Best Practices and Operating Guidelines

The IAWF has evaluated and endorsed the following guidelines for the operation of animal shelter and animal control programs. 

Association of Shelter Veterinarians

https://www.sheltervet.org/resources/guidelines

The ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters were originally released in 2010 to serve as a pivotal resource for the care of shelter animals in the US and around the world. The second edition of the Guidelines, published in December 2022, incorporates advances in shelter medicine knowledge to expand on the previous document.  

Like the original, the Second Edition is written for all personnel caring for shelter animals in a variety of settings, including foster based organizations, nonprofit humane societies and SPCAs, municipal animal services facilities, and sanctuaries.  The revised edition was authored by 19 veterinarians representing animal shelters, higher education and national non-profit organizations. Every recommendation in the latest edition was unanimously agreed upon by the task force members, just as was for the original document.

The entire document can be downloaded and/or seen in a checklist format. The checklist is also available in an Excel spreadsheet making it easier to sort and print only certain sections. Training videos are also available and the guidelines have been translated into French and Spanish.