Intake is the foundation of everything a shelter does. A clear, consistent intake process keeps animals healthy, keeps your records accurate, and makes every downstream task — medical care, adoption, reporting — faster. This guide walks through the standard steps, whether the animal is a stray or an owner surrender.
Step 1: Determine the intake type
The first decision shapes the entire record. The most common intake types are:
- Stray — found animal with no known owner. Triggers a legal stray hold (see Step 4).
- Owner surrender — relinquished by the current owner, who signs over ownership.
- Transfer in — from another shelter or rescue partner.
- Return — a previously adopted animal coming back.
- Born in care / seized / disaster — less common, but track them distinctly for reporting.
Recording the correct intake type matters: it drives your stray-hold clock, your intake and outcome statistics, and which forms you need.
Step 2: Capture the animal's details
Create the animal record immediately, with as much detail as you can: species, breed, sex, approximate age, color and markings, weight, and clear photos from multiple angles. Photos are not optional — they prevent mix-ups, help reunite strays with owners, and become your adoption listing later. Note any visible medical or behavioral concerns up front.
Step 3: Scan for a microchip
Every stray should be scanned for a microchip at intake — slowly, over the whole body, with a universal scanner. A registered chip is the fastest path to a return to owner, which is a live outcome that also frees up a kennel. Record the chip number and whether it was registered.
Step 4: Apply the stray hold
Stray animals are held for a legally defined period — the stray hold — so owners have a chance to reclaim them before they become available for adoption. The length varies by jurisdiction (commonly a few days), and may differ for chipped vs unchipped animals. Track the hold's start and end dates so staff know exactly when an animal becomes adoptable.
Step 5: Intake exam and vaccinations
A standardized intake exam protects the whole population. Typical steps include a basic health assessment, core vaccinations (e.g. FVRCP for cats, DHPP for dogs) given on intake to slow disease spread, parasite prevention, and a weight. Flag anything that needs follow-up. Consistent protocols here are what keep shelter-acquired illness from sweeping through your kennels.
Step 6: Assign housing
Assign the animal to an appropriate kennel or foster placement based on species, size, health, and temperament. Isolate animals showing signs of illness. Keeping your kennel map accurate in real time prevents the classic problem of staff hunting for an animal that was moved.
Step 7: Make the record complete and findable
The intake isn't finished until the record is complete: intake type, source, exam, vaccinations, microchip, hold dates, and housing — all in one place, searchable by any staff member. This is where paper and spreadsheets fall apart and where purpose-built animal shelter software earns its keep: enter it once at intake and every later step pulls from the same record.
Streamline intake with Pet Friend
Capture intakes on a phone or tablet, scan microchips, track stray holds automatically, and have it all flow into medical, adoption, and reporting.
Try the Free Demo