Animal Welfare Professionals

Updated 1/22/24: Recording now available to watch on-demand! To earn continuing education credit, watch the recording on Maddie's University to receive a certificate of attendance. 

Join Open Door Veterinary Collective for lively conversations as we explore innovative and practical solutions that organizations are using to address barriers to accessing pet care and resources in their communities.

This new monthly webcast series begins on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 from 12 pm - 12:30 pm Pacific Time. 

We'll cover various topics and share successful strategies through short 30-minute presentations, panel discussions, video snippets and Q&A sessions. 

On January 21, our topic is Pet Inclusive Transportation Options where our panelists will share how they are offering pet friendly rides to appointments to help increase access to care. This series is perfect for those interested or involved in access to veterinary care.

Here is the link to register and find more information on our other sessions coming up.

See you there!

#AccesstoCare

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Thank you for joining us today! We appreciate the great insights shared by our panelists. Below are the links we discussed. The recording will be available in the next couple of days and we'll post the link here as soon as it's ready.

Open Door Veterinary Collective's website

Open Door Veterinary Collective's Transport webpage

Open Door Veterinary Collective's PetHelpFinder: Pet Resource Platform

LEASH: App for pet-only rides to and from appointments.

Animal Friends: Used the Uber Step-by-Step guide shared by Open Door Veterinary Collective to start a program offering rides to and from appointments.

Dallas Pets Alive: Provides access to care solutions including pet rides for fosters and round-trips to appointments.

Open Door Veterinary Collective's Uber Step-by-Step Guide

Open Door Veterinary Collective's Pet Rides Microlearning Nugget

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelists' answers below.

1. Does the ride stay with the pet for the vet appointment or do they come back and does it differ for a spay/neuter vs a sick appointment?  

GAYLE BAIR, Animal Friends, Pittsburgh: The Uber driver leaves & we order a return Uber.  This requires 2 rides for wellness, sick or vaccine appointments,  and 4 rides for spay/neuter surgery (am drop off & pm pick up).

MARTY SAMPSON, LEASH:  The Leash driver will bring the pet in and ensure they are checked into their appointment and in the custody of the vet clinic. The Driver however does not stay with the pet for the appointment. We want to avoid the driver being the conduit of information between the vet and the pet owner. If it is a round trip the driver will return at a pre-determined time to drive the pet home. 

SARAH McGOLDRICK, Dallas Pets Alive!: For the Snyft program, the volunteer will stay with the pet through the appointment and then return the pet to his/her family after the appointment. If it is a surgical appointment, the volunteer will handle drop off and the same or another volunteer will handle the pickup from the vet. 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelists' answers below.

2. What if a client doesn't have a carrier?  

GAYLE BAIR, Animal Friends, Pittsburgh:  We speak with the client ahead of time to determine if they have a carrier.  If not, we try to arrange dropping off a carrier in advance if possible.  We have donated carriers and cardboard carriers at the shelter to share.  We have only had this occur once thus far, and it was a special circumstance/case.

MARTY SAMPSON, LEASH:   We do not require carriers for dogs, but we do require dogs wear a harness. If a dog does not have a harness, the driver will placed a Leash issued harness on the dog and tether the dog via harness to a seatbelt for safety. Cats are required to be in a carrier at pick-up. We ask that drivers do not handle cats directly to avoid potential injury.  

SARAH McGOLDRICK, Dallas Pets Alive!: We can provide carriers for our Snyft drivers if they are needed! 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelists' answers below.

3. How do you handle large dogs?  

GAYLE BAIR, Animal Friends, Pittsburgh: We speak to clients ahead of time to ensure they have a leash and are confident that they can manage their large dog in the back seat during an Uber ride.  We have dropped off a muzzle in advance to one client.

MARTY SAMPSON, LEASH: Leash drivers are very experienced in handling large dogs. If the dog does not have a harness, the driver will place a Leash issued harness on the dog and then tether the dog via the harness to a seatbelt for anchor in the vehicle.

SARAH McGOLDRICK, Dallas Pets Alive!:  All of the Snyft drivers are part of our volunteer community and accustomed to handling different sizes of pups and different behaviors. We ask the pet parent for as much information about the pup and their experience in a car and any behavior concerns so that we can ensure the Snyft driver is comfortable with handling that dog. 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelist answer below.

4. How many communities is Leash in?

MARTY SAMPSON, LEASH: Leash is currently in 4 metros ( Phoenix, Kansas City, Omaha & Des Moines). We will be expanding to additional markets in the Spring. If you believe that Leash is a good fit for your community please reach out to me at marty@rideleash.com, I would love to hear from you. 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelists' answers below.

5.  Are there requirements for a person to qualify for this service?  

GAYLE BAIR, Animal Friends, Pittsburgh:  No.  A client just expresses to clinic staff that they do not have transportation when calling for an appointment.  

MARTY SAMPSON, LEASH: Anyone can use Leash.

SARAH McGOLDRICK, Dallas Pets Alive!: No requirements for Snyft! Our goal for Snyft is to be able to provide support for our community to ensure they have the access to care. 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelists' answers below.

6. How do you raise funds ongoing beyond your initial budget?  

GAYLE BAIR, Animal Friends, Pittsburgh:  Applying for grant funding that is flexible and can cover transportation as part of access to veterinary care. 

SARAH McGOLDRICK, Dallas Pets Alive!: We submit for grant requests as well as use various fundraising tools, such as social media. 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelists' answers below.

7. How do you handle Liability?  

GAYLE BAIR, Animal Friends, Pittsburgh:  Uber drivers assume liability.

MARTY SAMPSON, LEASH: Leash - Leash Drivers assume liability when they are in custody of the pet, but Leash has both General Liability and Commercial Auto policies.

SARAH McGOLDRICK, Dallas Pets Alive!: We ensure that our Snyft drivers have the appropriate vehicle insurance, as well as ask them to sign an additional waiver. 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelists' answers below.

8. What if the person no-shows?  

GAYLE BAIR, Animal Friends, Pittsburgh: We unfortunately have to cover the minimal charge from Uber for a rider no-show.  This happened a few times during 2024. 

MARTY SAMPSON, LEASH: If a client cancels a rides or is a no-show and the driver has already started the ride then the client is charged the fare.  If a driver is no show (which we really try to avoid) the client is not charged the fare, we try to find an alternative driver. We have a one-strike-your-out policy for drivers who no-show without letting us know they can not fulfill the ride. 

SARAH McGOLDRICK, Dallas Pets Alive!: We make sure the Snyft drivers have the pet parent's contact information. If they are not able to reach the pet parent, we'll contact the vet to cancel the appointment. We'll then work with the pet parent for alternatives. 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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Unanswered question from the chat with panelists' answers below.

9. If you only transport the pet and not the person how does the vet communicate if there are changes to the treatment plan or estimate? What if they cant' get a hold of the person? How does the person pay the additional charge?

MARTY SAMPSON, LEASH: Our veterinary partners will communicate and collect payment from the pet owner over the phone. We try not to be the conduit of information between the vet and the pet owner, or getting involved in communication or payment issues between the vet and pet owner.  Our focus is simply on providing safe and reliable transportation for the pet. 

SARAH McGOLDRICK, Dallas Pets Alive!: The DPA PASS program pays for the vet visit and any medication charges. The PASS coordinator will approve of any additional charges and treatment. We will then communicate all needs to the pet parent. The pet parent is the one that usually schedules the appointment, and at the time of scheduling, we know whether or not we have to find a Snyft driver so the clinic is able to ask for all pertinent information while the appointment is being scheduled. 

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[Geraldine] [D'Silva]
[Maddie's National Director of Programs & Partnerships]
[Open Door Veterinary Collective]
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