- 1). Volunteer with a rescue group. Finding a rescue group to work with is relatively easy since Utah No More Homeless Pets is a collaborative statewide effort of shelters and rescue groups. Begin volunteering with No More Homeless Pets. Learn everything you can about running a rescue group. Provide foster care for dogs, fund-raise and process adoption applications.
- 2). Contact your city or county to determine if there are special requirements for opening a home-based rescue group. Ask if you need to apply for a kennel license and if so, what are the requirements and fees.
- 3). Meet with professionals. An attorney will provide advice about the structure of the non-profit. He also will help draft adoption and foster contracts and provide advice about liability issues. An accountant will help with taxes and structuring your books. Your veterinarian will provide medical care for the rescue dogs. Vaccinations, surgery and general check-ups will be necessary for the rescue dogs. Find out how much these services will routinely cost. The medical expenses will make up the largest portion of your adoption fee.
- 4). Join Internet shelter portals. Petfinder, pets911 and 1-800-save-a-pet provide free Web pages and allow photos, descriptions and even video of adoptable pets to be viewed by anyone with internet access (see Resources below). Also, join the No More Homeless Pets in Utah Coalition for mentoring and other assistance.
- 5). Prepare an information package for shelters. Animal shelters will need to get to know you before they will work with you. Start the process by putting together a package that explains what dogs you will take in, their age and whether you handle medical or behavior issues. Provide complete contact information for all members who are allowed to pull dogs from that shelter.
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