Planning On Starting An Animal Shelter? Here Are A Few Ways You Can Do So

BY | August 23 | COMMENTS PUBLISHED BY

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You need to carefully plan and prepare to start an animal shelter or animal rescue facility. There is also the compulsory requirement to raise funds. To do all these, you must fix on what kind of animals you want to rescue and the number of animals you can adequately care for in your facility. It is important to note that animal care is hard work, needing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You need to have both full-time employees and also volunteers.

Cosmetic efforts pay off

Since advertising plays a bigger role than it should, it is vital to compose an attractive name for the animal shelter. There is also the requirement to design a palatable and easily remembered logo. The latter will be the face of the animal shelter, with the image showing up in business cards, stationery, and even billboards if need be. You also need an exclusive phone line and post office box. A website is mandatory for adoption efforts.Experience in this field is a must before you begin an animal shelter. This premise holds true even if you have a degree in the field and you have worked with animals on a casual basis. Volunteer at the local shelters and learn their operational methods. You must have a functional knowledge of pet CPR, animal health, and pet first aid. Getting the proper location for your animal shelter is a must. Check zoning regulations prior to buying or leasing the land. If you already own the land, ask the local municipality first as to whether they are okay with the idea of an animal shelter coming up in that location.

Infrastructure and local contacts

If the chosen location has existing buildings, examine whether they can be retrofitted to house an animal shelter or you have to demolish them to make a new construction. Remember that this facility will have different sections to house different species. Nursing animals should be kept apart from other animals and the young from the adult. The facility must have isolation areas so that new additions could be quarantined to ensure that the infectious diseases do not get transmitted to the healthy animals.It is important that you establish an excellent relationship with the local veterinarian. A number of animals will need neuter and spay services. Medication and vaccinations are everyday events in any shelter. A few vets may agree to work at a discount or even gratis. It is also a responsible job to keep accurate records at all times. All donations must be accounted for tax purposes. Each animal must have a dedicated folder or files. Keep all the necessary adoption and release forms.

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