Portal RFC 0.1 — Overview

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Technical building data

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Last updated: Feb 8, 2026

Summary

Mobile-first “source of truth” for field-heavy rescues: monitoring → custody → outcomes.
Volunteer operations: routes, check-ins, tasks, clinic coordination, redacted external portals.
All stray locations are Sensitive by default; coordination remains usable via Location aliases.

New readers: start with the glossary.

Context / Problem

We need an easy-to-use portal for a nonprofit rescue that acts as the source of truth for animals, supporting both:

Monitoring strays without custody (feeding routes, sightings, map-based context, sensitive location handling)
Temporary or full custody (medical, foster placements, adoption)

It must also handle multiple contact types (fosters, adopters, owners, reporters, feeders, vets, volunteers) and support custom applications + approvals, tasks, reporting, and one-way publishing to adoption listing registries (Petfinder, Adopt-a-Pet, etc.).

The rescue also operates “boots-on-the-ground” with a focus on feeding routes, spay/neuter, and partner networking (rescue/vet partners), so the system should support field coordination as a first-class workflow.

Target audiences (initial)

Rover’s Return Dog Rescue (roversreturndogrescue.org)
Feeding Perris Strays (feedingperrisstrays.org)

Both groups emphasize field operations (feeding, monitoring, trapping), coordination with clinics/partners, and volunteer-driven execution. The portal should be optimized for mobile use and low-friction data capture in the field.

Goals

Track animals end-to-end with a complete timeline: sighting → custody → foster → adoption/transfer/RTF/etc.
Store medical + identifiers (microchip) with attachments and a clear audit trail.
Support many contacts per animal with roles and history (start/end dates).
Provide configurable applications (adoption + foster) and a customizable approval workflow.
Support an interim mode that embeds external forms (e.g., JotForm) while migrating to a native form builder.
Provide an external portal for fosters/adopters to view a redacted animal record; fosters can add notes/uploads.
Provide map-first tools for strays (pins, optional areas/polygons, photos).
Support location alias names (volunteer-known place names) in addition to coordinates/photos.
Provide a task system (custom tasks, assignments, due dates) and a “route for feeding strays” feature.
Support volunteer management (skills, onboarding, assignments, scheduling for routes/transports/events).
Support lost dog recovery / field trapping cases (feeding stations, trail cameras, humane traps, sightings, and owner coordination).
Support community aid workflows (food/supplies/basic care) for low-income and unhoused owners.
Support microchip scanning + lookup (identify the right registry) and keep registration current.
Microchip lookup tool: AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool (used to identify the registry for a chip ID).
Push “listing-ready” animals to adoption listing registries (one-way) with sync logs (Petfinder, Adopt-a-Pet, etc.).

Non-goals (for MVP)

Multi-organization/chapter data separation
Two-way sync from listing registries (Petfinder, Adopt-a-Pet, etc.)
Fully offline mobile app (optimize for mobile web first; add offline later if needed)
A general-purpose CRM replacement (support core contact management, but not full fundraising)

Users & Jobs-to-be-Done

Coordinators / Case managers: run custody transitions, assign tasks, manage placements, finalize outcomes.
Medical: update treatments, due items, and upload records/invoices.
Foster coordinator: manage foster applications, placements, capacity, and follow-ups.
Volunteers / feeders: run routes, add sightings, record check-ins, complete assigned tasks.
Fosters (external): view approved animal info, add foster notes (behavior/medical observations), upload photos/docs.
Adopters (external): view adopted animal record (redacted), receive documents.
Auditors (internal read-only): review timelines, decisions, and audit logs.

Key Concepts

Custody state: Monitoring (no custody) vs In custody vs Outcome.
Sensitive case: restrict exact location and internal notes (default for monitoring strays).
Animal timeline: everything is an Event (sighting, medical, placement, decision, outcome).
Relationships: animals can have many contacts simultaneously (foster + feeder + reporter + vet).

MVP Scope (Phase 1)

Animals (dogs + cats) + identifiers + photos/docs + timeline events
Medical records (vaccines/meds/visits) + reminders
Contacts with roles + animal↔contact relationships (many-to-many) + history
Foster placements (start/end) + foster portal (redacted view + foster notes/uploads)
Applications (adoption + foster) with a simple form builder + stage workflow + decisions log
Tasks (custom task types, assignments, due dates, comments, attachments)
Stray monitoring: sightings with GPS + photos, last-seen map, optional area/territory polygons
Feeding routes: route stops with GPS + scheduled runs + check-ins
Volunteer management (lightweight): volunteer profiles (as contacts), skills, onboarding status/waivers, assignment to tasks/routes
Lost dog recovery cases (lightweight): request intake, tasks, sightings, equipment (trap/camera) tracking, outcomes
Resource library (lightweight): shareable guides/PDFs for adopters/fosters/volunteers
Reporting: per-animal export (timeline + identifiers + medical) + operational summaries

Additional program workflows (worth considering early)

Spay/neuter appointment coordination: scheduling, confirmations, transport tasks, outcomes
Partner network referrals/transfers: which rescue is taking which animal, status and handoff details
Supply tracking (optional): food distribution, trap inventory, medication pickup/delivery
Donation & in-kind support (optional): wish-list items received, sponsorships, receipts/acknowledgements

Phase 2+ (later)

Listing registry one-way push + readiness checks + sync logs
E-sign provider integration for foster/adoption contracts
SMS/email provider integration for notifications
Advanced workflow builder (conditional stages, branching)
Heatmaps (if sighting volume makes it worthwhile)

Open Questions (resolve early)

What constitutes “Sensitive” by default: all Monitoring animals, or a per-animal flag?
What roles get external portal access beyond fosters/adopters (e.g., feeders)?
What minimum fields/photos are required for: (a) stray record, (b) listing readiness (Petfinder/Adopt-a-Pet/etc.)?
Should location aliases be global (org-wide) or route-specific (different teams use different names)?
Do we need volunteer scheduling (shifts) for events/transports in MVP, or start with tasks only?
Which documents must be templated first (foster contract, adoption contract, medical release, etc.)?
Data import: what spreadsheet columns exist and what is “good enough” for matching/deduping?

Success Metrics (initial)

Time to create a new stray monitoring record: under 2 minutes (mobile).
Time to process an application to decision: reduced vs current baseline.
Per-animal export completeness: 95%+ (identifiers + medical + timeline present).
Fewer lost handoffs: tasks and placements capture “what’s next” clearly.

Change Log

v0.1 (2026-02-08): Initial draft based on team inputs and constraints