Color Code System for Animals
Dogs and cats are assigned corresponding colors by staff:
BLUE-rated animals can be handled by volunteers at level BLUE or higher
ORANGE-rated animals can be handled by volunteers at ORANGE or higher
ORANGE-star animals have behavioral or medical issues to ask about before handling
PURPLE-rated animals can be handled by volunteers at PURPLE level
RED-rated animals can be handled by Staff Only for medical, behavioral or legal reasons, unless approved by the Shelter Supervisor on a case-by-case basis
Only staff members are authorized to assign a BLUE, ORANGE, or PURPLE rating to each animal and to adjust a rating if the animal’s behavior/health changes during its stay. Only the Shelter Supervisor is authorized to adjust an animal’s rating to/from RED. However, volunteers are encouraged to communicate noteworthy changes to kennel staff for consideration. For changes in animal ratings to/from RED, kennel staff will relay volunteer observations to the Shelter Supervisor for reconsideration on a weekly basis.
If you wish to handle a RED-rated animal, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator or Shelter Supervisor for approval on a case-by-case basis. New locks specific to RED-rated animals will be used on their kennel doors.
Color ratings for dogs are displayed on the Adoption and Stray floor whiteboards.
Color ratings for cats are shown on their cage cards and the Annex whiteboards on Adoption floor/hallway.