COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures

*Effective Monday, June 1, 2020* Updated - 11/24/2020

Our goal in implementing these standard operating procedures is to protect our staff, volunteers and community and keep them healthy, perform transactions with the public safely, and limit exposure and transmission of the novel coronavirus.
These procedures, in addition to all standing procedures are to be followed until further notice.
Individuals that fail to adhere to these policies will be asked to leave the premises and refused service.

PPE and Precautions

• **At this time, all members of the public will be asked to stay outside of our facility unless absolutely necessary.**
• Masks must be worn by all individuals. No mask, no service.
• Social distancing will be practiced and strictly enforced. It is mandatory for all patrons to practice six feet of social distancing when interacting with anyone at the facility.
• Staff members engaging in any customer service activities are required to wear a mask, gloves, plastic face shield, and a gown.
• Hands should be frequently sanitized. Hand sanitizer is available upon request.
• In order to carry out all of these duties thoroughly and effectively we will be significantly decreasing our normal animal housing capacity by accepting less transfer animals from out-of-state and less behavioral cases at this time
• Additional PPE and precautions may arise as we see necessary

Adoptions:

• All animals available for adoption will be viewable online at hsspv.org/adopt
• For interested individuals without access to the internet, please call HSSPV for further assistance
• Please contact the front desk with any inquiries you may have about any of the animals.
• In order to meet with an animal, you are required to submit an application for approval
• Customer service staff will send application upon request
• Once application is completed and returned to staff, you will be called for a telephone interview
• If approved, customer can set up appointment to meet animal
• The first approved applicant will have until the end of the day that they are approved to come in and finalize the adoption. The dog will be placed back up for adoption the following day.
• If the application is not approved until the end of the day, the customer can have until 1 p.m. the following day to complete the adoption.
• **There will be no holds** Inquiring about a pet does not mean it will be held for you
• Please bring the following items to meet & greet appointments: pen/pencil for filling out paperwork, photo ID, and payment method.

Lost & Found:

• As always, we will continue to serve to reunite the lost & found animals in the community
• *Call or email* the shelter first! If you have lost a pet or if you have found one, please contact HSSPV.
• Offer description of animal & provide contact information
• To reclaim a lost/missing pet:
• Confirm with staff via phone or email we in fact have your pet before arriving at the shelter
• If you are required to collect a summons you must do so prior to coming to the shelter
• Once these steps have been taken you may arrange an appointment to reclaim your animal
• Upon arrival, stay in car and notify staff of your arrival
• A staff member will come to your car to verify ownership (provide photo of animal)
• Staff will collect ID & payment at this time to process redemption
• Once all of these steps are completed staff will then retrieve animal and return to owner
• • If you have found a lost/stray animal, confirm with staff via phone or email that the animal was found within our jurisdiction (Littleton (Proper), Englewood, Cherry Hills Village, Columbine Valley, or Greenwood Village)
• It is important that animals are brought to the animal shelter in the correct jurisdiction for the best chance of being reunited with owners!
• Animals found within our jurisdiction will be accepted for intake. Please provide the staff with your contact info and make an appointment to drop off the animal.

Surrenders:

• We will continue to accept surrenders at this time however we will have to severely limit the intake of animals with health complications and behavioral issues until we return to normal operations.
• To surrender a pet, please call HSSPV and request a surrender form. Complete this form and return to staff.
• A member of our team will be in contact to notify you whether or not we can take the animal.
• If we can take the animal, a staff member will ask for your information and schedule an appointment.
• Please set up an appointment for them to come physically surrender the pet.
• Staff will collect ID & payment upon arrival
• Once paperwork is complete, a member of the staff will bring the animal into the shelter.

Training Classes:

• For the time being we will continue Hybrid Zoom/In-Person training classes.
• Please contact Lisa at behaviorandtraining@hsspv.org to inquire and enroll
• When we feel it is safe to resume in person training classes, we will make a public announcement

Spay/Neuter Clinic:

• Public spay and neuter services will resume on Tuesday June 2nd
• To schedule an appointment, please contact HSSPV to determine availability
• A customer service staff member will schedule your appointment & collect your info at this time
• You will also be emailed forms to complete prior to the procedure. These forms need to be printed, completed, signed, and returned as a physical copy *We will not accept forms being emailed back to us*
• Drop-off will be between 7-7:30 AM. Please park in the parking lot and wait inside your car until greeted by a staff member (if you are parked someplace other than the parking lot please call the front desk to notify them of your location)
• The staff member will collect your completed paperwork and your animal at this time; they will double check they have everything they need from you and then you will be dismissed
• Surgery pick up will be between 3:30-4:30 PM. Please notify our team of your arrival by calling us
• A team member will come to your car to go over discharge instructions and collect payment
• The staff member will process payment and return animal at this time. Please use this time to ask any questions you may have about post-operative care, e-collar, recovery, etc.

Euthanasia Requests:

• We will not be performing euthanasia requests until further notice.

Vaccines:

Cancelled

Volunteer Program (New Volunteers):

• Cancelled - no new volunteers at this time

Volunteer Program:

• The volunteer program will resume with strict precautions. Refusal to adhere to these policies will result in being asked to leave.
• All volunteers will be required to wear a mask and abide by social distancing of six feet.
• All volunteers will be required to check in at the front desk upon every individual visit/volunteer shift
• Prior to shift, check temperature - there is a thermometer at the front desk
• Waiver explaining COVID-19 risks must be signed at front desk or through volunteer scheduler
• Staff will provide a kennel key - no key exchange
• We will allow the following positions to resume
• Cattery = One volunteer daily
• Kennels = Up to two volunteers daily
• Kennel volunteers must leave after shift unless they signed up for dog walking shift.
• Behavior = Appropriate numbers of volunteers may attend scheduled classes determined by behavior and training manager
• Spay/Neuter = One volunteer daily determined by clinic manager
• Dog Walking = See volunteer scheduler
• Three people are allowed to sign up per shift
• There will be an online scheduling platform for volunteers to sign up for shifts
• Front Desk = these positions will not resume until further notice
• Offsite Events = these positions will not resume until further notice

Donations:

• We will continue to accept donations from the public
• In-kind donations can be dropped off outside of the facility from 8 AM – 4 PM (7 days)
• Monetary donations should be made online or mailed in via check
• Receipts available upon request.

Community Service:

• We will not be accepting community service workers at this time

Vendors:

• Please inform all vendors coming into the building must wear a mask and practice social distancing

We appreciate your patience and understanding with our animal shelter as we navigate through these unprecedented challenges.

Thank You Village!

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