Asilomar Accords
What are the Asilomar Accords?
In 2004, industry leaders representing animal organizations gathered to find common ground in an otherwise divided animal welfare field in Pacific Grove, California. The result was the Asilomar Accords, a first in the industry: common definitions and a standard way of reporting shelter statistics.
Since then, many of those same organizations and others put their heads together and created the Intake & Outcome Database (IOD)™ (formerly known as the Basic Data Matrix), which serves as a basis for the minimum data shelters should be collecting and reporting.
In 2011, the national organizations began a discussion around how to compile a complete picture of the animals entering and leaving shelters in the United States. The result was the formation of Shelter Animals Count: The National Database, made possible by the founding organizations – ASPCA, Best Friends, The Humane Society of the United States, Maddie’s Fund, and PetSmart Charities – who provided the funding to bring this vision forward.
Who is the San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition?
The San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition comprises seven local animal shelters, which consistently exceed standards of care to save more lives – making us one of the strongest animal coalitions in the nation and a leader in the humane treatment of animals. The SDAWC member organizations work together for the purpose of saving animal lives.
The coalition was founded in 2004 after the Asilomar Accords were published and continues meeting quarterly to strengthen lifesaving efforts for animals entering the San Diego sheltering system. The San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition shares a common purpose in saving animals’ lives, preventing animal suffering and eliminating animal abandonment. The coalition follows the Asilomar Accords and compiles statistics each quarter resulting in an annual report to the community. With the Asilomar Accords as its guiding methodology, the San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition created a Conditions List that outlines medical and behavior conditions to help categorize healthy, treatable/manageable and unhealthy/untreatable in a uniform way to meet the standards of typical care provided in the community. This conditions list is evaluated and updated only through consensus of the seven participating coalition shelters. The last update to the Conditions List was November 2020.
Contact SDAWC
The San Diego Animal Welfare Coalition shares a common purpose in saving animals’ lives, preventing animal suffering and eliminating animal abandonment.
It includes the following organizations:
Chula Vista Animal Care Facility
PAWS of Coronado
Friends of Cats
Frosted Faces Foundation
Humane Society of Imperial County
Rancho Coastal Humane Society
San Diego County Department of Animal Services
San Diego House Rabbit Society
San Diego Humane Society
