Why & How To Document Health & Behavior Of Rescue Animals

Merry Christmas From Us To You. The above picture is Buddy. He is a rescue from TN. He was found by Animal Control tied to a tree. His family moved and left him behind. He had so many trust issues. I managed to win him over, and he is a forever critter of our rescue kennel.


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It is very important for anyone that does animal rescue to document the health and behavior of each of the rescue animals in their care. It is just as important to have a detailed written time line as it to have a in-depth photographic time line. This serves as a more detailed guide for the care giver. It also serves as evidence if you ever need it for what ever reason.

There are a couple of ways to keep written documentation. You can use a free open source service called Animal Shelter Manager. It is a data base program that stores the info on all your animals in one spot. There are other similar programs that you can buy that would make record keeping less tedious.

Even if you use a computer or data base program for record keeping it pays to back everything up with hard copies of your records. You never know when the technology we depend on can fail. A disastrous crash of a much relied on computer can be enough to send any rescuer in to a feverish panic. You can simply use plain manila folders and file your documents in regular filing cabinet. Inside the folder you can use a simple form that allows you to document, vaccinations, de-worming, vet visits and behavioral notes for that animal. You should include in the folder all hard copies of any vet visits that the animal may have had. You can customize and tweak your manual filing system to fit your needs.

It would be a good investment to back your information up a 3rd way. A rescuer should give considerable thought to also backing up all records with a removable flash drive or saving their info to a CD or floppy disks.

Things that need documented via a computer program, hard copies and removable storage and are the following…

A: Basic Info:
1- Animal’s Name
2- Birth Date or Estimated Birth Date
4- Breed, or Estimated Breed
5- Sex
6- Color & Markings
7-Length Of Coat
8- When the animal arrived at your place and how you obtained it!
It is a good idea to include a current up to date picture of the animal to place in it’s file.

B: Behavior/Training
You should note things that indicate if the animal is over all good-natured, has fear aggression, likes people, gets along with other animals of other species. If you are dealing with dogs, note if the dog is good on a leash and if he/she is well-behaved if restrained. Note if the animal has any known destructive behaviors. You should also mention if it is small companion animals you are documenting if they are house trained etc.

C: Health Notes
1-Date Of Vaccinations
2-Dewormings Should Be Documented
3-Any special Test, and when last done( ex: Heartworm Test For Dogs)
4-Note Any Medical Treatments given at home or ordered by the vet.
5-Date Of Spay/Neuter for small companion animals.
6-If the animal dies or you had to have it euthanized that needs to be recorded on the animal’s file.

D: Miscellaneous Notes
Here you can document anything that you have not covered other wise. For example you can make a note in this area if the pet requires a specialized diet.

As with any record, it is important to put the date on it when any new information is entered. It is very important to keep everything current and dated. This applies even if you are just jotting down a note that takes a mere 2 seconds to write.

Having detailed written documentation coupled with in-depth photographic records can greatly benefit the rescuer. A rescuer can review the evidence at hand and determine if their current program is working or not. Having all your plentiful detailed information will also provide you something to fall back on if you ever need to reveal it as proof. You may have to use it to present a case against someone. When trying to prove neglect or abuse it’s good to have all your ducks in a row. There is also a chance you can use it as proof to support many arguments if you are defending your actions in a court of law. You can never have enough documentation if you deal with rescue animals. As stated in the previous article it pays to keep in mind that what is NORMAL to the people who deal with rescue animals may not appear that way to outsiders. It is human nature to want to demonize others and assume the worst.

Picture Documentation In Animal Rescue

     We have been doing animal rescue for several years. We take mainly dogs and cats, but we have helped horses, goats and other animals when we could. It is foolish to think that most animals arrive here in good flesh and healthy. Although some do arrive needing only a home and a second chance, most need extensive care to get back on track health wise and emotionally. We are going to discuss why you should always document your rescues with pictures.

      Documentation is so very important in animal rescue. The first aspect of documentation should always be pictures.  Pictures will be verification of the animal’s condition when it arrived as well as a way to measure how the animal is improving in your care. You don’t have to have a fancy camera to take pictures. Any digital camera will do. You can also use a traditional film camera. When an animal arrives at the rescue the first thing you should do is take several pictures of it. You need to take pictures from each side, and front and back. Also, please consider that you need to get as close up to the subject as we can. You want good clear, easy to see pictures. You should always make sure that the date function is working on the camera, so that the date stamp and time stamp is showing.  If you are using a traditional film camera, you will need to make sure to get the date in the picture. What you could do is write the date on a large sheet of paper and place it in frame. 

       It is a good idea to take pictures at least every 2 weeks if the animal was in very bad shape when it arrived. Not only to serve as proof that the animal is improving in your care but to serve as a guide for you. Sometimes just physically looking at an animal you can’t really see progress especially if it is subtle. Observing pictures in a timeline, you can easily pin point if your animal is improving or if it is regressing or simply if it is status quo.

      Taking pictures to document the animal’s physical well being is very wise for another reason. We touched base on the first reason. The second reason is to serve as evidence. Often times a well meaning person might not know that the animal arrived in dire need at your place.  It is human nature to automatically think the worse.  People will often assume things without knowing the whole story. When an ill informed person sees a thin or neglected animal they may think you caused the decline in health and physical well being for that animal. What is common to us in rescue, may look really bad to the outsiders. So, be prepared for surprises. One day you may get a knock on your door from Animal Control or Police Officers. You later find out that someone reported you for animal cruelty or neglect.  That is when you pull out your well documented photographic evidence to display in your defense. Your time line should prove what the animal looked liked when it arrived. It should prove that the animal as in fact improved in your care. To make the photos more convincing to the public officials , show them supporting evidence that the animal has been seen by a vet. Beware though, sometimes they like to press charges first and ask questions later. Don’t be caught off guard if this is the case. When you have your day in court present all your evidence to the Judge. Trust the he or she will be fair and see the truth that you evidence permeates.

         A rescue can never have enough documentation on the animals that they take in. Good record keeping is an absolute must. Good records back up rescues and support their intentions.






BELOW IS SOME EXAMPLES OF BEFORE AND AFTER SHOTS THAT I HAVE DONE!


The pictures above is of Bandit. She came to us weighing only 39 pounds.  The first picture is of her when she arrived. The picture on the bottom shows what Bandit looks like at her current weight of  60 pounds. Bandit had been allowed to fight with other dogs, she had sores all over her face. She was very under weight. Bandit, is a  forever resident of our rescue.

Speckles was abandoned in an apartment for 3 weeks with her puppies. Her owner had moved and left her to fend for her self and her babies. The picture to the right reflects what Speckles looked like after being with us for a while. Speckles was adopted by a retired couple in Richmond VA. Speckles takes trips with he humans and her canine sisters. They go to the beach together. 

These pictures are of Mocha. We took her in when her owner could not afford treatment for mange. She has scabies. We took her in without question, and 6 weekly trips to the vet all her hair grew back. Once that complication was almost over she developed rickets ( see the 2nd picture of her crooked legs). Rickets is caused when the body does not metabolize the calcium and phosphorous in food. Dr Boyce, got her on the right track with supplements. The last picture is what Mocha looks like today.