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Paws in the Field Challenge

Join the Paws in the Field Challenge!

We're challenging animal services officers across the country to pilot innovative community-based field services tactics to increase return-to-home (RTH) rates in-field and in-shelter, and increase lifesaving! We know that these kinds of programs take time and resources, so we will be providing participating organizations with supplies and training designed to increase your officer’s RTH rates and engage your community in reuniting pets in the shelter and on their own. 

The challenge runs May 1-31, and the application closes March 31. 

Apply today 

Challenge grants and opportunities:

  • Participating organizations that meet the challenge requirements will receive a $1,000 grant.
  • We will provide field services kits to aid your officers’ work in the field, including a universal microchip scanner, QR code pet tags, found pet flyers and door hangers, and more!
  • Five top performing organizations with the greatest year-over-year increase in return-to-home rates for dogs (in-field and in-shelter combined) will receive:
    • An agency NACA membership
    • A $500 gift certificate to Tomahawk Live Trap for animal services equipment
  • Depending on your organization type and location, we will provide yard signs to get the community involved in your RTH efforts.
  • Each organization will receive a one-year individual officer NACA membership to award as they choose. We recommend kicking the Paws in the Field Challenge up a notch by hosting a friendly optional competition between your officers to receive this bonus! It’s a fun way to celebrate their hard work, encourage progressive practices, and recognize the essential role of field services officers. Ideas to score the competition include number of reunited pets, Nextdoor postings, and/or distributed flyers for found pets. 

Challenge requirements:

To receive a $1,000 guaranteed grant and be considered for the additional bonuses, organizations must complete the following: 

📝 Application and Reporting

  • Apply for the challenge by March 31, 2025
  • Join Shelter Pet Data Alliance (SPDA) and provide monthly 2024 data and monthly data for January to May 2025 by June 13, 2025
  • Fill out report form no later than June 13, 2025

📱 Social Media & Website Promotions

  • Post at least twice in May 2025 about your field services officer efforts and return-to-home best practices, using provided materials
  • Post at least twice in May 2025 about community education on lost pets and microchipping in English and Spanish

🐾 Field Services Practices & Strategies

Organizations may choose to go beyond these baseline requirements to increase their impact and odds of receiving higher level grants. If organizations already meet or exceed these baseline requirements prior to the challenge, they must reach out to us to identify an eligible new practice to pilot. 

  • Use the provided field services kits
  • Introduce new return-to-home (RTH) practices in the field and shelter:
    1. 1. Expand field investigation practices:
      • Equip all officers in the field with microchip scanners (up to three will be provided as part of the field services kits).
      • All officers should scan lost/stray pets for microchips in the field and if found, the officer* should make a first attempt to contact an owner before the animal is brought into the shelter.
      • If the animal is wearing tags, officer* should call or visit the owner’s address before the animal enters the shelter.
      • If the animal is reunited in the field, they should be tracked as “return-to-home in-field" to reflect the staff’s time and effort.
    2. 2. Provide localized reclaim information:
      • When officers impound stray or lost dogs, they* should fill in the flyer or door hanger template with descriptive information and reclaim instructions, then hang two at the intersection closest to the impoundment location.
      • When possible, officers should record specific addresses or intersections in an animal’s impoundment record.
    3. 3. Invest in future RTH:
      • Distribute* all provided PetHub QR code tags in your community at no cost to owners. This can include sharing provided materials with a partner organization that has more bandwidth to administer in your community.
      • Distribute* all provided Network Neighbor yard signs and materials to individual residents in your community to promote RTH practices and resources (not applicable to all organization types).
  • (Optional) Participate in virtual training/coaching  

* This task can be completed by support staff, volunteers, or a support organization if available. 

Have questions or need support? We’re here to help!

Please reach out to our team if you have any questions. Join the Paws in the Field Challenge today.