A couple of years ago, Dr. Cristie Kamiya, Chief of Shelter Medicine at Humane Society Silicon Valley and Koret Shelter Medicine Program alumna, had an ambitious idea: meet all 543 “must, should, and ideal” guidelines in the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ 2010 “Guidelines to Standards of Care in Animal Shelters” white paper.

In order to achieve that goal, HSSV would have to meet all minimum standards of humane care, match all strong recommendations, and implement all the best practices set forth in the Guidelines. KSMP Program Director, Dr. Kate Hurley, one of 14 co-authors of the ASV’s Guidelines, led a marathon two-day KSMP team effort to verify HSSV’s implementation in November, 2017. The determination: HSSV is the world’s first “Model Shelter” based on the Guidelines. Today, teams at HSSV and the KSMP announced the achievement at a joyous celebration.

“My colleagues on the ASV board and I crafted the guidelines in the unshakable belief that providing great care would amplify lifesaving in animal shelters,” explains Dr. Hurley. “We needed a shelter to show not only that the standards exist as a model, but that they can actually be accomplished and maintained. Words can’t explain how it feels to see our vision in action at HSSV.”

The ASV Guidelines provide a tool that “allow[s] communities and animal welfare organizations of all sizes, whether a large organization, a small home based effort or something in between… to identify minimum standards of care, as well as best and unacceptable practices.” Download a PDF of the Guidelines.