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I. Preface
II. Guiding Principles
III. Definitions
IV. Annual Animal Statistics Table and Live Release Rate Formulas
I. Preface
In August of 2004, a group of animal welfare industry leaders from across the nation convened at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, California for the purpose of building bridges across varying philosophies, developing relationships and creating goals focused on significantly reducing the euthanasia of healthy and treatable companion animals in the United States.
Through hard work, lively discussion and brainstorming, a common vision for the future was adopted. The leadership of the following organizations participated in the original, and/or subsequent meetings, and were involved in the drafting of the "Asilomar Accords":
| Martha Armstrong | The Humane Society of the United States | | Richard Avanzino | Maddie's Fund | | Pamela Burns | Hawaiian Humane Society | | Mark Byers | Spanish Fork Animal Control (UT) & the National Animal Control Association (NACA) | | Perry Fina | North Shore Animal League and The Pet Savers Foundation | | Mark Goldstein, D.V.M. | San Diego Humane Society and SPCA | | Belinda Lewis | Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control | | Dave Loftus | Pet-Ark | | Jane McCall | Dubuque Humane Society | | Jan McHugh-Smith | Humane Socity of Boulder Valley | | Steven McHugh | Unison Business Development | | Nancy McKenney | Humane Society for Seattle/King County | | Dan Morrison | Southeast Area Animal Control Authority | | John Nagy | Dumb Friends League & the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA) | | Cheryl Naumann | Arizona Humane Society | | Robert Rohde | Dumb Friends League | | Edwin Sayres | American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals | | John Snyder | The Humane Society of the United States | | Karen Terpstra | Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA | | Gary Tiscornia | SPCA of Monterey County & the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA) | | Marie Belew Wheatley | American Humane Association |
II. Guiding Principles
1. The mission of those involved in creating the Asilomar Accords is to work together to save the lives of all healthy and treatable companion animals.
2. We recognize that all stakeholders in the animal welfare community have a passion for and are dedicated to the mutual goal of saving animals' lives.
3. We acknowledge that the euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals is the sad responsibility of some animal welfare organizations that neither desired nor sought this task. We believe that the euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals is a community-wide problem requiring community-based solutions. We also recognize that animal welfare organizations can be leaders in bringing about a change in social and other factors that result in the euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals, including the compounding problems of some pet owners'/guardians' failure to spay and neuter; properly socialize and train; be tolerant of; provide veterinary care to; or take responsibility for companion animals.
4. We, as animal welfare stakeholders, agree to foster a mutual respect for one another. When discussing differences of policy and opinion, either publicly or within and among our own agencies, we agree to refrain from denigrating or speaking ill of one another. We will also encourage those other individuals and organizations in our sphere of influence to do the same.
5. We encourage all communities to embrace the vision and spirit of these Accords, while acknowledging that differences exist between various communities and geographic regions of the country.
6. We encourage the creation of local "community coalitions" consisting of a variety of organizations (e.g., governmental animal control agencies, nonprofit shelters, grassroots foster care providers, feral cat groups, funders and veterinary associations) for the purpose of saving the lives of healthy and treatable animals. We are committed to the belief that no one organization or type of organization can achieve this goal alone, that we need one another, and that the only true solution is to work together. We need to find common ground, put aside our differences and work collaboratively to reach the ultimate goal of ending the euthanasia of healthy and treatable companion animals.
7. While we understand that other types of programs and efforts (including adoption, spay and neuter programs, education, cruelty investigations, enforcement of animal control laws and regulations, behavior and training assistance and feral cat management) play a critical role in impacting euthanasia figures, for purposes of this nationwide initiative we have elected to leave these programs in the hands of local organizations and encourage them to continue offering, and expanding upon, these critical services.
8. In order to achieve harmony and forward progress, we encourage each community coalition to discuss language and terminology which has been historically viewed as hurtful or divisive by some animal welfare stakeholders (whether intentional or inadvertent), identify "problem" language, and reach a consensus to modify or phase out language and terminology accordingly.
9. We believe in the importance of transparency and the open sharing of accurate, complete animal-sheltering data and statistics in a manner which is clear to both the animal welfare community and the public.
10. We believe it is essential to utilize a uniform method for collecting and reporting shelter data, in order to promote transparency and better assess the euthanasia rate of healthy and treatable animals. We determined that a uniform method of reporting needs to include the collection and analysis of animal-sheltering data as set forth in the "Animal Statistics Table." These statistics need to be collected for each individual organization and for the community as a whole and need to be reported to the public annually (e.g., web sites, newsletters, annual reports). In addition, we determined that each community's "Live Release Rate" needs to be calculated, shared and reported annually to the public, individually by each organization and jointly by each community coalition. Both individual organizations and community coalitions should strive for continuous improvement of these numbers. The "Animal Statistics Table" and formulas for calculating the "Live Release Rate" are set forth in Section IV of these Accords.
11. We developed several standard "definitions" to enable uniform and accurate collection, analysis and reporting of animal-sheltering data and statistics. We encourage all communities to adopt the definitions which are set forth in Section III, and implement the principles of these Accords.
12. While we recognize that many animal welfare organizations provide services to companion animals other than dogs and cats, for purposes of this nationwide initiative we have elected to collect and share data solely as it relates to dogs and cats.
13. We are committed to continuing dialogue, analysis and potential modification of this vision as needs change and as progress is made toward achieving our mission.
14. Those involved in the development of the Asilomar Accords have agreed to make a personal commitment to ensure the furtherance of these accords, and to use their professional influence to bring about a nationwide adoption of this vision.
III. Definitions
In order to facilitate the data collection process and assure consistent reporting across agencies, the following definitions have been developed. The Asilomar participants hope that these definitions are applied as a standard for categorizing dogs and cats in each organization. The definitions, however, are not meant to define the outcome for each animal entrusted to our care. A glossary and more specific details and examples are included in the appendix portion of this document.
Healthy: The term "healthy" means and includes all dogs and cats eight weeks of age or older that, at or subsequent to the time the animal is taken into possession, have manifested no sign of a behavioral or temperamental characteristic that could pose a health or safety risk or otherwise make the animal unsuitable for placement as a pet, and have manifested no sign of disease, injury, a congenital or hereditary condition that adversely affects the health of the animal or that is likely to adversely affect the animal's health in the future.
Treatable: The term "treatable" means and includes all dogs and cats who are "rehabilitatable" and all dogs and cats who are "manageable."
Rehabilitatable: The term "rehabilitatable" means and includes all dogs and cats who are not "healthy," but who are likely to become "healthy," if given medical, foster, behavioral, or other care equivalent to the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community.
Manageable: The term "manageable" means and includes all dogs and cats who are not "healthy" and who are not likely to become "healthy," regardless of the care provided; but who would likely maintain a satisfactory quality of life, if given medical, foster, behavioral, or other care, including long-term care, equivalent to the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring owners/guardians in the community; provided, however, that the term "manageable" does not include any dog or cat who is determined to pose a significant risk to human health or safety or to the health or safety of other animals. Unhealthy and Untreatable: The term "unhealthy and untreatable" means and includes all dogs and cats who, at or subsequent to the time they are taken into possession,
(1) have a behavioral or temperamental characteristic that poses a health or safety risk or otherwise makes the animal unsuitable for placement as a pet, and are not likely to become "healthy" or "treatable" even if provided the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community; or
(2) are suffering from a disease, injury, or congenital or hereditary condition that adversely affects the animal's health or is likely to adversely affect the animal's health in the future, and are not likely to become "healthy" or "treatable" even if provided the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community; or
(3) are under the age of eight weeks and are not likely to become "healthy" or "treatable," even if provided the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community. IV. Annual Animal Statistics Table and Live Release Rate Formulas
1. Annual Animal Statistics Table
2. Annual Live Release Rate Formulas
3. Example of Data to Publish for an Individual Agency
4. Example of Data to Publish for a Community or Coalition
5. Glossary of Terms
Annual Animal Statistics Table
| | Dog | Cat | Total | A | BEGINNING SHELTER COUNT (date) | | | | | | | | | | INTAKE (Live Dogs & Cats Only) | | | | B | From the Public | | | | C | Incoming Transfers from Organizations within Community/Coalition | | | | D | Incoming Transfers from Organizations outside Community/Coalition | | | | E | From Owners/Guardians Requesting Euthanasia | | | | F | Total Intake [B + C + D + E] | | | | G | Owner/Guardian Requested Euthanasia (Unhealthy & Untreatable Only) | | | | H | ADJUSTED TOTAL INTAKE [F minus G] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | I | ADOPTIONS | | | | | | | | | J | OUTGOING TRANSFERS to Organizations within Community/Coalition | | | | | | | | | K | OUTGOING TRANSFERS to Organizations outside Community/Coalition | | | | | | | | | L | RETURN TO OWNER/GUARDIAN | | | | | | | | | | DOGS & CATS EUTHANIZED | | | | M | Healthy (Includes Owner/Guardian Requested Euthanasia) | | | | N | Treatable – Rehabilitatable (Includes Owner/Guardian Requested Euthanasia) | | | | O | Treatable – Manageable (Includes Owner/Guardian Requested Euthanasia) | | | | P | Unhealthy & Untreatable (Includes Owner/Guardian Requested Euthanasia) | | | | Q | Total Euthanasia [M + N + O + P] | | | | R | Owner/Guardian Requested Euthanasia (Unhealthy & Untreatable Only) | | | | S | ADJUSTED TOTAL EUTHANASIA [Q minus R] | | | | | | | | | T | SUBTOTAL OUTCOMES [I + J + K + L + S] Excludes Owner/Guardian Requested Euthanasia (Unhealthy & Untreatable Only) | | | | | | | | | U | DIED OR LOST IN SHELTER/CARE | | | | | | | | | V | TOTAL OUTCOMES [T + U] Excludes Owner/Guardian Requested Euthanasia (Unhealthy & Untreatable Only) | | | | | | | | | W | ENDING SHELTER COUNT (date) | | | |
To check the accuracy of the shelter data you've compiled, the Beginning Shelter Count (A) plus the Adjusted Total Intake (H) should equal the Total Outcomes (V) plus the Ending Shelter Count (W): A + H = V + W.
Annual Live Release Rate Formulas
The Annual Live Release Rate is calculated by dividing total live outcomes (adoptions, outgoing transfers, and return to owner/guardian) by total outcomes (total live outcomes plus euthanasia not including owner/guardian requested euthanasia or died/lost in shelter/care). NOTE: The Annual Live Release Rate Formula is different for an individual agency and a coalition or community due to transfers between agencies.
Calculation for an individual agency:
Adoptions + All Outgoing Transfers + Return to Owner/Guardian divided by Total Outcomes excluding owner/guardian requested euthanasia (unhealthy and untreatable), and dogs and cats that died or were lost in the shelter/care.
Annual Live Release Rate = (I + J + K + L) / (T) * 100 = _____ %
When reporting the Annual Live Release Rate for an individual agency, you should include the following statement: The Annual Live Release Rate does not include _____ owner/guardian requested euthanasia which were unhealthy & untreatable [see Line R] and _____ dogs and cats that died or were lost in the shelter/care [see Line U].
Calculation for community or coalition:
Adoptions + Return to Owner/Guardian divided by Total Outcomes excluding all outgoing transfers, owner/guardian requested euthanasia (unhealthy and untreatable), and dogs and cats that died or were lost in the shelter/care.
Annual Live Release Rate = (I + K + L) / (T – J)* 100 = _____ %
When reporting the Annual Live Release Rate for the community or a coalition, you should include the following statement: The Annual Live Release Rate does not include _____ owner/guardian requested euthanasia which were unhealthy & untreatable [see Line R] and _____ dogs and cats that died or were lost in the shelter/care [see Line U].
Example of Data to Publish for an Individual Agency
Annual Live Release Rate: 52%
The Annual Live Release Rate does not include 4,000 owner/guardian requested euthanasia which were unhealthy & untreatable and 200 dogs and cats that died or were lost in the shelter/care.
Annual Animal Statistics Table
| | Dog | Cat | Total | A | BEGINNING SHELTER COUNT (1/1/03) | 1,200 | 1,800 | 3,000 | | | | | | | INTAKE (Live Dogs & Cats Only) | | | | B | From the Public | 24,000 | 30,000 | 54,000 | C | Incoming Transfers from Organizations within Community/Coalition | 0 | 0 | 0 | D | Incoming Transfers from Organizations outside Community/Coalition | 0 | 0 | 0 | E | From Owners/Guardians Requesting Euthanasia | 1,800 | 2,200 | 4,000 | F | Total Intake [B + C + D + E] | 25,800 | 32,200 | |
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