Standards & Cerficiation
NARSO is developing comprehensive, evidence-informed standards designed to define and support responsible companion-animal rescue. The standards address both the care and welfare of animals and the organizational practices necessary to operate an ethical, transparent, and sustainable rescue organization.
Our team is also developing a voluntary certification program that will provide rescue organizations with a meaningful way to demonstrate their commitment to responsible, humane, ethical, and transparent rescue practices. Certification will be based on the NARSO Standards and will focus on how responsible practices are implemented within an organization’s actual operations. Evidence may include policies and procedures, organizational and animal records, training documentation, operational records, and other appropriate methods of demonstrating that standards are being put into practice.
The 12 NARSO Standards Domains
1. Governance & Organizational Accountability
Responsible rescue begins with a strong organizational foundation. This domain addresses legal and organizational compliance, governing body responsibilities, conflicts of interest, ethical conduct, organizational policies and internal controls, leadership accountability, continuity planning, risk management, insurance, and organizational protection.
2. Financial Stewardship & Transparency
Rescue organizations are entrusted with donations, grants, adoption fees, and other resources intended to support their mission. This domain covers financial governance and oversight, budgeting, internal financial controls, accounting and recordkeeping, restricted funds and donor intent, fundraising practices, compensation and reimbursements, and financial transparency.
3. Intake & Capacity for Care
Responsible intake requires organizations to consider both the needs of animals and their ability to provide appropriate care. This domain addresses intake policies and decision-making, capacity for care, admission assessments, ownership and custody documentation, intake triage, population monitoring, transfers between organizations, and ethical rescue and acquisition practices.
4. Animal Health & Veterinary Care
Every animal entering rescue should have access to appropriate health assessment and veterinary care. This domain covers veterinary oversight, initial health evaluations, preventive care, illness and injury treatment, medication management, spay/neuter and reproductive health, medical records, continuity of care, medical disclosure, and humane medical decision-making.
5. Disease Prevention & Biosecurity
Preventing and responding to infectious disease is essential to protecting both individual animals and rescue populations. This domain addresses biosecurity planning, intake disease screening, quarantine and isolation, sanitation and disinfection, population separation, health surveillance, outbreak response, and disease-related communication and disclosure.
6. Housing, Husbandry & Animal Welfare
Animals in rescue should receive safe housing, appropriate daily care, and an environment that supports both their physical and behavioral well-being. This domain covers housing environments, environmental conditions, food and water, routine husbandry, enrichment, social and group housing, humane handling, individual welfare monitoring, and care for animals with specialized needs.
7. Foster Care Programs
Foster homes play a critical role in modern animal rescue and require thoughtful management and support. This domain addresses foster program oversight, screening and approval, foster agreements, orientation and training, animal-to-foster matching, veterinary and medication responsibilities, communication and monitoring, safety and emergency procedures, and transitions from foster care.
8. Adoption & Placement
Responsible adoption is about creating safe, informed, and sustainable placements for animals and adopters. This domain covers adoption policies, adopter screening and matching, accurate representation of animals, medical and behavioral disclosure, adoption agreements, transfer of custody, transition support, returns and placement disruptions, post-adoption support, and adoption outcome evaluation.
9. Humane Outcomes & End-of-Life Decisions
Rescue organizations sometimes face difficult decisions involving serious illness, suffering, quality of life, or significant behavioral and safety concerns. This domain addresses end-of-life policies, quality-of-life assessment, hospice and palliative care, medical and behavioral euthanasia decision-making, humane procedures, documentation and review, communication, and support for the people involved in difficult outcomes.
10. Volunteers, Staff & Workplace Practices
People are essential to successful rescue organizations. This domain addresses organizational roles and responsibilities, recruitment and screening, orientation and training, supervision and performance, codes of conduct and professional boundaries, workplace and volunteer safety, incident and misconduct reporting, employment and contractor practices, and organizational approaches to burnout and sustainable rescue work.
11. Records, Data & Privacy
Accurate records and responsible information management support animal care, organizational continuity, accountability, and public trust. This domain covers organizational recordkeeping, animal identification and records, documentation accuracy, privacy and confidentiality, account and system security, data backup and recovery, records retention and disposal, and responsible use and sharing of information.
12. Community Responsibility & Ethical Rescue Practices
Responsible rescue extends beyond the animals currently in an organization’s care. This domain addresses public communication and transparency, ethical storytelling, relationships with other animal-welfare organizations, community education and access, responsible fundraising, public complaints and accountability, disaster and emergency response, ethical rescue partnerships and transfers, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
NARSO Certification
NARSO is developing a voluntary certification program that will provide rescue organizations with a meaningful way to demonstrate their commitment to responsible, humane, ethical, and transparent rescue practices.
Certification will be based on the NARSO Standards and will focus on how responsible practices are implemented within an organization’s actual operations. Evidence may include policies and procedures, organizational and animal records, training documentation, operational records, and other appropriate methods of demonstrating that standards are being put into practice.
Designed for Different Rescue Models
Animal rescue organizations operate in many different ways. Some operate physical shelters or adoption centers, while others are entirely foster-based. Organizations may have paid employees, rely entirely on volunteers, specialize in particular species or populations, or provide different combinations of rescue services.
For this reason, NARSO standards are being designed around an organization’s activities and responsibilities, rather than requiring every organization to have the same structure.
Some requirements will apply to every organization seeking certification, while others will apply only when a rescue performs a particular activity or operates a particular type of program.
A foster-care requirement, for example, would apply to an organization using foster homes. Requirements related specifically to operating an animal housing facility would apply when an organization operates such a facility.
When a requirement does not apply to an organization’s operations, it can be considered Not Applicable rather than noncompliant.
Demonstrating Responsible Practices
NARSO certification is being designed to evaluate meaningful implementation rather than simply whether an organization possesses a particular policy or form.
Organizations will be able to demonstrate responsible practices using appropriate evidence from the systems and processes they already use. NARSO-created templates, toolkits, training programs, and future technology will be available to help organizations strengthen their operations, but they will not be required for certification. Existing records and systems may be used when they provide appropriate evidence that a standard is being met.
Supporting Continuous Improvement
NARSO certification is intended to do more than recognize organizations that meet established standards. The broader goal is to provide rescue organizations with a clear framework for evaluating their programs, identifying opportunities for improvement, strengthening their operations, and continuing to develop over time.
The NARSO certification framework is currently in development. Additional information about eligibility, the certification process, evidence requirements, review procedures, and recognition will be released as the program is finalized.
