This comprehensive, 188-page resource is for sanctuaries looking to review their practices and policies with regards to their care for certain species in addition to general policies and safety.

Note: The checklist does not provide legal, regulatory, or veterinary guidance, nor does it serve as a replacement for professional advice. As always, review our disclaimer!

The major “all-species” sections of the checklist include:

• Facilities, Living Spaces, And Storage
• Vehicles, Equipment, Tools, And Supplies
• Policies, Procedures, And Documentation
• Care For All Species
• Capacity For Responsible Care

The species-specific sections include:

• CowsWhile  "cows" can be defined to refer exclusively to female cattle, at The Open Sanctuary Project we refer to domesticated cattle of all ages and sexes as "cows."
• Pigs
• Goats & Sheep
• Equines
• Chickens
• TurkeysUnless explicitly mentioned, we are referring to domesticated turkey breeds, not wild turkeys, who may have unique needs not covered by this resource.
• DucksUnless explicitly mentioned, we are referring to domesticated duck breeds, not wild ducks, who may have unique needs not covered by this resource. & GeeseUnless explicitly mentioned, we are referring to domesticated goose breeds, not wild geese, who may have unique needs not covered by this resource.
• Llamas & Alpacas

Get Your Copy Of The Care Program Evaluation Checklist

To check out some sample pages and get your organization’s copy of the Care Program Evaluation Checklist, click here!

An Explanation Of The Three Suggested Donation Amounts

You may be wondering what differences exist between the three donation tiers listed on the order page above- it’s a reasonable question! They are all for the exact same checklist! We wanted to offer the checklist at three suggested donation amounts to ensure that it is equitable for all organizations who wish to utilize the resource. We are relying upon the community to make donations that are fair for their organization.

$35 Suggested Donation

The suggested donation of $35 reflects the “break-even” cost of the checklist. This suggested donation is recommended especially for microsanctuariesMicrosanctuaries are small scale communities of human and nonhuman (generally “unconventional or farmed”) animal companions, who live together in a chosen shared lifestyle and in commitment to ending the oppression of all beings. Microsanctuaries adhere to the notion that no nonhuman member of the community should “serve a purpose.” Microsanctuaries can exist in any context: rural, suburban, or urban. A microsanctuary can consist of as small a community as one animal and one human caregiver. For more information on microsanctuary please refer to the Microsanctuary Resource Center., as many of the larger sanctuary-focused best practices and policies may not be fully applicable in a home environment. We also wanted to offer this option for any organization or individual who cannot afford to donate more than this amount. If your organization cannot manage this amount but still hopes to access the resource, please contact us.

$75 Suggested Donation

The suggested donation of $75 may be best for organizations just getting started, or sanctuaries whose resident populations are only represented by a few of the species the Care Program Evaluation Checklist covers. This suggested donation amount covers some of the costs incurred in the creation of this resource in addition to the cost of production of the checklist.

$125 Suggested Donation

The suggested donation of $125 is ideal for sanctuaries with residents of many of the species covered in the checklist, and individuals or organizations of any size wishing to generously support our work and enable us to continue our missionThe stated goals and activities of an organization. An animal sanctuary’s mission is commonly focused on objectives such as animal rescue and public advocacy. of creating innovative resources for the global sanctuary community. Thank you for considering to support us at this amount!

To learn more about what went into the production of this resource, check out The Making Of The Care Program Evaluation Checklist, First Edition:

The Making Of The Care Program Evaluation Checklist, First Edition

The Open Sanctuary Project’s Care Program Evaluation Checklist is a resource whose creation spanned over a year and a half from initial brainstorming sessions to its release date. Clocking in at 188 pages and with over 1200 policies and best practices recommended, this checklist for farmed animal sanctuariesAnimal sanctuaries that primarily care for rescued animals that were farmed by humans. was not an endeavor taken on lightly!

A History Of The Resource

The Care Program Evaluation Checklist was originally envisioned by The Open Sanctuary Project’s FounderSomeone who starts an organization. A Founder may or may not also be the Executive Director of an organization. as a tool to help sanctuary boards and administrators thoroughly review the care practices of their organizations and identify areas that required attention and growth strategies. Taking that initial vision into consideration, the staff of The Open Sanctuary Project, Amber Barnes, Tara Hess, and Zee Griffler, had numerous discussions regarding what kind of resource would be most accessible and approachable to sanctuaries and caregivers, and perhaps most importantly, what would be most valuable for creating improved care outcomes for residents in sanctuary.

The foundation of the document started with substantial review of any resource that had a similar aim or scope for other types of organizations. We were inspired by the ASPCA’s Shelter Care Checklist, in addition to some of the species-specific guides released by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, among other checklists created for other types of animal organizations.

Initial Brainstorming And Expansion

From there, we held discussions regarding what elements we would like to see reflected in our resource, as well as the tone the resource would ideally convey, what levels of policies and best practices might be measured, and how they could be measured in as consistent of a manner as possible. We ultimately decided upon the current format, including the standard levels of minimum, strongly recommended, excellent, and unacceptable, as a way of reflecting the diverse approaches that sanctuaries have taken to addressing care practices and policies, and the potential areas that could be improved with the resources available to most farmed animalA species or specific breed of animal that is raised by humans for the use of their bodies or what comes from their bodies. sanctuaries or rescues.

From this point of foundation, our staff worked independently to research and list as many policies and best practices as we could gather in every initially envisioned category, drawing upon our own professional experiences, from resources developed at The Open Sanctuary Project, and through research into other resources and organizations. This process was lengthy, with staff working on it over the course of two months, as the evaluation as we had envisioned had never been published before for farmed animal species in sanctuary.

Staff Review Begins

After we had all had a chance to expand the document as much as we could, we began a thorough multi-session review process, where through a series of conference calls, we worked our way through every single category of the resource as we had written them, determining additional gaps throughout the document that required more research, policies and practices that should be covered in more than one species category, identifying best practices that needed to be reworded for clarity and accuracy, removing best practices that we weren’t sure were universal enough to mention in the resource, and developing a list of policies and best practices that we believed would be best served by an appendix entry to help provide further context without making the entries too lengthy or complex. Together, we fully reviewed the entire resource four times after our initial group review, refining and expanding as we went, until we managed to conduct a full review with minimal updates to be found.

From this stage, we took a further look at our flagged appendix entries, researching and writing appendix notes for each of them, and in some cases, determining that certain points could simply be rewritten rather than requiring additional context. At this point, we also determined that we could create a dynamic web page that hyperlinked to existing resources from The Open Sanctuary Project wherever such context would potentially be valuable to organizations. We also identified a number of topics that would be best served with an additional written resource from The Open Sanctuary Project and prioritized their creation, with at least six of those resources researched and published before the release of the evaluation checklist. When all appendix entries were created, we again reviewed these entries together at least twice, rewriting points for clarity and accuracy, and removing some that we felt were outside the scope of the resource.

Soliciting Outside Review

With the document and appendices in a polished state, we then identified peer review experts who have had long-term experience at one or more sanctuaries to review our work. Some peer reviewers were tasked with reviewing the entire resource from front to back, covering every species-specific section, whereas others were asked to review only the sections for the individual species that they had the most experience working with, in addition to the “all species” sections, 1 through 5. Thus, every section of the document was reviewed by at least two peer reviewers, with some sections receiving additional review beyond that. Ultimately, we approached 8 potential peer reviewers, and received feedback from 7 of them. The reviewers are listed on the second page of the evaluation in the spirit of transparency.

For the First Edition, we made the decision to avoid venturing into specific detail that would have warranted veterinary review; we instead geared our policies and best practices towards areas that a sanctuary should work with their veterinarian to establish protocols that work for their specific organization and residents.

Final Draft Polishes

With the review complete, we held an additional series of staff meetings to discuss all feedback we received from the reviewers and integrate their notes into the document based on our staff’s discretion and expertise until we were in agreement on a completed First Edition draft.

From there, we brainstormed and created the accompanying flexible Discussion Pages for staff members and sanctuary administrators to help guide the discussion of the evaluation process and identify areas for improvement with a timeline for re-evaluation. We believe this qualitative discussion format is an ideal method for facilitating nuanced discussion and focusing on specific steps towards solutions rather than judgment.

Finally, we hired an outside design expert to help produce the final look and feel of the physical book, relying on their expertise to make the evaluation as functional and aesthetically pleasing as possible for our audience. We determined that a coil-bound printed book would be the most appropriate format for containing and contextualizing all of the required detail we hoped to include in the resource, in a first for our organization.

Plans For Future Editions

Our plan moving forward is to revisit the Care Program Evaluation Checklist on a regular basis (with at least one year between editions) to ensure that all guidance within the resource matches our current recommendations and to address any feedback from the global sanctuary community. We also hope to expand into additional species in the future.

An Explanation Behind The Suggested Donation Tiers

The creation process of this resource was immense, with hundreds of collective hours of work leading into the completed product (and with thousands of combined hours of experience in caregiving and management leading into the discussion), in addition to the financial costs associated with the design and production of the physical book. We ultimately decided that the most equitable, but organizationally-sustainable way of releasing this resource was through the tiered suggested donation levels you see today, which was a decision that required many hours of deliberation in itself. Even if most organizations were to choose the highest tier donation option, we do not anticipate fully covering the costs associated with creating this resource, but merely hope to recoup a portion of our incurred expenses associated with its creation. If we did happen to cover all of our costs, all proceeds would go directly back into our nonprofitA non-governmental organization whose primary purpose is something other than selling goods or services. organization’s mission of creating more innovative resources for sanctuaries. The lowest tier donation represents the break-even point of the physical production and average shipping and handling cost of the 188-page book, which does not factor in any compensation for the time we put into the creation of the resource, but we wanted to ensure that organizations of any size who need to access this resource have an accessible way of doing so. If the lowest tier suggested donation is not feasible for your organization, please reach out to us so that we can find a solution for you to access this resource.

Conclusion

As you can see, our resources require substantial time and effort to produce in a responsible manner. If the Care Program Evaluation Checklist (or any other resource we provide) is valuable to your organization or yourself as a caregiverSomeone who provides daily care, specifically for animal residents at an animal sanctuary, shelter, or rescue., we hope that you might consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Open Sanctuary Project! We are 100% donor-funded, and we deeply appreciate your ongoing support!

We hope that this report illustrates the extreme care and attention to detail that went into the creation of our Care Program Evaluation Checklist, and that your organization feels confident that it’s a resource you can trust! If you have any further questions about the Care Program Evaluation Checklist, please get in touch with us.

Download The Care Program Evaluation Checklist Discussion Pages

To help facilitate productive discussion and solutions as your care staff works through the Care Program Evaluation Checklist, we’ve created a free, downloadable PDF of printable pages to help guide your conversations and action items!

This Isn’t The Full Checklist!
Just so you know, this download link is merely for the accompanying discussion pages. The full checklist can be ordered here!

Enter your organization’s details below to get a download link!

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⤷ Further Information For The Care Program Evaluation Checklist

Certain policies and best practices recommended or discouraged in the Care Program Evaluation Checklist require a bit more context. The “Further Information” icon (⤷) indicates that there are resources available online at The Open Sanctuary Project to continue learning and gain more knowledge. Below are all referenced Further Information resources listed by their page in the Care Program Evaluation Checklist, First Edition:

The List Always Grows!
Although not referenced in the First Edition, and therefore not listed below, we are always updating and adding additional resources that may be of value for you or your care team to review! Keep up to date with all of our new resources by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on social media!

Section 1: Facilities, Living Spaces, And Storage

1-1 ⤷

• Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Introduction To Manure Management For Farmed Animal Sanctuaries
• Tips For Creating A More Eco-Friendly Animal Sanctuary

1-2 ⤷

• OSHA Compliance For Animal Sanctuaries In The United States
• Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Sanctuary Incident Report Form
• Signage To Consider Implementing At Your Animal Sanctuary

1-4 ⤷

• Fire Safety At Your Animal Sanctuary

1-6 ⤷

• Farmed Animal Sanctuary Resident Living Space Temperature Considerations
• Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Fire Safety At Your Animal Sanctuary

1-7 ⤷

• Breaking The Mold: How Animal-Centered Design Can Transform Sanctuaries

1-8 ⤷

• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Global Toxic Plant Database
• Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary

Section 2: Vehicles, Equipment, Tools, And Supplies

2-3 ⤷

• Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary

Section 3: Policies, Procedures, And Documentation

3-1 ⤷

• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Resident Ongoing Treatment & Observation Record
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Transfer of Guardianship Record
• Animal Sanctuary Resident Record Keeping Basics
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Animal Intake Form
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Resident End-Of-Life Record
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Sanctuary Resident Adoption Record
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Controlled Substance Log
• Protocols For Missing And Loose Residents At Your Animal Sanctuary

3-3 ⤷

• Long Distance Resident Transportation Safety And Legal Considerations

3-5 ⤷

• Crafting Compassionate Euthanasia Policies For Your Animal Sanctuary
• Saying Goodbye With Respect and Safety At Your Animal Sanctuary
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Euthanasia Model Policy Template
• Understanding Your Animal Sanctuary’s Zoning Rights & Restrictions
• Care Staff Retention At Your Animal Sanctuary

3-6 ⤷

• Recognizing And Managing Compassion Fatigue At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Determining Your Animal Sanctuary’s Capacity For Responsible Care

3-8 ⤷

• Care Staff Retention At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Recognizing And Managing Compassion Fatigue At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Recognizing And Preventing Burnout At Your Animal Sanctuary

3-9 ⤷

• Crafting An Accident Waiver For Your Animal Sanctuary
• Accident Waiver And Release Of Liability Template For Animal Sanctuaries

3-10 ⤷

• Fundamentals Of An Effective Animal Sanctuary Tour Program
• Crafting An Accident Waiver For Your Animal Sanctuary
• Accident Waiver And Release Of Liability Template For Animal Sanctuaries
• Signage To Consider Implementing At Your Animal Sanctuary
• What To Consider When Children Visit Your Animal Sanctuary
• ADA Compliance And Accessibility For Animal Sanctuaries

3-11 ⤷

• The Differences Between An Animal Sanctuary And A Petting Zoo

Section 4: Care For All Species

4-1 ⤷

• Winter And Cold Weather Considerations For Animal Sanctuaries
• The Benefits Of Planned Living Arrangements For Residents At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Building A Good Home (Species-Specific Resources)
• The Importance Of Regular Health Checks For Residents At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary

4-2 ⤷

• Protocols For Egg Laying At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Creating An Enriching Life (Species-Specific Resources)

4-4 ⤷

• Why Residents Shouldn’t Breed At A Farmed Animal Sanctuary
• Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary

4-6 ⤷

• How To Find Appropriate Veterinary Care For Your Farmed Animal Sanctuary’s Residents
• Building And Maintaining A Good Relationship Between Your Animal Sanctuary And Veterinarians

4-7 ⤷

• Estimating Species Lifetime Care Costs At Your Animal Sanctuary
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Veterinary Visit Report Form

4-10 ⤷

• How To Conduct An Intake Evaluation At Your Animal Sanctuary
• How To Find Appropriate Veterinary Care For Your Farmed Animal Sanctuary’s Residents
• Practical Biosecurity Measures For Animal Sanctuaries
• Appropriate Resident Identification Systems At Your Animal Sanctuary

4-11 ⤷

• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Animal Intake Form

4-12 ⤷

• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Resident Ongoing Treatment & Observation Record
• Composting 101: The Scoop On Poop

4-15 ⤷

• Considering Alternative Living Arrangements In Response To A Health Concern

4-16 ⤷

• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Resident Ongoing Treatment & Observation Record

4-18 ⤷

• Considering Alternative Living Arrangements In Response To A Health Concern
• The Open Sanctuary Project’s Resident Ongoing Treatment & Observation Record

Section 5: Capacity For Responsible Care

5-1 ⤷

• Determining Your Animal Sanctuary’s Capacity For Responsible Care
• Understanding Your Animal Sanctuary’s Zoning Rights & Restrictions
• A Forever Home? Adoption Program Considerations For Animal Sanctuaries
• Estimating Species Lifetime Care Costs At Your Animal Sanctuary

5-2 ⤷

• How To Find Appropriate Veterinary Care For Your Farmed Animal Sanctuary’s Residents

Section 6: Care Program Evaluation For Cows

6-1 ⤷

• Building A Good Home For Cows
• Winter And Cold Weather Considerations For Animal Sanctuaries

6-3⤷

• Daily Diet, Treats, & Supplements For Cows

6-4⤷

• Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary

6-5⤷

• How To Conduct A Cow Health Check
• The Importance Of Hoof Trimming For Cows
• Fly Mitigation Strategies For Sanctuary Cow Residents
• Appropriate Resident Identification Systems At Your Animal Sanctuary

6-8⤷

• Mooving In! The New Cow Arrival Guide
• Special Care Recommendations For Calves

Section 7: Care Program Evaluation For Pigs

7-1 ⤷

• Building A Good Home For Pigs
• The Importance Of Sun Protection For Pigs
• Winter And Cold Weather Considerations For Animal Sanctuaries

7-2 ⤷

• Creating An Enriching Life For Pigs

7-3 ⤷

• Things That Are Toxic To Pigs

7-5 ⤷

• How To Conduct A Pig Health Check
• The Importance Of Sun Protection For Pigs

7-7 ⤷

• Hello Porcine Pal! The New Pig Arrival Guide
• Spaying And Neutering Pigs: A Health Imperative

Section 8: Care Program Evaluation For Sheep And Goats

8-1 ⤷

• Building A Good Home For Sheep
• Building A Good Home For Goats
• The Benefits Of Planned Living Arrangements For Residents At Your Animal Sanctuary

8-2 ⤷

• Creating An Enriching Life For Goats

8-3 ⤷

• Daily Diet, Treats, & Supplements For Sheep
• Daily Diet, Treats, & Supplements For Goats

8-4⤷

• Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary

8-5⤷

• How to Conduct A Sheep Health Check
• How to Conduct A Goat Health Check
• How To Trim A Sheep’s Hooves
• How To Trim A Goat’s Hooves

8-6⤷

• Appropriate Resident Identification Systems At Your Animal Sanctuary

8-7⤷

• Advanced Topics In Resident Health: Small Ruminant Lentiviruses (CAE and OPP)
• The Modified FAMACHA System: Making It Work For Compassionate Care

8-9⤷

• Nice To Meet Ewe! The New Sheep Arrival Guide
• New Kid On The Block: The New Goat Arrival Guide

Section 9: Care Program Evaluation For Equines

9-1⤷

• Building A Good Home For Horses
• Building A Good Home For Donkeys
• Winter And Cold Weather Considerations For Animal Sanctuaries
• Donkeys Are Different: Addressing Their Unique Needs

9-5⤷

• Special Care Recommendations For Older Horses
• Special Care Recommendations For Older Donkeys

9-8⤷

• How To Conduct A Horse Health Check
• How To Conduct A Donkey Health Check
• Potential Horse Health Challenges
• Potential Donkey Health Challenges
• An Introduction To Equine Dental Care

9-12⤷

• How To Find Appropriate Veterinary Care For Your Farmed Animal Sanctuary’s Residents
• Potential Horse Health Challenges
• Potential Donkey Health Challenges
• Winter And Cold Weather Considerations For Animal Sanctuaries
• Special Care Recommendations For Miniature Horses

9-15⤷

• Welcome Neigh-bor! The New Horse Arrival Guide
• Hello Burro Buddy! The New Donkey Arrival Guide
• An Introduction To Equine Dental Care

Section 10: Care Program Evaluation For Chickens

10-1⤷

• Building A Good Home For Chickens
• Chicken Living Space Maintenance And Cleaning
• Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Large Breed Chicken Special Care Considerations

10-2⤷

• Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Creating An Enriching Life For Chickens

10-4⤷

• Daily Diet, Treats, And Supplements For Chickens
• Large Breed Chicken Special Care Considerations

10-7⤷

• How To Conduct A Chicken Health Check
• Appropriate Resident Identification Systems At Your Animal Sanctuary
• How To Trim A Chicken’s Nails, Spurs, And Beak
• How To Safely Handle A Chicken At Your Animal Sanctuary

10-8⤷

• The Pecking Order: How Does It Affect Flocks?

10-10⤷

• New Chick On The Flock: The New Chicken Arrival Guide
• Creating A Vaccination Program For Your Animal Sanctuary
• Special Care Recommendations For Younger Chickens And Chicks

10-11⤷

• Suprelorin Implants

Section 11: Care Program Evaluation For Turkeys

11-1⤷

• Building A Good Home For Turkeys
• Turkey Living Space Maintenance And Cleaning
• Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Large Breed Turkey Special Care Considerations

11-2⤷

• Preventing Hardware Disease At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Creating An Enriching Life For Turkeys

11-4⤷

• Daily Diet, Treats, And Supplements For Turkeys
• Large Breed Turkey Special Care Considerations

11-7⤷

• How To Conduct A Turkey Health Check
• Appropriate Resident Identification Systems At Your Animal Sanctuary
• How To Trim A Turkey’s Nails, Spurs, And Beak

11-8⤷

• How To Safely Handle A Turkey

11-10⤷

• Gobble Greetings: New Turkey Arrival Guide
• Creating A Vaccination Program For Your Animal Sanctuary
• Special Care Recommendations For Turkey Chicks

Section 12: Care Program Evaluation For Ducks And Geese

12-1⤷

• Building A Good Home For Ducks
• Building A Good Home For Geese
• Duck Living Space Maintenance And Cleaning
• Goose Living Space Maintenance And Cleaning
• Compassionate Wildlife Practices At Your Animal Sanctuary
• Winter And Cold Weather Considerations For Animal Sanctuaries

12-5⤷

• Daily Diet, Treats And Supplements For Ducks
• Daily Diet, Treats And Supplements For Geese

12-6⤷

• Creating An Enriching Life For Ducks
• Creating An Enriching Life For Geese

12-7⤷

• How To Conduct A Duck Health Check
• How To Conduct A Goose Health Check
• Appropriate Resident Identification Systems At Your Animal Sanctuary
• How To Trim A Duck’s Nails
• How To Trim A Goose’s Nails
• How To Safely Handle A Duck
• How To Safely Handle A Goose

12-9⤷

• A Welcome To Waterfowl: The New Duck Arrival Guide
• Take A Gander! The New Goose Arrival Guide
• Creating A Vaccination Program For Your Animal Sanctuary
• Special Care Recommendations For Ducklings
• Special Care Recommendations For Goslings

Section 13: Care Program Evaluation For Llamas And Alpacas

13-1⤷

• Building A Good Home For Llamas
• Building A Good Home For Alpacas

13-5⤷

• How To Conduct A Llama Health Check
• How To Conduct An Alpaca Health Check
• How To Trim A Llama’s Nails
• How To Trim An Alpaca’s Nails
• Appropriate Resident Identification Systems At Your Animal Sanctuary

13-7⤷

• The Modified FAMACHA System: Making It Work For Compassionate Care

13-8⤷

• Hello Camelid Companion! The New Llama Arrival Guide
• Hello Camelid Companion! The New Alpaca Arrival Guide