Hi all-my former business school classmate and I have been active in animal welfare and are exploring AI tools to help shelters and rescues. We'd love feedback on these early hypotheses:

1. "Most‑likely match" recommendations
   Use a structured applicant + pet profile to auto-rank matches by fit, timing, and policy constraints (e.g., breed restrictions, medical needs), so staff review the highest‑quality leads first.
2. Live roster of foster availability
   Lightweight portal or SMS updates where fosters mark dates, capacity, pet types they can take, and constraints-giving staff a real‑time roster and optional nudges to fill gaps.
3. Rapid targeting for urgent placements + microvolunteering opportunities
   When a pet needs urgent placement, query the volunteer database for people who meet the key criteria (availability, proximity, transport, household compatibility), and generate an outreach list.

We know application forms vary widely by rescue, but suspect there's room to streamline and standardize data capture for better matching. What feels useful vs. risky? What data signals matter most? What pitfalls have you seen with "automation" here?

Thanks in advance for your insights-we want to build only what truly helps.
-Ayna Agarwal, Founder, FetchAI (NY)

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)
#AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms
#CaseManagement*
#DataandTechnology
#FosterPrograms
#OrganizationalManagement

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Ayna Agarwal
Founder
FetchAI
NY
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Following :)

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Denise Bouey
Director of Animal Outcomes
Maui Humane Society
HI
------------------------------

These sound like really great ideas! 
I work at a small rural shelter yet we take in almost 3,000 animals every year. Our foster coordinator could definitely use something like the foster-based program instead of keeping everything in her head or on a google sheet. 
"Most Likely Match" sound like it would be a good fit for those who do more online based applications. We do not do that, however, it would be good to at least try it out. It may give adopters more of an idea as to who they should focus their attention on instead of coming in and looking at several. 

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Jenny Bork
membership coordinator and shelter advocate
Hawk Creek Animal Shelter
MN
------------------------------

I like the first idea, and as someone said earlier, it will help people narrow their focus on which pets might be a good match for them. I have thought a lot about a platform, similar to petfinder, that would match people to animals appropriate to their lifestyle.  Grooming needs, activity level, need for further training, etc. I really try to focus on matching people with a pet that fits their lifestyle, rather than who they think is cute, when they are willing to do that (which is not as often as you would think).

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Stephanie Lenny
Behavioral Coordinator
Brown County Human Society
IN
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I love the most likely match.  I foster for a rescue and we've had several dogs returned because the dog wasn't the right one for the family.  People don't understand just because a dog is "cute" doesn't mean it's the right one for you.  The girl that handles intake for us has a tough job when it comes to foster availability and emergency placements.  We have 56 approved foster homes, but it's the same 10 to 12 people that always step up.   Right now I have 4 fosters and 2 of my own because it kills me to hear her BEG for the volunteers to step up.  I'm not complaining, the 4 are puppies from 3 different litters and they are so darn cute.  Actually, it's 3 fosters...not 4.  I foster failed one, but up until last night I did have 4.  The only other thing I think that will be useful for rescue groups is something to collect data on people who transport pets.  It would be great if we had a list of people williing to transport, where they live, and how far they are willing to travel with a rescued pet. If we rescue a dog out of state, our intake girl has to reach out to other rescues to see if they can help with transport.  I don't see any downfalls from your vision.  If you don't mind, can I share this with our directors and see if they have any thoughts?  they have been doing this much longer than I have.  

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Nancy Kaniewski
Volunteer Fundraising Coordinator
Just Giants Rescue, Inc.
IL
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I LOVE ideas 2 and 3. The way we do" matching" might not work for #1. I also see that it would take a ton of time to get enough animal info in to "match" people. We use conversational adoptions and move quickly. While it might work for some smaller rescues who don't mind taking more time it might be OK.

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Lisa Kitchens
Pet Central Helps!
------------------------------

Love these ideas-especially the structured matching and real-time foster availability. Shelters spend so much time sifting through applications, so anything that surfaces the best fits first feels like a huge win. The foster-status "live roster" is also smart; most orgs still track this in spreadsheets, so lightweight check-ins or SMS updates could really cut friction.

The urgent-placement targeting seems powerful too, as long as it's done with clear opt-ins so volunteers don't feel spammed. Overall, these feel very buildable and directly tied to real shelter pain points. Curious what tools you're considering for the first prototype?

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Murphy Marjoriej
NA
Marketimg
TX
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Love the 1st 2 ideas.

We have just moved to foster based after loosing the lease on our bldg. It would be incredibly useful if we had a way for fosters to post availability & what their requirements are. Then when we have intake requests, we can give faster responses knowing if we have a place or not.

The fit is also a great idea for many of the reasons I read in other responses. Ppl are so quick to adopt on looks vs personality, then are upset when it doesn't work out.

Ie - we have an Aussie mix. She was returned after 1y for killing chickens and being over active.  Put her back up for adoption and specifically said she needs an active home. During meet n greet, specifically told adopter again her physical & mental needs. 4 days later hes returning her bc she's destroying things in the house when he's no paying attention to her and he takes her on 2 walks a day. Not using a crate. No dog park. No runs. No kongs. Etc. All the things we said she needed.

If the computer generated matches, maybe they would be more likely to heed the advice? 

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Sarah
Paws in Middle Georgia Animal Rescue
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I love that you're exploring tools to support shelters and rescues-there's definitely a need for thoughtful, well-designed solutions that reduce administrative burden without creating new risks.

Here's some initial feedback on your hypotheses

1. "Most-likely match" recommendations: Structured profiles could save time, especially for busy rescues. Helpful features include automatic deal-breaker flags and candidate prioritization. However, over-automation and rigid applications are risky; staff need override options and system flexibility.

2. Live foster roster: A real-time dashboard or SMS updates would improve outdated spreadsheet/text processes. Easy availability updates and specific tags are useful. The system should be simple, optional, and not pushy to avoid burnout.

3. Rapid urgent placement + micro-volunteering: Filtering volunteers by location, experience, and availability can make urgent placements faster. Micro-volunteer prompts for short tasks are helpful, but accurate volunteer data and avoiding repeated messages are crucial.

Key data signals: Landlord/HOA rules, other pets, work schedule, experience, fenced yard, medical/behavioral needs, reliability history.

Automation thoughts: Smart tools that organize data and support human decision-making are valuable. Automation should enhance, not replace, judgment.

Cant wait to hear more

Virginia 

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Virginia Brantley
President
Georgia Heartland Humane Society
GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11/15/2025 1:52:00 PM
From: Virginia Brantley
Subject: RE: AI for Foster/Adoption/Micro-Volunteering

I love that you're exploring tools to support shelters and rescues-there's definitely a need for thoughtful, well-designed solutions that reduce administrative burden without creating new risks.

Here's some initial feedback on your hypotheses

1. "Most-likely match" recommendations: Structured profiles could save time, especially for busy rescues. Helpful features include automatic deal-breaker flags and candidate prioritization. However, over-automation and rigid applications are risky; staff need override options and system flexibility.

2. Live foster roster: A real-time dashboard or SMS updates would improve outdated spreadsheet/text processes. Easy availability updates and specific tags are useful. The system should be simple, optional, and not pushy to avoid burnout.

3. Rapid urgent placement + micro-volunteering: Filtering volunteers by location, experience, and availability can make urgent placements faster. Micro-volunteer prompts for short tasks are helpful, but accurate volunteer data and avoiding repeated messages are crucial.

Key data signals: Landlord/HOA rules, other pets, work schedule, experience, fenced yard, medical/behavioral needs, reliability history.

Automation thoughts: Smart tools that organize data and support human decision-making are valuable. Automation should enhance, not replace, judgment.

Cant wait to hear more

Virginia 

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Virginia Brantley
President
Georgia Heartland Humane Society
GA
------------------------------

We are just getting our organization started but it will be focused on safety net/ crisis foster situations. They will have pretty nuanced needs and sensitivities, but if your program could help, we would love to be a part of it! 

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Alycia Norton
President
PALS of PAWS in Saginaw County
MI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-21-2025 02:39 PM
From: Ayna Agarwal
Subject: AI for Foster/Adoption/Micro-Volunteering

Thanks all!! 

Really helpful insights.  

If anyone is interested in piloting our product around building out a live foster roster, helping match foster parents to long, medium, and urgent placements, and support those fosters - please reach out! We are looking for medium to large size organizations interested in better managing their foster programs. The pilot and co-design will be entirely free.

Cheers,

Ayna

--

Ayna Agarwal

732.642.4371

Original Message:
Sent: 11/15/2025 1:52:00 PM
From: Virginia Brantley
Subject: RE: AI for Foster/Adoption/Micro-Volunteering

I love that you're exploring tools to support shelters and rescues-there's definitely a need for thoughtful, well-designed solutions that reduce administrative burden without creating new risks.

Here's some initial feedback on your hypotheses

1. "Most-likely match" recommendations: Structured profiles could save time, especially for busy rescues. Helpful features include automatic deal-breaker flags and candidate prioritization. However, over-automation and rigid applications are risky; staff need override options and system flexibility.

2. Live foster roster: A real-time dashboard or SMS updates would improve outdated spreadsheet/text processes. Easy availability updates and specific tags are useful. The system should be simple, optional, and not pushy to avoid burnout.

3. Rapid urgent placement + micro-volunteering: Filtering volunteers by location, experience, and availability can make urgent placements faster. Micro-volunteer prompts for short tasks are helpful, but accurate volunteer data and avoiding repeated messages are crucial.

Key data signals: Landlord/HOA rules, other pets, work schedule, experience, fenced yard, medical/behavioral needs, reliability history.

Automation thoughts: Smart tools that organize data and support human decision-making are valuable. Automation should enhance, not replace, judgment.

Cant wait to hear more

Virginia 

------------------------------
Virginia Brantley
President
Georgia Heartland Humane Society
GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11/23/2025 8:51:00 PM
From: Alycia Norton
Subject: RE: AI for Foster/Adoption/Micro-Volunteering

We are just getting our organization started but it will be focused on safety net/ crisis foster situations. They will have pretty nuanced needs and sensitivities, but if your program could help, we would love to be a part of it! 

------------------------------
Alycia Norton
President
PALS of PAWS in Saginaw County
MI
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 11-21-2025 02:39 PM
From: Ayna Agarwal
Subject: AI for Foster/Adoption/Micro-Volunteering

Thanks all!! 

Really helpful insights.  

If anyone is interested in piloting our product around building out a live foster roster, helping match foster parents to long, medium, and urgent placements, and support those fosters - please reach out! We are looking for medium to large size organizations interested in better managing their foster programs. The pilot and co-design will be entirely free.

Cheers,

Ayna

--

Ayna Agarwal

732.642.4371

I keep looking for how AI would increase lifesaving and help shelters and rescue, and I keep seeing obstacles.  But your first one has legs.  A a lot of what you're looking for will be successful if you already ahve good manual processes in place.  Great tech solutions are generally more successful when they improve a solid existing process.  Tech doesn't solve anything when you take an activity not working and apply tech to it.  It can make ti worse.

1. "Most‑likely match" recommendations
   This one is the only candidate that is clear for AI IMO.  

   Example:

   "I work from home, have a fenced yard, and fostered reactive shepherds before."

   A rules-based system can't parse nuance like this, but AI can extract meaning and turn it into standardized data: experience with behavior cases, availability, stability, capacity, skill level, etc.  There is a risk here for bias and fairness you will have to manage the corpus (the data you use to query) and the alroithm/prompt of the AI carefully.  Depending on your unstructured data, the questions you ask to get candidates' eligibility to adopt, etc., can accentuate your issue of matching.  It could be very useful if done right, but could also marginalize potential adopters if not fully thought out, tested, and managed.

2. Live roster of foster availability
   This is a straightforward database/communication system.  Although you could apply AI, A Google Form + sheet can do this.  
3. Rapid targeting for urgent placements + microvolunteering opportunities
   

   If the shelter already stores structured volunteer data, then rules-based filtering can produce a list:

   • • Everyone within X miles

     • Everyone approved for behavior dogs

     • Everyone available today or tomorrow

     • Everyone with no cats in the home

     • Everyone trained in bottle feeding

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Davyd Smith
No Kill Colorado
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Hi Ayna,

Thank you for sharing your insights and approaches using AI. I am not a rescue but believe in fostering and for years I have been learning as much as I can about fostering. I am a trainer, I fostered dogs short and long term, I joined HASS foster workshops and I continued to attend Maddie's Foster webinars. Just say Foster and I am there. I have been thinking along the line of your approaches with the recent AI explosion.  I personally found 2 and 3 to be super important and that being able to implement 2 and 3 well might be helpful to 1. Matching has lots of nuances and AI would be powerful in its ability to amass data and categorized them but a human touch, an experienced human touch is still necessary in my opinion. AI read data and can be biased. AI can't read the dogs, we can if we take time to learn their body language. But we too can also be biased. AI learned from us - from our experience. Do you have an email? Can I just google you? I would love to share what I learned over the past 5 years.

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Julielani Chang
The Life of Kai: Compassion Connections Inc.
Davis CA
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