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PEOPLE SKILLS  •  PREPARATION FOR A RESCUE  •  DEVELOPING SKILLS
APPROACHING & RESTRAINING ANIMALS  •  APPROACHING DOGS   •  APPROACHING CATS

The following notes are for reference and aim to help anyone trying to rescue an injured animal or offer advice if an animal is in need of care or treatment.

People Skills

• Keep calm and count to ten if necessary;
• Do not allow yourself to be drawn into an aggressive argument.
• Remind people involved that you are simply concerned for the animal and that you would like to offer help;
• Try to show even the most confrontational people respect. They may be embarrassed that they are too poor to care for their animal properly and feel your interference is a threat.
• Allow them time to state their point of view.
• Feed back their point of view to them to show you have listened and understood.
• Then gently ask if you can state your point of view, outline the problem of the animal and how you would like to help.
• Ask if their view has changed and if you can compromise if not agree totally.
• Try to keep your voice calm and pleasant and your body language none- threatening; the more you react as you feel, the worse the situation will become. Try not to stand aggressively or angrily. Breath calmly, adopt an “open” body posture, do not “crowd” people, avoid pointing finger aggressively etc.

Preparation For A Rescue

Essential items to carry in the car:

• 2 soft leads (dog may bite through one!);
• bandage tape muzzle;
• gloves ( strong, but flexible, preferably with long arms);
• large, strong towel or sheet;
• moist, tempting food, can opener and dry food which could be left at site;
• fresh water;
• torch  for night rescues.
   

Desirable additional/optional extra items for a rescue:

• Plastic sheet for wounded/dirty animals, paper towels to wipe dog food off hands!
• Small cage/ventilated box for small animals;
• Basket type muzzles for dogs (the cloth “tube” type cannot be worn for long as they do not let the dog pant well, so it overheats);
• List of veterinary clinics and opening hours;
• Mobile phone;
• Full first aid kit for human and animal ( bandages and antiseptics);
• Maps or the city and anywhere else you may go and need directions;
• Negasunt powder for maggots;
• Triatex mange bath from vet. People may wish to dispense to animals with owners who cannot get to vet;
• Small, light “wand;”
• Dog grasper and someone else to help!

Developing Skills / Assessing The Situation

• Before setting out, try to get as much information as possible. What is the description of the animal? This can be VERY inaccurate, so check you are agreed on colour, size etc.
• Where, exactly, is the animal or where was it last seen and when? Is there someone on site who can help, for example, by luring the animal into their yard and securing it there for you.? Do you have a contact address or tel. no. of the person who reported it? Decide if you need help or if you will go alone. Do NOT set off alone unless you feel confident. Once at the rescue site:
• Assess the situation first!
• Do not panic;
• Know your limitations;
• Try to prevent further harm to the animal;
• It is important to avoid harm coming to the rescuers or escalating the situation into a road traffic accident;
• Consider: safe parking for vehicle ( secure vehicle!) hazard warning lights;
• Is assistance needed? Passer-by, or police?
• Plan what you want to do and how to do it.

Approaching & Restraining Animals

This needs to be done in a safe and controlled manner. The animal will very possibly be confused, frightened and may be in pain and aggressive.

Approach the animal slowly, quietly and calmly, preferably slightly from the side rather than head on (a head on approach may imply confrontation to the animal) Be cautious if the animal is above ground level or is cornered, as it may then be more likely to attack. Bend down low as you approach the animal and talk to it in a quiet and reassuring voice. Offer the back of your hand to the animal below the level of its face and allow it to sniff. Then move the hand gradually nearer to the animal’s neck and gently try to stroke it.  Tip: If the animal is terrified of hand contact, it may sometimes be calmed by gentle “distance, none human” contact with a light “ wand” first, eg. a thin twig. Stroke the animal lightly with the wand over its back or side for a few minutes. This tells the animal it can be touched without harm and it may accept a hand after a few minutes. If the animal will allow you to stroke the back of its neck, you can then progress to taking hold of the loose skin on the back of its neck to restrain it. An animal whose neck is gently but firmly “scruffed” in this way cannot turn its head far enough to bite. As soon as possible, try to place a slip lead over the dogs’ head so that it cannot run away. If the animal is panicking and cannot be scruffed, then it often helps to drop a towel over its head and eyes. This also means it can no longer see to bite! You can then feel for the scruff through the towel and get control of it that way.

Do not:

• Stare directly into the eyes of strange animals for long periods, as this will be interpreted as a hostile action. Rather, glance briefly at them and focus slightly away from their eyes, so you keep the animal under observation in a none threatening manner;
• Do not place hands too near animal’s mouth and avoid touching any injured part unless this is absolutely essential and the animal is safely restrained;
• Once you have gained control of the animal, try not to let it go again as it will be much more difficult to regain control of it;
• Avoid if at all possible getting into a chasing situation with the animal. If it does run, try to head it away from further danger. It may be possible to “corner” it as a temporary measure, and go for assistance. Once cornered, it may stay put, but it will be fearful of confinement and therefore more likely to attack if the rescuer then moves in too closely again.
• Do not attempt to force food or water on the animal. Injured animals may well not be interested, although food is a very useful device for the hungry stray.

Approaching Dogs

It helps to assess the mood of the dog before you try to take control of it. Some dogs may be actively aggressive, but others, which are naturally submissive, may be driven to bite out of fear.

If approaching a dog and it has a lead attached, gently place your foot on the end and take hold of it, but beware it may be old and break and any collar may slip off if the dog jerks away. A more secure restraint may be applied as required by applying a slip noose over its head and moving it backwards over the neck then gently pulling it tighter and up to prevent the animal biting it. Unless you are absolutely confident the animal is calm and cooperative or unconscious, a tape muzzle may then be applied to its nose. This is a temporary measure to allow one to move the dog into the car. Moving the injured animal will probably cause pain or it may panic when it sees the car and try to bite. So a tape muzzle is a good precaution. See illustration for application. Remember that a dog wearing a tape muzzle cannot pant and cannot therefore cool itself, so it will quickly be in danger of overheating. Remove the tape muzzle as soon as possible and until that can be done keep the dog cool.

Injured dogs may benefit from a sling. Lay the towel or sheet flat at the dog’s back and then ease it onto the towel. A large dog will need 2 people, one at each end. If the dog is large and badly injured and resents hands under its body, you may pull it by the loose skin on its neck and back. This will be uncomfortable for the dog, so make sure it is muzzled. However, it may still be a preferable way to move it across the towel than by touching damaged muscles and bony structures.

Approaching Cats

Again, try to assess the animal’s mood.  Many cats will be more wary of human assistance than dogs. As with dogs, aggressive cats will bite and scratch but frightened ones will too.

Gloves are useful with cats, as their teeth are too small to bite through a strong glove and one also gets protection from the claws. One can simply scoop the cat up and ignore its attacks on the gloves.

Alternatively, anxious cats may be successfully restrained by simply “scruffing” them and then quickly transferring them into a safe place. If the cat will accept stroking about the neck, gradually increase the pressure, then quickly and firmly grasp as much loose skin and fur as you can in one hand, pull the cat up, supporting the back end (preferably behind the tail to avoid hind claws!) with the other hand.

The truly aggressive cat may be temporarily distracted if a large towel is laid over it. With the aid of gloves, the whole “bundle” may then be scooped up and placed in the box. Cats sometimes seem to get progressively more annoyed over time, if they perceive people are “messing about with them” and handling them too much. Look for the window of opportunity and go for it!

Always remember, be quick, calm and as gentle as possible and once you have committed to an action, try to follow it through. Watch out for your hands, eyes and face, as hands are particularly likely to attract attack and the face and eyes are so delicate.

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