Frequently Asked Questions

ShelterTrack is state-of-the-art, latest-generation animal sheltering software designed to make your life easier - much easier! Check out these features (partial listing):

• Completely customizable interface (colors, look and feel, search-results fields, report header text, and more) for each user.
• User-specific Favorites provide quick access to any program or report in the system.
• Supervisor Hold: Places records on hold so they cannot be edited or deleted.
• Easy-to-navigate tabbed interfaces make locating the information you need a snap.
• Detailed help can be turned on or off in all screens anytime, and you can add your own custom help text to any help screen.
• Complete user audit history: who added, edited, and deleted every record in your ShelterTrack system.
• Detailed access classes allow you to assign permissions at any level, from program group (like Animals) to individual items within each program (like intake, custom intake forms, intake standards, and so on).
• Kennel management includes the ability to filter kennels based on current occupants, at or under capacity, and more.
• Daily statistics for all shelters or individual shelters - click any date in the calendar to see that day's statistics.
• Project Planner with tasks, vendors, completion percentages, approvals, and associated costs. 

The versatile shelter calendar includes multiple views, and many items  - such as tasks/reminders/notifications - can be batch-updated (closed, reopened, and so on) from this screen.

• My Schedule
  Shows all outstanding items for the current user, including  work schedule, hours worked, staff review pending, staff reviews to be given, events: leader or co-leader, events: attending, tasks/reminders/notifications due, checklist items due, scheduling items assigned, pending adoption requirement checks, pending redemption requirement checks, pending permit requirement checks, vaccinations due, scheduled vaccinations, vet visit follow-ups, scheduled euthanasia, project tasks due, phone call follow-ups assigned, dispatch (calls) assigned, dispatch actions assigned, enforcements assigned, pending violations (no enforcements) assigned, cases assigned. Can be run for any 1-, 7-, or 30-day period, or for the current month.
• Current and Due/Overdue Items
  Shows outstanding pending, due, and overdue items for all shelter staff. Items include staff schedules, staff reviews scheduled, tasks/reminders/notifications due, checklist items due, animals becoming available, scheduling items, in-shelter moves/transfers, quarantine interim checks, scheduled quarantine releases, active medications, vaccinations due, vaccinations scheduled, vet follow-up visits due, euthanasias, license exemptions expiring, project tasks due, call log follow-ups due. Can be run for any 1-, 7-, or 30-day period, or for the current month.
• Events
  Public and private shelter events for any day, week, or month. Users can add, edit, and sign up for events, and event leaders can track attendance and send e-mail blasts to event attendees.
• Staff Scheduling
  Shows in and out times, employees, and work categories for all staff scheduled to work on a particular day or in a week or month.
• Statistics
  Shows shelter statistics for any day of any year: intake, adoptions, redemptions, euthanasia, animal deaths, transfers to other organizations, other outcomes, animals in foster care, at off-site locations, and in quarantine (on-site or in-home), new and pending/active calls, cases opened, pending/active cases, enforcements created, pending/active enforcements, new licenses and microchips issued, licenses renewed, permits issued and renewed, traps rented or loaned, and total revenue.
• Set Holidays and Closed Days
  These views set the holidays and closed days for your organization during a calendar year. You can also stipulate whether or not the shelter is open or closed on holidays, and specify whether holidays and/or closed days are included in animal availability-date (holding period) calculations.

• "Super search" screen locates the animals in your ShelterTrack system using myriad criteria. Results are returned with your choice of output columns (specific to each  user), and searches can be saved. The entire results set can be downloaded in an Excel file, and batch operations can be performed on selected (or all) records:
• Place supervisor hold
• Put on hold
• Remove all holds
• Change status
• Approve for adoption or add fee
• Approve for euthanasia
• Remove all adoption approvals
• Remove all euthanasia approvals
• Quarantine
• Add interim-check info for quarantine
• Release from quarantine
• Vaccinate
• Schedule for vaccinations
• Put on medication (shelter animals only)
• Discontinue medication (shelter animals only)
• Add warnings
• Remove all warnings
• Add to case
• Add to enforcement
• Add to call (dispatch)
• Change legal guardian
• Schedule for euthanasia
• Print documents and forms
• Custom fields with your choice of data type and label can be set up for animals (shelter and/or non-shelter), intake (all types), adoption, redemption, quarantine, medications, vaccinations, vet visits/services, and euthanasia.
• User-definable animal-data import and export.
• Kennel management system shows detailed tracking information for each kennel and shows capacity, space available, and a complete history of occupants.
• Easy to navigate, customizable (your choice of items and tab order) tabbed interface includes "at a glance" info, location and guardianship history, photos, documents and files, intake, outcomes, associated people and companies, foster history, behavioral evaluations, completed shelter forms, cases and enforcements, calls (dispatch), quarantine, vaccinations, medications, vet visits and services, scheduling items, moves and transfers, approvals, receipts, and much more.
• Journal automatically records all events for each animal and provides a detailed chronological history of everything that has happened with an animal from inception through present.
• Complete location and guardianship history are maintained and shows where an animal has been and who the legal guardians were from inception through the present.
• Create your own ID-numbering structure and have ShelterTrack automatically assign new, incremented IDs to animals.
• Unlimited custom intake forms let you collect just the information you want (including custom data) for the animals that come in.
• Automated receipt creation and document print on intake.
• Intake batches let you group animals (like litters) into a set so that you only have to enter intake information once. You can even add animals to intake batches after the fact!
• Include or exclude weekends, holidays, and closed days from stray-period (availability date) calculations.
• Availability dates (stray/holding period) can be automatically calculated by the system or set per animal on intake.
• Automatic status change (to your choice of user-defined status) when animals become available for adoption or transfer.
• Animal Standards provide for automated data-entry of species-specific standard items (vaccinations, veterinary services, and/or scheduling items) at intake (by type) or when an animal has any outcome added, dies, or is euthanized, adopted, redeemed, or transferred within or outside of your organization. The system can also automatically add a task/reminder/notification on save, with your choice of recipients and priority.
• Custom intake forms let you specify exactly what information you want  to be collected when an animal comes in. Default values can be assigned for most intake items, and the form can be as long or short as you desire. All intake forms can include custom fields with your choice of data type and label.
• Animal Hold prevents users from adding outcomes, placing animals in quarantine or into foster homes, and moving or transferring.
• Automatic animal age calculation that also automatically updates Petfinder listings.
• Kennel management includes buildings, rooms, and/or rows for identification.
• Allow public Web site visitors to add lost or found animals, and specify how long listings should remain active.
• Automated data upload to Petfinder and Pets 911.
• Complete foster-home tracking, including the types and species of animals each foster home will take.
• Approval-tracking for adoption and euthanasia.
• In-shelter and off-site moves and transfers with scheduling.
• Custom kennel card forms, behavioral evaluations, vaccination certificates, and unlimited other animal-related documents and forms.
• Animal Match lets your public Web site visitors tell you what they're looking for, and shows matches (with percentages).
• Current Inventory reports give you quick, at-a-glance information:
• All Animals in Inventory
• Adoptable Animals
• Approved for Adoption
• Featured Pets
• Approved for Euthanasia
• On Hold
• In Quarantine
• In Foster Homes
• At Off-Site Locations
• Animals With Pending Outcomes
• Becoming Available Today and Tomorrow
• Becoming Available Within the Next 7 Days
• Duplicate consolidation and animal merge lets you combine two or more animals, retaining just the data you want. 

• "Super search" locates the licenses in your system using myriad critera; batch operations (supervisor hold, print documents and forms, change status) can be performed on selected or all records in the results. The entire list of results can also be downloaded in Excel format to your local computer.
• Completely customizable license fees and calculation; license fees can be fixed or calculated based animal age, breeds, geographical criteria such as the city or county in which an animal's guardian resides, and user-defined criteria in the form of questions (where a YES answer increases or reduces the applicable fee). Includes a "test fee calculation" program so you can verify your setup.
• License-fee proration based on term and end date, which can be fixed or based on the rabies vaccination end date.
• Rabies vaccination and spay/neuter requirements.
• Complete inventory system for licenses and chips.
• Custom fields with your choice of data type and label can be set up for licenses/chips and permits.
• Create your own ID-numbering structure and have ShelterTrack automatically assign new, incremented IDs to licenses and permits.
• User-definable late-payment grace period, where late fees are not charged if a license or renewal is paid within the period.
• Auto-creation of receipt when a license or chip is added or renewed.
• Compliance-checking for requirements (user-defined) for licenses and permits.
• On-line purchase and renewal (with transaction tracking and update) for licenses and chips by your public Web site visitors.
• Upload of vaccination and/or spay/neuter proof files by your public Web site visitors.
• Duplicate consolidation and record merge.

• "Super search" screen locates the cases, enforcements, and calls in your system based on myriad criteria, and lets you download the entire list and/or perform batch operations on selected or all records in the results: Place supervisor hold, print documents and forms, change status, priority, and/or validity, change primary or secondary officer, and close, reopen, or void.
• Custom fields with your choice of data type and label can be set up for cases, enforcements, and calls (dispatch).
• Create your own ID-numbering structure and have ShelterTrack automatically assign new, incremented IDs to cases, enforcements, and calls.
• Troubleshooting area lets you find problem records in your system, such as pending violations with unknown violators.
• Easy-to-navigate tabbed interface for cases includes details, system-maintained event history, animals, people and companies, violations and enforcements, dispatch, quarantined animals, case statements, and associated photographs and files.
• Time-tracking and statistical reporting for calls (dispatch).

• "Super search" screen locates the people and companies in your ShelterTrack system using myriad criteria. Results are returned with your choice of output columns (specific to each  user), and searches can be saved. The entire results set (or selected people and companies within a set) can be downloaded in an Excel file, and batch operations can be performed on selected (or all) records: supervisor hold, add names to a new or existing distribution list, mail merge, e-mail blast, and download (list or contact information including addresses, phones, and e-mails).
• Custom fields with your choice of data type and label can be set up for all people and companies by type (staff, new person, new company, board members, and so on).
• Detailed warnings include Do Not Adopt, Questionable, use caution (by person/company and/or address), payments returned for nonsufficient funds, outstanding balances, and "do not contact" flags.
• Optional address validation and verification, with maintenance area that includes duplicate consolidation, new-address verification, and troubleshooting measures (addresses without city or postal code, addresses that are not in the validation table, "orphan" addresses with no person/company, and so on).
• Address History link wherever addresses are used; shows the entire history at a particular address. Includes mapping and directions.
• Your choice of information collected when a new person or company is added; all items can be made optional or required.
• Easy to navigate, customizable (your choice of items and tab order) tabbed interface includes "at a glance" info, basics/details, custom fields, roles, attributes, addresses/phones/e-mails, IDs, AKAs and aliases, photos, files and documents, user account and user audit, tasks/notifications/reminders, distribution lists and correspondence, shelter forms, event sign-ups and attendance, associated contacts, animals, receipts, donations, Animal Match, lost and found animals, intake/impounds/returns, redemptions (RTOs), licenses, permits, calls, cases, enforcements, membership, foster history, employee/volunteer information, work scheduling, and much more.
• Journal automatically records all events for each person or company and provides a detailed chronological history of everything a person or company has done.
• Convert any person or company to an employee.
• Distribution Lists with your choice of list members plus correspondence history, new mail and e-mail merges, and list download (with or without contact information: addresses, phones, and e-mails).
• Membership:
• On-line purchase and renewal with transaction tracking and update
• Administration area includes filtered search and batch operations on your search results:
• Change membership category
• Change term dates
• Issue receipts
• Mark paid and do not issue receipts
• Mark paid and issue receipts
• Mark unpaid
• Renew, unpaid
• Renew, mark paid, and do not issue receipts
• Renew, mark paid, and issue receipts
• Create mailing
• Send e-mail
• Download contact info for selected members
• Download contact info for all (ignores selected members)
• Delete
 

• User-definable timesheet cycles and timesheet forms.
• User-specific work weeks, including first day of the week.
• Ability for each employee to create, review, redo, and print his own timesheets.
• Supervisor View includes:
• Employees and Volunteers with supervisors, shelters, hire and termination dates, and employee details.
• Pay Periods and Timesheets includes the ability to close and reopen pay periods, finalize completed timesheets, print all timesheets for one or more pay periods, and missing-timesheet tracking. Also includes a timesheet-search program.
• Reviews and Evaluations by employee, supervisor, person who gave the review(s), due/overdue, date range, and more. Review/evaluation forms are completely customizable and include your choice of data types and labels.
• Work Scheduling shows employee/volunteer schedules and work categories for 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, or the current month.
• Current and Due/Overdue Items shows outstanding pending, due, and overdue items for all shelter staff. Items include staff schedules, staff reviews scheduled, tasks/reminders/notifications due, checklist items due, animals becoming available, scheduling items, in-shelter moves/transfers, quarantine interim checks, scheduled quarantine releases, active medications, vaccinations due, vaccinations scheduled, vet follow-up visits due, euthanasias, license exemptions expiring, project tasks due, and call log follow-ups due for your employees/volunteers or all employees/volunteers. Can be run for any 1-, 7-, or 30-day period, or for the current month.

• "Super search" screen locates the receipts in your system based on myriad criteria and lets you download the results and/or perform batch operations: supervisor hold, print, and delete.
• PayPal transaction tracking gives complete details for all on-line payments, including status (pending, complete, refunded, canceled), amount, PayPal fee, and item (license/chip, membership, inventory item, donation, and so on).
• Custom receipt forms include your choice of data, custom colors, logo, and styles.
• Create your own ID-numbering structure and have ShelterTrack automatically assign new, incremented IDs to receipts.
• Auto-creation of receipts from many areas in the system: license purchases, new memberships, and so on.
• Fee item sets allow batch-adding of disparate items like adoption fees, inventory items, donations, and more to a receipt at the same time.
• Discounts can be applied at the line-item or receipt level, with or without supervisor approvals.
• Multiple G/L splits per fee item; G/L split calculations stored in each closed receipt.
• Automatic calculation of discounts ($ or %) and sales tax.
• General Ledger transaction export with user-defined fields.
• Invoicing system tracks payables and receivables. Inventory ordering auto-adds payable invoices at your request.
• Inventory system includes item-tracking and removal from inventory on sale, on-line sales, shrinkage, complete history, and restock reporting.
•  Trap rentals and loans.

• Set up an unlimited number of public or private shelter forms to collect data (with your choice of data type and label) from anyone.
• Set up an unlimited number of merge documents to include database data in documents and forms that can be printed from any area, including with receipts, after an adoption, and so on.
• Easy to use Document Designer lets you create and design an unlimited number of documents and forms and include your shelter logo, "boilerplate" text, custom font styles and stylesheets, and colors.
• Ability to add any shelter form to your public Web pages.
• Automatic e-mail to your choice of recipients when a completed shelter form is received.

• Public user accounts that allow your Web site visitors to view history, make donations and purchases on-line, and add animals, contacts, and contact information.
• On-line donations and purchases transmit information (amount, payment status, person, and so on) to your ShelterTrack system from PayPal.
• Create an unlimited number of fixed-rate or variable-rate donation and merchandise categories for on-line purchase, and use your own buttons or PayPal buttons.
• Staff can be e-mailed each time an on-line purchase or donation is made. One or more e-mail recipients can be added for licenses and renewals, memberships and renewals, donations, and/or merchandise purchases.
• Completely customizable, unlimited public Web pages with your choice of live database content.
• Web page design templates.
• Unlimited documents and files (Word, Excel, PDF, etc.) that can be included as Web pages in your public site.