Socially Conscious Shelter

Ventura County Animal Services has joined a growing number of animal welfare organizations across the country in adopting a new sheltering framework. This model is called Socially Conscious Sheltering (SCS). This SCS model and the No-Kill model are not mutually exclusive. VCAS utilized the no-kill model to help guide us on our initial journey. Through it, we created, and still maintain, many of the positions and programs vital to the movement.

This new framework aligns with our core values of being an organization that encourages cooperation and collaboration with all stakeholders (elected officials, community members, private veterinarians, transfer/rescue partners, law enforcement, non-profit organizations, local businesses, volunteers and other animal welfare agencies). We wish to promote a positive culture of mutual respect and support.

We are excited to embrace the newly created SCS model to help us continue these efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are you still a no-kill shelter given your adoption of the SCS model? Yes. VCAS continues to meet and/or exceed all no-kill benchmarks while maintaining a 90% or higher live release rate. It is critical to note that VCAS will never compromise the health and safety of an animal in order to maintain a statistic. Our Live Release Rate is simply the result of hard work and our normal life-saving practices. This statistic does not govern or control our daily activities, and decisions are never made in order to maintain a 90% LRR or higher. Some months, the Live Release Rate dips below 90%. We are fully transparent about this, and other statistics, as they are posted each month on our statistics page. Though our overall, annual live release rate has continued to be above the 90% benchmark..

The adoption of the Socially Conscious Sheltering model does not change our day-to-day life-saving efforts that we have grown and have continued to build upon since 2013. SCS is simply a framework that more accurately describes who we are as an inclusive, positive, and compassionate animal welfare organization. We continue to work towards finding the best possible outcomes for all animals which is the fundamental goal of this model. SCS provides a clear message about our commitment to providing quality care to the people and animals of Ventura County.

Q: What is socially conscious sheltering?
Socially Conscious Sheltering is a compassionate, transparent and thoughtful model for animal welfare organizations. There are eight (8) tenets of Socially Conscious Sheltering:

1. Place every healthy and safe animal.

Every single one. Healthy is defined as either having no signs of clinical disease or evidence of disease that a veterinarian determines has a good or excellent prognosis for a comfortable life. Safe means that the animal has not exhibited behavior that is likely to result in severe injury or death to another animal or person.

2. Ensure every unwanted or homeless pet has a safe place to go for shelter and care.

An animal’s opportunity to be nurtured, healed, and re-homed should not depend on their age or condition—every community must have a shelter that accepts all animals brought to it. It is unacceptable to turn animals away because they are too old, too sick, or too broken.

3. Assess the medical and behavioral needs of homeless animals and ensure these needs are thoughtfully addressed.

Animals housed in shelters and rescues must be assessed for disease and injury and must have all medical conditions addressed so the animal does not suffer. These animals must also have their behavioral needs assessed and met, including enrichment sufficient to make them comfortable and to prevent self-destructive, obsessive-compulsive coping behaviors.

4. Align shelter policy with the needs of the community.

Does the community allow trap-neuter-return programs? If so, offer them. Will members of your community adopt animals with chronic disease, are they willing to assume the time and expense of managing that disease? If so, with full disclosure, place them in these homes. Socially Conscious Shelters listen to their communities.

5. Alleviate suffering and make appropriate euthanasia decisions.

Compassionate euthanasia is a gift. It is not acceptable to let a terminally ill, suffering animal languish in a cage until it dies naturally when compassionate euthanasia can ease that endless pain. It is not acceptable to house a known dangerous animal who cannot be safely placed in the community for years until it goes crazy in a cage. Each euthanasia decision is difficult, and every decision must consider the welfare of the individual animal.

6. Enhance the human-animal bond through safe placements and post adoption support.

Integrating a living being into a new home can be difficult. As adoption agencies, Socially Conscious Shelters have a responsibility to support the new family. This can mean post-adoption behavior advice, classes for new pet caregivers, addressing shelter related medical needs and being willing to accept the animal back if the pet and the family are not a good fit. It also means not placing animals into homes that disrupt the human-animal bond by injuring children, other pets and other people. There are many behavior issues that can be addressed through behavior modification and positive experiences. There are other behaviors that are dangerous and that cannot be mitigated.

7. Consider the health, wellness and safety of animals for each community when transferring animals.

Moving dogs and cats from communities that do not have homes available for them to communities where people are actively seeking pets saves lives. However, bringing pets into a community is a responsibility. It is a responsibility to the animals already living in that community to not bring in infectious diseases that would make them sick. It is a responsibility to those living within the community to bring in animals that will live in harmony. And there is a responsibility to the community from which animals are being moved to impact that community’s animal welfare struggles through humane education and spay and neuter programs

8. Foster a culture of transparency, ethical decision making, mutual respect, continual learning and collaboration.

Socially Conscious Shelters are committed to full transparency. This can include reporting accurate statistics, sharing policies, and fully and quickly admitting when mistakes are made. Integrity must be the foundation of all decisions. Every shelter can learn something from every other shelter—it is important to be curious and to share innovative solutions to common problems. Only by working together can we ensure the best outcomes for all animals.

Q: How was the Socially Conscious Sheltering movement developed and initiated?

A: The Socially Conscious Sheltering movement was created because of the intense need for this conversation. In Colorado, four (4) large animal shelters practiced Socially Conscious Sheltering without having articulated it as such. The CEOs of these shelters (Jan McHugh Smith, Judy Calhoun, Lisa Pederson and Apryl Steele) met to discuss their animal welfare beliefs, including shelter practices. Out of that conversation came the Socially Conscious Sheltering (SCS) model. The model was then shared with shelter CEOs from across the United States for their feedback, each shelter with different communities, intake policies and levels of community engagement. The insight was incorporated into the fundamental goals of Socially Conscious Sheltering, and a website, www.scsheltering.org, was created. Before a marketing strategy could be developed, Socially Conscious Sheltering was adopted by the animal sheltering community and by several municipalities. – Source: www.SCSheltering.org

Frequently Asked Questions

LOCATION AND HOURS OF OPERATION

CAMARILLO ANIMAL SHELTER

Simi valley Animal Shelter

Contact information

CLOSED HOLIDAYS*

pet licensing

TRANSLATE DISCLAIMER

I WANT TO...