Full title: Opinion of the FRCAW for the OCAD, proposing a definition of abandonment and a closed list of reasons for dogs and cats to enter and leave the care of facilities and organisations.
Requested by: Observatory for the Protection of Domestic Carnivores (OCAD) Steering Committee
Date of request: 20/04/2022
Date of publication in English: 05/05/2026
DOI: 10.17180/epsc-hb49
Context
The fight against abandonment has been a major issue for French society for several years. Given this situation, the French Observatory for the Protection of Domestic Carnivores (OCAD) was set up in 2021, in order to create a partnership between the main interested parties that would extend knowledge and identify appropriate solutions to combat abandonment.
In March 2022 the FRCAW, in its capacity as the expert body, provided the OCAD's Steering Committee with an initial opinion containing a number of recommendations concerning the future work and priority actions that were required. The FRCAW first recommended that a precise definition should be established for the abandonment of animals. It also recommended a more detailed and consistent monitoring of the animals entering and leaving the care of facilities and rescue organisations (pounds, shelters, pound-shelters, associations without shelter facilities).
Following these initial recommendations, the French Reference Centre for Animal Welfare (FRCAW) was asked by the OCAD’s Steering Committee to 1. draw up lists of defined reasons why dogs and cats enter and leave the care of facilities and rescue organisations (pounds, shelters, pound-shelters and associations without shelter facilities), which would be established in order to track more closely the pathways followed by abandoned animals and 2. create a definition of abandonment on which the future work of the OCAD could be based.
Main conclusions of the FRCAW
Please note: the results and recommendations contained in the expert reports produced by the FRCAW at the request of the OCAD are based on the analytical work carried out in their preparation and on the expert knowledge of the contributors. Their main purpose is to inform the OCAD Steering Committee’s discussions and to improve the monitoring of the welfare of cats and dogs in France.
The experts’ conclusions appear as recommendations at the end of each section of the document.
Initial finding:
No up-to-date comprehensive survey exists of all facilities and organisations currently active on French soil offering accommodation to abandoned animals.
Recommendation 1:
In conjunction with the planned official census of facilities to be conducted by the BNO, the FRCAW recommends that a more detailed characterisation (location, size, species cared for, etc.) of facilities and associations accommodating strays should be carried out at the level of regions and departments, so that their distribution can be mapped and details of their organisation and operation can be recorded. Such analysis could, for example, identify disparities and gaps in provision by shelters, associations without shelter facilities, and pound services in certain departments, and encourage the creation of new shelters in targeted areas where appropriate. One or more bodies delegated by the DGAL could be assigned responsibility for this survey.
Lists of reasons for entry and exit:
The lists of reasons for entry and exit produced by the FRCAW are summarised in Tables 28 and 29 of the report.
Recommendation 2:
The FRCAW recommends that the proposed lists of reasons for entry and exit be used by Ingénium Animalis (manager of the I-CAD database) to populate I-CAD’s files, thus enabling the authorities and organisations responsible for animal accommodation to assist in ensuring a more precise and centralised monitoring system for animals deemed to be abandoned. The lists of reasons for entry and exit must first be validated by all OCAD members.
Recommendation 3:
The FRCAW recommends that, to ensure that the lists of reasons for entry and exit are as complete and accurate as possible with regard to the circumstances on the ground, known sub-reasons should be carefully filled in for each entry or exit of an animal. Additions should also be made to the lists as and when new reasons or sub-reasons are identified (dynamic document). The formation of an ad hoc working group would be useful in updating the lists.
To facilitate the inclusion of such data in the I-CAD files, a tree structure could be employed in the form of a drop-down menu listing possible sub-reasons for euthanasia, death, transfers between facilities, seizure, or capture of animals found roaming.
Recommendation 4:
Euthanasia for behavioural reasons is one of the exit pathways cited for dogs and cats. The FRCAW recommends that the nature of the problematic or even dangerous behaviour leading to the decision should be specified.
Recommendation 5:
In order to improve the monitoring of abandoned animals, the FRCAW recommends that a list of reasons for animals entering and leaving the charge of private individuals via acquisition and surrender should be introduced. These reasons could be provided by vets when an animal is first identified, and then by the surrendering party when an animal is transferred between private individuals.
Definition of abandonment:
The FRCAW proposes the following definition: ‘Abandonment is the deliberate act of disburdening oneself of ownership or keepership and of abrogating one’s responsibility of care for an animal, with a probable negative impact on the animal’s mental and physical health’.
NB: This definition of abandonment is based exclusively on the sociological analysis carried out by the FRCAW. The purpose of this definition is to characterise the act of abandonment. It concerns cases where an owner/keeper deliberately parts with an animal for which moral and civil responsibilities were incurred by the owner/keeper at the time of the animal’s adoption. It thus goes without saying that professions or organisations whose purposes include parting with the animals in their care (breeders who sell to private individuals, shelters that give animals up for adoption) are excluded from this definition.
In order to distinguish between the diverse scenarios falling within the definition established by the FRCAW, the FRCAW has established a typology of abandonment, illustrated in Figure 16 of the report.
Recommendation 6:
The proposed definition of abandonment drawn up by the FRCAW is the outcome of expert work based on the views and suggestions of stakeholders interviewed in the context of a sociological survey. The FRCAW recommends that this definition be used as the basis for the OCAD’s future work on abandonment, subject to its approval by the OCAD. It may be further refined in consultation with OCAD members depending on its intended use.
Recommendation 7:
The typology drawn up by the FRCAW is intended to demonstrate the diversity of abandonment scenarios and their consequences. The FRCAW recommends that this typology be used to help establish a scale of seriousness for abandonment scenarios, where different management methods are appropriate to different scenarios.
