Hospitium

There have been a bunch of changes happen recently. 1. New UI! A new look and feel for the site. 1. New [API](http://docs.hospitium.apiary.io/)! Use our api to integrate hospitium into other systems. 1. Foster contacts! Track foster contacts now. 1. ... [More] New events! Better event tracking of who did what when. 1. Upload custom documents! Use you own adoption, foster, volunteer, etc documents. 1. Archive animals 1. Major refactor to use UUIDs throughout hospitium. 1. Download [vcards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCard) of your contacts. 1. Lost of small bug fixes and performance tweaks! [Less]

We just released a brand new dashboard. Along with the dashboard we have a slew of tiny changes that improve performance, ui, and security. Enjoy!

Here at Hospitium we are big fans of people pursuing post-grad degrees, especially in the sciences. That's why we were super excited to help out Alison Kennedy-Benson who is doing her M.S. in Anthrozoology. She recently contacted us and asked if we ... [More] could help spread a survey for her research. Her thesis is focused on selective intake shelter workers which fits nicely with the user base of Hospitium. If you would like to help out, please fill out the survey below. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/shelterworkerperspectives [Less]

We have just launched a new feature that allows you to attach any kind of document to an animal. Just click the "Documents" tab when viewing an animal. 

 One of Hospitium's goals is to be as secure as possible. Well we have made a big step forward as we have just pushed an update to force ssl connections ... [More] across the entire site. From [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_Secure): > "In its popular deployment on the internet, HTTPS provides authentication of the web site and associated web server that one is communicating with, which protects against Man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, it provides bidirectional encryption of communications between a client and server, which protects against eavesdropping and tampering with and/or forging the contents of the communication. In practice, this provides a reasonable guarantee that one is communicating with precisely the web site that one intended to communicate with (as opposed to an impostor), as well as ensuring that the contents of communications between the user and site cannot be read or forged by any third party." As always, if you have any problems with the new changes let us know. Or if you have ideas on how we can increase security we would love to hear those as well. [Less]

Happy 4th of July! We hope everyone is enjoying their 4th of July celebrations. As an added bonus, we have pushed a pretty big code cleanup. There isn't much in terms of user facing features, but the performance and cleanliness of the code is way ... [More] better. We have also simplified the install process, and worked out a few bugs. We have already pushed this code out into our hosted version, so it should work fine. As always, you can grab a copy of the source from our [github page](https://github.com/ninetwentyfour/Hospitium). [Less]

Happy 4th of July! We hope everyone is enjoying their 4th of July celebrations. As an added bonus, we have pushed a pretty big code cleanup. There isn't much in terms of user facing features, but the performance and cleanliness of the code is ... [More] way better. We have also simplified the install process, and worked out a few bugs. We have already pushed this code out into our hosted version, so it should work fine. As always, you can grab a copy of the source from our [github page](https://github.com/ninetwentyfour/Hospitium). [Less]

When it comes to purchasing the family pet, most turn to local pet stores or breeders for that one special animal. However, there are other options! Animal shelters, like the ones run by the Humane Society and local government animal control ... [More] divisions, have large selections of almost any kind of animal imaginable. There is a mindset when it comes to these facilities that they are full of adult, abandoned animals that are sickly and will need special care by its adoptive family. This is not actually the case. While all animals are in need of a home, many times there are young puppies, kittens and other baby animals available for adoption. In several cases, the only reason this perfectly good animal can be found in the shelter is because its previous owner did not take the time and effort before purchasing it to research its care requirements. When pet owners don’t make the effort to learn about the time, money and personal attention that is required of a pet, it is likely they will not hold realistic expectations and quickly tire of the responsibility of caring for it. In many shelters, adoptive families can even find purebred animals, mostly when looking at the dogs located there. Recent statistics show that the number of purebred animals in these facilities can reach 30% of the animal population. Just as numerous are the friendly, mixed breed animals that can become the perfect family pet. A family pet should be a perfect fit! Talk to the pet adoptive counselor or veterinarian of the shelter chosen to help determine the best animal. Do not get discouraged when the first trip to the animal shelter does not lead immediately to an animal being purchased. Just like with pet stores and breeders, new animals arrive on a daily and weekly basis. Keep checking back in with staff and volunteers to see if they type of animal wanted becomes available. Some facilities will even take a name and phone number and call when a particular animal comes in. Research the shelter or facility you plan to adopt from beforehand. Responsible ones will make sure each and every animal adopted is both sound in health and temperament. Look for the history on the animal, as staff should find out about the animal’s life as thoroughly as possible from its previous owner. If an animal comes to the shelter as a stray, all the staff and volunteers working and caring for that particular animal should watch and interact with it, learning as much as possible about it before allowing an adoption to occur. After an adoption occurs, some shelters also offer various follow-up services. These can include, but are not limited to: - Pet parenting courses - Medical services - Animal training If a shelter doesn’t offer these kinds of services, most will have contacts of reputable, local service providers to be utilized. In addition to saving an animal, using a shelter to find a pet can also save its human family money. The adoption fees from humane societies and animal control facilities are normally much less than a traditional pet store. When the animal is brought home from a facility like this, it is normally spayed or neutered, vaccinated and dewormed, as well. This can save the adoptive family a lot of time and hassle, in addition to money, in the long run, as veterinary visits can begin with the animals yearly check up. Unfortunately, not enough families take the information from this article and put it to use. Statistics around the nation show that almost 50% of animals found in shelters end up being euthanized. This is due to various reasons, the greatest being the lack of a good home. Take the time to look into adopting from a shelter or animal control facility! These animals make great family companions! References NA. (2007). Adopting From An Animal Shelter. Available: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/adopting_from_an_animal_shelter.html. Last accessed 27 August 2007. [Less]

When it comes to purchasing the family pet, most turn to local pet stores or breeders for that one special animal. However, there are other options! Animal shelters, like the ones run by the Humane Society and local government animal control ... [More] divisions, have large selections of almost any kind of animal imaginable. There is a mindset when it comes to these facilities that they are full of adult, abandoned animals that are sickly and will need special care by its adoptive family. This is not actually the case. While all animals are in need of a home, many times there are young puppies, kittens and other baby animals available for adoption. In several cases, the only reason this perfectly good animal can be found in the shelter is because its previous owner did not take the time and effort before purchasing it to research its care requirements. When pet owners don’t make the effort to learn about the time, money and personal attention that is required of a pet, it is likely they will not hold realistic expectations and quickly tire of the responsibility of caring for it. In many shelters, adoptive families can even find purebred animals, mostly when looking at the dogs located there. Recent statistics show that the number of purebred animals in these facilities can reach 30% of the animal population. Just as numerous are the friendly, mixed breed animals that can become the perfect family pet. A family pet should be a perfect fit! Talk to the pet adoptive counselor or veterinarian of the shelter chosen to help determine the best animal. Do not get discouraged when the first trip to the animal shelter does not lead immediately to an animal being purchased. Just like with pet stores and breeders, new animals arrive on a daily and weekly basis. Keep checking back in with staff and volunteers to see if they type of animal wanted becomes available. Some facilities will even take a name and phone number and call when a particular animal comes in. Research the shelter or facility you plan to adopt from beforehand. Responsible ones will make sure each and every animal adopted is both sound in health and temperament. Look for the history on the animal, as staff should find out about the animal’s life as thoroughly as possible from its previous owner. If an animal comes to the shelter as a stray, all the staff and volunteers working and caring for that particular animal should watch and interact with it, learning as much as possible about it before allowing an adoption to occur. After an adoption occurs, some shelters also offer various follow-up services. These can include, but are not limited to: - Pet parenting courses - Medical services - Animal training If a shelter doesn’t offer these kinds of services, most will have contacts of reputable, local service providers to be utilized. In addition to saving an animal, using a shelter to find a pet can also save its human family money. The adoption fees from humane societies and animal control facilities are normally much less than a traditional pet store. When the animal is brought home from a facility like this, it is normally spayed or neutered, vaccinated and dewormed, as well. This can save the adoptive family a lot of time and hassle, in addition to money, in the long run, as veterinary visits can begin with the animals yearly check up. Unfortunately, not enough families take the information from this article and put it to use. Statistics around the nation show that almost 50% of animals found in shelters end up being euthanized. This is due to various reasons, the greatest being the lack of a good home. Take the time to look into adopting from a shelter or animal control facility! These animals make great family companions! References NA. (2007). Adopting From An Animal Shelter. Available: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/adopting_from_an_animal_shelter.html. Last accessed 27 August 2007. [Less]

You don't have to be an expert on animals to lend a hand to your local animal shelter or rescue group. Professional legal skills always seem to be in need at shelters and rescues. A review of current adoption contracts and other public paperwork ... [More] may be needed. Often the paperwork in use at a shelter is several years old. A need for updating to support recent changes in pet laws is always present. The ASPCA and other shelters produce promotional materials and videos for animal care and activism that may be in need of copyright review and meeting regional release guidelines. The [Animal Legal Defense Fund](http://www.aldf.org/section.php?id=3) is available to pet owners and rescue agencies, but like most volunteer organizations, are often under staffed to meet the demand. If you would like to help, but don't know where your local shelter is, check online or with your city's administration. [Less]