---
title: "Special-needs placement checklist"
description: "A human-reviewed checklist for daily care, mobility, medical context, foster observations, adopter education, and follow-up."
canonical: https://www.whiskermatch.com/resources/special-needs-placement-checklist
markdown_url: https://www.whiskermatch.com/resources/special-needs-placement-checklist.md
generated_from: "canonical page server-rendered HTML; the HTML page is authoritative"
last_modified: 2026-07-02
last_updated: 2026-07-02
publisher: "Veldarium Technology Systems LLC"
---

1. [Home](https://www.whiskermatch.com/)
2. [Resources](https://www.whiskermatch.com/resources)
3. Special-needs placement checklist

Shelter operations resource

# Special-needs placement checklist

Keep the care story visible before a disabled, senior, medically complex, or behaviorally nuanced animal moves into placement review.

This checklist does not diagnose an animal or qualify an adopter. It helps a human reviewer see the sources, support needs, questions, and uncertainty that should not get lost.

[Bring one workflow](https://www.whiskermatch.com/contact#bring-one-workflow)

01

## Daily care and access

- Describe medication or routine using an approved source.
- Record mobility, vision, hearing, and home-layout considerations.
- Name what the animal can do comfortably and normally.

- **Daily routine**
- **Access need**

02

## Home context

- Ask about existing pets, children, noise level, and stairs.
- Record any equipment or setup the animal uses.
- Keep unknown conditions visible until a person follows up.

- **Home question**
- **Unknown**

03

## Sources and education

- Attach relevant foster, veterinary, behavior, or staff notes.
- Name what the adopter should understand before deciding.
- Separate calm education from unsupported reassurance.

- **Source**
- **Education needed**

04

## Human decision

- Name the reviewer and any professional input required.
- Record reviewer concerns and follow-up needs.
- Document the final human decision and reason.

- **Reviewer**
- **Decision notes**

## Keep reading

- [keeping special-needs context with the animal](https://www.whiskermatch.com/special-needs)
- [All shelter workflow resources](https://www.whiskermatch.com/resources)
- [Free printable tools](https://www.whiskermatch.com/tools)

Early access, founder-led

## Keep this with the animal record.

WhiskerMatch is one record per animal that intake, foster, adoption review, and public profiles share. It starts with one workflow, beside the tools you already use, and a person at your organization makes every decision.

$20/month per organization, no seat limits. This is a founder-led early access invitation with no deadline. Writing to ask a question costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

[Bring one workflow](https://www.whiskermatch.com/contact#bring-one-workflow) [See pricing](https://www.whiskermatch.com/pricing)

Want to look first? [Walk through the guided demo](https://www.whiskermatch.com/demo).

---

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.