ANIMAL BEHAVIOR FOR SHELTER VETERINARIANS AND STAFF

Section 1: Pets in the community
1 Introduction to dog behavior 5
2 Introduction to cat behavior 31
3 Behavior risks for relinquishment 46
4 The relationship between physiology and behavior in dogs and cats 63
5 Behavioral ecology of free ]roaming/community cats 102
Section 2: Dogs in the shelter
6 Intake and assessment 131
7 Housing, husbandry, and behavior of dogs in animal shelters 145
8 C anine enrichment 160
9 Training and behavior modification for the shelter 172
Section 3: Cats in the shelter
10 Feline intake and assessment 191
11 Feline housing 218
12 Environmental and behavioral enrichment for cats 234
13 Training and behavior modification for shelter cats 250
Section 4: From shelter to homes
14 The adoption process: The interface with the human animal 269
15 Safety nets and support for pets at risk of entering the sheltering system 286
16 Adopter support: Using postadoption programs to maximize adoption success 292
17 Lost and found 358
Appendix 1 Canine body language 366
Appendix 2 Feline body language 371
Appendix 3 Five freedoms for animal welfare 375
Index 376

Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff presents and evaluates the available research and programs that address both animal and human behaviors associated with the intake, management and rehoming of dog and cats.
- Introductions to dog and cat behavior relevant to any animal professional
- Reviews behavioral reasons for the relinquishment of dogs and cats
- Describes intake and assessment protocol, shelter design, training and enrichment programs that reduce stress and enhance behavioral well-being
- Concepts to improve the adoption process and support the human-animal bond post-adoption

Authors
Emily Weiss, PhD, CAAB is Vice President of Shelter Research and Development for The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She has been involved in shelter behavior for over 25 years. She has published numerous peer reviewed manuscripts as well as book chapters, and serves on advisory boards and committees of national shelter programs.
Heather Mohan-Gibbons, MS, RVT, ACAAB is the Director of Research and Applied Behavior for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Her current work focuses on improving the lives of animals and reducing their risks in communities. For the past twenty years, she worked professionally with exotic and domestic animals in veterinary clinics, universities, federal and state governments, animal shelters, and her own animal behavior business. She has lectured extensively on animal behavior and has published several peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters.
Stephen Zawistowski, PhD, CAAB is Science Advisor of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He is a certified applied animal behaviorist and chaired the Animal Behavior Society’s Board of Professional Certification from 1998-2007. He co-edited Animal Shelter Medicine (with Lila Miller, 2004) and the second edition in 2013.