Compassion Fatigue in Animal Shelters

Working at an animal shelter is an emotionally intense experience. Animal shelter volunteers and staff are exposed to the stories of abused animals, loss of beloved shelter pets, difficult medical decisions, and the suffering of animals. Over time, these experiences can lead to mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion.

Here, we’ll cover what compassion fatigue is, why it’s so common in animal care settings, how to spot it, and ways to help your volunteers who are experiencing it.

What Is Compassion Fatigue?

Compassion fatigue is emotional exhaustion that results from prolonged or repeated exposure to the suffering of others. Compassion fatigue differs from stress and burnout in that it’s specifically related to the emotional and physical exhaustion that results from exposure to suffering.

Stress, on the other hand, is a normal response to high pressure or demands. Stress can be temporary. When stress is prolonged, it can lead to burnout. A volunteer or shelter worker can experience both compassion fatigue and burnout.

Why Animal Shelter Workers Are at Risk

Animal shelter workers and volunteers are at risk of developing both compassion fatigue and burnout.

Examples of factors that can contribute to shelter staff fatigue include:

• Exposure to animal trauma, abandonment, suffering, and euthanasia
• Caring deeply but having limited resources to help all animals
• Getting injured by the animals
• Understaffing and long hours
• Poor work-life balance
• Excessive demands and lack of recognition from shelter leadership or the community

Signs of Compassion Fatigue in Volunteers and Shelter Staff

The following are emotional and behavioral signs of compassion fatigue:

• Acting more irritable, hopeless, or detached
• Reporting a numb feeling when bad things happen
• Withdrawing from others (including the animals)
• Avoiding activities that were once enjoyed
• Reduced empathy for people and animals
• Calling out of work more often or signing up for fewer shifts
• Declining work performance
• Complaining about the job or a perceived lack of impact
• Increased reliance on substances like alcohol

Compassion fatigue and burnout can also affect your volunteers and staff members physically. Consider whether they’re experiencing compassion fatigue if your staff member is experiencing:

• Constant fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping at night
• Headaches
• Increased gastrointestinal issues
• Muscle tension and pain
• Getting sick more often

The Impact of Volunteer Burnout on Animal Shelters

If volunteers are experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue, the shelter may experience:

• Reduced quality of animal care
• Reduced adoption support
• Decreased volunteer and staff retention
• An increased incidence of burnout among remaining team members
• Poor reviews, both on job websites and on community websites

If volunteers and staff are experiencing compassion fatigue or burnout and do not feel like the shelter is offering support, it can cause them to have a very negative view of the shelter itself and the work that’s done there. These thoughts can have a strong impact on shelter team morale and community trust.

Strategies to Prevent Shelter Staff Fatigue and Volunteer Burnout

While caring for the well-being of animals is an obvious goal for an animal shelter to have, the well-being of staff and volunteers must also be prioritized.

The following strategies can be used to prevent or combat compassion fatigue and burnout among shelter staff and volunteers:

• Listen to your team members. If you’re hearing that you’re asking too much of a certain person or team, especially if you’re hearing this from multiple sources, consider shifting responsibilities. Provide opportunities for team members to provide feedback, both in person and anonymously.

• Encourage and model work-life balance. Barring emergencies, encourage your staff and volunteers to take full, uninterrupted lunch breaks and to protect their time outside of the shelter. You should not be expecting shelter team members to respond to non-emergent texts and emails when they’re not on the clock. Encourage staff members to leave work on time.

• Offer emotional support resources. Make sure your benefits package includes care for mental health. Consider keeping a list of recommendations for peer groups, therapists, and grief counselors.

• Train your staff on compassion fatigue and burnout. You want your staff and volunteers to recognize compassion fatigue and burnout in themselves and one another. Make sure you include this training for all new employees and volunteers.

• Allow time for decompression after difficult things happen. Whenever possible, you should give your team time to take a break and emotionally decompress after something difficult happens. For example, if your medical team has euthanized a patient they’ve loved and cared for, give them some time after the euthanasia to rest and talk to one another.

• Recognize the difficult work your team members do. If your intake team processed 30 dogs from an abuse or hoarding situation, shout them out. If your medical team had a difficult case come through, recognize their efforts, regardless of outcome.

Best Practices for Managing Volunteer Stress in Animal Care

Shelters are becoming increasingly aware of compassion fatigue and burnout among their employees, but it’s important to make sure that your leadership is also considering the stress and emotional fatigue of volunteers.

The following best practices will help manage the emotional well-being of your volunteers:

• Ensure that volunteer onboarding includes mental wellness education and the risks of compassion fatigue and burnout in animal welfare.
• Recognize the work your volunteers do. Give them positive and constructive feedback. With their permission, give them public shoutouts in newsletters or social media.
• Ensure there is a simple process for your volunteers to leave feedback.
• Make sure your volunteers clearly understand what their role is, what is expected of them, and who they can turn to for support.
• Don’t forget that your volunteers love the animals too. When there is a loss, check in with volunteers.

How Shelter Leadership Can Support a Compassionate Culture

While efficiency and accountability are important for the shelter to run effectively, shelter leadership need to acknowledge and address that their workers and volunteers (and themselves) have lives outside of their work.

Shelter leaders must lead by example, promoting self-care, normalizing mental health check-ins, and prioritizing work-life balance. As mentioned, shelter leaders should not be reaching out to workers or volunteers after-hours for non-emergent issues, especially when the person is not on call. Expecting after-hours replies from your team shows that not only do you fail to “turn off” when you’re not at work, but you don’t think they should either.

Remember, life comes first. Allow your employees to take mental health days when they’re needed. Consider flexible scheduling so that your employees and volunteers have the opportunity to attend health appointments, pick up kids from daycare, or attend school events.

When bad things happen—a traumatic case or the loss of a longtime shelter animal—acknowledge the emotional pain that comes with it. Speak with the affected team members and volunteers. Be present with them when possible, including for euthanasia.

Consider having your employees and volunteers fill out emotional wellness assessments. These assessments would ideally provide them with individual feedback while remaining anonymous. Keep in mind that assessment without action is performative. You need to take the insights you gain from these assessments and turn them into change for your shelter.

Resources for Volunteers and Shelter Staff

Here are several resources to consider supplying to your shelter staff and volunteers:

• Not One More Vet (NOMV): Offers support to medical staff with peer support groups, mental health grants, and crisis support.
• Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project: Provides books, articles, self-assessments, and access to other organizations. This project broadly references work by all caregivers but has special resources for animal care workers.
• ASPCApro: Has compassion fatigue and resilience resources for shelter staff and volunteers.

Make sure to have recommendations for therapists or counselors available for shelter staff and volunteers. BetterHelp is an online therapy service, and discounts may be available for veterinary workers or shelter staff through NOMV.

Check your benefits program to ensure you’re including mental health services for employees. This can include access to licensed mental health counseling (in-person or teletherapy), Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), and insurance coverage for mental health. Consider building designating paid days off for mental health.

Consider posting the following helplines in your staff breakrooms or other areas frequented by staff and volunteers.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Available to anyone experiencing emotional distress or suicidal ideation. Call or text 988. Available 24/7 and confidential.
• SAMHSA National Helpline: For mental health, substance use, burnout, and trauma. Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Available 24/7 and confidential.

Building a Sustainable, Supportive Shelter Environment

Compassion fatigue and burnout are real possibilities for shelter staff and volunteers coping with the emotional realities of working in animal shelters. Shelter staff and animal shelter volunteers should become familiar with the key signs of compassion fatigue, and shelter leadership should build a culture that supports mental health, encourages speaking out, and respects that life comes before work.

When your staff and volunteers can prioritize their mental wellness, they’re better able to serve animals in need. All animal care workers—be they volunteer or shelter director—should know that they can care for animals without losing themselves in the process.