Tips for Working & Living Safely with Animals
by Dr. Sue Chan, California Education Through Animals/CETA Foundation www.cetafoundation.com
This article was written for people handling animals that they don’t know well, such as in a shelter, vet’s office, boarding kennel or grooming shop. It is a distillation of principles I've learned over 40 years of living and working with a variety of animal species, and is meant to convey very general concepts. For more details, I highly recommend that people read a variety of books on training their species of interest and glean what works best for them.
A fearful animal is a dangerous animal.
If the animal is responding fearfully toward something/someone/some noise, remove them from that situation as soon as possible
Do not force the issue until you know how the animal will react and what it's trigger point is.
Animals pick up on your fears and anxieties, so it is important to act calmly around them. Do not work with an animal if you cannot control your own fear.
Do not hold an animal in a way that causes pain because pain creates fear.
Learn holds that are firm but non-painful, ie don't push joints into an abnormal position.
Deep pressure is calming. (Dr. Temple Grandin writes about this phenomenon in "Animals In Translation.")
Use a large towel around the head and body to protect yourself from teeth and claws of a struggling animal.
Do not reach into a cage or crate with your bare hands to pull out a nervous animal.
Give frightened animals a place to hide so they will feel safe and be able to calm down for periods of time. A box or a paper bag will work. If they don't have a chance to rest away from curious eyes, then they will have a harder time trusting. Once they feel secure, rested and more brave, they will gradually become comfortable with venturing out.
Picking up or leashing a frightened animal
Sit on the floor or crouch down to look smaller and less threatening
Turn your body sideways and reach your hand out toward the ground, not in their face
Stay far enough away to jump/pull back if they try to bite
Use a "baby voice" to call to the animal. Deep loud voices are more scary.
If you can get close, try to slip a leash over its head. Often the animal will come with you willingly once it feels the leash around its neck.
With smaller animals, throw a towel over the animal and bundle it up so that it can't flail with its limbs or bite you. Animals will stop struggling when they decide the struggling isn't getting them anywhere. Always remember to make sure the restraint isn't pressing on the airways or chest. The animal will struggle harder if it feels like its suffocating.
Avoid Extended Chases Work in a confined space to reduce the amount of chasing you need to do. The longer you have to chase the animal, the more worked up and afraid it will become and the more it will take to calm it down.
Develop a trusting relationship with any new animal: Once you have it in your hands, massage the neck and back to get it to relax. Firm, slow strokes (Imagine what kind of back rub makes YOU melt!)Gradually reduce the amount of restraint as the animal relaxes and you feel confident that the situation is safe.
A rescue animal is very loyal once it finds someone to trust.
The animal will learn to trust others if its "trusted person" is there to hand it over to a new person. This technique reduces fearful reactions.
Animals pick up on your state of mind The "trusted person" must remain calm for the animal to be calm. Anger will make they fearful. Fear will make them anxious. Help transfer that trust by providing them an introduction to new people. Remember that new things are often scary.
Learning never ends Never assume that any animal is "safe." Animals react differently to different people for reasons that we can't see. Learn the body language that tells you when it's safe to touch them and when you need to use some safety measures before proceeding. Though reading books and watching videos help a lot, it takes time and experience to learn to read animals. Be vigilant for changes in moods even with animals you know well. Recognize your own limitations but don't be afraid to try something new. Just be sure you can restrain the animal by yourself if the situation gets hairy or have back-up people around to help you. Even people who have been doing it for years are occasionally bitten, clawed or otherwise injured. It's all part of the learning process.Updated 1/09