Shelter operations resource
Special-needs placement checklist
Keep the care story visible before a disabled, senior, medically complex, or behaviorally nuanced animal moves into placement review.
This checklist does not diagnose an animal or qualify an adopter. It helps a human reviewer see the sources, support needs, questions, and uncertainty that should not get lost.
01
Daily care and access
- Describe medication or routine using an approved source.
- Record mobility, vision, hearing, and home-layout considerations.
- Name what the animal can do comfortably and normally.
- Daily routine
- Access need
02
Home context
- Ask about existing pets, children, noise level, and stairs.
- Record any equipment or setup the animal uses.
- Keep unknown conditions visible until a person follows up.
- Home question
- Unknown
03
Sources and education
- Attach relevant foster, veterinary, behavior, or staff notes.
- Name what the adopter should understand before deciding.
- Separate calm education from unsupported reassurance.
- Source
- Education needed
04
Human decision
- Name the reviewer and any professional input required.
- Record reviewer concerns and follow-up needs.
- Document the final human decision and reason.
- Reviewer
- Decision notes
If this worksheet surfaces a specific handoff problem, WhiskerMatch can start with that one workflow while the rest of your tools stay in place.
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