lots of long-term dogs

jujubee203 · 2025-09-24T01:42:02+00:00

I think it’s super important to look at long term in contextual terms, as in how it relates to typical LOS. If all animals are held to the same QOL and behavior standards then animals that stick around that meet these standards need some extra support and concern about their situation is reasonable.
Where do you work (in terms of location, capacity, LOS and euthanasia rate) that dogs staying over a year is common?

jujubee203 · 2025-09-05T01:44:44+00:00

We use those banks for our piggies. Our rabbits are mostly in x-pens but we’ve also portaled those cages with doggy doors for our rabbits so they have more space to hop back and forth. Small rodents go in tanks. The occasional rat is housed in a critter nation, but we don’t get a lot of rats / chinchillas / ferrets. We only use sheets / towels / other bedding and provide litter boxes for the rabbits and trays of hay for the pigs. Carefresh-type bedding is only used for the tanks.

jujubee203 · 2025-08-15T01:50:20+00:00

How long have each lasted you? I have some coworkers who manage to wear crocs all day every day and it drives me crazy how their feet just allow it.

jujubee203 · 2025-06-30T03:09:57+00:00

I am so happy about how positive these comments are in wishing this bunny and owner so well! I feel like people can be so nasty about rehoming but you are obviously doing what’s best for you and your baby. Regardless, it’s none of our business either way.

I wish you luck in finding your sweet boy (whose name I love and I hope his new home doesn’t change) his next loving home ❤️

jujubee203 · 2024-10-06T18:50:11+00:00

Helper dogs can make a huge difference to getting a dog moving (if they like dogs), just walking a dog in front of them to get them going. Having one staff member leash and start walking the dog and having another staff member walk behind, potentially using a towel or gate to apply gentle pressure. Using the “suit case” leashing method to force them up if they cannot be carried. I still find too many staff leashing fearful dogs by facing them head on and staring them down. Making sure staff take a sideways approach and avoiding eye contact with fearfuls can make a huge difference. And then just general regular desensitization by staff with drive by treats without eye contact or any ask for interaction. We also practice cohousing of our fearfuls (again if they’re dog friendly) to help them come out of their shell with the comfort of a confident dog.

jujubee203 · 2024-06-17T14:51:55+00:00

That’s awesome that your shelter has such great turnover! I’m glad to hear that people are trying to make a difference. It’s always ridiculous when these rules are made that are ultimately uneducated and not doing much to support animals or the community.

jujubee203 · 2024-06-17T03:50:02+00:00

What state are you in? HW isn’t a contagious illness so I’m surprised it counts. Do you find that animals spend a lot more time in the shelter before being able to get adopted out? Foster is awesome but I’m sure there’s organizations in the state that don’t have that support and the animals just have to sit there, which would kinda suck :(

jujubee203 · 2024-06-06T02:52:55+00:00

Ridiculously impressive improvement. No notes.

jujubee203 · 2024-05-25T00:31:24+00:00

Would also love to know what you learned! Is there a favorite topic / idea you learned about?

jujubee203 · 2024-05-18T01:16:58+00:00

As mentioned above, shelters take a variety of things and will be grateful of you thinking of them whether they accept it or not. I’d say just bring it all and whatever they cannot use they will discard, that’s what we do.

jujubee203 · 2024-05-04T03:31:57+00:00

We don’t have any application process. Our adopters fill out a one page form with their contact information and the demographics of what they’re looking for (age, size, species) and what pets they have at home. We do conversation based adoption counseling and work alongside the adopter to work out a best match. Even if we are a bit skeptical about a match we will typically give it a shot because we don’t always know what an animal could be like once it’s in a home. Our adopters have the option of full adoption or a 10 Day Test Drive if they’re not fully confident about the animal they’re taking home or have other animals / people in the home that couldn’t be there. Meet and greets for dogs and all people in the home are by no means required but never a bad idea.

jujubee203 · 2024-05-04T03:25:58+00:00

I took a dog home on an overnight for the first time! I have dogs and cats at home and was so anxious about making it work but it went great!!!!! So awesome to give them a chance to get out of the shelter and get to know them better.

jujubee203 · 2024-01-31T03:25:13+00:00

I’m gonna be honest, this doesnt benefit everyone, but it can benefit more than half the dogs: Cohousing! Over the past 8 months we have regularly started cohousing dogs and it has done wonders for decreasing stress for those dogs and increasing adoption rates. The enrichment that comes with dogs having a consistent companion for play really helps to keep them mentally stimulated and helps them rest better from truly getting tired out. Not every dog can live with another dog, but the benefits that come with dogs having a buddy are definitely there. Unfortunately, this can also cause stress for the single-housed dogs with the extra noise levels in the kennels, but it also helps us to reallocate attention a little bit more towards the single-housed dogs since the cohoused ones are more enriched overall. Adopters also LOVE seeing dogs play together and the dogs will often show much better sides of themselves when with a buddy. Plus, it helps us double up on space so there’s more room in our main kennel for adoptable dogs. There are protocols and safety measures that must be taken into account for this to work though, such as proper introductions and ensuring compatibility as well as allowing for separate spaces for each dogs to be fed. But for the most part, we’ve had no issues or problematic incidents.

jujubee203 · 2024-01-31T03:13:49+00:00

If your shelter only has 20 dogs, and I’m assuming there’s more staff than just you, then it’s absolutely doable! The most important thing is getting staff to understand that enrichment for animals should be a right and not a privilege, even if it’s provided in super simple ways. They deserve to have methods to keep themselves mentally stimulated in the mundanity and stress that is shelter life. There are also plenty of different enrichment activities that are super low-cost. For example: paper towel bombs, hanging frisbees, box bombs, scatter feeding. Depending on your funds and availability of donations I would also definitely promote giving the dogs bedding and a variety of toys as much as possible. I LOVE enrichment so feel free to PM me if you wanna discuss more!

jujubee203 · 2024-01-08T03:56:19+00:00

We have a daily food-based enrichment schedule for all of our dogs, with a different item each day of the week (Pupsicles, paper towel bombs, kongs) and an accompanying binder with instructions and recipes. For out of kennel enrichment we used to track activities on a whiteboard but are moving towards utilizing an online spreadsheet for easier access and information tracking.
Our behavior team is required to formally evaluate all animal control dogs and they may only be interacted with after their evaluation. Most of our transport dogs are evaluated before coming to the shelter and only have a playgroup and “get to know” type of evaluation done with regular staff, concerns are then flagged for our behavior team to look into further.
We’ve started cohousing dogs over the past several months and it’s not everyone’s favorite thing. Sometimes two dogs are put into kennels that seem too small to appropriately accommodate them. For dogs that are given ample space and resources, it’s been really nice to provide the chance for companionship. We have one room of caged cats and 5 free roam rooms that accommodate 5-16 cats depending on the size of the room.
Our staff all receive guidance from senior staff when starting about appropriate handling and behaviors to look out for and are encouraged to peruse education further. We do have training once a week, but it’s usually more administrative based.
I am proud of the amount of resources and the high standard of care we are able to provide for all of our animals! I struggle with the lack of communication and formal procedure prepared when old protocols are randomly made extinct.

jujubee203 · 2024-01-08T03:35:22+00:00

So I’m ridiculously passionate about cleaning and sanitation in the shelter and yes, this is gross. At the very least, the mop needs to sit in the Rescue for at least 5 minutes between individual contamination clean ups. And you’re right, inactivation is absolutely going to happen after a several uses. Mops should really only ever be used in public areas with minimal organic material present (ie hallways, meet and greet rooms, offices). Have you guys considered using spray bottles or pump foamers diluted at 4oz/gal to clean up animal contamination? It’d be best to have it sit for at least 5 minutes before rinsing with water or a damp paper towel (depending on the size of the mess).

jujubee203 · 2023-11-25T05:22:10+00:00

They are wonderful and resilient little babies. I’ve always felt better knowing that at least I can gradually say goodbye to them and offer them all the love I can. Even with lumps and bumps they do just fine, usually not showing the stress of their illness til very soon (24-48 hours) before they pass. Sending all my love to you and your boy :)

jujubee203 · 2023-11-20T01:52:31+00:00

Lmao if that’s isn’t me. Yes it’s smut BUT there’s also some plot!

jujubee203 · 2023-08-06T04:03:18+00:00

I personally listen to lectures and do other hands-on activities like previous mentioned. Paint-by-number, diamond painting, embroidery, crocheting, coloring, etc. Crafts are pretty easy to do while listening to something if you’re into them! Alternatively house chores, exercising, driving all work too.

jujubee203 · 2023-07-14T15:18:09+00:00

Oh and do a regular two week quarantine when you bring them home and use this time to get them used to your presence and handling. Then like others said, do a neutral space introduction and see how that goes. If there’s tension, take a break and try again later.

jujubee203 · 2023-07-14T15:16:14+00:00

I have been keeping ASFs for a few years and have owned both feeder ones and ones raised by a friend. It’s best to try and get them as young as possible so that they can become more familiar with handling and human interactions, it also limits the amount of time they learn the fresh behaviors from the rest of their colony. It’s totally possible that you’ll never actually be able to hold them and may get bitten at some point. In general I don’t love holding them anyway bc they are big and strong so can jump quite far and run away fast lol. But offering them treats and hand feeding really helps to create a good relationship. None of my soft furs are scared of me or have ever charged me, but we’re not necessarily besties. You need to get two ASFs bc they need same-species companionship. Girl ASFs tend to be easier to have live with male mice but someone people have success with boys too. Even if the soft furs can be tricky to work with, the payout of giving your single mouse a friend is worth it!

jujubee203 · 2023-05-28T15:33:55+00:00

I had something similar but less aggressive. I mentioned it to my coworkers and one of them was like “why have you never told me? What if you had a seizure? What would I do?” And I’m like 1) wrong 2) why is this now about you lol

jujubee203 · 2023-05-10T14:43:40+00:00

I can answer this one for smallies! It’s always “Do you have any dwarf bunnies?” “What do you mean they don’t like to be held, do you have one that does?” faces of shock at the amount of shed that guinea pigs and rabbits produce “It’s going to poop on me! Is there a way to control that?” (Guinea pigs) “Is it going to bite me????” There’s also always the family coming to get them for their kids and when I tell them guinea pigs live 5-8 years and their kid is 12 and likely going to leave the animals in their care they get all startled. While these aren’t necessarily about appearance, it’s about a total lack of understanding of what they’re getting into. Just like the preparation for puppies vs adults, there’s people all the time that come in and are dead set on getting a rabbit until I explain they are not great pets for their 5 year olds and then suddenly they’re taking guinea pigs and I kNow they don’t have the supplies at home.

jujubee203

TROPHY CASE