--- title: "How WhiskerMatch Works: One Animal Record from Intake to Follow-Up" description: "How one reviewed animal record keeps intake notes, applications, foster updates, public profiles, and follow-up tasks connected, with a named person reviewing each step." canonical: https://www.whiskermatch.com/how-it-works markdown_url: https://www.whiskermatch.com/how-it-works.md generated_from: "canonical page server-rendered HTML; the HTML page is authoritative" last_modified: 2026-10-04 last_updated: 2026-10-04 publisher: "Veldarium Technology Systems LLC" --- How it works # One animal record, from intake to follow-up. WhiskerMatch keeps the placement work connected: intake notes, applications, foster updates, public profile review, and follow-up tasks. A first draft of public-profile wording can be prepared from sources you entered; people organize every other workflow and make every decision. [Email Chris](mailto:support@whiskermatch.com) [Read trust and standards](https://www.whiskermatch.com/trust) Early access Plain sequence ## The record should survive every handoff. Start with what your team already has. Clean up the record. Flag what is missing. Require a person before anything public or placement-related moves forward. Eight steps, each showing what comes in, what gets organized, what a person reviews, and what the team can trust next. Step 1 ### Animal comes in The team knows where the case starts and who is responsible. - **What comes in** Paper notes, field notes, photos, shelter software exports, or a quick message from staff. - **What gets organized** WhiskerMatch starts one animal record and keeps the source visible. - **What a person reviews** A staff member checks the basics and assigns an owner. Step 2 ### Notes get cleaned up The record is easier to read without pretending it is complete. - **What comes in** Messy intake details, partial history, and unknown fields. - **What gets organized** Staff place source facts into structured fields while the system keeps unknowns visible. - **What a person reviews** A person confirms what is known and leaves unknown fields marked unknown. Step 3 ### Missing information gets flagged Nothing important moves forward invisibly. - **What comes in** Blank medical notes, unclear behavior context, missing photos, or no reviewer. - **What gets organized** The system shows blockers and next actions instead of hiding them in comments. - **What a person reviews** A named person resolves or accepts each blocker. Step 4 ### A staff member takes ownership The latest version does not depend on one person remembering it. - **What comes in** A case that needs review, follow-up, or a public profile update. - **What gets organized** The owner, due date, and current state stay visible on the record. - **What a person reviews** The owner decides what is ready and what needs more work. Step 5 ### Public profile gets reviewed The profile waits for review instead of publishing itself. - **What comes in** Profile draft, photos, known care notes, and anything still missing. - **What gets organized** Draft fields can be prepared from known information. - **What a person reviews** A real person reviews before the public profile goes live. Step 6 ### Applications stay attached The team can see who is waiting and what is missing. - **What comes in** Applicant messages, documents, household notes, and next steps. - **What gets organized** Applications sit in a lane attached to the animal, not scattered across inboxes. - **What a person reviews** Staff still make the call and handle applicant communication. Step 7 ### Foster updates route back A foster concern does not disappear in a group chat. - **What comes in** Check-ins, behavior notes, photos, and concerns from foster homes. - **What gets organized** Updates are routed back to the animal record with type and urgency. - **What a person reviews** Staff decide what changes the case, profile, or follow-up plan. Step 8 ### Follow-up stays on the case The record survives the handoff after placement. - **What comes in** Reference checks, pickup notes, first-week check-ins, and return-risk signals. - **What gets organized** Due dates and owners stay attached to the animal record. - **What a person reviews** A person closes the loop or reopens work when something changes. Beside your tools, with a person in charge ## Your current shelter software can stay where it is. WhiskerMatch is designed to start beside the tools your team already uses. Begin with one workflow instead of changing everything at once. ### How it sits beside current tools A diagram of what stays and what is added. Current tools stay - Your shelter software - Spreadsheets - Paper intake forms - Email and group chats Bring in what matters One reviewed animal record Sits beside them Intake notes, applicants, foster updates, public profile status, and follow-up tasks stay connected with an owner, a date, and review state. Review before public Team and public surfaces - Public animal profiles - Applicant review - Foster updates - Follow-up tasks Start with one workflow. Keep your current tools. Expand only when the team trusts the record. ### Trust boundaries A person always decides. Software does not review applicants, interpret medical or behavior context, place an animal, or publish a profile. The only drafting help today is a labeled first draft of organization-owned public-profile wording from entered source facts. AI can help with public-profile text source-bound first draft only; a person edits and saves People make the decisions staff review profiles, applications, and placement calls Never automated no auto-placement, no auto-rejection, no pay-to-rank Missing stays missing unknown fields are not filled with guesses Named review required Nothing public without review. A real person is attached before publishing Founder-supported pilot. ## Start with one workflow. Keep your current tools. If intake, applications, foster updates, profiles, or follow-up are scattered today, request pilot access and tell us where the work is hardest. [Email Chris](mailto:support@whiskermatch.com) [Read trust and standards](https://www.whiskermatch.com/trust) --- About WhiskerMatch: WhiskerMatch is workflow software for animal shelters and rescues that keeps one reviewed record per animal across intake, foster care, adoption review and public profiles, with people making every placement and publishing decision. ## Sitemap See the full [WhiskerMatch sitemap](https://www.whiskermatch.com/sitemap.md) for every public page, or [llms.txt](https://www.whiskermatch.com/llms.txt) for a short summary.