Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Due to the problem of the constant growth of populations of stray animals in cities, millions of cats and dogs are annually destroyed, so many enthusiasts try to organize their own rescue services for stray animals.

Steps

1. 1 Consider your decision carefully! Organizing an animal care service requires a tremendous amount of effort, which not everyone can afford. If your community already has an animal shelter, it is better to help than to start a new one. Two centers in the same area will begin to compete with each other, and this will not be beneficial to the cause. In addition, it takes a lot of money to set up a shelter, and you may not be able to afford it. Consider these circumstances.
2. 2 Find out as much as possible about the organization of the shelter. Talk to other animal shelter owners or managers. Check out online forums or attend thematic conferences. Volunteer at a shelter and learn about fundraising principles, caring for animals, hiring staff, and inviting volunteers.
3. 3 "You can't tie a knot with one hand." You will have to attract a lot of specialists, including a lawyer who will help you solve bureaucratic problems and obtain the status of a non-profit organization, an advertising and public relations specialist, a veterinarian, as well as sponsors who are ready to provide financial support to the shelter.
4. 4 Decide on the type of shelter you have. There are many different types of shelters, with their own advantages and disadvantages, but the most common ones are:
   • Shelters for animals of the same species or breed, such as cats or German shepherds.
   • Shelters where animals are not euthanized. This may seem like the right decision, but in such shelters, in some cases, they become more like temporary nurseries.
   • Lifelong shelters. Usually, such shelters accept sick or crippled animals that have not long to live or that hardly anyone wants to take to their home.
   • It is equally important to decide whether you want to keep the animals in a designated building, or to donate them to volunteer foster care.
5. 5 Don't forget about the technical side of the matter. This is where the services of a lawyer come in handy. First of all, you need to define the mission of your organization and draw up a plan for its implementation. Get together with your colleagues and decide what the priorities for your service are and develop strategies for their implementation. Consider the principles of legal regulation of your detail (you can get ideas from other similar organizations). Have your lawyer apply for tax exemptions to government agencies. Develop rules for accepting and keeping animals at the shelter, policies for attracting volunteers, conditions for euthanasia, etc.
6. 6 If you plan to set up an animal overexposure center, you will have to purchase or build a separate building for it. This is a very difficult and expensive task, but specialists can help you here.Advertise that you need these services - many people will willingly help an animal shelter.
7. 7 Now you need finance. Ask for donations, arrange a garage sale - do whatever it takes. Tell people about your mission and ask them to help your shelter with money. Advertise the shelter on the radio and in newspapers.
8. 8 Enjoy what you do. Setting up a non-profit animal shelter is a long, arduous and exhausting process, but the animals will thank you.

Tips

• You can organize educational programs for children where they will be taught how to handle animals.
• It may be better to start a group of volunteers to help existing shelters than to start your own. This way you can help the animals without the hassle of running your own shelter.

Warnings

• Under the influence of the desire to save all stray animals, you can easily overestimate your capabilities. Establish a limit on the number of animals that you can accept and serve, at least at the beginning of your activity, and do not accept animals with behavioral problems and severely ill, as they are difficult to rehabilitate.
• If, while reading this article, you even for a moment doubt your intention, then you should not open a shelter. In animal rescue, the search for easy ways is irrelevant.