burlington county animal shelter - friends of bcas · from this guide you can create a bio such as...

BURLINGTON COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER

Shelter Animal Bio Marketing Protocol Department: Health - Animal Shelter Management Specialist: Daisha Pierce Implement: 5/1/2016 For BCAS / FOBCAS Volunteers This notice of a work flow change issued to you for the following reason{s}: Summary: BCAS has implemented a new data system known as Pet Point. Within this new system staff has the ability to import current photos of the animals in the shelter for adoption promotions, lost and found and general information.

Purpose: The Adoption Advocates are responsible for finding foster, rescue or adoption placement for dogs and cats both at the shelter and at offsite adoption events (when applicable), while creating a positive experience for prospective adopters, foster families and rescue partners as well as; meeting foster, adoption and transfer out goals, ensuring quality customer service, accurate record keeping for fostered and rescued animal disposition, providing foster parent support and training, assisting in various volunteer programs, in-shelter money receipts and promoting animals and the Adoption Programs to the public. In an effort to meet our overall goals staff will be importing animal’s photos and bio’s that are supplied by volunteers. Volunteer assistance in this process is vital to the overall goal of the shelter to network and find homes for the animals in its care. Bio Submission: Throughout your writing, from bios to social media posts use clear, concise messaging with appropriate language. Clear subjective information regarding the animal is vital to success! Requirements for bio submission:

Convey clear important points of information about each individual animal. Bios can be fun and creative as well as clear and subjective.

Keep in mind that what you write will be the primary way that most of the public will get to know our animals, prior to visiting our actual shelter. When writing bios it may be helpful to use a system / formula. Here is a good example of what to use. I Am _______ (ex: the life of the party, a goofball, free spirit, couch potato, and wallflower) I Love ________ (ex: walks, people, tag play, quite evenings) I Have a________ (ex: sweet disposition, a curious disposition, shy disposition) I get along with _______ (ex: people but I am selective about my dog friends) I would rather ______ (ex; be the only pet because I want you all to myself, not have a cat friend, a home with just adults to play with)


From this guide you can create a bio such as this: Sample 1: “Hello I’m Rowan. I am a goofball and I love people; especially ones that like to run or exercise daily and peanut butter. I love playing with other dogs in playgroup especially dogs my size. I get along with the dogs and people I have met here, including respectful children of all ages. I would rather not have any cat friends; we just can’t seem to agree. I need a house full of soft beds, people who like snuggles, and yummy treats!” Sample 2: “Meet Turbo! He is a ball-catching superstar who loves sports and spending time with active adults. He is a quick study and loves to learn new tricks. A perfect day for smart Turbo includes playing ball, stopping by a training class, and then snuggling up for a nap on your lap. Turbo prefers not share her home with other dogs, but has lived with cats in the past. If you love going on adventures and want a best friend to join in on the fun, from hiking to Frisbee tournaments, you might be the perfect match for Turbo! Bio’s must be submitted a.s.a.p. to: [email protected] [email protected] Be sure to copy: [email protected] [email protected] Thank you for all of your support in helping to save lives here at the Burlington County Animal Shelter!

mailto:[email protected]





Shelter Animal Photo Marketing Protocol Department: Health - Animal Shelter Management Specialist: Daisha Pierce Implement: 5/1/2016 For BCAS / FOBCAS Volunteers This notice of a work flow change issued to you for the following reason{s}: Summary: BCAS has implemented a new data system known as Pet Point. Within this new system staff has the ability to import current photos of the animals in the shelter for adoption promotions, lost and found and general information.

Purpose: The Adoption Advocates are responsible for finding foster, rescue or adoption placement for dogs and cats both at the shelter and at offsite adoption events (when applicable), while creating a positive experience for prospective adopters, foster families and rescue partners as well as; meeting foster, adoption and transfer out goals, ensuring quality customer service, accurate record keeping for fostered and rescued animal disposition, providing foster parent support and training, assisting in various volunteer programs, in-shelter money receipts and promoting animals and the Adoption Programs to the public. In an effort to meet our overall goals staff will be importing animal’s photos and bio’s that are supplied by volunteers. Volunteer assistance in this process is vital to the overall goal of the shelter to network and find homes for the animals in its care. Photo Submission: You want the potential adopters to focus on the dog not a cage door or cinderblock walls, so be mindful of your backgrounds. The goal is to promote shelter animals in a very positive way that speaks to their personalities, not the fact that they are homeless. If they are on a shelter website, being homeless or in need of a home is a given. Requirements for photo submission: ALL of the animals in the shelter will need a photo taken. However, not all of the photos submitted will be used right away. Please submit them electronically a.s.a.p. regardless.

Clear photo’s (outside of the cage or without cage bars present in picture). Healthy and asymptomatic animals only. Animals should have no hair loss, no sneezing,

no nasal or ocular discharge, no diarrhea, or any other apparent or chronic medical issues. Sick animals that came in as stray will need a photo, however sick animal that are unavailable will need medication and rehab. We would like for them to look their best for adoption promotion photos.

Available animals. Animals must also be past their stray hold and available for adoption. (Check with management if unsure)

Handle-able – Non-Aggressive animals only should be submitted for an adoption promotion page. Special behavior cases will need photo’s but will not be posted immediately until a decision is made regarding how they will be promoted, i.e. via rescue or time to relax before hitting the actual adoption floor etc.


Try to get a range of pictures to show off the animals Personality! Potential adopters generally want to see a close-up and a full body shot. Try to get people in the picture doing something with the animal. Potential adopters like to see how well the animal interacts with humans, which makes the animal seem more like a family pet. If you are photographing a dog, get their dog friends in the pic. For cats show them with a friend in the Kitty Corner (if applicable). This will go a long way!

Priority must be given to the following animals in regards to photos being taken: Understanding that not all volunteers will be able to get to take a photo of every animal, I ask that you please make certain animals priority. See below.

Stray animal intake – This way we can connect a photo to the lost and found data base and share with other shelter a.s.a.p.

Adoption Animals - Animals who are either already moved up for adoption and or marked to move up for adoption.

Animal Photo’s must be submitted a.s.a.p. to: [email protected] [email protected] Be sure to copy: [email protected] [email protected]





Thank you for all of your support in helping to save lives here at the Burlington County Animal Shelter!

Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter FriendsofBCAS.org

Poster Guide: Photography Please refer to our website at FriendsofBCAS.org for volunteering hours.

View the full range of Poster Guide documents at Scribd.com/FriendsofBCAS. Posting Coordinators:

Donna Christiance ([email protected])Dogs Mary Ann Kimchick ([email protected]) Cats

General Guidelines: To help keep track, take a picture of each animal's ID number immediately before

or after the pics of that animal. Posters: Perfection vs. Time: If there are many animals that are not yet online,

you should definitely prioritize getting lots of pics/info taken rather than trying to get a few really good pics. One really good picture (for cats) and at least two (for dogs) will suffice initially.

Photographers: Perfection vs. Time: Photographers, your priority is to get great pics, so you can usually take longer per pet for the perfect pic. Still, be aware of how much time you have and how many pets could genuinely use good photos, and balance accordingly.

A Photographer's Job: A photographer's main job is to make sure we have nice pics for our shelter pets. Posters will supply a list of animals for retakes, although all indoor dog pics should be retaken ASAP.

Photo Composition Guidelines for the Best Pics: REMEMBER: Most well-composed and edited pictures are those that show the

animal well even in tiny thumbnail images like these! Your primary picture should show the animal clearly and have the empty space cropped away.

Focus on the Face: The animal's face should be in focus and their expression

should be happy or neutral. Variety: Pictures showing a variety of poses/angles/actions would be ideal, and

each animal should have at least one full-body picture if possible. Photo Editing: Pictures should be edited to crop, straighten, or remove unwanted

objects as necessary before being posted (please disable timestamps). Brightness levels should also be adjusted as necessary. A simple, free photo editing program you can use is Picasa (picasa.google.com). Another is GIMP.

Also, please refer to the bio and photo protocols set forth by shelter management and health department head.

Common Characteristics of Average or Poor Pictures: Bad or Ambiguous Expression: A yawning, alarmed or hyper/struggling animal

can look aggressive or awkward in a photo without context. Wrong Focus: The clear focus of the picture should be the animal's face or a good

body pose. Animals shouldn't blend in with the background Background Mess: Try to avoid pics that include a litterbox, a messy cage,

dumpsters in the background, handler body parts, or an otherwise unflattering view.

http://www.friendsofbcas.org/

http://www.scribd.com/FriendsofBCAS

mailto:[email protected])Dogs


http://picasa.google.com/

Though sometimes this really can't be helped.

Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter FriendsofBCAS.org

Poster Guide: Gathering Info Please refer to our website at FriendsofBCAS.org for volunteering hours.

View the full range of Poster Guide documents at Scribd.com/FriendsofBCAS. Posting coordinators:

Donna Chrisitance ([email protected]) Dogs Mary Ann Kimchick ([email protected]) Cats

1) General Tips: Come Prepared: Bring a pen, your camera and spare batteries. A clipboard or notebook makes note-taking easier.

Wear clothes appropriate for handling animals. Naming Animals: Volunteer Posters may give names to nameless animals and write it (legibly, please!) on their

paperwork. For cats, remember to write it on both the paperwork and the cage card.

2) Restrictions and Exceptions: Unexamined Animals: Only animals with completed vet sheets may be posted. Unevaluated Dogs: Unevaluated dogs may only be handled by highly experienced, pre-approved dog walkers. Kittens or Puppies: Generally speaking, we don't post kittens under 6 months old or very young puppies (under 3

months) because they will usually be adopted very quickly regardless.

3) Collect Basic Information from Paperwork: It's easy to collect this info by taking a picture of each whole chart page for later review. First Page ("Flow Chart"):

◦ ID, Name, Township, Arrival Date, Breed, Gender, Stray/Surrender, Declaw (cats) ◦ Handwritten notes about medical status, behavior, or personality

Surrender Page (if present): ◦ Everything

Vet/Med Sheet: ◦ Gender, Age, relevant notes about medical status (if present)

Orange/Yellow Volunteer Activity Sheet: ◦ Volunteers' notes about the animal's personality and behavior

4) Collect Extra Information from a Brief Evaluation: Take written notes to remember details for a good bio. You can also write your notes on

the OrangeYellow Sheet and then photograph it. Brief behavioral evaluation (friendly, shy, cute meow, rolls over for belly-rubs, etc) (Dogs) Brief training evaluation (knows sit, gives paw, etc) Notable details about appearance (unusually colored eyes, extra toes, curled tail, pretty fur, etc)

5) Mark the Animal as Posted: Write your initials and the date at the bottom of the Orange/Yellow Sheet. This will let other

posters know that the animal's info has already been collected for posting. Your initials should be unique amongst all the posters. Check with the posting coordinator beforehand to double-

check that nobody else shares your initials.





Poster Guide: Gathering Info Please refer to our website at FriendsofBCAS.org for volunteering hours.

View the full range of Poster Guide documents at Scribd.com/FriendsofBCAS. Posting coordinators:

Donna Chrisitance ([email protected]) Dogs Mary Ann Kimchick ([email protected]) Cats

General: Posting Sites: We post to "Portal" (Portal.Rescuegroups.org) and Petfinder (Admin.Petfinder.com). New Posters

will be given access to these sites once they have their first pets to post. Review: Make sure to let the person you trained with or the Posting Coordinator know when you've finished your

first several posts so that they may be reviewed for accuracy and feedback. 3-Day Deadline: Let your fellow volunteers know if you are unable to post an animal within 3 days. Posting Documents: We have Poster Guide documents available that give you step-by-step instructions for

posting. You can find them at Scribd.com/FriendsofBCAS, or request them from the Posting Coordinator. Posting Assistant: Instead of posting for yourself, you may forward your information to another volunteer to post

for you. Ask coordinators to help arrange this. Paired Pets: Post most pets separately, even if they came in together and occupy the same cage. Definitely

mention each pet in both descriptions in whatever detail you see fit. However, always include the other pet's ID in the description.

Writing the Description: The Description's Goal: Descriptions are for showcasing information that potential adopters may be looking for

or will want to know about a potential new pet. See Examples: Review the descriptions of currently posted animals for examples. Also, please refer to the

bio and photo protocols set forth by shelter management and health department head. Set the Tone: In general, emphasize the positive aspects of the animal without completely ignoring truly negative

aspects. Length: Avoid being too long or too short. A good guideline is 4-12 sentences long. Proofread: Please double check your spelling and grammar.

*** Always specifically mention these in every description: *** ◦ Name: The animal's name should be one of the first things mentioned. ◦ Township (for strays): Stray animals' townships should be mentioned explicitly so owners can find lost pets

more easily. This can be added in a line at the end of bio (example: Toby was found stray in Burlington Township) ◦ Age: The animal's numerical age. ◦ Weight (for dogs): The dog's numerical weight. ◦ Kid/Cat/Dog Preferences: Always mention if the animal is definitely known to do well or not with

kids/cats/dogs. ◦ Significant Health Issues: Mention HW+, FIV+, FeLV+, blind, deaf, amputee, dietary issues, etc.

(Please review with posting coordinator) ◦ Personality Traits: If he knows "sit", if she’s a lapcat, if he likes to be held/cuddled or be brushed, etc. ◦ Owner's Comments: Positive or relevant things the former owner noted about the animal. ◦ Interesting/Unusual Traits: Things you may have noticed about the animal that may catch a potential

adopter's attention, such as an unusual fur pattern, a very friendly personality, etc.






Age & Size:

Ages are somewhat subjective. For example: ◦ Relative Dog Ages: Breeds are different. A senior Bulldog (which has an average lifespan of 6 years) will be

significantly younger in years than a senior Pomeranian (which averages 14 years). ◦ Relative Cat Ages: The average cat lifespan is 12-15 years, but healthy, indoor cats can live past 20.

Dogs

Age Weight Baby: < 6 mos. Young: 6 mos.-3 years Adult: 4-6 years Senior: 7+ years

Small: <15 lbs Medium: 16-60 lbs Large: 61-90 lbs Extra large: 90+ lbs

Cats

Age Weight

Baby: <1 year Young: 1-3 years Adult: 4-10 years Senior: 11+ years

Small: <7 lbs Medium: 8-13 lbs* Large: 13+ lbs Extra large: rarely used

Use your judgement with size: an emaciated dog is not necessarily small, and an obese dog is not necessarily large. Use the weight info and what you discern from photos to decide.

Two very helpful websites for writing the animal bios:

http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/pages/Writing-Bios

http://arkansaspetgazette.com/2012/03/04/how-to-write-a-kick-ass-profile-that-gets-pets-adopted/

NOTE ABOUT DOGS THAT ARE “RESCUE ONLY” or “EXPERIENCED OWNER ONLY” Please make the notation at the end of the bio, for example, ***Beau is available to rescue groups only*** We no longer notate this in the name field.

http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/pages/Writing-Bios

http://arkansaspetgazette.com/2012/03/04/how-to-write-a-kick-ass-profile-that-gets-pets-adopted/

for Admin.Petfinder.com | Section 1/3 for Friends of BCAS Posting Guidelineswww.FriendsofBCAS.org | View the full range of Poster Guide documents at Scribd.com/FriendsofBCAS.

Underlined items are required.

• NAME: Required format: (cats) C-12345 Fluffy, (dogs) Skippy D-12345, (other) 12345 Snuggles • ANIMAL TYPE: Required • ANIMAL STATUS: "Available" for adoptable animals • ARRIVAL DATE: Required • SPECIES: Required • PRIMARY BREED: Required • SECONDARY BREED: Required if applicable • MIXED BREED: Required if applicable • PRIMARY COLOR: Required (best guess) • SECONDARY COLOR: Optional • COAT LENGTH: Optional for dogs, required for cats • GENDER: Required • SIZE WHEN GROWN: Required (See Poster Guide documents for guidelines). • AGE: Required (See Poster Guide documents for guidelines). • BIRTH DATE: Optional if known





• HOUSE TRAINED: - For Dogs: Required if known. Unchecked by default. - For Cats: "Yes" by default unless otherwise known. • SPAYED/NEUTERED: ALWAYS CHECK THIS. • CURRENT ON VACCINATIONS: Leave unchecked. • DECLAWED: Required if true. • SPECIAL NEEDS: This is for animals that are significantly hard of seeing/hearing, amputees, FIV+, FeLV+, HW+, dietary issues, and other chronic medical conditions that require long-term care or monitoring. • PREFERS A HOME WITHOUT DOGS/CATS/KIDS: Required if known. "No Small Kids" should ONLY be selected when the dog is not good with kids of ANY age. • ANIMAL ID: Animal's 5-digit ID: D-12345. • INTERNAL ID: Animal's surrender status (str/sur), arrival date 8/14/14, and your initials: str/jk. So it would look like this: str8/14/14dc • ANIMAL LOCATION: Leave as default. • ANIMAL LOCATION NOTES: Use is restricted. • CONTACT PERSON: Don't use.





• PHOTOS: At least one picture required (See Poster Guide documents for guidelines). • UPLOAD A VIDEO: Do not use this option. • EMBED A VIDEO: Use this option for videos (See Poster Guide documents for guidelines). • ANIMAL DESCRIPTION: Required (See Poster Guide documents for guidelines).



Additional notes:

Underlined items (on our posting guides) or red starred items (on the site) MUST be filled in. You can choose an animal template in the drop down box at the top right (above Photos), or you can choose Species in drop down box under

Arrival Date. Don’t forget to hit Add This Animal at the bottom after you have entered information and photos.

for Portal.Rescuegroups.org | Section 1/3 for Friends of BCAS Posting Guidelineswww.FriendsofBCAS.org | View the full range of Poster Guide documents at Scribd.com/FriendsofBCAS.


• TEMPLATE: Required. Adds the PETNOTE to the desc and pre-selects some options for you. • NAME: Required format: (cats) C-12345 Fluffy, (dogs) Skippy D-12345, (other) 12345 Snuggles • SUMMARY: Use is restricted. • STATUS: "Available" for adoptable animals. • RECIEVED DATE: Required. • COURTESY LISTING: Not applicable. • STRAY/FOUND: Optional. • SPECIES: Required. • FIRST BREED: Required. • SECOND BREED: Required if applicable. • MIXED: Required if applicable. • COLOR: Required (best guess). • PATTERN: Optional. • COAT LENGTH: Optional for dogs, required for cats. • SEX: Required.



• GENERAL AGE: Required (See Poster Guide documents for age chart). • GENERAL ADULT SIZE: Required (See Poster Guide documents for size chart). • SPAY/NEUTERED: ALWAYS SELECT "YES". • UP-TO-DATE: Always select "Unknown". • HOUSETRAINED: - For Dogs: Required if known. "Unknown" by default. - For Cats: "Yes" by default unless otherwise known. • DECLAWED: Required if true. • SPECIAL NEEDS: This is for animals that are significantly hard of seeing/hearing, amputees, FIV+, FeLV+, HW+, dietary issues, and other chronic medical conditions that require long-term care or monitoring. • HOME WITH KIDS/DOGS/CATS: Required if known. • RESCUE ID: Required format: D-12345 • INTERNAL ID: Required format: Animal's surrender status (str/surr) and your initials: str/jk. • FOSTER/CARETAKER CONTACT: Don't use. • LOCATION: Select "BCAS (08060)". • MICROCHIP VENDOR: Don't use. • EUTHANASIA INFORMATION: Restricted.



• DESCRIPTION: Required (See Poster Guide documents for guidelines). • PICTURES: At least one picture required (See Poster Guide documents for guidelines). • UPLOAD A NEW VIDEO: Do not use this option. • ADD A YOUTUBE URL: Use this option for videos (See Poster Guide documents for guidelines). • SEND TO ACCOUNTS: Ensure that ALL checkboxes are selected. Please follow all steps and enter all required information. Don’t forget to hit Save at the bottom.

