Personnel Training and Safety – Minimum Kennel Staffing Needs
Approved: 02/08/03
Policy Statement
NACA recommends that each shelter and animal care facility be staffed each day with the appropriate number of kennel personnel to insure that every animal is properly cared for in a safe and humane manner and to maintain a safe working environment for employees.
Basis For Policy
Caring for sheltered animals requires daily cleaning and sanitation to reduce the spread of disease, maintain the health of the shelter population and to maintain a clean and odor free facility. Shelters and animal care facilities must maintain an appropriate daily feeding schedule for each animal in its care and insure there is adequate staff and time to complete all the other duties and responsibilities of caring for sheltered animals including but not limited to laundry, dish washing, lost and found, stocking and inventory of supplies, janitorial, and supplemental waste removal throughout the day.
It is the responsibility of every animal shelter and animal care facility to meet or exceed the minimum standards of animal care for all impounded animals by maintaining a staffing level that insures that the minimum animal care standards are adhered to on a daily basis without putting staff at risk of injury.
Formula for Determining Kennel Staffing Needs
Indicator |
Value |
Formula |
Value |
Indicator |
Incoming Animals per Year |
A |
÷ by 365 days = |
AA |
Incoming Animals per Day |
Incoming Animals per Day |
AA |
x B Day Average Hold Period = |
BB |
Animals in Shelter per Day |
Animals in Shelter Per Day |
BB |
x 10 Minutes per Animal = |
CC |
Number of Minutes Needed |
Minutes Needed |
CC |
÷ 60 minutes = |
DD |
Number of Hours Needed |
Number of Hours Needed |
DD |
÷ 3 hours = |
EE |
Staff Needed per Day |
Source: The Humane Society of the United States
- The average total of live domestic animals received by your agency over a 3-5 year period.
- Using your agency's average or minimum legal holding period in days (the number of days required by law to hold an impounded animal for possible redemption). Keep in mind that some animals may be held for a much shorter period; however, many animals may be held for a period exceeding your average.
- This formula is based on a per-animal time of 7 minutes for cleaning and 3 minutes for feeding.
- These 3 hours are solely for the performance of cleaning and feeding - allow further time in the day to perform routine maintenance such as laundry, dishes, lost and found checks, etc.