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Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

  • 1.  Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-08-2025 10:12 PM

    Updated 1/13/25 at 4:08 pm - Recording now available!

    We hope to see you on the next Community Conversation on Monday, 1/13/25 at 11am PT for "Intake Diversion for Beginners‬‭," a presentation by @Lucy Fernandez of Austin Pets Alive!. 

    With over 35% of pets coming into shelters labeled as owner surrender, ramping up on proactive strategies and resources  in your organization can save more time, money, pets, and people!


    Originally launched in 2010 as one of the founding recommendations of making Austin, TX a no-kill city, the Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender program through Austin Pets Alive manages over 10,000 cases throughout Texas to help keep pets out of the shelter system.  Lucy Fernandez, the Senior Intake Diversion (PASS) Program Manager, can guide you through the basics of getting started on community collaboration, data collection, and intake diversion.

     

    Register for Community Conversations hosted via Zoom: https://maddies.fund/CommunityConvoRegistration2024

    Make sure you are using the latest version of Zoom when you join us!

    If you are unable to make it live on Monday, this thread will be updated with the recording and resources so you can watch and share whenever you'd like.  After you watch the recording on-demand or attend the call live, be sure to complete this new January 2025 entry form to enter to win up to a $5,000 grant: https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-jan25-giveaway.htm


    #AccesstoCare
    #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)
    #CommunityPartnerships*
    #PetSupportServices*

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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
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  • 2.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-13-2025 04:03 PM

    Unanswered question from the chat: 

    "What are your recommendations for involving community members in program design/evaluation to help make sure the program is addressing their needs (as opposed to what we THINK their needs are)?" - @Jory Jolivet



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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-14-2025 03:06 PM

    Find out what already exists from other orgs/similar programs....EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE, TRUST ME.  Local shelters, rescues, and human support orgs that already exist have been gathering relevant info every year.  Reach out to the orgs that pushed them out and take them to lunch to discuss feedback that they've gathered from their community/clients.  CX design/logo it out and push it.  Pilot and pivot every 3-6 months.  The resource flyer was 'borrowed' from Dallas Animal Services.  The resource guide was 'borrowed' from KC Pet Project.  The Doobert form/process was 'borrowed' from Dallas Pets Alive.  STOP STARTING FROM SCRATCH and STARTING NEW STUFF WHEN THERE'S EXISTING DATA/SOLUTIONS IN EXISTANCE.  Ecosystem mapping toolkit: https://e73b1f685119e46196aa-18a481a4bc9b073c638b2c1df2d44b4e.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/maddiesfund_2dc9dc477acdf042b9f7600f0a9193ec.pdf



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    Lucy Fernandez
    Austin Pets Alive
    Austin TX
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-13-2025 04:04 PM

    Unanswered question from the chat: 

    "Where we can get the information  to post on our website and send it to people  who ask us for help about available programs is different states?" - @Krasi Mircheva



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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
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  • 5.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-14-2025 03:10 PM

    Findhelp.org and pets.findhelp.com

    Those are my go to's!  You don't have to memorize everything....just know where to redirect instead of ignoring folks is key.  



    ------------------------------
    Lucy Fernandez
    Austin Pets Alive
    Austin TX
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-13-2025 04:05 PM

    Unanswered question from the chat: 

    "I run the equivalent of the PASS program at our shelter.  Our grant to cover vet care assistance ended in 2024.  That funder is no longer doing grants.  Our area of the state does not have a low cost vet clinic.  How can we offer vet care assistance for folks that need it?" - @Kristin Moro



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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
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  • 7.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-15-2025 02:10 PM

    @Kristin Moro-Coleman: Are you with a municipal or non-profit?  Wrangle up your data and look for other funders!  The PASS program is run through APA! which is a non-profit with no govt assistance so we'll refer folks to local/county/national programs.  Depending on what specific medical care folks are needing for their pets, we use Classy to run crowdsourced chip in fundraisers for medical cases if they're in an area without local/county programs.  Example of Elsa's mass removal fundraiser from December which we shared on social media: https://donate.austinpetsalive.org/fundraiser/5978772

    This is our standard first response template when folks reach out for medical assistance:

    Thanks so much for reaching out for help with your pet.  First, please apply for Care Credit and Scratch Pay:
    If you're in Travis County, you can submit the Friends of Austin Animal Center Medical Assistance application here:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3jUcaoWUQDQVRq5hkdCCkKMGLsrvSn7DlGMcRBuudpFaelw/viewform
    If you're in Williamson County, you can submit the Friends of WCRAS Assistance Request Form here: http://fansofwcras.com/assistance-request-form/
    Due to Texas state law, rescue and shelter veterinary clinics cannot treat owned animals.  Please refer to our PASS Medical Assistance Resources FAQ for local free/affordable vet services.  
     
     
    If you're still needing help with your sick/injured pet, please send over pics, vet records, and the estimate from the vet clinic.
    If they don't qualify, still need help....we set up the fundraiser and share it so the vet clinic gets paid directly instead of issuing funds directly to the pet owners.  We have multiple relationships with area clinics to expedite case escalations as needed.  
    Hope this helps!


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    Lucy Fernandez
    Austin Pets Alive
    Austin TX
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-15-2025 02:30 PM

    @Lucy Fernandez thank you very much.  We also have a similar document that we send as a resource guide with local and national resources.  I hadn't thought of the sponsored crowdfunding idea, I will look into that.



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    Kristin Moro
    Program Manager
    Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Socity
    NM
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-13-2025 04:06 PM

    Unanswered question from the chat: 

    "I work as the Pet Advocate for a Domestic Violence Shelter. Do you have any tips on how I can find and collaborate with Animal Rescues for things like Fostering, Veterinary Care, or Exotic Animal Care?" - @Ashley Mires



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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-15-2025 02:25 PM

    Hey, Ashley.  Your profile says your in Stillwater, OK which shows over 80 shelter/rescues within 50 miles: https://www.adoptapet.com/shelter-search?postalCode=74074&radius=50&page=1

    Go to those org websites or social media pages and reach out directly with ideas you have for collaboration.  You're welcome to use the Pilot Program template to layout and brainstorm ideas on how to effectively collaborate with partners/internal stakeholders: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kev0KochMYziUNCLPoS_ODS-2EizO29r/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118258650161695165903&rtpof=true&sd=true

    You can check out and discuss what their existing fostering processes are like and see how this critical need looks in their own operations.  Red Rover is another national org that focuses on supporting pet owners through DV shelters that might also be able to point you in the right direction: https://redrover.org/relief-dv/



    ------------------------------
    Lucy Fernandez
    Austin Pets Alive
    Austin TX
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-13-2025 05:46 PM
      |   view attached

    Thanks to the 181+ people who joined us on today's call Community Conversations call!  The recording is now available to watch on-demand. Below you'll find a recap of today's call and the resources shared. 

    Call Recap

    • Welcome from Hosts
      • @Shonyae Johnson, Director of Virtual Programming, Humane Rescue Alliance
      • @Lucy Fernandez,  Senior Intake Diversion Program Manager (PASS), Austin Pets Alive!

    • Question of the Day: What's one goal you have for 2025? Whether it's a skill you'd like to develop, a program your organization is planning, or a new way to keep pets and people together, we'd love to hear about it! 
      • "My goals: read more books from the library, eat more fruits & vegetables, and foster a cat!" - Jory Jolivet
      • "Financial Stability for our org while still keeping our programs at or above 2024 levels." - Alisha Vianello 
      • "NYR is to hire an awesome permanent executive director!" - Catherine Horsey from Stray Hearts in Taos
      • "Our goal is to expand our foster program and create new programs so we can intake more animals." - Julianne Carmona
      • "Our goal is at least 2 cat adoptions per month from the mobile cat cafe" - Nikki Timberlake
      • "We had a property donated to the rescue, so our goal is to open a vet clinic with an in house lab an adoption lounge and a feral cat enclosed sanctuary" - April Cannizzaro
      • "Our New Year's Goals are to deliver our services to pets and owners to more underserved neighborhoods and communities throughout ALL five boroughs of NYC." - David  from PAWS NY
      • "Hi this is Krasi from VA Our goals this year are to:
             Expand our disaster relief program to help pets affected by emergencies.
             Grow our Veterans Support Program to provide more care for ESAs and service dogs." - Krasi Mircheva
      • "Our goal is to get our team reinvigorated, work with our local vet organizations and try to get a list of locations people can go with pets in the county in a disaster. " - Melissa Calhoun from Erie County N 
      •  "Hello everyone! Bri Xandrick with Weird Rescue in Los Angeles. Goals for this year are based around growth as an organization and hopefully a facility. 🙂" - Bri Xandrick
      • "PAW Team has some exciting new programs launching this year. goals are to get them going and growing sustainably" - Nicole Perkin
      • "In 2025, our organization is committed to launching a comprehensive TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) program to tackle the longstanding issue of feral and stray cat overpopulation in our community-a problem that has not been addressed before. By collaborating with a local veterinary clinic, rescue organizations, and a nearby vocational-technical school with a vet tech program, we are taking proactive steps to create meaningful change." - Casey Allison
      • "We are working to get outdoor runs and play yards for our dogs!" - Laramie Smovir
      • "We will get our certificate of occupancy for our new building and campus at the end of January. So our goal is to move Sol Dog Lodge to a brand new, larger facility and get up and running!" - Mary Flores
      • "Immediate goals: To help get supplies to those affected by the fires. Help take in medical animals in need of rescue from the fires" - Natalia Glady
      • "Our goal is to increase our public outreach and track our medical budget better" - Lisa Brinlee
      • "Elkie from HASS - Expanding on Competitive Pet Placement project and launching a Human Commonalities project. Stay tuned for our findings!" - Elkie Wills
      • "Sarah with June's Senior Cat Rescue in New Mexico. Our goal is to open a senior cat sanctuary and adoption center this year!🤞" - Sarah Beans
      • "Hello, I am Jody from Happy Tails Mobile Petting Zoo & Animal Sanctuary.  We are a brand new nonprofit and take in many farm animals and exotics that need forever homes. Our goal in 2025 is to expand our pasture to welcome home many more animals that need homes." - Jody Black
      • "I'm Kristen, Tech Tabby at the Community Cats Podcast and our theme this year is DIY and helping/mentoring people who have to get going on their own to get started easily so they can be as effective as possible." - Kristen Petrie
      • "2025 Goals: Help advise our team on new features (e.g, reports, dashboards, task management, etc) and implementation of key integrations (e.g., Petszel, SPDA, Petco Love Lost, etc.). https://AnimalsFirst.com"  - Chris Fitzgerald
      • "Paws of War is determined to enhance our Veterans Resource Center. We help both ends of the leash. We do not want a veteran to delay seeking services for himself and choose to feed his animal." - Kevin Prego 

    • Maddie's Fund Grant Announcements - December 2024 Monthly Drawing Winners
      • Community Conversations Winners of $2,500 each

        • Allie Oropeza, PAWS of Grays Harbor, Aberdeen, WA

        • Kat Parker, Dirty Little Paws Rescue, Oceanside, CA
      • Maddie's Pet Forum Winner of $3,000
      • Maddie's Fund 30th Anniversary Cuddly $1000 Prize Pack Giveaway 
        @Yaned Rodriguez (She/Her), Wenatchee Valley Humane Society, Wenatchee, WA 

    • National Updates
      • Maddie's® Million Pet Challenge Learniverse webinar: Is "Cage-Free" the Way to Be? Rethinking Shelter Housing for Happier, Healthier Cats on Wednesday 1/15 at 10 a.m. PST.
      • Humane Canada's Summit for Animals is April 27 through 29th in Montreal, Quebec and the Early Bird registration discount is still in effect!  Also, any of you from the US will benefit from the currency exchange as the USD is worth close to $0.40 cents more than the CAD. Registration: https://reg.eventmobi.com/summitforanimals#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20the%20Summit%20for,This%20is%20no%20ordinary%20conference.
      • Better Together: TNVR & Public Health: Tue, Jan 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST Presented by G. Robert Weedon, DVM, MPH
        • Register at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8009686463839117918
        • For decades, we've been sterilizing community cats to help reduce their population, with the primary goal of improving their wellbeing. But what if I told you there is an additional benefit to Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return (TNVR) programs – one that protects the health of pets and people in our communities?
        • By integrating rabies vaccinations into TNVR efforts, we create a protective barrier against the disease, reducing the risk of transmission from wildlife to both pets and people. This added layer of protections has garnered the attention and support of public health officials across the country. In this webinar, we'll also explore how TNVR programs can help prevent the spread of toxoplasmosis by community cats.
      • HASS Updates: Thank you to everyone who attended our first webinar of the year "Overcoming Sheltering Setbacks" HASS 101. More than 500 people signed up and almost 200 in attendance. The recording will be available on our website tomorrow www.humananimalsupportservices.org
        • This week we will be sharing the findings from our Intake Triage project, which focused on understanding who is entering an animal shelter and why. Be on the lookout for communications providing the details
      • Wings of Hope Family Crisis Services has just opened a pet program to provide advocacy and pet inclusive emergency sheltering for people experiencing Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Harassments. 
      • Surrender Prevention Certification Workshop, Wed, Jan 15, 2025
        2:00 PM - 3:30 PM EST
        In this workshop with Dr. Rachel Geller, you'll discover how to:Address the top reasons for surrender: litter box issues, scratching, and inter-cat aggression.
      • Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity's research team https://careawo.org/rd/ is recruiting BIPOC pet owners from Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles who would like to share about their challenges with finding housing that allows pets.
      • Webinar "From Shelter to Service: Identifying Working Dog Potential" January 13 at 4pm PT/ 6pm CT/ 7pm ET. This webinar with renowned dog behavior consultant Maria DeLeon. Discover how to recognize traits in your shelter dogs that align with successful working dog careers, opening new doors for placements and life-changing opportunities.
      • Join The Community Cats Podcast for the Online Cat Conference on January 25-26, 2025-a two-day virtual event designed to give you the tools and knowledge to make a real difference for cats in your community. 
        • Whether you're a seasoned cat champion or just starting your journey, this is your opportunity to learn from the best and create lasting change for our feline friends.
        • Some highlights? Vicki Halls of International Cat Care will be talking about The Jigsaw Puzzle of Sustainable and Effective Cat Population Management. Rebecca Burley of Pennies for People, Animals, and Wildlife Shelters will lead a Compassion Fatigue Workshop with Practical Applications. You'll also go globetrotting with Bryan Kortis of Neighborhood Cats, consider Community Kittens with Rosemarie Crawford of the National Kitten Coalition, and get the latest on feline leukemia from FeLV expert Margaret Tompkins of the Tompkins Foundation
        • Get details and register at https://www.communitycatspodcast.com
      • Maddie's Fund Monthly Giveaways!  Enter here for a chance to win:  
        • Open to all who are watching Weekly Community Conversations live or on-demand! Be sure to enter each week you attend! https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-jan25-giveaway.htm
        • Maddie's Pet Forum Monthly Giveaway: Maddie's Fund® is giving away a $3,000 grant each month to one lucky Maddie's® Pet Forum member. You'll automatically be entered to win each month when you start a new discussion, reply to a new post. More info:  https://maddies.fund/mpfmonthlygiveaway
        • In celebration of Maddie's Fund 30th anniversary, Maddie's Fund and Cuddly have partnered to provide $1,000 in prizes monthly, for engaging on a special anniversary-related post on Maddie's Pet Forum. This December, simply comment on this thread telling us how your organization has removed barriers and you'll be entered to win a $1,000 Cuddly prize pack: https://maddies.fund/30YearsGiveawayJanuary2025 

     

    • Highlights from the Chat
      • "Great information!! We are based in the San Antonio area, so it is very relevant to us" - Jody Black
      • "I always love to hear Lucy spittin the truth!!!!" - Jory Jolivet
      • "🔥 no shaming! 🔥 so important" - Jory Jolivet
      • "help and support without judgement, always." - Maria DeLeon
      • "We are a small niche rescue (senior cats) and we occasionally do courtesy posts on our social media. They have been really effective in finding homes for senior cats." - Sarah Beans
      • "Four Agreements is Great!!!" - Christina Avila
      • "Yes 🙏🏽🙏🏽" - José Ocaño
      • "@Ashley Mires There was a great community conversation last year on with San Diego Humane Society and Father's Joe's Villages that shares tips for successful partnerships between human service & animal welfare organizations " - Charlotte Otero
      • "Don't take it personal" - José Ocaño
      • "Do your best" - Shonyae Johnson
      • "BEAUTIFULLY WORDED.....THANK YOU FOR YOUR HONESTY AND FRANKNESS...I've seen the bias when I volunteer with the unsheltered population." - Christina Veloz
      • "We are working on packaging our programs to seek corporate sponsorship to underwrite them to make funding options more stable. Anything subsidized is what we talk about how to pitch to major donors and corporations that feel like it might be a good passion fit to talk about." - Alexis Pagoulatos 
      • "Love Doobert!" - Kristen Petrie
      • "This was awesome, thanks so much, Lucy and Maddie's Fund!" - Catherine Horsey
      • "Great information, Lucy! Gracias!" - José Ocaño
      • "Thank you, Lucy! This was great!" - Kristen Petrie
      • "Great job Lucy!" - Chris Fitzgerald
      • "Thank you so much, this was wonderful!" - Bri Xandrick
      • "Thank you for the great information" - Jody Black
      • "Informative and inspirational as always...thank you, Lucy!" - Penny Paiich-Caraway 
      • "Love it!!!!!" - Christina Avila
      • "Thank you, great presentation!" - Becky D'Aiuto 
      • "Thank you for the amazing presentation and for all of the resources I was given in the comments!!" - Ashley Mires
      • "Thank you so much! This was such a great presentation!" - Natalia Glady



    ------------------------------
    Sheila Kouhkan
    Senior Education Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
    CA
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-13-2025 05:55 PM

    Unanswered question from the chat:

    "I want to take your class...how do I sign up?" - @Christina Veloz



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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-15-2025 02:31 PM

    Scheduling and curriculums are still works in progress but late March/early April.  Notification emails with more details are likely going out in late February so subscribe to Maddie's Fund newsletter.  Hope to see you there! 



    ------------------------------
    Lucy Fernandez
    Austin Pets Alive
    Austin TX
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    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-14-2025 09:05 AM

    Congrats to December winners 



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    Carolyn Carter
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  • 15.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-14-2025 10:03 AM

    Which module from Doobert do you use for PASS?  I looked up Doobert's 'cases' segment and was unsure which module would apply.

    Our program we have a food bank, we provide vet care help, we help cover city/county fees to RTH pets, we help with spay/neuter and vaccines, and we provide dog pens and kennels for outdoor pets.  Is there a module that can manage all of that together?



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    Kristin Moro
    Program Manager
    Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Socity
    NM
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-14-2025 11:41 AM

    If you are exploring options for managing your pet resource center, take a look at AnimalsFirst. The system includes a Community Support module that you can customize according to the services and resources specific to your program. Plus you have the same access to detailed animal records whether the animal is in your care or in a home that you are supporting. You can also manage people and partner records. Request a free tour of the system at AnimalsFirst | The future of animal rescue and shelter management software

    AnimalsFirst remove preview
    AnimalsFirst | The future of animal rescue and shelter management software
    AnimalsFirst is a cloud based software for animal shelters and rescues
    View this on AnimalsFirst >



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    Chris Fitzgerald
    Chief Product Officer
    AnimalsFirst
    Rochester NY
    cfitzgerald@animalsfirst.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 17.  RE: Community Conversations - 1/13/2025 - Intake Diversion for Beginners

    Posted 01-15-2025 02:34 PM

    We use the Companion Case Management module of Doobert to manage cases.  Austin Pets Alive uses ShelterLuv for the pets that we pull from partners as a rescue while CCM focuses on the support we provide without actually taking custody/direct with pet owners and caretakers.  I 100% recommend reaching out to them for a consultation/demo as they can customize the module based on need and branding.  



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    Lucy Fernandez
    Austin Pets Alive
    Austin TX
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    Original Message


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