Despite years of study and anecdotal evidence disproving the efficacy of shelter behavior evaluations, numerous shelters still use outdated testing methods as the singular guide for determining the care of shelter animals, to include decisions of euthanasia. 

How can pinching paws, taking away food, being petted by a fake hand, and meeting a stranger with an open umbrella possibly predict a dog’s behavior in a home environment? All this occurs in an already stressful situation, yet many animal shelters euthanize dogs for “failing” such tests.  

In December, 2022, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) released a 2nd edition of their Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters. In the update, ASV criticizes methods of behavior assessments in shelters based on two decades of work. “Studies have shown that behavior evaluation tests fail to reliably predict future behavior, particularly aggression, in a new home. Performing one stressful subtest after the next can negatively impact test results and the animal’s emotional well-being.”

After years of advocacy from organizations like ASV, many shelters are joining this attitude shift and changing their policies. They have modernized practices and no longer euthanize the problem away within a couple of days or weeks from intake. Instead, staff are using creative strategies from daily enrichment and field trips to training plans and volunteer programs. However, foster programs are the most important strategy for determining a dog’s true personality and temperament. In 2021, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement made the case for innovative foster programs to get dogs out of shelters and prepped for adoption. 

Animal Rescue Konnection (ARK) is devoted to helping dogs with behavioral challenges, equating canine physical health with behavioral health. If a dog with a limp or a lump is treated, why not a dog with fear-aggression, anxiety, prey drive, or reactivity? With human fault normally the blame for unwanted behavior, these dogs are particularly deserving of care.

What can the average person do to help? Volunteer! Shelter dogs need daily walks, one-on-one play time, field trips, and most of all, fostering. You can give them a break from sensory overload and confinement, conditions that are often responsible for causing the behaviors that can lead to euthanasia. In reality most of these dogs are home-able pets. 

#JustSaveThem