Many dog runs are designed with a guillotine door that typically divides the run in half. Inappropriate use of this door can create many problems for shelter staff. Frequently, shelter staff leave the dividing door permanently closed, so they are able to house dogs on both sides of the run. However, the guillotine door is designed to facilitate cleaning and is not intended to be permanently closed. The practice of housing one or more dogs on either side of the guillotine door—effectively turning 10 runs into 20—was not intended when most facilities were designed. When dogs are housed in this manner, proper cleaning of the facility is impossible. This results in disease outbreaks, an overflow and crowding of animals, and, ultimately, an unwelcoming environment for potential adopters. In fact, inappropriate use of guillotine doors is what often creates the majority of problems we see in shelters around the country.
Under no circumstances should dog runs be cleaned with the dog(s) inside. Cleaning chemicals and disinfectants can be hazardous for dogs and very unpleasant to their hyper sense of smell, and therefore may induce discomfort, stress, and/or illness.
The Problem: Cleaning With an Improperly Used Guillotine Door
One at a time, the dogs are removed from their kennels and tethered so the kennels can be cleaned. Tethering each dog to the same area facilitates the spread of disease and can potentially cause some dogs to fight or become loose. Each run is hosed down individually, disinfectant is applied, scrubbed, and left to sit for 10 minutes then rinsed. Finally, the area is dried and the dog returned to the kennel. This process is time-consuming and poses health and safety risks to the dogs.
The Solution: Using the Guillotine Door Properly
The guillotine door should always be kept open, except for cleaning purposes. Each run should house a maximum of two (or three if small) compatible dogs. Two dogs that did not come in to the shelter together are considered compatible if they are the same sex (or sterilized), same size range, and not aggressive to animals or people. If you are converting from kennels with permanently closed doors to kennels where the doors are kept open and used properly, this system will allow you to preserve some of the extra space; it simply requires a bit more time and observation of the dogs in your care.
Proper use of the guillotine door will speed up the cleaning process tremendously. The dog kennels should not be cleaned one by one; rather all the dogs in a section should be moved to one side of the kennels so the empty side of the section can be cleaned all at once. After one side has been cleaned and dried, the dogs can be shifted and the process repeated for the other side.
Through proper use of the guillotine door, you will save time cleaning and make the shelter a happier, healthier place for both animals and people. By making this change you achieve the following:
- Quieter kennels
- Easier, quicker, and more effective cleaning
- Dogs stay cleaner
- Healthier animals
- Shelter more inviting to public
Concerns About Switching to Proper Use of the Guillotine Door
Many agencies understand the rationale behind using the guillotine doors properly, but worry that, by doing so, they will be criticized for reducing their animal populations. These are the two main concerns that often prevent shelters from adopting a policy on appropriate use of guillotine doors:
- Will We Hold Fewer Animals?
Not necessarily. As long as you match compatible animals together (two to a run) then the total number of animals you will hold will remain the same. However, if you were holding more than one dog on both sides, or if you were singly housing some dogs due to illness, behavioral and/or aggression issues who might be unable to share space with others, you may continue to face crowding and disease issues when attempting to house animals in runs with an open guillotine door. In these cases, you should re-evaluate whether the dog is a suitable adoption candidate at this time and consider if appropriate alternatives might be transferring to a foster or breed rescue, housing the dog in a quarantine or isolation area, or euthanasia if the above options are not available, responsible or humane for the animal. There may be situations where you hold fewer animals, but this process actually improves the likelihood of more animals being placed, since they will stay healthier. When your community trusts that they will receive healthy animals from your shelter, there are longterm positive effects for your organization and the animals in your community.
- When Do We Make the Change?
Once the agency is ready to raise the guillotine doors, the timing of the change is very important. The agency should find a time when the shelter population is lower than usual and should take that opportunity to go through the process of matching compatible dogs. Unless animals had already been scheduled for euthanasia for other reasons, do not euthanize simply to facilitate the changeover process. You must clean each run before moving animals to ensure you are not spreading disease. As mentioned above, your facility must make this switch with healthy animals only and be prepared to move any unhealthy animal to the isolation section of the facility, or make the decision for euthanasia if the agency does not have the budget or staff to properly treat the sick animals.
Making the Switch
Closely adhering to the procedures outlined above will make the operational switch as seamless as possible. However, do not attempt to actually make the change until you have done the following:
- Explain the change to staff. Sit down with your team and discuss the concept, making sure to tell them why proper use of the guillotine door will result in easier cleaning, improved animal health, and a more welcoming environment for the public. Be sure to present this as a discussion, not an edict. Provide time for staff to ask questions and assist with brainstorming how this will affect their work.
- Explain the change to the board of directors or any oversight department and obtain the necessary approvals.
- Finally, make sure you have presented the new procedure sufficiently to members of your community who work closely with the shelter and may not understand initially why this is a positive change.
