Up For Pups is a small organization that is based upon humane education providing valuable resources for rescuers. They are a 501©3 and rely solely on donations for continuing their education. With this they have created a manual for rescues titled “Road to Rescue” that will show the best practices to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of dog rescue organizations. The manual was created with the help of numerous rescuers that are not only principled but very experienced. The manual was written by Kyla Duffy and published by Up For Pups. Kyla Duffy said, “While best practices manuals do exist for shelters and veterinarians, nothing has ever been written as a guide for rescues, and certainly nothing has been offered for free. This price is a steal compared to the value, as we collaborated with rescuers and spent hours creating generic documents for rescuers to use, documents that would take weeks and months for them to develop otherwise.” The manual is available for paperback copy at $29.95 or FREE for an e-book copy.
The e-book copy is interactive with links and such to resources. The manual will be forever updated with the latest information and ideas as they come available from the feedback they receive from the readers. This manual is geared to help people interested in going into rescue, already starting their rescue or maybe an existing rescue that may be in a rut and just needs to be reevaluated. Kyla Duffy said, “We are proud of this manual and excited about the impact it will have on the dog rescue industry. Now rescuers can truly find out what the best rescues are doing, and they can adjust their practices to save the most lives possible and make volunteering a great experience for dog lovers.”
The manual goes over information like the history of rescues, the manual states “In the United States, the first documented rescue organization was founded in 1974, when a Connecticut woman named Eileen McCaughern adopted a Greyhound, a practice that was practically unheard of at the time.” This was the first documented rescue in the US. It also talks about rescues vs. shelters, starting a rescue, legal concerns, veterinary care, fundraising to marketing, volunteers, foster homes to even transporting animals and humane education. There is truly so much information and at 117 pages in the e-book it will take some time to really absorb it. It would be best to read it a few times as you will pick up something new each time, as there is just so much information.
This manual will help individuals getting into rescue as there are so many legalities to it like making sure you report a stray you or someone else finds to the proper authorities. This allows the authorities to know you have the stray in case the owner should come up looking for it. It would save you lawsuits for adopting out their animal before the designated time frame allowable by law. It also explains about non-profit status and such. There are just so many things that people will not think about until they read this manual. They even get into managing costs and time. Here it is labeled, “Debt is the number one downfall of startup rescues.” They show you that when you need funds for a particular case, that it is best to fundraise for the money. They also explain about talking to your veterinarian to try for reduced rates due to having a rescue. Some veterinarians have what they call a “rescue rate”, and then again some don’t.
Another area they talk about is transportation of the animals. There are so many things here that are very important and they cover. Most transports are done by volunteers and at no cost when done locally, but if your transport requires long distance of out of state there are many things to consider. Transportation is not just about taking one animal from one location to another. It is about knowing that transporter, who they are and their background. It is about making sure your animal will be safe with them and making sure they know everything about the animal they are transporting. They need to know any special needs or requirements for that animal. The transporter will also need all the proper documentation for that animal. This manual goes over all of this and so much more.
After reading this manual, I truly feel it is a staple for anyone in rescue. Whether it be a newbie or a seasoned rescuer as all could really benefit from this manual. It is a lot if reading but it is reading to not be taken lightly. It is good information and very well thought out when planning this manual. One part of this manual really touched me and that was that last chapter on Special Circumstances. It helps explain to rescues about some of the special ways in which animals may come to them and how to better understand it. They talk about puppy mill survivors, deaf and blind dogs, amputees, severe behavior issues and how to go about adopting them out. No where do you get this kind of help. Rescuers just never think they will get a puppy mill dog but you would be surprised on just how many are out there. Puppy mills are not just large organizations they can be in backyards too.
The manual also offers a great assortment of free documents when you purchase the paperback copy. They offer Articles of Organization for a 501©3, bylaws, policies, forms, applications (foster/volunteer/adoption), and even contracts (foster/adoption).
Go to the Animal Rescue Site and click the purple paw print to help feed shelter animals for FREE. In 2010 they helped to provide shelters with over 72 million bowls of food, from just a click a day from people like you.
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