Doctrine is those things that you hold firmly. It is the thing that you build your principles upon. Sadly, it is also the thing that divides us. False doctrine is something that erodes us. It goes beyond faith, it becomes who we are.
Every animal shelter would have a principle for how we treat the animals in our care. That doctrine should insure that each animal is receiving adequate care. That principle should also extend to how we treat the animal when an animal is suffering and we are unable to provide it with the care that it needs.
Animal shelters need to document these principles so that everyone in the organization will understand our doctrines. Many times, our doctrines are what paves our path to humane treatment of the animals in our care. It is upon these doctrines that we submit our annual budget request.