Shepherd mix dog with tongue out standing between a person's legs

Data Requirements for New Partners

Data reporting requirements and method vary based on your organization type. To determine how your organization should get started with reporting data to become a Network partner, click on the organization types below.

If you have already submitted your application, please take a few minutes to review and complete the remaining steps, if you have not already done so.

Click on an organization type to see the full definition or scroll down for the complete list of definitions.

Government Animal Services
Animal Shelter with a government contract
Animal Rescue with a Government Contract
Shelter without a Government Contract
Rescue without a Government Contract
Private Friends of a Municipal Shelter
Spay/Neuter Only Group
Intake Prevention Organization
Transport Organization

If you have any additional questions, please visit our FAQs or contact us at bfnetwork@bestfriends.org.

Organization Type Definitions for Data Requirements

Organizations that report data via Shelter Animals Count (SAC):

Government Animal Services - a brick-and-mortar facility that is operated by a municipal government to provide animal sheltering services to the citizens of a single county/community or an inter-governmental contract to serve multiple counties/communities.
Animal Shelter with a Government Contract - a brick-and-mortar facility that is operated by a non-profit organization and is contracted by one or more municipal government(s) to provide animal sheltering services to citizens.
Animal Rescue with a Government Contract - Nonprofit foster-based organization that takes in and places animals that has a contract for animal care and/or control with a government agency.
Shelter without a Government Contract - Nonprofit organization with a physical facility that has open hours to the public and takes in and places animals, but does not have a contract for animal care and/or control with a government agency.
Rescue without a Government Contract - Nonprofit foster-based organization that takes in and places animals, but does not have a contract for animal care and/or control with a government agency. May have a physical facility but does not have open hours to the public.
Private Friends of a Municipal Shelter - Groups that exist only to support a specific municipal shelter and do not take in or adopt out animals within your own organization. Friends of groups must report the shelter's statistics in our annual reporting form.

If your organization type is listed above, click here for instructions on how to get started reporting your data via Shelter Animals Count (SAC).

If your organization type is not listed above, scroll down to the next section.

Organizations that report data via form:

Spay/Neuter Only Group - Organizations that only perform or subsidize spay/neuter surgeries (no rescue activities). This includes TNR organizations with strictly Return to Field outcomes.
Intake Prevention Organization - Organizations that operate intake diversion programs (no rescue activities).
Transport Organization - Organizations that operate transport programs on behalf of shelters and/or rescues (no rescue activities).

If your organization type is listed above, click here for instructions on how to get started report your data via form.

To get started with Shelter Animals Count:

Registration with Shelter Animals Count is required for organizations that take in animals. Click here to register your organization.
- Please note, your authorized user must confirm your account via email and opt in to sharing your data publicly in this step.
- If your organization shows up on this list, then your organization is registered with Shelter Animals Count. Please ensure you have opted in to sharing your data publicly in order for us to send you our SAC coalition invitation.
Enter a minimum of two years of historical data into Shelter Animals Count to be approved as a Network partner.
- If you are a Private Friends of a Municipal Shelter, the shelter that you support is required to sign up with Shelters Animals Count and fulfill the data requirements.
Once your submitted application has been approved and the above steps completed, you will receive an email confirming your organization is now active on the network.

If you have any additional questions, please visit our FAQs or contact us at bfnetwork@bestfriends.org.

To report your data via form

You will be asked to complete this form to submit your 2019 - 2020 annual statistics report of animals served.
- We will ask that community support organizations update their stats annual after becoming a Network partner.
Once your submitted application has been approved and the above steps completed, you will receive an email confirming your organization is now active on the network.