The Ark — Shelter Management
A complete, professional shelter management system built for rescues and shelters of all sizes. Manage animals, adoptions, fosters, medical records, volunteers, and more — all from one dashboard.
Free Tier — Start Saving Lives Today
Every rescue and shelter gets immediate access to essential features — no credit card, no trial period, no strings attached. Your free tier includes everything you need to start managing animals and placing them in homes.
Register Pets
Full pet registration form with microchip auto-registration. Creates both a pet record and microchip inventory entry.
Transfer Microchips
Transfer pet ownership when animals are adopted. The $25 registration fee is charged to the new adopter — never to the shelter.
Report Missing
Flag any animal as lost and broadcast across the IPR network. Geo-based alerts notify nearby users automatically.
Adopt Animals
Complete adoption workflow — application screening, NAAR check, vet references, $25 payment email to adopter, automatic microchip transfer.
Reclaim Animals
When an owner picks up their stray — no payment needed, no new account creation. Quick and simple.
People Management
Track adopters, fosters, volunteers, donors, and other contacts. Link people to animals and applications.
The Adoption Pipeline — End to End
The Ark handles the complete adoption lifecycle — from the initial application through vet reference checks, NAAR screening, payment processing, and automatic microchip transfer.
Application Received
Potential adopter fills out your custom adoption form (or a public-facing online form). The application appears in your Form Submissions inbox.
NAAR Auto-Check
The system automatically checks the applicant against the National Animal Abuse Registry (NAAR) and Do Not Adopt (DNA) list. Flagged applicants are blocked from proceeding.
Vet Reference Request
You click 'Request Vet Reference' — a branded email goes to the applicant's vet with a secure link. The vet fills out a reference form (rating, vaccination status, concerns). Their response lands right back in your Form Submissions so you can review and link it to the person.
Application Approval
After reviewing the NAAR check and vet reference, you approve or reject the application. Approved applications move to the adoption pipeline.
Adoption Completion
Select the animal being adopted and the approved adopter. Two payment options: (1) adopter pays $25 online, or (2) your shelter pays on the adopter's behalf.
Automatic Transfer
The system creates a pet transfer record, sends a branded $25 payment email to the new owner, and once paid, automatically transfers the microchip to the new owner's name.
💡 Key rule: The $25 registration fee is always charged to the adopting owner — never to the shelter or rescue. Adopted animals are automatically removed from your main animals list and public website, and moved to your Adopted Animals tab.
Premium Features — Full Shelter Management
Upgrade to premium for the complete shelter management system — everything a modern rescue needs, modeled on industry-leading software.
Medical Records
PremiumFull veterinary records per animal — vaccinations, treatments, surgeries, medications, test results. Append-only medical history.
Appointments & Scheduling
PremiumSchedule vet visits, adoption meetings, volunteer shifts, and follow-ups.
Drag-and-Drop Website Builder
PremiumBuild your shelter's public website with a visual editor. Custom domains supported. Animals auto-published.
Custom Form Builder
PremiumCognito Forms-style drag-and-drop form builder. 22 field types. Adopt forms, surrender forms, volunteer applications — all customizable.
Transport Log
PremiumTrack animal transports — driver, route, vehicle, mileage. Full transport history per animal.
Animal Log / Diary
PremiumPer-animal running diary. Notes, behavior observations, medical updates — everyone on the team stays informed.
Bonded Pairs
PremiumLink animals that must be adopted together. Bonded pairs show as a unit in the adoption pipeline.
Document Templates
PremiumCreate contracts, adoption agreements, surrender forms with merge fields. Auto-fill with animal and adopter data.
Animal Licensing
PremiumTrack license numbers, jurisdictions, and expiry dates. Get alerts before licenses expire.
CSV Import/Export
PremiumBulk import animals from spreadsheets. Export data anytime.
Petfinder / Adopt-a-Pet Publishing
PremiumPublish your available animals directly to Petfinder and Adopt-a-Pet with one click.
Reports & Analytics
PremiumIntake vs. outcome stats, length of stay, adoption rates, species breakdown, and more.
Staff Management
PremiumAdd team members with role-based access. Track who did what and when.
In-App Messaging
PremiumMessage adopters, vets, and other shelters directly through the platform.
Notifications
PremiumEmail and push notifications for new applications, vet references, transfers, and more.
Global Search
PremiumSearch across all animals, people, and records instantly.
Kennel / Location Tracking
PremiumAssign animals to specific kennels, rooms, or foster homes. Track capacity.
NAAR Registry
Add-onSubscribe to the National Animal Abuse Registry ($1.99/mo add-on). Screen all adopters automatically. Report abuse cases.
Your Shelter's Public Website
Every shelter gets a free public website at internationalpetregistry.com/site/your-shelter-name. Premium shelters can also build a fully custom website with the drag-and-drop builder and connect their own domain.
Your public site automatically shows:
- Available animals with photos, breed, age, and description
- Adoptable animals only — adopted, fostered, and deceased animals are hidden
- Your shelter logo, name, location, and contact info
- Donation button (connected to your payment provider)
- Online adoption application form
- Per-animal visibility toggle — choose which animals appear on your public site
The Microchip Pipeline
Everything revolves around the microchip — it's the universal pet ID. Here's how the data flows:
Animal Intake
When you add an animal with a microchip number, the system creates both a pet record (registered_pets) and a microchip inventory entry. If the chip is already in the system, it's linked.
Chip Search
Anyone can search for a microchip on the public site. Results show the pet's name, species, breed, and current status. If the owner has opted in, their contact info appears. Medical records are never shown in public search.
Adoption / Transfer
When an animal is adopted, the microchip ownership transfers to the new owner. The chip is now registered under their name in the global database.
Cross-Registry Search
IPR searches not just its own database but also AAHA, PetMaxx (31 databases, 25+ countries), CheckAChip UK, PetAddress Australia, and equine registries (EMLT, AHC).
Pricing
Free Tier
- Register pets + microchip auto-registration
- Transfer microchips (adopter pays $25)
- Report missing animals
- Full adoption pipeline
- Reclaim animals
- People management
- In-app messaging
- Directory listing
Premium
- Everything in Free, plus:
- 14-day free trial
- Drag-and-drop website builder
- Custom form builder (22 field types)
- Full medical records
- Transport log, animal log, bonded pairs
- Document templates + licensing
- CSV import/export
- Petfinder / Adopt-a-Pet publishing
- Reports & analytics
- Staff management
- NAAR available ($1.99/mo add-on)
Multi-currency support: USD, CAD, GBP. No contracts — cancel anytime.
Ready to modernize your shelter?
Join thousands of rescues and shelters worldwide already using The Ark to save more lives.
📞 1-844-477-7387 | 📧 info@internationalpetregistry.com