Running head: Animal sanctuary database project

Animal Sanctuary Database Project

Zachary Ashman

Presented to the Management Department Faculty

of Oregon Institute of Technology
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Management

Table of Contents

Animal sanctuary database project

Abstract.........................................................................................................................3
Introduction...................................................................................................................................4
Project Overview..............................................................................................................4
Assumptions.....................................................................................................................5
Scope................................................................................................................................5
Impact...............................................................................................................................6
Resources..........................................................................................................................6
Research Methods ........................................................................................................................6
Timeline & Milestones.....................................................................................................7
Project Success Metrics....................................................................................................8
Organizational Background...........................................................................................................8
Stakeholders......................................................................................................................10
Literature Review..........................................................................................................................10
Results............................................................................................................................................15
Summary and Conclutions.............................................................................................................15
Recommendations and Future Work..............................................................................................15
References......................................................................................................................................16
Appendix........................................................................................................................................17

Abstract
Odd Cat Out cat sanctuary located on a private farm in Sherwood, Oregon, kept records
in paper and digital format. The records are kept off site and are only accessible by the sanctuary

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

founder. This made it difficult for the staff to identify animals that had special (dietary or
medical) needs or animals injured with veterinary needs without consulting the founder first.
There was also a new law passed by the Oregon Senate (SB 6 (2013)) which requires Animal
Rescue organizations to be licensed and maintain detailed and accurate records for all animals in
their care. Odd Cat Out was not in compliance before this new law came into effect, mainly due
to the fact that licensing was not mandatory in Oregon prior to the bills passing. Extremely
detailed records of all the cats in Odd Cat Outs care have been kept, but with the nature of
animal rescue, there have been times where information was misplaced or lost. This database
project for Odd Cat Out will help with the organization and maintenance of their records and
allow them to comply with the new Oregon law.
Keywords: Animal rescue, Sanctuary, Database, Records, Cat, Oregon

Odd Cat Out Database Project

Oregon State passed Senate Bill 6 (SB 6 (2013)), an Anti-Hoarding Law approved by the
Legislature in July 2013 requiring animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations be licensed,
maintain detailed records of all animals and established penalties for operation violations. Odd
Cat Out cat sanctuary keeps records in paper and digital format that are accessible only by the

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

sanctuary founder. This has made it difficult for staff to identify animals in need of veterinary
care without consulting with her first. More importantly, the existing system does not comply
with the record keeping requirements under the new law. It is therefore imperative to develop a
more efficient way for the sanctuary to store information to bring them in compliance with the
law.
Project Overview
The focus of this project is creating a database application that can be used to keep track
of animals being cared for in shelters and sanctuaries. A database is needed by Odd Cat Out
(OCO) for the following:

Change in Oregon State Law mandates detailed records be maintained.

The Manual System currently in place no longer meets the need of the organization.
The shelter wants to ensure that the necessary information will be readily available to

provide proper care of the animals.

The Shelter wants to maximize efficiency through centrally located information.
OCO only accepts cats, therefore the database program was based on this species,

however, the design has included the option for other animal species. The sanctuary needed to
track each animal, providing the following information: Animal Type, ID, Name Age, Sex,
whether it was spayed or neutered and a place for comments. The animal type needed to include
breed and length of hair. Data related to prior history included date of arrival, reason, and a
comments section. Medical care must be tracked for each animal and included Veterinarian
information, the dates of service, cost, types of vaccinations, descriptions of the procedures
performed, and the medication prescribed with dosage.
The database will be used internally to make identifying the cats easier for the
employees and provide access to important information regarding medications and injuries. The

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

database creates a more autonomous atmosphere by allowing employees to access information

previously unavailable to them.
Assumptions
For the Odd Cat Out database project there are a few key assumptions:

All parties involved have computer equipment capable of running the database

software;
The information provided by Odd Cat Out was correct and complete;
The project had zero costs;
The labor was volunteered.

Scope
Odd Cat Out maintains only one location with no plans to open any others. They only
accept cats, therefore there is only one category of animal. The database is only going to be
related to the cats that pass through the sanctuary. The database will not be related to any other
sanctuary activities therefore, it will not have any major impact on vendors, suppliers, financial
backers, or the community.
Impact
The existing system for record keeping at Odd Cat Out was a mix of paper records and
digital records that were kept off site at the sanctuary founders home and only accessible to her.
The digital records consisted of Word documents and an Excel spreadsheet. The new system is
projected to impact the existing system by centralizing the records on site and bringing the
sanctuary into compliance with Oregon law.
Resources
This database project for Odd Cat Out is very basic. All the parties involved had
computer hardware and software before the project began, so there is no cost associated with

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

acquiring the needed materials to operate the database. There is no real budget, as the only
resources used will be volunteer labor and the time it takes for the projects completion.
Research Method
The bulk of the research for this project was secondary research. Peer review articles
relating to data collection and animal shelters were used to complete the literature review. Books
on database creation and database software were used for insights in the design process. Primary
research was done onsite through volunteer work and interviews with the primary stakeholder
Keni Cyr-Rumble.
Timeline and Milestones

The general schedule for the project is represented by the following Gantt Chart (Chart 1)
and Table 1.

Chart 1. Gantt Chart of project schedule.

Table 1. Blown up section of Gantt Chart project schedule.

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

1. Gather data on cats 1/11/16 to 1/25/16 Need cooperation from main stakeholder
2. Initial database design 1/26/16 to 2/22/16 Need Microsoft Visio to create
diagrams
3. Final database design 2/23/16 to 3/16/16 Need feedback from stakeholder on
initial design details
4. (To be completed next term) Begin building database 3/28/16 to 4/22/16 Need
finalized database design and decide on database software to use
5. (To be completed next term) Test database 4/25/16 to 5/27/16 Need basic
database programmed enough to run tests of functionality
Project Success Metrics
The projects success will be judged on whether or not the database will function. The
database should produce reports that can be used to meet the licensing requirements imposed by
the state of Oregon. These are key feature the database should accomplish.
The staff at Odd Cat Out should be able to use the database to input data and retrieve data
on the cats in meaningful ways. The database should produce reports useful to the proactive care
of the cats. A staff member should be able to use the database to identify a cat at random.
Organizational Background
Odd Cat Out is a private non-profit rescue/shelter/sanctuary that is closed to the public.
Like its name, it is a bit odd in a good way. Keni Cyr-Rumble started out fostering animals for
several other Oregon rescue groups and shelters out of her home. It wasnt long before the
population of cats grew to the point that the county government stepped in. However, county
officials were so impressed with the cleanliness and the care she was giving to these unwanted
animals, that they worked with her until she found a new location in a donated barn out in the
country. The barn has been turned into a cat paradise. Most of the cats that make it into the
sanctuary are seen as unadoptable and many times under the threat of euthanasia.

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

Odd Cat Out is considered an animal rescue even though it calls itself a sanctuary. To see
the physical location in Sherwood, a person needs to contact Keni and make an appointment to
come out. They dont do any organized form of marketing besides hosting a webpage and
having a presence on social media. They recently partnered with the Tualatin PetCo and another
rescue to put adoptable cats into the stores for up to a couple weeks. This increases a cats
opportunities of getting a forever home and gives them exposure to more people looking to
adopt, something they wouldnt have staying at the sanctuary.
Odd Cat Out is located on a beautiful 35-acre farm out in Sherwood, OR. The cats
reside on the second floor of a large grey barn. The barn is roughly a 20' x 60' area with a really
high 25'+ ceiling. Inside the barn is a cat wonderland. The cats have all kinds of things to
scratch and climb on. The cats can climb up into the top rafters, hang out in open kennels,
lounge on furniture and random shelves scattered around. Cats can be seen everywhere.
Animal rescues across America are not all the same. There can be vast differences as to
what kind of services they perform and what they do with the animals they intake. Many shelters
will euthanize unwanted animals unless they state that they are a no-kill shelter. The Oregon
Humane Society for instance, euthanizes many healthy, adoptable animals annually.
Most of the financial burden for Odd Cat Out fall on Keni and her husband Gary. They
fund nearly 100% of all the operational costs, food costs, vet costs and other associated costs
with running the sanctuary. They accept donations, but they dont actively solicit for them.
There have been ideas thrown around for creating a cat sponsor program, where an individual
could donate money toward the care of a specific cat or cats. In return person would get periodic
updates on the cat or cats welfare. The idea has been shelved for the moment because it takes a

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

significant amount of time and effort to maintain a newsletter with information on hundreds of
cats.
Financial information about the sanctuary isnt shared with the employees on a formal
basis. Typically, the staff is informed of a financial problem when it is communicated that
supplies will be late a few days because of lack of funds. As far as budgeting goes, there are
some fixed costs like rent, utilities, cleaning supplies, and food, but the varying costs of
veterinary care and medicine are somewhat unpredictable and are usually the reason for
exceeding a monthly budget. The actual amount of the monthly budget is not known.
Stakeholders
This project is in a unique position because there arent a whole lot of stakeholders
involved and the impact of the databases success or failure will mainly affect them. OCO
doesnt have many vendors, customers, suppliers or financial backers. The major stakeholder is
Keni Cyr-Rumble the founder, the manager, and the chief financial resource, as she pays out of
pocket for most of the sanctuaries expenses.
The other stakeholders are the cats, the community at large and the four other staff
members Kim, Steve, Chrissie, and Andrea. The database is mainly for internal use to make
identifying the cats easier for the employees. Currently only Keni knows or has access to all the
cats records in the sanctuary. The database will allow a more autonomous atmosphere and will
hopefully allow Keni the ability to have time off without having to be constantly on call in the
case of emergency.
Literature Review
Research was conducted on how animal shelters used software to aid or improve animal
shelter management. Here is the list of assembled articles that discusses how software can aid in

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

10

the collection of data in an animal shelter environment. These articles show how data collection
can be used for more than just inventory purposes.
Morris and Gies (2014) study was done in Denver, Colorado over a 22-year period and it
tracked the intake and outcomes of dogs and cats entering area shelters. Across four shelters, it
tracked and analyzed data on three scales: actual number of dogs or cats per year; number of
animals per 1000 residents in a tri-county area per year; and as a percentage of total intakes per
year. The data was used to look at trends in shelter intakes, adoption rates, and euthanasia
numbers.
Morris and Gies (2014) showed how data collection can aid in tracking trends over a
period of time. This seems to be kind of the generic use of an animal shelter/ sanctuary database
system, but very relevant to this database assignment. It demonstrates how useful keeping
records on different input criteria can be in finding trends. One of the side benefits of a shelter
database would be the ability to have a way to accurately track what has, is, and will happen with
each animal in a sanctuary/ shelter environment. It all depends on what data is collected and
how the owners of the data want to use it.
Field, Bailey, et als. (2007) study discusses the universal importance of maintaining
accurate medical records for research, teaching and testing. While the article outlines data
specifically relating to research animals which does not necessarily apply to animals in an animal
sanctuary or shelter, there is an overlap in the components of a medical record that would be
relevant information to place into a database. Specifically, identification of the animal, results of
physical examinations, behavior of the animal, notations of any abnormalities, illnesses or
injuries, immunizations and any specific treatment procedures.

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

11

Field, Bailey et als (2007) study article underscores the importance of establishing and
maintaining appropriate medical records, as well as providing guidelines for the components of a
record and types of records. There are elements that could be valuable in structuring an animal
shelter database project.
Kommedal, Wagner, and Hurleys (2015) study was done to test if an existing shelter
software system would be helpful in tracking Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs) in the feline
population of a California animal shelter. URIs are one of the most common diseases found in
large populations of housed felines. Since shelters and sanctuaries usually house large
populations of animals, the animals entering these facilities have a much higher risk of
contracting the disease. This study did not have a positive outcome as they did not find the
software used effective for tracking URI frequency or risk factors, but this was mainly due to the
collection methods and the quality of the data collected. Although the study creators felt that
with some tweaks to the software, it could increase its practicality and usefulness. Mainly
making certain data points mandatory entries such as, health status at intake and outcome,
vaccination date and status, as well as the age of the animal.
Kommedal, Wagner, and Hurleys (2015) study article was useful because it found
critical data collection points that if not collected consistently and accurately could derail the
usefulness of the data collected. The article was interesting because of the different possible use
scenarios for the data collected in a database. The data can be used for more than just an
inventory system. It has the potential, depending on the choices made about collected data
points, to track disease outbreaks or more positive outcomes like adoption numbers.
Lancaster, Rand, Collecott, Paterson (2015) study in Australia discussed the problem
associated with the collection of bad data. Microchips are used around the world to keep

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

12

ownership information with an animal in case it becomes lost. It is a small Radio-frequency

identification (RFID) chip that is just larger than an uncooked grain of rice and it is placed
subcutaneously (just under the skin) usually in the nape area on dogs and cats. They can be
extremely useful in getting a lost pet reunited with its owner, but only if the information on the
chip is correct and current.
Lancaster, Rand, Collecott, Paterson (2015) study information was relevant to the project,
as most, if not all animals out of shelters and sanctuaries are microchipped. An entry for a
microchip in an animal sanctuary database should be a requirement. An entry for if there is a
microchip or not. If there is a microchip, an entry for the tracking number and any attached
owner information. If the shelter or sanctuary can reset or change that info, there could also be
an entry for that too. When it comes to microchip data, the quality of the data on the chip can
literally mean the life or death of the animal. The potential for that kind of misinformation is
definitely a possibility if training and record collection is neglected.
Plavic et als (2009) study talks about using Veterinary Information Management
software to develop animal health, food safety, and a traceability management system for animal
production in the human food chain. The quality of care given to animals directly relates to the
safety of the food supply. Developing a system that collects data on animal health, animal
welfare, animal origin, and other various aspects can aid in tracing back any outbreaks of illness
more efficiently and effectively.
Plavic et als (2009) article shows how database information can be important and
valuable for many different reasons and applications. Data can be used to make food processing
safer for human consumption. If a problem is recognized the animal can be traced back to its

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

13

origin. This information could be valuable for an animal shelter database to record and track
other issues related to health and disease.
Euthanasia research
An article by McLaughlin, M. (2009), discusses spay and neutering. The author
discusses what he feels is too much emphasis on sterilization and vaccinations and not enough
emphasis on basic health and disease testing. Apparently many humane society type
organizations focus on spay and neutering and don't do testing for diseases like leukemia or
parasites. Dr. McLaughlin thinks this is a poor use of resources because people could end up
adopting an unhealthy animal because they chose to spend funds on sterilization and not basic
health testing.
A study by Scarlett, J. and Johnston, N. (2012), was done after the community opened a
subsidized Spay & Neuter clinic in Transylvania County, North Carolina, to see if it had any
measurable impact on the impound and euthanasia rates of dogs and cats in local shelters. The
study results were surprising, but there were a lot of areas that data wasn't collected, which made
the results difficult to interpret. For example, the study didn't know how many spay and neuters
were being performed by local veterinarians before or after the subsidized clinic opened.
Essentially there was no way of telling whether the total number of spay and neuters in
the county had increased or stayed the same, because there wasn't data to compare if pet owners
had switched their neutering behavior from veterinarians to the clinic. Although area shelters did
see declines in impound and euthanasia rates, the percentage was insignificant, so it's difficult to
call the subsidized neutering program a success.
A study done in New Hampshire by White, S., Jefferson, E., and Levy, J. (2010), was
similar to the North Carolina Study, this study compared its findings with areas that did not have

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

14

spay and neuter programs along with area shelters that did. The findings of this study showed a
much more dramatic decrease in the number of animals entering shelters and being euthanized
than the North Carolina study. It also showed a significant difference between the areas that did
not have sterilization programs.
A study done by Secovich, S. and Bradshaw-Lynn, D. (2003), looks at spay and neuter
programs set up in New Hampshire and New Jersey to see if a similar program can be repeated
successfully in Maine. This study was extremely thorough. The author interviewed shelter and
Animal Control workers to get insider view points on the viability of a subsidized spay and
neuter program. Maine at the time had a certificate and voucher system set up to provide $25 to
$50 toward spay and neuter surgery for low income individuals and families, but some
veterinarians wouldn't honor the certificates and pet owners were required to pay any difference
in cost if the procedures cost more than the voucher amount.
In comparison, New Hampshire's program pays for all but $10 of the spay and neuter
procedure cost. The proposal recommends setting up a spay & neuter program Maine and
suggests that using the existing pet licensing model and increasing the price to license an animal
by a couple dollars would finance the cost with money left over to market the program to the
public.
Results
During this phase of the project data on the cats was collected and analyzed. Time was
spent creating and updating the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) seen in appendix 2, based on
feedback received from the main stakeholder, Keni. Updates and changes were emailed to Keni
for approval and feedback. Developed a plan to gather more data on the administration of
medications to the cats based on feedback. Made changes to the Excel spreadsheet formatsothe

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

15

datacouldbeviewedeasilyandreorganizedtheformatbymakingtabs. Designed a new form

for the Weekly Cat Medication Chart in Excel.
Consulting with Scott Collins on database design helped get the database back on
track. Initially the database design was based off of tables extemporaneously created from the
Excel spreadsheet. This was a bit confusing because a table was created for each Status entry for
the cats. After some thought, the realization that the cats Status could change over time, made it
quite clear that the design was flawed. Having a unique identifier for the cat as opposed to the
cats status made more sense, so the first attempt at creating a database was tossed out.
Once that minor setback was addressed the path towards a better design was embarked
upon. It became clear that Cats and Contacts needed separate tables as they each hold unique
information and the cats could potentially have multiple Contacts associated with them. A table
for medical records was decided upon because the Cats medical records would grow over time
and it made more sense to have a separate table to collect that information.
Form creation to populate the tables became the next task. It became clear after a couple
hours of fiddling with the form creation, that it was not an intuitive process. There are a multiple
different fields that need to be tweaked to get the form working with the table properly. It was
discovered after many failed attempts at getting a picture to display on the CAT form that even
though Access allows pictures to be attached to tables, it will not display the picture on the form
from the attachment field. There is a work around to get the picture to display on the form, but it
will require more research to get it up and working properly.
Summary & Conclusions
Designing and building a functioning database was more difficult than anticipated. Not
having any formal training on database development made for quite a learning curve. Quite a

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

16

few mistakes were made in the initial build process and the first attempt at building the database
resulted in unnecessary tables with redundant data. The decision was made to scrap the first
attempt and start over.
Recommendations and Future Work
To finish the project, the Entity-Relational Diagrams need to be reevaluated for errors. Once that
is completed the programming phase of the database needs to begin. Once the programming is
started, the database needs to be tested for functionality. It is likely that the testing phase will
take up most of the time next term.
References
Information on Odd Cat Out Keni Cyr-Rumble, main stakeholder and project sponsor.
Morris, K.N. and Gies, D.L. (2014) Trends in Intake and Outcome Data for Animal
Shelters in a Large U.S. Metropolitan Area, 1989 to 2010, JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL
WELFARE SCIENCE,17:5972.
Field, K.(Chair), Bailey, M., Foresman, L.L., Harris, R.L., Motzel, S.L., Rockar, R.A.,
Ruble, G. and Suckow, M.A. (2007). Medical Records for Animals Used in Research, Teaching,
and Testing: Public Statement form the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine,
ILAR Journal, Volume 48, number 1, 37-41.
Kommedal, A.T., Wagner, D. and Hurley, K. (2015). The Use of a Shelter Software to
Track Frequency and Selected Risk Factors for Feline Upper Respiratory Infection, Animals, 5:
161-172.
Lancaster, E., Rand, J., Collecott, S. and Mandy Paterson, M. (2015). Problems
Associated with the Microchip Data of Stray Dogs and Cats Entering RSPCA Queensland
Shelters, Animals, 5, 332-348.

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

17

Plavic, B., Nedic, D., Micovic, Z., Tesic, M., Stanojevic, S., Ruzica, A., Krnjaic D., Nada,
T. and Milanovic, S. (2009). VETERINARY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
(VIM) IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT OF ANIMAL
DISEASE, Acta Veterinaria (Beograd), Vol. 59, No. 1, 99-108,
Euthanasia research
McLaughlin, M., (2009) Pet overpopulation: An uphill battle, DVM, DVM Magazine pg.
22 issue 11/2009
Scarlett, J. and Johnston, N., (2012) Impact of a Subsidized Spay Neuter Clinic on
Impoundments and Euthanasia in a Community Shelter and on Service and Complaint Calls to
Animal Control, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 15:5369
White, S., Jefferson, E., Levy, J., (2010) Impact of Publicly Sponsored Neutering
Programs on Animal Population Dynamics at Animal Shelters: The New Hampshire and Austin
Experiences, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 13:191-212
Secovich, S., Bradshaw-Lynn, D., (2003) Case Study: Companion Animal OverPopulation Programs in New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Maine And A New Program for
Maine,
Appendix 1
Summary of Senate Bill 6
Seventy-Eighth Oregon Legislative Assembly - 2015 Regular Session MEASURE: SB 4
STAFF MEASURE SUMMARY CARRIER: Rep. Greenlick
House Committee On Judiciary
Fiscal: Has minimal fiscal impact
Revenue: No Revenue Impact_____________________________________________________
Action Date: 05/07/15

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

18

Action: Do Pass.
Meeting Dates: 05/07
Vote:
Yeas: 7 - Barker, Greenlick, Krieger, Olson, Post, Sprenger, Williamson
Exc: 2 - Barton, Lininger
Prepared By: Laura Handzel, Administrator__________________________________________
WHAT THE MEASURE DOES:
Modifies definition of animal rescue entity to clarify inclusion of animals located off-site.
ISSUES DISCUSSED:
History and success of Senate Bill 6
Legislative intent of Senate Bill 6
North Marion County case and discovery of legal loophole
Unintended consequences of Senate Bill 6
Fraudulent animal rescue organizations
Technical fix provided by Senate Bill 4
Legal versus physical custody
Animal hoarding cases
Oregon Humane Society humane agents
EFFECT OF COMMITTEE AMENDMENT:
No amendment.
BACKGROUND: The 77th Legislative Assembly passed Senate Bill 6 during the 2013 regular
session. That bill created more comprehensive anti-cruelty, animal impoundment and animal

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

19

rescue laws. Part of the intent of Senate Bill 6 was to create a mechanism to better regulate
unlicensed animal rescue organizations. This is because animal hoarders or individuals with
fraudulent intent sometimes exploit animals by posing as reputable animal rescues. Senate Bill 4
closes a legal loophole unintentionally created by Senate Bill 6 by modifying the definition of
animal rescue entity created by Senate Bill 6. Senate Bill 4 clarifies that an animal rescue
entity maintains legal custody of 10 or more animals regardless of whether they are kept
onsite or in another location. 1 of 1
Appendix 2
Entity Relationship Diagram

Business Management Department

Animal sanctuary database project

Business Management Department

20