Animals held for legal reasons and awaiting court cases survey
Please complete this brief survey to help us learn about the volume, care standards, and impact of 'court case' animals impounded at your animal services facility. Data will be anonymized and aggregated before any of it publicly shared.
Name
First Name
Last Name
Email
example@example.com
What organization do you work or volunteer for?
What is your role in the organization?
Tell us a little about how your organization handles confiscated animals who are held as part of a legal case.
Does your organization use any legal process to gain custody of an animal when the owner cannot pay fees or fines up front? (sometimes called a 'civil forfeiture,' or 'bond and forfeit' process)?
Yes
No
Other
On average, animals involved in court cases are held in our custody for:
Less than 30 days (Less than one month)
30 to 90 days (one to three months)
91 to 180 days (three to six months)
181 to 360 days (six months to one year)
More than 360 days (more than one year)
What is the LONGEST an animal has been held for a court case in the past year?
Less than 30 days
30 to 90 days
91 to 180 days
181 to 360 days
361 days to 1.5 years
1.5 to 2 years
Longer than 2 years
Which of the following are significant barriers to getting animals on court or legal holds out of the shelter?
Disconnect among various agencies involved ( eg. police, animal control, prosecutors)
Difficulty getting the case through the court system
Appeals process
Animals get 'lost' in the system
Other
Animals held on legal or court holds are:
Treated like all other animals in our custody
Held as 'evidence' and not handled unless necessary
Only handled by designated staff members
Animals on court or legal holds are given daily kennel breaks.
Never
1
2
3
4
Always
5
1 is Never, 5 is Always
Animals on court or legal holds are given in-kennel enrichment.
Never
1
2
3
4
Always
5
1 is Never, 5 is Always
Animals on court or legal holds are given the opportunity to go to foster homes.
Never
1
2
3
4
Always
5
1 is Never, 5 is Always
Animals on court or legal holds are able to have supervised visits with their owner or owner's family member?
Never
1
2
3
4
Always
5
1 is Never, 5 is Always
Where are animals on court or legal holds housed in the facility?
In a non-public area other than bite quarantine
In a secure bite or rabies quarantine area
In public-facing kennels
In a special facility or area designated for these cases
It depends on the particular case or type of hold
What is the most common outcome for an animal on a court or legal hold?
adopted
Returned to their owner
transferred to a rescue
euthanized
The biggest challenge when it comes to animals on court and legal holds is:
Time and energy spent caring for them
Laws or policies that prevent us from providing adequate enrichment and exercise
Euthanasia at the conclusion of a case
Many of them should not have been confiscated in the first place
They take up space we need for other animals
Behavioral/emotional decline over time
What would you most like to see change when it comes to animals on court or legal holds?
They'd receive the same level of care and enrichment as other animals
They'd be in the shelter as long as necessary
We'd have volunteers and fosters who are dedicated to their wellbeing while in our custody
They would leave the shelter alive (with the exception of truly dangerous dogs)
Other
What else would you like to share when it comes to animals in your shelter on a court or other legal hold? What are the challenges? What would a better system look like?
May I reach out to you for more information or to participate in a focus group on this topic?
Yes
No
Submit
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