There is a tremendous amount of work required to make the wheels of rescue turn – whether arranging transports, vetting foster homes, dealing with a special needs dog, or finding help for a sister organization on the other side of the country – all of these things require the ability to locate information quickly. While most of us have some kind of system that allows us to sort and classify our contacts and resources, a lot of information is kept in our heads – and memory is both faulty and fickle.
These Workforms are designed to organize all that information into easily usable form. They can be stored in online “binders”, and can also be printed out and housed in a physical binder for easy access when access to a computer is temporarily blocked or entirely unavailable.
A completed Rescue Person Workform will provide a structured and detailed snapshot of all the people you deal with in the course of working on a rescue – contact information, geographic location, ability to transport, which rescue organizations the person may belong to etc.
The Rescue Organization Workform applies to any municipal shelter, non-profit shelter, rescue group, or sanctuary you may interact with during the course of your rescue work. It covers the same ground as the Rescue Person workform, but also provides space to fill in details such as physical layout of the facility, whether there is a foster program in place, whether the group has restrictions on breed, age, medical issues, or anything else worth noting.
The two forms can be cross referenced so that when you deal with a particular person or group, you will be able to know quickly who they are affiliated with. In the same vein, you will also be able to tell who does not work with a particular person or group – saving yourself both time and effort.
The Foster Parent Workform is designed to help keep track of all the details you need when deciding if a particular foster is suited for a particular dog. Everything from the work schedule of the foster parent, house and fence type, length of time willing to foster, other animals in the household – this form will provide a comprehensive view of what your foster homes are able and willing to do. It can be used as an adjunct to the Rescue Person Workform, or as a standalone document for those people whose only involvement with rescue is in being a foster home. It is different from a foster application – although some of the same information is covered – in that you fill it out, not the foster – thereby allowing you to freely note the pros and cons of a particular household. This will increase the odds that the dog and foster will be a good match.
Not every section of the forms will apply to every person or group. And as with any method, there are almost certainly ways to improve and expand upon the original idea. Since the Workforms are saved into a Word document, anyone may customize the forms to fit their specific needs.
It is my sincere hope that you will find that these Workforms make your “rescue life” smoother and more efficient. Please feel free to distribute at will.
***Note*** we at DRAW cannot take credit for this fabulous enterprize. We are simply promoting!
