Here at DoggyWarriors, we are passionate about supporting organisations that are making an impact in the lives of dogs. We were excited when we heard about Rescue Partners, the online platform connecting shelters and adopters. So, we decided to sit down with the team at Rescue Partners to learn more about their mission, their work, and how we can all make a difference.
Please introduce yourself and tell us what inspired you to set up Rescue Partners?
My name is Nikki and I am from Nottingham. I’m the founder and owner of the organisation and I manage the day-to-day running. I live with my partner Amy who is our resident dog trainer! She’s a fully qualified, games based trainer and will be on hand to help any shelters with training advice. She’ll also off anyone who rehomes a dog through Rescue Partners discounted rates on training sessions if they need help when bringing the dog home. We have a rescue in the house called Tiggs, he’s a Collie x Greyhound. Gorgeous boy, but extremely clumsy in life – best way to describe him is that because of the cross in breeds it means he doesn’t know whether to chase something or round it up! My brother Andy is our incredible web developer who built the whole platform, and manages all the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff to make sure we’re running smoothly. He has a rescue staffie called Rollo, who is happiest when he has a tennis ball in his mouth!
I guess it was experiences that we’ve all faced when looking at rescues that got the idea off the ground. I started to think about ways of promoting different rescue animals, then I realised that to do that I’d need to start collating all the info from various shelters so that I could do that, then quickly realised there wasn’t one place that you’d typically go to find a rescue. The idea simply grew from there.
What is Rescue Partners?
We’re an online platform, which allows shelters to publicise their animals, completely free of charge. Our system means that they gain full access to manage the profiles that are on our site, and we’ve intentionally done this so that shelters have peace of mind that they have complete control over what animals are on there and know that they can make changes instantly.
Every shelter will have their own unique page that people can be directed to if they want to view animals at just one shelter, and we provide the necessary html code which allows them to place a banner on their own website, which directs people to their page with us. We also provide shelters with a code which uploads their listings automatically onto their own website. This means they’d only need to manage their profiles in one place, because their website will be updated for them.
What is your ultimate goal for Rescue Partners?
We’ve got so many big plans! Here’s a snippet of what we have in mind right now:
- Build up our social media presence, and then use that to promote the harder to rehome animals. We’d love to play a part in those who have been knocking around the shelters for a while and often get overlooked.
- We want to bring sponsors on board, and we’re already in talks with our first one. Doing this will provide us with the means to start giving back to the shelters we work with, so things like volunteering days to go and help out at the shelters, which in turn gives us social media content to promote their animals further, and maybe do special features on certain ones. We’d also look at going to relevant animal shows and promoting the shelters closest to that location. Finally, we’d love to bring on board the kind of sponsors who can help provide necessities to shelters, to try and keep the shelters running costs down.
- The big dream for me right now is get to a point where we have enough of a following to start receiving donations from the public. We wouldn’t use any of this money for our running costs, it would all go into the shelters. Then we’d either distribute it out, or possibly look to build a fund that shelters can apply to if they needs vets bills covering.
How does it work for somebody looking to adopt a dog?
Initially the way the website works is that they can either view all dogs available, or they can narrow down their search based on their requirements. So they can select things like sex, breed, age… and then specifics such as ‘good with children’ etc. If they find one they’re interested in they can send an enquiry through our site, which will send an email to the shelter, or they can view the contact details for the shelter and make contact another way. We don’t make any attempt to get involved with the rehoming process, and if the person wants to send a message through our site they have to tick a box acknowledging that Rescue Partners aren’t involved. We feel it’s important to stress that not just for the users, but also to give shelters peace of mind that we don’t intrude on any of the actual rehoming.
How can rescue centres get involved (costs involved)?
Rescue centres can get involved by contacting Rescue Partners through email (nikki@rescue.partners). I’ll get their account set up. As for costs – absolutely nothing! Our promise from here onwards is that we’ll never take a penny off shelters.
The main benefits for the shelters are:
- It is Free of charge
- Increased visibility
- Easy to use
- Full control
- Networking opportunities
Anything else you would like to share?
Just to stress that the system has been built with shelters in mind, so it’s been made as easy to use as we can possibly make it so that it doesn’t take up too much time. We genuinely believe that once they get started with it, they’ll see how easy it is. However, we know that the first upload of all their animals can seem daunting if they have quite a few, therefore my offer to all shelters is that if they’re interested, I’ll do that initial upload to get everyone on the site. That way they can just crack on with managing the profiles thereafter!
Thank you Nikki for introducing Rescue Partners to our community. We wish you all the success for the future!
Rescue Partners is an excellent initiative that will benefit both animal rescues and potential adopters. It provides a much-needed platform for shelters to promote their animals and makes it easy for people to find a dog to adopt. With their future plans to expand their social media presence and bring on board sponsors, Rescue Partners is sure to continue making a positive impact in the animal rescue community. If you’re looking to adopt a furry friend, or if you’re a shelter looking for a platform to promote your animals, Rescue Partners is an excellent place to start. For more information, please visit their website.
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