Data: Why It Is Critical To Success And How To Keep

Up With It!

What is the data you need to track?Everything that happens to the animals while under your care. Intake

• Transfer from a shelter• Owner Surrender• Over the Counter Stray

Surrender• Returns from adopters• Born in Shelter

Medical• Spay/Neuter• Microchips• Vaccines• Flea meds, dewormers,

heartworm tests, FeLV/FIV tests• Illness/Injury treatments• Rabies vaccines and certificates

Behavior• Intake behavior (O/S notes,

behavior at the shelter prior to intake)

• Behavior work/training• Bite information• Foster notes

Marketing• Pictures/Videos• Biographies

Outcome• Adoptions• Euthanasia• Died in Shelter• Returned to Owner• Lost in Care (Stolen or Escaped)• Transfer to Other Rescue

Why Does This Matter?Staying organized is critical to your success!

You need to know where your animals are at all times, be able to access those animals and know what happened to them.

You need the data to be available years down the road.

Easily searchable is key!

Data might not be as fun as cuddling kittens but its

important!

Don’t be like this guy

WHY CONT.Legal Ramifications

• Defines Ownership• Prevent Owner Surrender Lawsuits• Veterinary Records• Contracts with Outside Agencies

Reporting

• Grant writing• Internal Audits/Goal Setting • Contracts

Staff Performance MeasuresMoney in shelters is always tight, and paid positions must have maximum productivity to survive.

Staff that work from home can be especially difficult to track productivity.

People will always want more staff for every department, how can you fairly assess if that area really has grown enough to warrant more staff?

Dozens of reports available to help you!

REMEMBER: ALTHOUGH DATA IS NOT AS FUN AS FLUFFY PUPPIES, IT IS VITAL TO YOUR SUCCESS. SET IT UP EARLY ON AND SAVE YOURSELF A LOT OF TROUBLE LATER!

What System To Use?At Austin Pets Alive! and San Antonio Pets Alive! we use PetPoint web based software

PetPoint Information• Cost – Free• How to join – www.petpoint.com or (866) 630-PETS(7387)• Set up and Training• Have ALL your key people/team leaders involved in this initial process

Staff To Manage The Data• Data Manager/Analyst • Data entry staff – “night owls”

Data Staff CostsIt takes ~50min/animal of data entry from start to finish throughout the system. So if you intake 100 animals per week, you’ll need ~83hrs/wk data entry staff + Data Manager (~10-20hrs/wk depending on responsibilities)Hire people that can type quickly!

Have them take a typing test in front of you during the interview, require a minimum of 50 or 60WPM.

Free fast online typing test: www.typingtest.com

How To Get Data From Here To ThereEnd of Day Reporting (EOD)

What: A comprehensive report compiled by staff that shows everything that happened that day

What’s in it: A synopsis cover sheet and then supporting documents.

Who does it: Every where you have something the onsite supervisor is responsible for compiling.

How is it submitted: Scan/Email, Fax (myfax.com), take pictures with a cell phone and email, whatever you have to do to get it submitted electronically

Where does it go?: a Google Group that forwards to everyone that needs it or a centralized email box (i.e. paperwork@austinpetsalive.org).

When: MUST BE EVERY DAY WITHOUT FAIL AT END OF DAY

EOD Synopsis

Hand written synopsis page – quick and easy but not searchable and bad handwriting can cause problems so not ideal

Eod Synopsis

Typed EOD synopsis as an email. Makes it searchable which is nice, no hand writing confusion. Need access to a computer though which can be tough for places like PetSmart.

Checks And BalancesMistakes WILL happen – typos, things forgotten when the animals are moving quickly, etc.

Must have checks and balances – at least 2 people looking at the data in different directions in case one of them misses something.

Run reports every day out of PetPoint to compare to the EODs to make sure nothing missed!

Data to Collect - Intakes• Animal Name, ID#, Age, Sex, Breed, Color(s)• Intake medical (vaccines, intake work up, chip #, spay/neuter status)• Behavior Evaluations, Owner Surrender behavior info (good with kids/pets,

etc)• Picture, even if not good. Can always put in a better one later. • Where its going (location – i.e. foster home, onsite shelter, etc.)• Where it came from (what shelter? Stray vs o/s? Public intake?)• Intake reason (medical problems? Behavior problems? Age? Space? Time

(stray hold up)?)• Returns – returned by adopters including reason they are returning

Forms You’ll Need For Intake

Kennel card/Animal Information SheetMedical Intake FormOwner Surrender FormAdoption Return Form (can be same as O/S form)

Intake Kennel Card

Owner Surrender Form – last page

LocationsOnce you pull an animal from the shelter, where all is it going prior to the outcome?

Foster • Foster Sign out Sheet • Foster Transfer • Foster Return to Organization

Onsite Locations• Onsite locations (i.e. your shelter, PetSmart, PetCos) – track who is

going to and from. • Daily census essential to catch mistakes!

Other• Vet clinics, boarding facilities, emergency clinics

Location Cont.How to make sure locations stay up to date

• Team leaders in charge of their areas

• Data team double checks on EODs and confirms updates

• Daily Census

It is everyone’s job to ensure no animals get lost in the system!

Daily CensusEach onsite location submits a Daily Census to ensure data in PetPoint is accurate. First they run a report in PetPoint to see what animals PetPoint says are in their location, then they walk the kennels and compare to see what animals actually are physically in their location, and report discrepancies on a Census Discrepancy Report included in EOD.

Medical• Medical Data Logs• Medical Request Forms for Onsite Animals• Rabies Certificates (vets only, must be onsite)• Parvo Forms

*Note – have a plan for medical performed by external clinics!

BehaviorBehavior Incident FormsBehavior information on Owner Surrender Forms or Adoption Return FormsBehavior Logs/Documentation of behavior evaluations from your behavior staff

PetPoint can hold 3 photos, 1 youtube video, and a biography of the animal. These will automatically upload to your website and be removed from the website when the animal leaves your care.

Marketing volunteers can upload this information rather than the data team.

An online form for fosters to fill out to upload photos/bio/video can be useful, or an inbox (marketing@yourorganization.org) for fosters to email the materials to.

Marketing Materials

OutcomesAn “Outcome” is when the animal is no longer owned by your organization and the record is “complete”. At this point the animal will be “released” out of your care in the system.

Adoption – a finalized adoptionDied – passed away while in your careEuthanasia – Was euthanised while in your careTransfer Out – Transfer to another rescue (i.e. a purebred Rescue Group that works with you)Return to Owner – the original owner wants to reclaim the animal

Adoption• Adoption Contract• Adoption Application• Adoption check list (the things the counselor goes over with the

adopter)• Ringworm Disclosure• Other documentation for adopters - behavior or illness handouts,

etc. • Foster Home Adoptions – ppwk system• Onsite animals include in EOD

Insurance And MicrochipsInsurance – make sure you have a system in place for dealing with the 24petwatch insurance if you utilize that. Adopters MUST register within a small window for it to work!• A handout at the time of adoption that explains rules (no

pre-existing conditions, $75 deductible, $750 max payout, etc)

Microchips – Registration information

Email – Data team emails insurance and chip ppwk to adopters.

Died And Euthanasia• Exact date it died• Reason• How to find out

RescueConsider having a rescue transfer form and rescue application form, animals sent to rescue should be included in EOD as an outcome

RTO

Lost/StolenThese will NOT be counted towards your live release rate so try to minimize them. If a foster refuses to return an animal to your organization, consider “adopting” the animal to them for free rather than reporting them as stolen. This is an administrative function only.

Asilomar AccordsAsilmar Reporting is not something you have to do but it is something PetPoint can do. • What is it: http://www.asilomaraccords.org/• Why does it matter: Some grants require you to create Asilomar Reports • How does it work: Choose the Asilomar Status at intake and outcome of

animal. • What is a status: Asilomar Statuses define what kind of shape the

animal is in medically or behaviorally

Thanks for coming!