June 20, 2022

Audience: Executive Leadership, Foster Caregivers, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers

The Community-Centric Animal Services Practices (CCASP) survey was launched in March 2021 and distributed by Maddie's Fund® and several national partners.

Community-Centric Animal Services Practices (CCASP) are programs and policies that sheltering organizations use to support people and pets through engagement with their community. CCASP include programs such as returning lost animals in the field, using foster care instead of housing animals in a shelter facility, helping people to keep their pets instead of surrendering them and more.

The objective was to establish baseline data on the utilization of various CCASPs in this first survey. The survey audience was comprised of representatives from government organizations with a physical shelter and private organizations with a physical shelter and a government contract. We'll be conducting this survey again in the future so we can track progression of community-centric animal services.

The survey asked respondents about the following general categories:

  • Services (including field services), policies and practices
  • Public support (keeping pets in homes and self-rehoming support)
  • Shelter operations, including volunteers, foster care and adoption practices
  • Partnerships (e.g., with other shelters, human social services)

View the survey findings & comprehensive report