Hi there! I understand I have caused a bit of a hoo ha with my questions/posts etc in regard to Rescue Reviews.
I didn't realise it may be considered spam/advertising or whatever so please accept my apologies for that. You may not believe me but it was an un-intensional mistake. Thank you anyway to everyone who filled out a review or decides to fill one out in the future. I have put together a list of FAQ's (should really be called AQ's!!) which are now on the website to clarify the situation/project. I appreciate that if I 'send' you to the website to read them - I will be breaking another rule
so am attaching the FAQ's and answers here now.
. I shall keep in touch but I won't mention my project again!!!
How did you come up with the Rescue Reviews project? Anyone can start up a shelter or rescue in the UK as no qualifications are required and the sector is unregulated. There are many organisations that are doing a fantastic job and manage excellent adoption volumes with very low return rates*. However there are also many more who are struggling due to lack of experience or knowledge and despite best intentions, are not achieving their aims. The focus of Rescue Review is to gather and collate useful information as an aid to improve standards in animal rehoming shelters and within adoption organisations in the UK. It is hoped that the dissemination of this information will result in improvements, sharing of best practice, rewarding of excellence and will increase successful adoptions and reduce the number visitors going elsewhere (puppy farm etc) to obtain a pet.
How did you decide which questions to ask? By speaking to numerous individuals directly involved in rescue organisations (over the last 18 months) to develop the questions that would be of most use to them.
Why do you ask about the choice of animals available? To determine and gauge success of open or subjective admittance and potential for breed or specie transfer.
Why do you ask about signs and directions? If people can't find a shelter - there is no way they can adopt, shop or give a donation to that shelter. Increased footfall means more donations, neutering, vaccinations, chipping, treatment, education etc. Signs are also a constant source of advertising to remind people you are there.
Will the shelter/rescue find out that I wrote the review? No. Although you must submit your email address and I may contact you for further detail/justification about your review, your information is not made public. Strict data-protection is adhered to and your details cannot be passed on to the rescue/shelter.
Are the review categories given equal weighting in the star award that is allocated? There is slight weighting in the ranking of questions with a bias on animal welfare however parking and merchandise are obviously important. I've seen cars turn away in frustration at an entrance, as no parking space was available. I've also seen very poor quality merchandise which I wouldn't recommend using on animals. On the flip side - merchandise sales can be an excellent source of income - which could then be spent on improving animal environs etc.
Are rescues/shelters notified when a review is published about them? If necessary, I contact the organisation being reviewed to gain clarification on a policy or their views on a particular comment prior to publishing a review. When there are 5 or more reviews, I notify the rescue to provide them with their feedback.
Can I review a shelter/rescue that is outside of the UK? No sorry. This project is UK only.
Do you screen or verify the reviews before they are posted? Yes. I personally read each review. I also have a checking system whereby I may contact the reviewer or shelter directly and request further information. I withhold all reviews that do not withstand scrutiny.
When you give the feedback to the shelters or rescues, do you sell them services or products? No. Nor am I making any product or service recommendations. I'm purely feeding back the information. It will be up to the individual shelters to make their decisions on how or whether they reward excellence, implement changes etc.
Do you help rescues or shelters to finance improvements? No. Although there may be financial implications i.e. resolving a sign issue if people are unable to find the shelter, there may also be areas for improvement that are of no cost i.e. a policy or SOP modification (rehoming policy/cleaning procedure).
What about foster and breed specific organisations? I appreciate the current questions are geared towards actual ‘shelters’. Based on suggested received to date, a new review form is being written and should be live in September ‘10. This will provide greater useful information to foster and breed specific organsiations.
Is a drug/food/pet supply or other company financing Rescue Reviews? No. This is a project that I have personally developed. I carry it out in my spare time and am not getting paid.
Why are you using this format? Rescue Reviews is based on a number of tried and tested review sites such as TripAdvisor. This decision was made after consultation with a number of review site professionals and a website legal specialist.
What feedback will the shelters/rescues get? My analysis will pinpoint repeat problem or areas of excellence. This information will be sent back to the shelter/rescue. Organisations are obviously free to check on site to read individual reviews and comments whenever they like.
What are return rates*? Finding someone to adopt an animal is a relatively easy task however finding the ‘right’ someone to adopt the ‘right’ animal is difficult, takes skill, knowledge and understanding. Organisations will often publish their adoption rates, but the really important figure is actually the return rate. This is when the animal is returned to the shelter/organisation because the situation has not worked out. There are different return rates for different species – cat return rates are low, small furries are the lowest etc. Organisations should be looking regularly at their return rates and focusing on how to reduce them.
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