Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESOLUTIONS-2015-059-R-155/21 /2015 59-R-15 A RESOLUTION Authorizing the Amendment to the Animal Welfare Policy to Establish Operational Guidelines at the Evanston Animal Shelter and Adoption Center WHEREAS, the City of Evanston is dedicated to providing high quality care, training, and rescue efforts for dogs and cats at the Evanston Animal Shelter and Adoption Center (the "Shelter"); and WHEREAS, on April 8, 2014 the City adopted an Animal Welfare Policy to govern operations related to behavioral training, kennel enrichment activities; and vaccinations; and WHEREAS, with the selection of a volunteer animal organization the City Council desires to amend the policy to govern the operations at the Shelter relative to the activities in the policy with the appointed volunteer animal organization ("VAO"), City staff members, contractors. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EVANSTON, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, THAT: SECTION 1: The foregoing recitals are incorporated herein as findings of the City Council of the City of Evanston, Illinois. SECTION 2: The Evanston Animal Welfare Policy, attached as Exhibit 1, is hereby authorized, approved and shall become effective on the date of passage of this Resolution 59-R-15. 59-R-15 SECTION 3: This Resolution 59-R-15 shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage and approval in the manner provided by law. Attest: Ro ney Gr ne, City Clerk Adopted: JV� hW V2I% , 2015 !Eli'4!areth B. Tisdahl, Mayor -2- 59-R-15 EXHIBIT 1 EVANSTON ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY SECTION 1: OVERVIEW The purpose of this Policy is to guide operations and management of the Evanston Animal Shelter, located at 2310 Oakton Street, in Evanston. The Policy establishes a baseline on certain issues in order to provide consistency and predictability at the Shelter and formally set expectations between the City and designated volunteer animal organization (the WAO"). If there are any contradictions between this Policy and the Police Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), this Policy shall dictate and control against the Police SOP or any other unnamed existing policies. The categories addressed in this Policy should not be considered exhaustive, if the Policy is silent on an issue, the Police SOP shall prevail. SECTION 2: BEHAVIORAL EUTHANASIA A. Disposition Decisions. - Disposition decisions will be based on a number of factors, including the ASPCA SAFER® Aggression Assessment; written documentation about the dog's behavior in the kennel; and observations by Shelter staff, volunteers and the Animal Warden if the dog was brought into the facility by the Warden. This information will be used to formulate a plan for each dog. Every effort will be made to pursue a live release if possible. Options will include consultations with behaviorists, trainers, veterinarians, and use of off -site training facilities, foster homes, and rescue organizations. If none of these alternatives are feasible or successful and the VAO recommends euthanasia, the VAO will confirm this decision with the Animal Warden in consultation with a veterinarian. This Policy unequivocally sets forth that the Animal Warden shall make final disposition decisions for animals under the Shelter's care in cases where euthanasia is requested. In the case where the VAO recommends euthanasia and the Animal Warden disagrees, the VAO is required to send the animal to offsite training and/or evaluation by, at least, one professional. If the evaluator agrees with the VAO's recommendation, the animal will be euthanized. If the professional agrees with the Animal Warden's decision, the animal will continue offsite training and will be reviewed again by the VAO and the Animal Warden. In the case where multiple dogs are being recommended for euthanasia by the VAO such that the live release rate for dogs, excluding Return To Owner, would drop below the shelter's goal of 90%, then the VAO will ask the ASPCA to come to the shelter and evaluate how behavior testing is being conducted and how the dogs are being handled in the shelter. The result would be either that the VAO is doing everything correctly and the shelter has had an influx of dangerous dogs or that the VAO needs to revise its evaluation and decision making process. -3- 59-R-15 B. Evaluation Testing: The ASPCA SAFER® Aggression Assessment must be administered by a certified assessor with a trained observer. C. Evaluation Training: The VAO will secure and facilitate appropriate SAFER training for individuals that participate in behavior evaluations. Only individuals who complete SAFER training certification from the aforementioned training are able to conduct behavior evaluations. The City will ensure that the ASPCA conducts regular on -site visits to the Shelter to evaluate the testing methods and provide feedback if participants need improvement. D. Evaluation Logistics: The City shall ensure that the facility used to conduct the ASPCA SAFER® Aggression Assessment meets ASPCA standards. All SAFER assessments shall be videotaped and all assessment records will be maintained for a period of 90 days. E. Evaluation Results: The SAFER assessment score will avoid designations of "pass" or "fail", rather it will inform the evaluators of potential options for the respective dog under review, but will not be the sole source of information for an animal's disposition decision. SECTION 3: ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE While kenneled, in isolation (ISO) or quarantined, animals will have limited handling contact, although they will have some interaction with volunteers as their status warrants. Gloves and gowns will be worn for handling of any animals that may be contagious. Instructions will be posted at the Shelter regarding the handling of animals in ISO based on their current medical circumstances. SECTION 4: ANIMAL ENRICHMENT The VAO will provide enrichment programs for all animals in accordance with the following guidelines: A. Feline Enrichment: Cats and kittens that have been vet checked and have had appropriate vaccinations will be removed from their cages as often as possible and provided with socialization and play time in various areas of the shelter, including the office, the adoption room and the bathrooms. All public areas will be thoroughly cleaned and made available for public use when needed. B. Canine Enrichment. - All dogs at the Shelter shall receive enrichment based on the dog's SAFER evaluation and other observations as outlined above. Procedures will be developed to outline the potential kennel enrichment methods to be utilized. C. Removal from Shelter: All animals at the Shelter are the property of the City of Evanston and not property of Elm 59-R-15 the VAO. Any removal or housing off -site (such as for training or foster care) shall be noted in the animal's permanent record. SECTION 5: VACCINATIONS AND SPAY/NEUTER A. Vaccinations: All animals shall be vaccinated within 72 hours of admission to the Shelter, or as soon as practicable, unless there is clear evidence that the animal's owner plans to return for the animal, or that the animal has already received the required vaccinations. B. Spay/Neuter and other Medical Care. - All animals adopted from the shelter must be spayed or neutered unless a veterinarian renders the medical opinion that doing so would jeopardize the animal's health. Puppies and kittens can be placed in a home on a trial adoption until they reach the age where sterilization is practicable. A refundable deposit is collected at the time the animal is placed in the home. Said deposit is returned to the adopter when the sterilization process is complete. The legal transfer of the animal to the adopter does not occur until the sterilization is complete. The VAO is financially responsible for spay/neuter procedures. Additionally, the VAO will work with adopters to coordinate/schedule the procedure with a medical partner. If a veterinarian determines that the spay/neuter procedure is too risky because of health issues the animal may be placed in a foster home until such time as the surgery can be performed, or indefinitely in the case of long term medical issues. SECTION 6: DISPOSITION OTHER THAN EUTHANASIA All efforts related to the rescue of a dog or cat should be devoted to removing the animal from the existing environment and placing the animal in a new home as quickly as possible. If an animal is brought into the Shelter as a stray, that animal will be placed on a "7-Day Stray Hold" per Evanston pursuant of municipal code 9-4-8. During this time medical and basic care needs will be administered but no adoption activities will take place. This will allow time for an owner to be reunited with his/her pet. The VAO must be an advocate for each animal at the Shelter. The VAO will promote the animals via methods such as, but not limited to, social media, Shelter and City web sites, local news publications, and offsite adoption events. The VAO will also partner with rescue organizations and maintain a network of foster homes. SECTION 7: FOIA AND ACCESS TO RECORDS A. General. - Subject to the restrictions within 5 ILCS 140, the City shall maintain all of the records for the shelter for the purposes of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Subject to the exemptions outlined in 5 ILCS 140/7, the City shall make available to any person all public records relating to the shelter for the purposes of inspection or copying. The City shall not grant the exclusive rights to access or dissemination of these public records to any person or entity. Persons requesting to access these public records may come in and personally copy the records, free of charge. —5— 59-R-15 B. Sending Documents: Requests for public records to be copied and mailed by the City to the person requesting the records must be made in writing. If the person requesting the public records asks for the records in a specific electronic format, that format shall be used, if feasible. The City may charge the person requesting the documents for the actual cost of purchasing the recording medium (whether paper or electronic), subject to the purchasing guidelines set forth in 5 ILCS 140/6. C. Timeline. - The City shall reply to written requests within 5 business days of receiving the request, by either complying with the request or denying the request. The time for compliance may be extended for any reason in accordance with 5 ILCS 140/3(e), as long as the requesting party is notified of the valid delay and the reasoning therefore within the 5 business -day response period. However, if the person requesting the information is a business entity requesting the documents for business purposes, or is a recurrent requester, the time for response shall be increased to 21 business days after receipt of the requisition. M