Knowing educational terms matters because language often creates barriers. By providing the education on these terms, Kennel205 is aiming to help inform advocacy for animal welfare. The more education the public has on the shelter system, the more effectively people can step up to take informed action.
Common Rescue World Terms You Should Know
Rescue Organization
A nonprofit (or volunteer-run group) that pulls animals from shelters, owner surrenders, or unsafe situations. Rescues handle the logistics shelters often can’t. This includes medical care, behavior support, placement, and advocacy.
Rescue intake
The moment a rescue officially takes responsibility for an animal. From this point on, the rescue covers medical decisions, costs, and placement.
Shelter Pull
When a rescue removes an animal from a shelter; often to prevent euthanasia, to get urgent medical care, or to place them in foster. Pulls are time-sensitive and usually require a foster lined up.
Foster
A volunteer who opens their home temporarily. Fosters provide daily care, love, and real-world insight into the animal’s personality. This is huge for successful adoption.
Foster-to-Adopt
A trial period where a potential adopter fosters first. This gives everyone space to make sure it’s a good fit before finalizing adoption.
Medical Foster
A foster who takes in an animal needing extra care. This includes surgery recovery, medication, bottle-feeding, or monitoring. Rescues typically cover all medical costs and guide care.
Behavioral Foster
A foster who helps an animal decompress, learn routines, and work through stress or behavior challenges. This is often with trainer support.
Decompression Period
The adjustment time after leaving the shelter. Think: rest, routine, and low expectations. This phase lets an animal show who they really are once stress levels drop.
Foster / Adoption Coordinator
The behind-the-scenes matchmaker. They review applications, talk with adopters, and make sure placements are thoughtful, not rushed. Foster coordinators act as the “point of contact” for fosters in day to day situations. This can include making vet appointments, ensuring fosters have supplies, etc.
Transport
The organized movement of animals between shelters, rescues, fosters, or adopters. This is typically a volunteer position, though paid transports are utilized as well. Transports can range from shelter to foster home or foster to adoptive home.
Rescue Cover
When people say “the rescue has them covered,” it means the rescue is financially and legally responsible for vetting, care, and placement.
Return-to-Rescue Policy
If an adoption doesn’t work out, the animal comes back to the rescue & not the shelter. This safety net is a big reason rescues matter and this is a policy all reputable and responsible rescues take on.
Reputable Rescue
A rescue that has a history of responsible care. This includes support of the animal, support for their fosters, consistent updates on dogs, clear communication, and transparency.
Networker
An independent volunteer who takes content, videos, pictures of animals in need and posts them on social media in efforts to find a rescue, foster, or adoption. Oftentimes networkers team up to focus on specific shelters. Networkers are often coordinating the many puzzle pieces needed to get an animal to safety. Networkers do initial reaching out to rescue groups on behalf of shelter dogs, they vet fosters, and mediate between shelter staff and rescue groups.
Shelter volunteer
Shelter volunteers have completed official training through their specific shelter. Volunteer duties range from cleaning kennels, walking dogs, guiding interactions & meet + greets. Volunteers additionally attend adoption events and are commonly also networkers. Volunteers are the backbone of the shelter system. Shelter volunteers are not considered shelter staff.
Shelter Staff
Shelter staff personnel are hired positions through the county, city, or state. Shelter staff can range from Office positions, Control Officers, Veterinarians, Vet techs, etc.
IDENTIFICATION & RECORDS
ANIMAL ID
Number assigned at intake; used across all shelter systems and records. Typically “hashtagged” on posts made by volunteers for that animal so they can easily be found.
INTAKE DATE
Official date the animal entered the shelter; determines hold timelines.
CASE NUMBER
Identifier tied to legal cases, confiscations, or investigations.
KENNEL CARD
Public-facing or internal card showing animal ID, status, and notes. Posted outside each kennel giving a quick glimpse on the animal info.
IMPOUND RECORD
Official documentation of why and how an animal entered shelter custody.
INTAKE TYPES
STRAY
Animal found with no owner present.
FIELD STRAY
Animal picked up by Animal Control (notified by a call from the public, or seen).
WALK-IN STRAY
Stray brought in by a member of the public.
GOOD SAMARITAN STRAY
Animal delivered by someone who found it but does not claim ownership.
OWNER SURRENDER (OS)
Animal voluntarily relinquished by its legal owner.
FIELD SURRENDER
Owner relinquishes animal directly to an officer in the field.
COURTESY SURRENDER
Surrender accepted outside jurisdiction.
CONFISCATED / SEIZED
Animal taken into custody by law enforcement or Animal Control due to suspected cruelty, neglect, or legal violations.
STRAY & RECLAIM PROCESS
STRAY HOLD
Legally required holding period (typically 72 hours in CA, excluding holidays).
MICROCHIP HOLD
Extended hold while attempting to contact registered owner.
RTGH – Ready to go home
Publicly adoptable dog.
RTGH - Health Waiver
Adopter or rescue must sign off that they take on responsibility of medical care and acknowledges that they are made aware of medical issues.
STRAY RELEASE
Animal reclaimed during hold.
RTO – Return to Owner
Outcome when animal is reclaimed.
FALSE STRAY
Owned animal misrepresented as a stray.
OWNER SURRENDER DETAILS
OWNER AFFIDAVIT
Legal document transferring ownership to the shelter.
PROOF OF OWNERSHIP
Required documentation to surrender or reclaim.
HARDSHIP SURRENDER
Relinquishment due to housing, finances, health, or life changes.
MEDICAL SURRENDER
Owner cannot afford veterinary care.
BEHAVIOR SURRENDER
Animal relinquished due to behavior issues.
CONFISCATION & LEGAL TERMS
Animals under these cases are usually in an isolated kennel, unable to be seen by the public / walked by volunteers.
CONFISCATION
Temporary seizure of an animal pending investigation.
SEIZURE
Legal taking of an animal under warrant or statute.
PROTECTIVE CUSTODY
Animal removed for immediate safety.
LAW HOLD
Animal retained due to legal proceedings.
LEGAL HOLD
Animal cannot be released, adopted, or transferred.
COURT HOLD
Release requires judge approval.
EVIDENCE HOLD
Animal held as evidence in a cruelty or neglect case.
FORFEITURE
Court-ordered transfer of ownership to the shelter or state.
DISPOSITION HEARING
Court determines final outcome for seized animals.
QUARANTINE & PUBLIC SAFETY
QUARANTINE
Restricted housing due to bite, rabies risk, or disease exposure.
BITE HOLD
Mandatory confinement (usually 10 days in CA) after a human bite.
ZDR – Zoonotic Disease Risk
Diseases transmissible to humans.
MEDICAL & BEHAVIORAL CARE
MED HOLD
Animal unavailable due to medical needs.
VET CLEAR
Approved by veterinary staff.
ALTERED
Spayed or neutered.
FAS – Fear, Anxiety, Stress
Behavior assessment framework.
KENNEL STRESS
Behavioral decline from shelter environment.
EVAL
Behavioral or medical evaluation.
ADOPTION, RESCUE & TRANSFER
ADOPTABLE
Legally and medically cleared for adoption.
Handling Sensitivity
Animal may have been sensitive, shown teeth, and extended a low growl when being assessed. This could be inclusive of having paws / tail touched, etc.
Barrier Reactivity
Animal displays potential barking, growling, etc in the kennel. This is different from general reactivity. Dogs with barrier reactivity may not show any sort of reactivity outside of the kenneled barrier / environment.
RESCUE ONLY (RO)
Animal may only be released to a licensed rescue. This is typically placed on an animal that had a tougher time during the behavior assessment, or has extensive medical needs.
Waiver / Indemnity Waiver
An added tier of rescue only, for dogs with more extensive behavioral needs. Only a handful of rescues have the proper liability insurance needed to take in these dogs. $2M liability insurance policy that releases LA county from future liability and places liability into the rescue organization only. This is an expensive insurance for rescues to carry, so very few rescues carry it.
KHOA
Known history of Aggression, A notice of a behavior, many dogs with a KHOA notice are still publicly adoptable. This notice can be issued due to handling sensitivity, killing a small animal like an opossum or chicken, or even barrier reactivity.
Adoption Partner / Partnered Rescue
In order for a rescue to pull from a shelter, they must have the proper paperwork done to be considered an “adoption partner” or “partnered rescue”. A rescue can not pull from a shelter without this status. An adoption partner, "AP", must have insurance to pull.
LA City Shelter vs LA County Shelter
LAAS operates 6 city shelters (Chesterfield Square/ South LA, East Valley, Harbor, North Central, West LA, West Valley). The DACC operates 7 shelters for unincorporated county areas and cities (Agoura, Baldwin Park, Castaic, Carson/Gardena, Downey, Lancaster, and Palmdale).
PULL
When a rescue removes animal from shelter, takes into their rescue care.
TRANSFERRED
Animal moved to another shelter or rescue.
NT – No Transfer
Transfer not permitted.
FOSTER
Temporary placement in a home while a forever home is continued to be looked for. Fosters “foster” under a rescue. The rescue “owns” the dog and provides essential needs and veterinary care for the animal while in foster care.
FOSTER-TO-ADOPT
Trial adoption via foster.
OUTCOMES
RTO – Return to Owner
Animal reclaimed.
ADOPTION
Permanent placement with a new guardian.
TRANSFER OUT
Animal moved to partner organization.
EUTH – Euthanasia
Humane end of life when legally and ethically necessary.
DOA – Dead on Arrival
Animal deceased at intake.
PUBLIC-FACING TERMS & MISUNDERSTOOD PHRASES
OPEN-ADMISSION or “Open Intake” SHELTER
Must accept all animals regardless of capacity.
LIMITED-INTAKE SHELTER
Accepts animals by appointment or criteria.
NO-KILL
Typically means 90%+ live release rate; does not mean zero euthanasia.
CAPACITY FOR CARE
Number of animals a shelter can humanely house.
LIVE RELEASE RATE (LRR)
Percentage of animals leaving alive (adoption, transfer, RTO).
COMMON ABBREVIATIONS
STR – Stray
OS – Owner Surrender
RTGH – Return to Guardian Hold
RO – Rescue Only
RTO – Return to Owner
MCU – Medical Care Unit
MED – Medical
EUTH – Euthanasia
DECL – Declined