Fostering a Compassionate Community through Socially Conscious Sheltering.
Every community should have a refuge that welcomes all animals in need. Public shelters should never reject animals they consider unadoptable or difficult to place. Nor should they warehouse animals in cages indefinitely or give them away indiscriminately to anyone who will take them. Animals should never be allowed to suffer and die unassisted and alone in order artificially raise live release rates.
At its core, Socially Conscious Sheltering is about working in collaboration with partners and the community to support the individual needs of people and their pets. FOHAS aims to provide access to resources and services that improve the welfare of vulnerable animals in our community.
Tenants of a Socially Conscious Animal Shelter.
- Making every healthy and safe animal available for adoption.
- Ensuring that every unwanted or homeless animal has a safe place to go for shelter and care.
- Assessing and addressing homeless animals’ medical and behavioral needs.
- Alleviating suffering and making appropriate euthanasia decisions.
- Enhancing the human-animal bond through safe placements and post-adoption support.
- Enhancing the human-animal bond through safe placements and post-adoption support.
- Promoting transparency, ethics, respect, and ongoing learning.
- Prioritizing the safety and well-being of animals and people during adoptions and transfers.
Tenants of the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare
- Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
- Freedom from Discomfort
- Freedom from Pain, Injury, or Disease
- Freedom to Express Normal Behavior
- Freedom from Fear and Distress