Wellbeing in animal shelters—a one welfare approach

Approximately 6.3 million dogs and cats enter United States animal shelters annually. While in the shelter, animals experience extreme stress and some are ultimately euthanized. Animal shelter staff not only have to provide daily care for the animals, but also have to make quality of life decisions for them. Chapter 1 addresses how the interrelatedness of human and animal welfare inside and outside of animal sheltering has led to the development of the One Welfare framework. One Welfare refers to an umbrella that encompasses the interactions between animal welfare, human wellbeing, and the social and physical environment. In an attempt to address One Welfare in sheltering, Reeve (2004) described an animal shelter welfare triad. The animal welfare triad refers to the connection between human wellbeing, animal welfare, and organizational health.

This dissertation aims to address each as aspect of the animal welfare triad. First the dissertation addresses human wellbeing by exploring the relationship between identifying as an animal shelter employee and perceived social support (Chapter 2). In an attempt to better understand canine in-kennel welfare, the dissertation explores the similarities and differences in how animal shelter employees, behavior professionals, and the public determine and improve welfare (Chapter 3). Finally, the dissertation explores organizational health by evaluating the feasibility of implementing motivational interviewing (MI) training in animal shelters (Chapter 4) .

The dissertation also discusses the importance and benefit of taking a One Welfare approach in future animal shelter research. It is impossible to tease apart the interrelatedness of human and animal welfare in sheltering. Acknowledging the connection is essential to maximize welfare outcomes for both humans and animals.

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