Presented at the American Pets Alive No-Kill Conference 2014.

1. Following Up and Saving Lives
Presented By:
Mike Kaviani,
Dog Behavior Program Manager
Austin Pets Alive!
In Cooperation with:
Aimee Sadler, Director of Behavior and Training
Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation

2. Why Adoption Follow-Up?
• Learning from our adoptions
– What can our community bear?
– What trends do we see in behavior problems in the home compared
to those we saw in the shelter (or in past history)
– AFU (in addition to life-saving mission) guides our behavior depts.
• Positive outcomes from AFU
– Able to place behavior dogs if we can offer the support
– Helps to keep more animals out of our shelters!
– Learning more about behavior and context
– Long-term collaborative relationships with adopters
• Revisiting Our Mission Statements to save more lives!
– Hopeful trend for more resources supporting them on the way out
rather than screening them on their way in! …better aligned.
Copyright © 2011 by Aimee Sadler, All Rights Reserved

3. Behavior Department
Vision Statement
We will provide the animals in our care all available resources to enhance their
quality of life while sheltered and to save as many lives as possible. We will
recognize, respect, and treat each animal as an individual. We will utilize all tools
and techniques in our training and behavior programs to teach and support
healthy and appropriate behavior for companion animals within our communities.
We will continue to learn and develop our skill sets as handlers and trainers so
that we may meet the needs of as many sheltered animals as possible. We will
support our adopters in strengthening and nourishing their fundamental bond
with their companion animals. We will share our program successes with other
animal welfare organizations to support life-saving efforts beyond our own shelter
and community.
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

4. Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All
rights reserved
SASF APA!
Yearly Intake 1,000 animals annually 2,620 dogs in 2013 YTD
Avg. # of Dogs on Site 70 180 (200 in foster)
Daily Staffing (Dog Depts.) Behavior: 2-3
Kennel/Adoptions: 6
Behavior: 1-2
Kennel/Adoptions: 4
SASF to APA!

5. What We Provide
• All Complimentary
– Phone consultations
– Private sessions at the shelter or home
– Group classes
– Board & Train (SASF)
• No time limit for AFU support
– Can’t provide ongoing training, but we do provide support for
issues or behavior concerns
***Support surrendering when deemed more appropriate***
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

6. Sensitivity to Aggression
To save more lives our industry needs to address our
understanding and response to animal aggression:
Sheltering Field (can’t win)
• “…too many good dogs destroyed to
expend resources on dogs with issues…”
VS.
• “You don’t understand!...they just need to be loved…”
Professional Training Field
• the only thing two trainers can agree upon is what the third
trainer is doing wrong!
Human Nature (defense mechanism)
• my diagnosis is “right”…but…what if you’re wrong???
• litigious society…how many shelters have shut their doors???
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

7. What is vicious?
Vicious: given or readily disposed to evil; grossly immoral; depraved
Aggression: An unprovoked attack. Aggressive action or practices.
• Can be legitimate communication
• Disproportionate response = aberrant behavior
Threat: A declaration of an intention to inflict
injury or pain.
Warning: Admonition, advice, recommendation.
*Defense: The act of defending or guarding.
*Offense: The act of offending; a fault, sin or crime.
*Defense vs. Offense*
The behavior can look the same but is motivated differently, therefore,
it should be handled differently!!!
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved
Photo by Hany Hosny

8. Things to Consider
(Resources pertain)
• Triggers
– are they predictable?
– are there too many?
– can they be controlled
• Thresholds
– how much to blow them?
– push (rather than provoke)…then TEACH/TRAIN to
develop coping skills
• Risks
– Skill level and compliance of adopters
sufficient? (handling and management)
Copyright © 2011 by Aimee Sadler, All Rights Reserved

9. Our Lines in the Sand
• Offensive Aggression to PEOPLE
– it’s rare…usually defensive no matter how ugly
– when being aggressive is a self-rewarding behavior
– when flight is an option but fight is the chosen response
● Uninterruptible Drive
- when the handler can not influence behavior
- when is an animal allowed to be an animal?
● Unpredictable Aggression
– how can we work on a behavior if we can’t identify the
triggers?
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

10. Champ
• Surrendered as 4 mo. puppy for
“aggression” to the children
• While sheltered, determined to be deaf
• Failed original Bval for high arousal with hard
mouthing…behavior staff only
• Worked on ecollar mastering 10 hand cues and qualified as
“CGC ready!”
• Used as demo dog for disabled children for the ‘Fresh Air
Fund’
• Sheltered for 8 months…adopted November of 2010
• 4 hours of AFU (2 @ home, 2 @ shelter)
• Family volunteers walking dogs while Champ attends play
group
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

11. Cleo
• Came in as a stray…slightly shy
• Passed original Bval
• Soft with dogs in play group
• Once home strong territorial guarding with visitors
and extreme OLR to people, dogs and vehicles
• Sheltered for 1 month…adopted December, 2010
• 8 hours of AFU (2 @ home, 6 @ shelter)
• Adopters volunteer walking dogs while Cleo attends
play group
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

12. Domino
• Transfer from another shelter
• Failed original Bval for handling
• Dog social and no signs of OLR while sheltered
• Once home strong territorial guarding with visitors,
extreme OLR to people, dogs and vehicles and
intolerance to handling
• Sheltered for less than 1 month…adopted April, 2010
• 5 hours of AFU (2 @ home, 3 @ shelter)
• Tim and I have become BFF’s 
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

13. Sydney
• Came in as a stray
• Failed original Bval for extreme FG
• 2 weeks of Bmod for FG while sheltered
• Sheltered for 2.5 months…adopted November, 2010
• 1 hour of AFU (at our request for documentation)
• No FG exhibited in the home
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

14. Smokie
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All
rights reserved
• Transferred from City Shelter
• Shy with new people, immediately available for adoption
after transfer
• Sheltered for a little more than 1 month…adopted by a
family with two children on April 12th, 2012
• Immediately after being brought home, severe fear issues
developed, hiding from family members and visitors,
refusing to come inside and hiding in the bushes
• After several months, Smokie had bonded closely with
Jenny, but remained anti-social with the rest of the family
and fearful of new situations and people, and was still
unable to consistently walk outside on a leash.
• 2 hours of AFU (1 phone consultation, 1 in-shelter training
session, and documentation request)

15. Who’d a Thunk?
HISTORY BVAL
PERTINENT
BEHAVIOR
RESOLVED
LENGTH
IN
HOME
AFU
CHAMP Yes Fail Somewhat Yes 3 yrs. Yes
CLEO No Pass No Yes
2 yrs. and
10 mos.
Yes
DOMINO No Fail Yes/No Yes
3 yrs. and
6 mos.
Yes
SYDNEY No Fail No Yes 3 yrs. No
Smokie
(Adopted prior
to formation of
Behavior
Department)
No Pass Yes Yes
1 yr. and
6 mos.
Yes
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

16. Can we really predict?
• Territorial behaviors
– Tend not to be triggered while
sheltered
• Behavior Assessments Validated?
– Scientists keep trying…not there yet
• Shelter vs. Home
– is not necessarily contextual!!!
• Relationship
– can profoundly affect behavior and
can not be scientifically measured
• Concerning Behavior
– can escalate once home…or
disappear?!? Collecting data…
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

17. Industry Obstacles to Saving Lives
• Industry Standards:
– Behavior Evaluations as culling tools
– Categories of adoptable…how?
– Breed labeling dogs of unknown origin (visit NCRC)
– Emotional issues over training tools and techniques
– Misguided “Do No Harm”…but death doesn’t count?!?
– Aggression and Dominance oversimplified and misunderstood
• Resource Deficits: (different per organization)
– Qualified volunteer coordinators…#1 priority!!!
– Staff time/Facility space
– Monetary Limitations
– Training & Behavior skill set
– Brave Leadership in the face of societal challenges…
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

18. 2013 - YTD
Canine Statistics
SASF
(1,000 animals in 2012)
APA!
(2,620 YTD)
Canine Live Release Rate 97% 95% (94% City of Austin)
Average Length of Stay 27 days 28 days
42 days for “big dogs”
Returned Adoption rate 11.5% 11.5%
% of Returns for Behavior
(adopter’s version)
37.5% 30.5%
% of Returns for Pertinent Behavior
(shelter’s version)
1% 1.5%
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

19. • Revisit your mission statements 
• Employ full-time, well qualified volunteer coordinators
• Revisit behavior evaluations and how to use the information to
allocate resources rather than to cull
• Avoid breed specific policies…strive to treat them as individuals
• Measure behavior department success with raw statistics rather
than categorized statistics
• Embrace comprehensive approaches to training and behavior
issues and allow community pros to help!
• Network and create relationships to support
animals based upon your shelter’s resources
• Develop adoption follow-up programs!!!
Getting to the next level:
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved

20. • The longer we are in sheltering the less confident we
are in predicting!
• You never know until you try  …and we’ve learned
a ton about behavior from our Adoption Follow-Up
Programs!
• Once an animal is gone there is no way of knowing
what they could have been in another context…or
with relationship.
• We’d rather support our adoptions
than euthanize just in case…
because we love being wrong!
What we have learned from them…
Copyright © 2011 by Aimee Sadler, All Rights Reserved

21. Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation
Southampton, NY
aimee@sasfinc.org
www.southamptonanimalshelter.com
Point of View Training & Consulting, LLC
303-775-5491
Professional IACP Member #1449
Copyright 2011© by Aimee Sadler, All rights reserved
In Cooperation With:
Aimee Sadler
Director of Training & Behavior
Mike Kaviani
Dog Behavior Program Manager
Austin Pets Alive!
Austin, TX
mike.kaviani@austinpetsalive.org
www.austinpetsalive.org
949-697-8451