Animal Rescue Intake Record

Who this is for

The sheet filled in when an animal arrives. It records where it came from and who brought it, what you saw when you looked at it, what identification was found, and then a dated line for everything that happened afterwards, with the number of days in care worked out from the arrival date you enter.

Rescues, shelters, sanctuaries and pounds taking animals in, branch volunteers who do intake at the door, and small independent rescues with no database.

What this helps you track

• Where the animal came from and who handed it over, with a contact
• A dated description of the animal as it arrived, in the words of whoever looked at it
• Whether it was scanned, what the scan showed and which database was checked
• The arrival checks your rescue does, ticked off rather than assumed
• Every step afterwards — vet, isolation, foster, reclaim, adoption — on one list

How to use it

1. Give the animal an intake reference and fill in the arrival date and time, the species, sex and a description in plain words.
2. Record where it came from: found at an address, signed over by an owner, transferred from another rescue, seized — and who brought it in.
3. Scan for a microchip before anything else and write down what the scanner showed and which database you checked, even when the answer is nothing.
4. Describe the condition on arrival as you assessed it, and say who assessed it. Leave anything clinical to the vet and record their words when you have them.
5. Work through the arrival checks and tick what has been done.
6. Add a line to the lower table for each step afterwards; the days column counts from the arrival date you entered.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Is this a legal record of ownership or a transfer of title?

No. What a rescue must record, how long a stray must be held and who owns an animal differ by country and often by local authority. Check the rules where you are and keep whatever documents they require alongside this sheet.

Who fills in the condition on arrival?

Whoever received the animal, in their own words, with their name against it. It is an observation, not a diagnosis — the vet's assessment goes on a line of its own once it has been made.

What if the animal has a chip registered to someone?

Follow your own reclaim procedure and record every call and letter in the lower table with dates. That dated list is the thing you will be asked for later.

How is days in care worked out?

It counts from the arrival date in the header to the date on each line. Nothing else is calculated and no target length of stay is suggested.

Can one sheet cover a litter or a bonded pair?

Use one per animal, cross-referenced by intake reference, so identification and vet notes stay attached to the right animal. Note on each that they came in together.