats for signs of discomfort or stress. Watch for indication you should go slow or not interact with a cat. Always reward the cats with a piece of kibble and/or continued contact & sweet talk when they re doing something right. Answer pages for volunteer assistance with people looking for stray cats; escort them to the stray area to check for their kitty. Assist the public looking to interact with available animals; allow visits at the cage, but if they want to take the cat out of the cage, it must be crated up and carried in a clean carrier to the get acquainted room. Clean the crate after it s used and before another cat is placed inside. If foot traffic is slow, or you re volunteering before open hours, feel free to pull a cat out of the cat room and into the visiting room for play time. Be sure to note any interactions and visits on the comment card. If there is no pet detective on duty, one CRA should go to the front and compare the stray binder to the cats in the kennels and ask staff to print up new kennel cards as needed. If there are multiple volunteers, someone should assign themselves to provide the care to stray cats, and be the designated person to respond to pages for customer assistance. Stray cats are not permitted to go into the visiting room for play time. Scoop poop in the litter boxes. Only dump the boxes if they re trashed. Assist members of the public with small furry animals as needed. Be certain to make a special note of any changes in behavior or demeanor in a cat relative to the experience of the last volunteer who interacted with it. Alert staff to any behavior or medical concerns. Adoption Visits Be sure to confirm that someone is interested in actually adopting, not just visiting we do not open a cage, allow public into a condo or kennel or take a cat to the get acquainted room unless someone is planning on adopting. Be sure to notify them of the need for written permission from landlords and proof that a pet deposit has been paid if required. This can usually be done via phone call and fax to our front counter. Review the kennel card on the outside of the cage/kennel/condo before opening the door to identify age, previous history, how long it s been @ EAS, etc and discuss with potential adopter Cats in the available room should always be visited with in their cages for 5-10 minutes before being moved to the get acquainted room. Always make sure the door to the room is closed when a cage door is open. If a cat is too stressed or squirrely, advise the potential adopter that the cat must stay in its cage and remind them that the cat will behave differently at home. In the get acquainted room, pod 1 kennels and condos 1 & 2, have the family sit down and advise of the use of quiet voices. In the get acquainted room, allow the cat to exit the carrier at its own pace and walk around the room on its own do not put the cat in the person s lap right away. Cats in pod 1 kennels and in the condos stay put for their visits. They are never moved to the get acquainted room. Stay in the room with folks initially to answer any questions, ensure the visit is going well, and to ensure everyone is behaving appropriately (the cat AND the people!). If they d like to visit without you, leave the room, but be sure to tell them that they need you to come in and box the cat up before they open the door to come out. Keep an eye on them from outside the room and re-enter as indicated. Keep the visits to 10 minutes max, keeping an eye on the number of people waiting to get in and visit so that everyone has a chance. Training Team/Procedures/CRA Rev. 06/10
When allowing visits in the pod kennels or condos, unlock door and enter first, pushing cats away from the door so they can t escape. Only two people are allowed in the kennels or condos (plus the volunteer). Kids must be with a parent or guardian at all times. Visitors in the kennels or condos must have assistance in and out of the door do not leave them alone! If the person is interested in adopting, simply leave the cat in the cage/kennel/condo and send them to the adoption desk with all the paperwork available for that cat, including their spay/neuter certificate if applicable. Wrapping Up Be sure to notify staff that you re leaving, and let your volunteer team know as well. Go to the volunteer office to return and sign back in your key, sign out on the computer and return your nametag to the drawer. Training Team/Procedures/CRA Rev. 06/10
How To/Clean a Dog Kennel 1. Volunteers scoop all poop in kennels. Confirm that the dog isn t Staff Only/No Volunteer Activity before entering the kennel. A poop scoop is located in each pod area in a Trifenctant-filled container. Deposit the poop into the garbage can in the pod area. Clean up any remaining fecal matter or staining on the kennel floor with a wet rag. NOTE: If a dog has diarrhea, report it to staff immediately. Do not enter the kennel to clean it up yourself. A volunteer should never move the dog to another kennel. Note: NEVER transfer a dog from one kennel to another unless explicitly asked by Staff. The dog may be ill and you could spread the disease to others by way of your shoes. 2. Whenever the garbage is causing an unpleasant odor and at the end of each day remove the garbage bag out of each pod and Garbage goes to the dumpster in Animal Control Parking area. How to/clean a Kennel Rev 05/2010
3. Replace the liner. Garbage can liners are stored on the shelves to the right of the entrance into the laundry room. Gloves are located on the shelf above the trash bags. 4. If a dog pees in the kennel clean up the urine with a towel. Get gloves and dry towel from laundry room. Use the towel to absorb the urine. Deposit used towel in dirty laundry bin and throw out gloves. This hangs in the kennel kitchen How to/clean a Kennel Rev 05/2010
How To/Clean Crates 1. Bring crate either to the Night Drop room or outside in the area between the Staff parking lot and the dog play yard. Both areas are equipped with a hose with a nozzle and a scrubber. Get a pair of latex exam gloves to wear during the process. 2. Disassemble the pet crate Take any toys or bedding from the crate, shake them out and put them in the laundry Throw away any loose debris still in the crate in a garbage can 3. Spray water, both inside and out, all surfaces, including door. Use the pressure of the water to get rid of remaining fine/sticky debris. Training Committee/How to/clean Crates Rev 05/2010
4. Attach trifectant foamer to hose. If the foamer needs trifectant, you must have a staff person make up the mixture for you. Volunteers are not permitted to handle powdered trifectant. 5. Spray trifectant on all surfaces. Wear gloves to turn over the parts to spray both sides of all parts. Trifectant must be in contact with the crate surfaces for 10 minutes minimum 6. Scrub all surfaces (this time can count towards the 10 minutes) This document hangs in the night drop room Training Committee/How to/clean Crates Rev 05/2010
7. After 10 minutes, rinse all surfaces with plain water. But do rinse somewhat because the trifectant smell can be annoying to an animal in a small space like a crate. Also, if an animal licks trifectant residue, it can be bad for his/her teeth 8. Prop up the parts leaning against the wall to drip dry. Inform Staff that the crate is drying, and where you left it to dry. 9. OPTIONAL: Ask Staff where they wish the crate to be stored after it dries. Then, after the crate is COMPLETELY dry, stack the parts, with the crate door in between, and store it where told. Training Committee/How to/clean Crates Rev 05/2010
How To/Clean Urine in the Halls 1. DISPOSABLE GLOVES ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS TASK. The gloves are in the laundry room on the shelves as you enter, and on the cleaning cart which is usually next to the laundry room entry. 2. Assess quantity of urine and get as many towels as necessary to soak it up (get towels from the laundry room or the towel station, whichever is closer). Lay out the towel(s) on the urine to absorb. NOTE: If you have a dog in your care: ** If it is the morning shift, first finish taking the dog for a quick potty break. ** Return the dog to his/her kennel, and then go back to the urine mess to finish clean-up. 3. Once all the urine is absorbed by towels, with gloves on, bring those towels to the laundry room and put them in the large wheeled dirty laundry container to be washed. Training Committee/How to/clean Urine in the Halls Rev 05/2010
4. Wearing Gloves, get another clean hand towel or washcloth and soak it in trifectant-water solution. There is a bucket of this solution at the cleaning cart. Bring the trifectant-soaked towel back to where the mess occurred. 5. Wearing gloves, wipe the entire area where there was urine with the trifectant-soaked rag. Apply modest pressure, resulting in a nice clean hallway! Note: it is okay to leave some trifectant residue on the walls / floors. It will dry. While still wearing gloves, put the trifectant-soaked towel in the dirty laundry. Throw away the gloves you ve been wearing. (Peel them off, turning them inside out.) 6. If you had a dog in your care at the time of this event and did not finish walking him/her, go back to that dog now and finish the visit / walk. This document hangs in the kennel kitchen Training Committee/How to/clean Urine in the Halls Rev 05/2010
How To/Do Dishes 1. Volunteers must always wear gloves when handling dirty dishes or litterpans. Gloves are kept on the shelving near the door to the laundry room. If there are no gloves present, ask staff to restock for you. Long rubber gloves suitable for dish washing are available next to or near the sink. 2. Prepare the work area by setting up towels, scrub brushes, and the trifectant tub. 3. A fresh tub of trifectant solution will be prepared by staff. Volunteers are not permitted to handle trifectant in its powdered form; if you need the tub filled, ask a staff member for assistance. 4. Scrape all food and feces from dishes and litterpans directly into the garbage can. Use a butter knife to scrape the inside of Kongs to ensure all food and stuffing is removed. Stack all items by size in preparation for washing. Training Committee/How to/do Dishes Rev 05/2010
5. All scraped dishes must be rinsed off and then placed into the trifectant tub to soak for 10 minutes. Items must be totally submerged and in full contact with the trifectant for the full time period. When soaking litterboxes, submerge one at a time and nest subsequent boxes on top of each other so that each box is in contact with trifectant. 6. Use the scrubber to scrub all surfaces of each item, removing all food particles. Scrub the inside of Kongs with the bottle brush to remove all remaining food. Helpful hint: Keep the Kong submerged to avoid spraying Trifectant all over yourself. After each item is scrubbed, stack them in the sink or to the left of the sink until you re able to rinse them thoroughly. Once the tub is empty of dirty dishes, reload with new items to soak. NOTE: The dish santizer is NOT a dishwasher it only sanitizes dishes, so you must remove all food and other substances off the dishes and litterpans before putting them in to be washed. 7. Place scrubbed and rinsed items into the santizer. Flat items should be set in the lower rack without dividers. One litterbox and a variety of bowls laying flat can fit. Put the rack with prongs on top, and load with items stacked at an angle, standing on their sides. Be sure that the items don t overlap or nest too much, which would prevent the steam from reaching all surfaces. Kongs should always go on the pronged rack so they stay upright. Training Committee/How to/do Dishes Rev 05/2010
8. Close the door to the sanitizer, and press the button that says Wash. If you re putting in the first load of the day, you ll need to press on, then wash. The sanitizer will run up to close to 180 degrees, then back down, in a two minute cycle. The first wash of the day may take 5-7 minutes. When the temperature drops back down to around 130 degrees, the cycle is complete and the door can be opened. USE CAUTION to avoid steam burns! Remove the sanitized items, using care to avoid being burned by hot objects. Dump any remaining water back into the sanitizer. 9. Set all sanitized items on towels to air dry. Avoid nesting the items so the water can evaporate. Be sure to completely dry all items with a towel before stacking back onto the shelves. 10. Stainless steel water and food dishes are stored to right of sink Litter boxes, plastic dishes, small animal items are stored to left of sink Kongs are stored in tub under counter just in front of hallway access door Cat toys are stored in hanging mesh storage to the right of cat food Dog toys are stored in tub under counter next to kongs Training Committee/How to/do Dishes Rev 05/2010
11. Be sure to clean the entire area up completely when you re done! Keep this in Kennel Kitchen Training Committee/How to/do Dishes Rev 05/2010
How To/Do Laundry 1. Volunteers must always wear gloves when handling dirty laundry, and wash hands thoroughly after touching any dirty or potentially dirty bedding. Gloves are kept on the shelving near the door to the laundry room. If there are no gloves present, ask staff to restock for you. 2. Bleach and detergent are automatically dispensed into the washer, but be sure to check levels before beginning laundry to ensure there is an adequate amount. 3. To open the washer door, press the white open door switch, and turn the door handle DOWN to release the latch. 4. You MUST shake out all dirty laundry in the dirty laundry barrel over the garbage can to remove all feces and gravel from the bedding. If any gravel or feces falls to the floor, be sure to pick it up. The washing machine must be completely full before being set to run. Training Committee/How to/do Laundry Rev 05/2010
Full means that there s room enough only fit your fist. Full means VERY FULL. The machine will become imbalanced if it s not full enough. 5. When the machine is full, push the door closed very tightly and move the handle UP to secure the door. 6. To start the machine, press 06 to set the cycle and then the green start button. The display will show 30:00 until the washer is full with water and the wash cycle begins. 7. When the display reads done, the wash cycle is complete. Open the door (press white button, then swing handle to open) and remove all clean, wet laundry and place in the adjacent dryer. Training Committee/How to/do Laundry Rev 05/2010
8. The lint compartment must be cleaned before each use. Remove the door, and sweep out the compartment, taking special care to get all lint off the lint screen itself. You can also use the shop-vac to get up all of thedebris at the back of the compartment. Replace the door so that it s correctly in place and the switch is connected and the machine is ready to use. 9. Set the dryer for a 25 minute dry cycle and a 5 minute cool down cycle. The cool down cycle is critical; do not skip it! 10. Remove all dry bedding from the dryer and place on the folding table next to the shelving. Fold all towels and bedding as neatly as possible and stack with like items on the shelves. If clean laundry falls to the floor, it is contaminated and must be re-washed. Watch that large blankets don t drag on the floor during the folding process. 11. All wash cloths, hand towels and rags Dog bedding on right go into the barrel labeled Clean Cat Rags Cat bedding next to refrigerator, in marked area Bath towels on top shelves and on left side top two steel shelving Hand towels on right side of refrigerator wall shelving Dog/larger bedding on lower shelves Training Committee/How to/do Laundry Rev 05/2010
Cat bedding on left of refrigerator shelving, behind folding table and on steel shelving lower shelves Formal pet bedding on steel shelves far right side Toys and balls go in kennel kitchen 12. Two common door problems: If the display ever reads door, you must first check to ensure there is no laundry wedged between the door and the frame of the washer. If there is no bedding, it s likely the switch on the underside of the latch mechanism attached to the washer needs to be connected. If the door simply won t open, the switch might be caught, and you can use a butter knife or spoon to depress the latch switch long enough to move the door handle. Hang this document in the laundry room Training Committee/How to/do Laundry Rev 05/2010
13. The spay/neuter clinic has its own washing machine the laundry it generates, but shares the dryer. If you ever see the sign to the left, be sure to take the dry laundry from the dryer and place it on the prep table in pre-surgery. 14. The laundry room garbage should be emptied each day. Garbage gets taken to the dumpster in the ACO parking area. 15. NOTE: Do not leave the dryer running at the end of the evening; if the dryer is not finished running, open the door to stop the cycle and leave the wet laundry over night. It s better to have wet laundry in the morning than a dryer fire! Training Committee/How to/do Laundry Rev 05/2010
How To/Feed Dogs 1. NOTE: Volunteers only feed dogs as directed by staff. Never open the kennel doors to dogs marked as staff only or no volunteer activity 2. The food bin is clearly labeled Dog Food. Puppies get adult food as well; there is no separate stock of puppy food. If the bin is empty or very low of food, please re-stock with food on the shelves. Do not use prescription diets in the bin, and do not use any food that has red food coloring in it. 3. Stock the food bin with plenty of stainless steel dog bowls. Check the walking board for any special instructions; some dogs are on prescription food (such as E/N); others get soft food only. Prepare all the foods you ll need so you can make one trip. For soft food diets, open any can of nonprescription wet dog food on the shelf and serve half a large can of wet food into a bowl. Wheel the food bin into the dog pods, and scoop the following amounts of food into the bowls using the scoop that s already in the bin: 1. For large dogs, use 2 scoops. 2. For small dogs, use 1 scoop. 3. For puppies, each pup gets their own bowl, fill with ½-3/4 scoop of food. Training Committee/How to/feed dogs Rev 05/2010
4. Place the food dish to the side of the kennel, near the water dish. Drop the food and leave do not attempt to pet or interact with the dog while the food is in the kennel. If there s more than one volunteer, consider having the second volunteer following along with a watering can to refill all the water bowls at the same time. If it s just one volunteer, put the bin away, and then go back through to water. Leave the food dishes in the kennel, even if the dog scarfs the food up right away. This document hangs in the kennel kitchen Training Committee/How to/feed dogs Rev 05/2010
How To/Fill Kongs 1. Gather all necessary supplies: Empty litterboxes Sanitized Kongs Spoon/can opener Canned dog food/dry dog kibble NOTE: Do not any prescription food in Kongs. Check the refrigerator first to see if there are any open cans. 2. Check the walking chart to determine how many Kongs need to be made up, and check with staff to find out how many dogs are in quarantine/isolation Training Committee/How to/fill Kongs Rev 05/2010
3. Set Kongs into litterboxes so they fit tightly, with the openings pointing up. 4. Scoop dry kibble into the Kong so that it s 2/3 full Spoon in wet food to fill the remainder of the kong, level food across the top 5. Once a box has been filled place it in the freezer section of the fridge in the laundry room Training Committee/How to/fill Kongs Rev 05/2010
6. Wash and recycle any empty dog food cans. Can recycling goes out to bin next to dumpster. Hang in Kennel Kitchen Training Committee/How to/fill Kongs Rev 05/2010
How To/Prepare Hot Dogs 1. Find packages of hot dogs in the refrigerator in the laundry and/or grooming rooms. Be sure to pull packages of frozen dogs from the freezer to replace what you take from the refrigerator. 2. Using a cutting board and sharp(ish) knife, set up a work station for yourself. The cutting boards are in the tall, skinny cabinet next to the dish sanitizer and knives are in the drawer. Have ziploc bags ready to use. 3. Cut the hot dogs in half lengthwise and lay flat How to/hot Dogs Rev 05/2010
4. Slice the hot dogs into very thin slices, no more than 1/8 thick. You can even slice the halfmoons in half so that there are very tiny bits. 5. One sliced hot dog should go into each ziploc bag. 6. We need to always use the oldest hot dogs first, so put whatever you slice behind the use first sign. This hangs in the kennel kitchen How to/hot Dogs Rev 05/2010
How To/Manage the Towel Station 1. When the towel station is running low on towels, get clean folded towels from laundry room, and stack them neatly on the table 2. When the towel on the floor looks dirty, take it outside, shake it out... If it still looks dirty though gravel is shaken out, put it in the plastic bin to be laundered, and replace it with a fresh towel on the floor. 3. When plastic bin is 3/4 full, bring it to laundry room, empty it into the large wheeled dirty laundry container, then bring the bin back where it was next to the towel station. 4. As needed: sweep the floor section between the door to go outside and the door leading back to Pods 1-3. There are brooms in the laundry room and also around the corner from the towel station (on the way to Pod 4). Keep this document hanging near towel station in wing How to/manage the Towel Station Rev 05/2010
How To/Sign in for your shift 1. Volunteers must sign in and log their hours each time they serve as a volunteer for EAS The PIN numbers hang in the volunteer office, and the names are listed alphabetically. Using the mouse, enter in the digits of your PIN, and then click okay 2. Follow the prompts and sign in for the position you re actually here to perform If there is a message showing during the sign in process, please be sure to read it it s there for a reason! Don t worry if the time on the database clock is wrong; we re more concerned with the total number of hours than we are the exact time you come and go. How to/sign in for your shift Rev 05/2010
3. Replace the liner. Garbage can liners are stored on the shelves to the right of the entrance into the laundry room. Gloves are located on the shelf above the trash bags. 4. If a dog pees in the kennel clean up the urine with a towel. Get gloves and dry towel from laundry room. Use the towel to absorb the urine. Deposit used towel in dirty laundry bin and throw out gloves. This hangs in the Volunteer office How to/sign in for your shift Rev 05/2010
How To/Use the Walking Chart 1. Every morning, the walking chart needs to be updated to show the correct locations of dogs as well as the number of dogs that need to be walked. 2. Take the clip board and do a walk through of the kennels, writing down the location and names of all the dogs in pods 2, 3, 4 and 5. Do not list any puppies or dogs who are listed as staff only or no volunteer activity Come back to the board and review the names, and make note of any special instructions or notes on any of the dogs that need to be transferred to the current day s notes. Also note if any of the dogs didn t get out to potty the evening before, or dogs that didn t poop or pee on their evening walk the day before, and mark those dogs as walk first in the far left column. 3. Erase and thoroughly clean the white board. Windex and Goo-gone work well. Use a washcloth or cat rag to remove any residual chemical so you can write on the board. Training Committee/How to/use Walking Chart Rev 05/2010
4. Very neatly re-write the board, putting all the animals in same pod together, leaving space between to account for any animals who may come in over the course of the day. 5. When all the volunteers have arrived and you ve decided who will be walking which dog, put a dot in the dog s name, or the space for the walk the dog is going on to alert the other walkers of your intention to walk that particular dog. This will prevent someone from going to look for a dog that s already out in the yard. Remember to erase the dot when you re done. After the walk, be sure to come back to the board and enter in what the dog produced on your walk. 0=no urine or feces 1=pee only 2=poop 3=diarrhea 1+2=both 7. AM walk is the first walk of the day, usually done by dog walkers, but occasionally a KA will be the first person to get the dog out. PM walk is the last walk of the evening by dog walkers. Midday walks are only required if the dog is marked as extra walks or if the dog did not go potty on their morning walk. Training Committee/How to/use Walking Chart Rev 05/2010
8. The walking board is where volunteers make comments about: Behavior of concern Tips for other volunteers interacting with the animal Any medical or health issue the vet staff should be made aware of. Note: if you see overt aggression, notify staff right away. Second note: if you see worms in the dog s feces, you must DESCRIBE the worm (is it like rice, or spaghetti-like? Hang next to Walking Chart Training Committee/How to/use Walking Chart Rev 05/2010
Procedures: Dog Walking Start of the Shift Sign in at the volunteer computer Read all relevant notices/alerts Sign out the key you will be using for the day, putting your name on the line that corresponds to the number of the key card you have. Check in with and greet staff assigned to your care area, and go to the task board to see if there are any notes about special projects or reminders you need to be aware of. Greet every member of the public, thanking them for coming in, ask if assistance is needed Preparation Go to laundry room, start/rotate laundry as needed. Dryer Check the lint trap on the dryer, then set it to 25 minutes for drying, and a 5 minute cool down. Fold all bedding. All cat bedding should be set aside to go to the cat room for storage. Washer Load the washer full with laundry, leaving only a fist s width of space open at the top. Hit 06 to set to cycle 6. Push the door closed using the lever and the handle at the same time. Open by pushing the button and sliding the handle at the same time. Stock up on poop bags and baggies of pre-cut hot dogs -- only take enough for your shift. Ensure that there are enough hot dogs thawing in the fridge (move from freezer as needed). If the supply of pre-cut hot dogs is low, bring some hot dogs to the kitchen. Getting Started At the kitchen, if cutting hot dogs: Cut one hot dog in half length-wise, then cut those into thin slices. Put the new hot dog baggies behind the ones that are already in the fridge (if any). Ziploc baggies, cutting boards and knives are in the kennel kitchen for you to use. Select a 6 foot leash to use. The first volunteer to arrive should update the Walking Chart to make sure all of the dogs present are listed on the Walking Chart for the day. Use the inventory sheet on the clip board hanging to the left of the walking chart to update the chart. Do not delete any vet notes made in red. Identify the dogs that are cage-visit only, or that are no volunteer activity/staff only. These dogs should not be included on the walking chart. Your Shift Always use safe animal handling practices when interacting with the dogs. Always watch the dogs body language to ensure they are staying happy and friendly while you re interacting. In the morning, check the Walking Chart to see which dogs have been walked and which haven t. Priority should be given to dogs who have not been out recently, or who have not pooped yet during that day. At the kennel, try to get the dog to sit before entering the kennel. Make sure the dog s collar is properly fitted and that it won t slip over the dog s head. If they can t or won t SIT, enter the kennel anyway, but be sure they sit or stand still before the leash is attached. Remember to use the hot dogs to shape the sit. If this doesn t work either, put your thumb through the dog s collar to get him to either sit or stand still. Exit the kennel and pod door before the dog, looking for any hazards or approaching dogs or people and also looking at the dog for behavior changes. Keep the dog close to you, passing through the doors to the play yard. Volunteer program/program development/training committee/procedures Rev 08/10
Try to get the dog all the way to the yard before stopping to potty. Volunteers are responsible for cleaning up any and all accidents in the hallway, or in the outside yard. There are additional clean poop bags in the garbage can outside. Full/used bags should be thrown into the garbage can in the yard. If the dog seems housebroken and desperate to get outside for the first trip out of the day, there s no need to make the dog sit at every door on the way out. Instead, start luring the dog into a sit outside in the yard after he/she goes potty, and then through all doorways on the way back into the building. Walk the dog around the fenced area, and note whether the dog pees or poops while outside. The number of dog walkers on the shift will dictate how long each dog can stay out of the kennel. All the dogs need to get walked. If there are a lot of dogs and not many volunteers, the walks need to be short so all dogs get a chance to be outside. Try to get all of the dogs out on a quick walk, then if there s time, go back and take the high energy dogs out again for a longer walk. For high energy dogs, consider using the long leash at the faux fire hydrants and tossing a ball for the dog to play fetch/catch. Always wipe the dogs muddy feet on towels kept near the door to the outside yard to avoid tracking mud through the building. Return the dog to the kennel, asking for a sit before taking the leash off and before leaving the kennel. Fill water bowl as needed. If you need to get the dog away from the door, toss bits of hot dog to the back of the kennel to distract him/her. Fill out the comment card for each dog you interact with. Be sure to make a check mark in the box that best describes the dog s demeanor at that day and time, and keep your comments instructive, objective, and helpful to potential adopters, other volunteers, and staff as well. Be certain to make a special note of any changes in behavior or demeanor in a dog relative to the experience of the last volunteer who interacted with it. Refer to the comment card for trends. Note on the walking chart whether the dog pottied while on the walk, and whether it was pee, poop or both. If you have any special notes about the dog and how best to handle it, note that on the walking chart. Be sure to notify staff if you see behavior that is concering, i.e. barking or lunging. Make a note on the walking chart of any medical issues or concerns as directed in the what to watch for document in your canine manual. If the dog is bleeding, having a seizure or seems to be in pain, notify a member of the medical team right away don t just note it on the walking chart. Check the Task Board for other special assignments or needs. Wrapping Up Be sure to notify the staff that you re leaving, and let your volunteer team know as well. Go to the volunteer office to return your key, sign out and return your nametag to the drawer. Volunteer program/program development/training committee/procedures Rev 08/10
Procedures: Kennel Assistance Start of the Shift Sign in at the volunteer computer Read all relevant notices/alerts Sign out the key you will be using for the day, putting your name on the line that corresponds to the number of the key card you have. Check in with and greet staff assigned to your care area, and take a look at the task board to see what special projects might be waiting, or to see any reminders that may be posted. Greet every member of the public, thanking them for coming in, ask if assistance is needed Preparation Go to laundry room, start/rotate laundry as needed. Dryer Check the lint trap on the dryer, then set it to 25 minutes for drying, and a 5 minute cool down. Fold all bedding. All cat bedding should be set aside to go to the cat room for storage. Washer Load the washer full with laundry, leaving only a fist s width of space open at the top. Hit 06 to set to cycle 6. Push the door closed using the lever and the handle at the same time. Open by pushing the button and sliding the handle at the same time. While you re here, stock up on baggies of pre-cut hot dogs -- only take enough for your shift. Getting Started Confirm the day s needs with the staff assigned to kennels. Look at the Walking Chart to identify which dogs, if any, have not been walked. Dogs typically do not need to be walked in the middle of the day unless they didn t go potty during their morning walk. If there is only one volunteer on your shift, your priority will be to spend the majority of your shift indoors assisting the public. If you have more than one person on your shift, you can split the duties of pottying dogs and assisting the public. Walk through the dogs who are available for adoption to familiarize yourself with who is here, how old they are, whether they were strays or owner releases, etc. Go through the hold pods (4 & 5) to get a handle on what types of dogs are back there and which pod they re in so you re prepped if you wind up needing to escort the public to view dogs there if they are looking for their lost dog. Check to see if a pet detective has been on duty that day. Your Shift Always use safe animal handling practices when interacting with the dogs. Always watch the dogs body language to ensure they are staying happy and friendly while you re interacting. If there are enough volunteers on the shift, you can start getting the dogs that haven t been outside yet to potty out to the large exercise yard for quick potty trips not full walks around the yard, but just out to pee or poop, and then back inside. Assist the public looking to interact with the available animals. Make sure the dog s collar is properly fitted and that it won t slip over the dog s head. Take the dog and visiting public out into the visiting yards and answer any pertinent questions. Respond to any pages for volunteer assistance to escort people to stray hold areas. Volunteer Program/program development/training committee/procedures Rev 08/10
Afternoon volunteers should be sure to stuff an appropriate number of kongs to put into the freezer for the morning. Kongs are stuffed with dry kibble on the bottom and wet food on top, and are placed in a litter pan to sit into the freezer. Be sure to recycle the empty cans of wet food. If there is no pet detective on duty, one KA should go to the front and compare the stray binder to the dogs in the kennels and ask staff to print up new kennel cards as needed. Scoop poop in the kennels as needed, and tidy any messes. Also add water to bowls as needed. Assist members of the public with small furry animals as needed. Make notes on the Walking Chart of any and all trips outside to potty, or visits with potential adopters. If you notice that recent arrivals don t have any comments on their comment cards, take the dogs out into the visiting yards and get an idea of the dog s personality to include on the comment card. Be sure that new arrivals are fitted with collars. Fill out the comment card for each dog you interact with. Be sure to make a check mark in the box that best describes the dog s demeanor at that day and time, and keep your comments instructive, objective, and helpful to potential adopters, other volunteers, and staff as well. Be certain to make a special note of any changes in behavior or demeanor in a dog relative to the experience of the last volunteer who interacted with it. Refer to the comment card for trends. Be sure to notify staff if you see behavior that is concering, i.e. barking or lunging. Make a note on the walking chart of any medical issues or concerns as directed in the what to watch for document in your canine manual. If the dog is bleeding, having a seizure or seems to be in pain, notify a member of the medical team right away don t just note it on the walking chart. Check the Task Board for other special assignments or needs. If there are not many public visitors and Task Board items are complete, check in with staff to find out what else might need to be done. Wrapping Up Be sure to notify the staff that you re leaving, and let your volunteer team know as well. Go to the volunteer office to return your key, sign out and return your nametag to the drawer. Volunteer Program/program development/training committee/procedures Rev 08/10