Tag Archives: starting a shelter

Starting A No-Kill Shelter

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One major decision you’ll have to make if you are starting a shelter is this: do you want to be a no-kill shelter? What does it mean to be a no-kill shelter? It means that you are not putting a time limit on the animals’ stays. It means you will not euthanize animals to free up space. It means you may be housing animals for months or years before they find a home. You may even be responsible for some animals until they pass away. Here are some issues to consider: Finances. Caring for an animal for a year will … Continue reading →

Starting A Shelter: Money Stuff

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If you’re going to run a shelter, you’re going to need money. Lots of money. Money for the land and building your animals use. Money for dog food and cat chow. Money for advertising your shelter so your resident animals can find homes. Money for veterinary services, grooming, and training. Get the picture? The best thing you can do is find a pet-loving accountant and/or bookkeeper to help you set up an accounting system. You need to document income and expenses — and in categories that make sense for when you’ll be doing this on your own. Otherwise, you’ll be … Continue reading →

Starting A Shelter: Legal Stuff

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There is so much legal stuff that goes into starting a shelter that it can be overwhelming! This checklist will at least help you get started; you may want to talk to a lawyer or someone from the Small Business Association for assistance. Incorporate or don’t incorporate? Incorporation can protect you from personally being held responsible for any number of things. That little “inc.” after your name helps lend credibility to your shelter. You can get your incorporation paperwork from your Secretary of State office or your state’s Corporation Commission. What’s in a name? You’ve got to register your corporate … Continue reading →

Starting A Shelter: How Are You Doing?

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Running a shelter is not an easy job. There will be hard days and depressing days. There will be happy days and triumphs. You’ll spend a lot of hours sweating over your finances or cleaning kennels. You may be witness to cruel mistreatment of animals. You’re going to encounter a lot more doggy doo and kitty poop than ever before. So how do you objectively assess the success (or failure) of your shelter? The shelter leaders and board of directors are responsible for seeing your mission statement come to life. If you aren’t fulfilling your mission, then something may need … Continue reading →

Starting A Shelter: Getting the Community Involved

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Unless you have limitless financial resources and can do all the work yourself (trust me, you can’t!) your shelter is going to need community support. So how do you do it? Publicity is key. If no one knows about your shelter, no one can help you. Start a mailing list. Include your animal-loving friends and family. Ask your volunteers, workers, and board of directors for names and addresses, too! Keep a sign-up sheet available at your shelter and at all events to keep that mailing list growing. Keep your website current. A website that is never updated isn’t going to … Continue reading →

Starting A Shelter: The Basics

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If you’re an animal lover (like me), you may have pondered the possibility of opening your own shelter some day. In my imagination, I’ve got acres of land and herds of dogs, happily romping together while they wait for their forever homes. In reality, starting a shelter is a lot of work. The first thing to think about is all the different things a humane organization can do. Take in unwanted and stray animals. Rehome unwanted and stray animals. Educate the public about humane issues. Campaign for animal protection laws. Gather other animal lovers to the cause. Spay and neuter … Continue reading →

Ten Questions To Ask About Starting A Shelter

Think you might want to get involved with animal rescue? Excellent! But you may find that starting your own animal shelter is a very involved process. You’ll need more than just the desire to help homeless animals; you’ll need management experience, accounting and marketing skills, community contacts, and much more. Ask yourself these questions if you are starting to think about opening a shelter. Does my community truly need an animal welfare organization? If there is already a shelter in the area, opening another shelter may be a bad idea. Two competing shelters may be more than your community can … Continue reading →