Author Topic: The Five Freedoms  (Read 1716 times)

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Offline try another castle

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The Five Freedoms
« on: April 19, 2011, 12:45:16 AM »
... of shelter care. (sorry, no, not a doo-wop band.)

I have a job in animal care at a no-kill shelter. (SPCA) A few months ago, my co-workers and I attended a care and treatment seminar for shelter wellness/standards.

Because of the fact that shelter conditions can range from amazing to a downright deplorable nightmare, the The Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) came up with official guidelines of animal care, part of those being The Five Freedoms.

1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst

by ready access to fresh water and diet to maintain health and vigor.

2. Freedom from Discomfort

by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

3. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease

by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

4. Freedom to Express Normal Behavior

by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.

5. Freedom from Fear and Distress

by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.


In some ways, I suppose people could say "no duh", but if it really were, then I suppose it would seem obvious to everyone, right? I'm quite impressed by how concise it is. (Obviously the larger Standards of Care report goes into specifics...) Shelter life is incredibly stressful, even in the best of facilities. Because of this, an animal can experience an array of problems as a result of stress, from behavior to medical. As a result, it's important to minimize stress and discomfort as much as possible, and only use positive reinforcement for any sort of behavior training.

I'm not saying that these standards should be applied to the TTI, since I find that industry to be fraudulent and as a result, irrelevant. (Anything but amazing) However, I obviously think that animal care has legitimacy as an industry, (although cats are forbidden from making phone calls. Dogs can, but only if they know how to "speak".  ::) )

For me, this isn't a political issue as much as it is a personal philosophy. When I first learned about this paper, it resonated with me on a few additional planes of thought and experience, (one of them being my tenure at the duckfarm, of course).

Empathy can take numerous forms, I suppose. I guess that's why I wanted to post about it.





I have no idea where to put this topic. The stuff I mention about the TTI is more of a subset than the main point.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Che Gookin

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Re: The Five Freedoms
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2011, 06:04:46 AM »
You work in a no kill facility?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline try another castle

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Re: The Five Freedoms
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2011, 12:10:00 AM »
Yup. Im a cat maid.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »