The Pawsies Blog

Showing posts in volunteers]

General · Best Practices

"A Foster Agreement Is an Ownership Document, Not a Care Manual"

"Most foster agreements spend three pages on feeding and leash rules and one sentence on who owns the animal. That is the wrong ratio. Here is a ten-clause agreement you can copy, and the argument for why the care rules should be taken out of it entirely."

Sep 17, 2026 10 min read
General

What the Volunteer Protection Act Covers at an Animal Rescue, and What It Leaves Open

The federal Volunteer Protection Act shields individual volunteers from personal liability for ordinary negligence, but it says in terms that it leaves the organization's own liability untouched, and it drops out the moment a volunteer gets behind the wheel.

Sep 1, 2026 8 min read
Medical · Best Practices

The Surgery Is the Cheapest Part: A TNR Night Costed Line by Line

Costed at replacement value, volunteer labour is about two-thirds of what a trapping night costs and the clinic donation is about a quarter. A group that is already turning down surgery slots because nobody can trap should spend its next marginal dollar paying a trapper, not buying more vouchers.

Aug 27, 2026 10 min read
General

Gift Aid for UK Animal Rescues: What Qualifies and What Does Not

A UK rescue recognised by HMRC can reclaim 25p on every £1 an individual donates, but adoption fees, event tickets and company gifts are all outside the scheme. The money most small rescues leave behind is reimbursed foster expenses and cash in the collection tin.

Aug 25, 2026 8 min read
General

What a Spanish Rescue Asociación Must Register, File and Insure

A Spanish animal rescue asociación needs four separate registrations, not one, and since Ley 7/2023 it also needs civil liability insurance and a written contract with every foster home. Most groups also owe an annual corporate tax return even with no commercial income.

Aug 22, 2026 8 min read
Dogs

The Cheapest Way to Get a Long-Stay Dog Adopted Is a Day Out of the Building

A dog that's been passed over for months doesn't need a new kennel — it needs a day at the lake and a photo of itself asleep on someone's couch. Here's how to stand up a field trip and sleepover program that actually moves dogs out the door.

Aug 7, 2026 8 min read
Colony & TNR

How to Build and Run a Trap Bank for Your TNR Group

The single biggest thing stopping people from starting TNR isn't fear of cats — it's not owning a trap. A trap bank fixes that for your whole community, if you can keep the traps from disappearing.

Jul 23, 2026 7 min read
Dogs

How to Run a Dog Adoption Event That Actually Adopts Dogs

You can run an adoption event where twelve dogs sit on the pavement all afternoon, or one where four go home and the rest come back calmer than they left. The difference is almost never the dogs. It's the planning.

Jul 22, 2026 11 min read
Colony & TNR

Starting a Cat Colony Care Group: A Practical Guide for Beginners

A step-by-step guide to turning "I feed some cats" into an organized group that actually gets things done. Based on our own experience running TNR in a small Spanish town.

Feb 16, 2026 18 min read

Ready to get started?

Join Pawsies today and start organizing your rescue operations. No credit card required.

Get started free