Required Reading for Drivers

* Please note, we would prefer if transfers were done in a public place and not someone’s home for the safety of our drivers. (If there is a reason a particular hand off needs to occur at someone’s home, please notify Imagine Home immediately.)

*If you are not feeling well or exhibiting any symptoms of the Covid virus or Flu and have been exposed to anyone with Covid 19 or Flu in the past 5 days, and have signed up for a transport, please let an Imagine Home Admin know ASAP.

* By signing up for a transport, you are agreeing to and understand Protocol Procedure. If you are uncomfortable with following the new procedure, please do not sign up for a transport. We totally understand not everyone will be comfortable with it. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us.

*Disclaimer: Imagine Home Inc. officers, Board of directors, administrators, and volunteers will not be held responsible for any illness, injury, damages incurred during transports. *

Policies and Procedures

Cat Safety

All kitties will be in a crate/carrier inside the vehicle while that vehicle is in motion. This is for the safety of the kitty as well as the transporter. NO cats shall ever ride in the bed of a truck or in an open convertible, or a lap, or sitting outside of a crate/carrier.

Crates/carriers should be padded (for comfort and to soak up any messes made by car sickness or unhappy accidents while in motion). They should be roomy enough for the kitty to stand up, turn around, and sit or lay comfortably. Puppy pads are great!
We do not want water in the crate/carrier while the vehicle is in motion. Kitty can be given water and a bite to eat or a snack in-between transfers. Only food or snacks provided by sending party will be given to kitty, some may be on special diets, and some may have sensitivities to certain foods.
We recommend not overfeeding kitty as this can be a major contributor to car sickness.

When you are waiting for the next transporter, please offer kitty a drink and food. Please remove all food and water bowls prior to handing off to next driver.

The safest place for kitty is in his/her crate. If there is a need for you to take the kitty out of their crate, please contact your Transport Coordinator first.

**We strongly suggest that you not smoke in the car while you have a kitty. At the very least, this is considered respectful to the kitty. **

Treat every kitty as if they are a flight risk. Please keep in mind that transport can be very stressful to some kitties. Call your Transport Coordinator (TC) if you are concerned because kitty seems extra stressed.

If you must get out of the vehicle for your own pit stop, kitty should be in crate/carrier.
If you have a leg that is longer than 3-4 hours, stop, check on kitty, offer kitty drink and food. Please be sure to remove all bowls before continuing your trip.
Please do not EVER open the crate/carrier outside the vehicle.
All kitties will be in a crate/carrier inside the vehicle while that vehicle is in motion. NO cats shall ever ride in the bed of a truck or in an open convertible, or a person’s lap or sitting outside of a crate/carrier.

Meetup Spots

While the route itself is generally fixed, we leave it to our drivers to choose the best meeting place. This site will help you figure out what is in the area: http://exitexplorer.com/home.php.
We do ask that you let your Transport Coordinator know your meeting location. DO NOT meet anyone at a house. Not a driver, not an adopter.

Your official run sheet will be sent out as soon as possible to all drivers on a transport; however, we know some drivers will wish to start planning meeting locations before it comes out. If you want to contact your connecting driver right away, please private message (PM) the Imagine Home Facebook page.

When you sign up as a primary transporter, we encourage you to contact the driver of the leg on either side of you at your convenience to begin making plans. If you do not know that person, contact your transport coordinator who will be happy to put you in touch with each other.

When you get ready to get on the road please contact the next transporter to let them know you are on the way. (No texting and driving please.) Your meeting points should be set up, but allow for flexibility in case you run into snags, such as bad traffic or road closures.

For Your Safety

Please remember when setting up meeting places and exchanging personal info that this event is posted on a public page. We ask, for your safety, that you do so in a private venue.

Please be sure to:

exchange a vehicle description,
contact info during transport
inform your Transport Coordinator of your meeting place by email or text. (Check your runsheet for that cell number!)

Other Info/Requirements for Transporters

Any driver signed up for a transport must have their cell phone turned on in the days before the transport. We will be sending texts to your phone. If we are unable to reach you within 24 hours of texting you, you will be removed from the transport.

If we do not have your complete contact information at least 72 hours before an event, we will be forced to use a Backup Transporter.

When you sign up as a primary transporter, we encourage you to contact the driver of the leg on either side of you at your convenience to begin making plans. If you do not know that person, contact your transport coordinator who will be happy to put you in touch with each other.

In order to make sure that our transport passengers remain safe and healthy, we cannot allow personal pets or additional animals (feline or otherwise) from other transports to be added to our transports. If you have a service animal or an extenuating circumstance for which you would like to request an exemption, please email us at imaginehomeorg@gmail.com with the details. We cannot guarantee it will be approved, and should be requested more than 48 hours in advance, when possible, as we need time to research the health and temperament of the requested additions.

We expect our Transporters to treat our passengers with care and respect. Any transporter observed roughly handling an animal will be removed from our Driver Database.

We expect courtesy towards your fellow drivers at all times. Rudeness cannot be tolerated. Repeated lateness will cause you to be removed from our Driver Database.

Transporter Supplies

You will want to be sure to have a “Transport Kit” in your vehicle:

Paper towels
Extra bottles of water (Handy for cleanup!)
Old blanket/sheet (the kind you do not need returned) to cover crate for when kitty seems very stressed during transport.
Old towels (the kind you do not need returned.) These can be used to stuff under the car seats so curious kitties cannot get under while they are not in their crate. in some in cases they may need a clean one in their crate
Disposable bags for trash (Grocery bags are great)
Package of kitty grooming wipes (like baby wipes, or other alcohol free wipes)
Disinfecting wipes (in case of accident, not to use on kitty)
Disposable container to hold water
Large garbage bag (to wrap litter box in)
Bungee cords (to secure carriers or crates to a seat if you can’t wrap a seatbelt around them.)

Backup Transporters

Until the day of the event, we will not know if you are needed. Additionally, emergencies CAN and DO happen on the day of the event. We still expect you to be available if needed on Event Day. Keep your phone charged and available until your leg has taken place.

Disclaimer

Please note, we rely on what the senders know about our passengers’ attitudes. The very nature of animal rescue transport creates some risk for anyone; even easygoing animals can find it stressful to be in unfamiliar surroundings around strangers, and therefore may act in atypical ways.

As a Volunteer Transport Coordinator, no one at Imagine Home or anyone associated with any transport can accept liability for any accidents or incidents that may occur during the transport. By agreeing to transport you acknowledge that risks are involved and agree not hold anyone involved responsible should an incident occur.

Adoption Off Transport

Removing an animal from a transport before it has reached the final destination indicated on this run sheet constitutes theft in all 50 states and will be reported to local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies. In addition, your name will be publicized on “Do Not Transport” lists that are widely circulated in the rescue and transport communities.

All runs are monitored by an Imagine Home Transport Coordinator (TC). Please check-in with your TC at pick up via text. We are committed to responsible transport and rescue. Until every cat is home, we know they Imagine Home. We also encourage you to let your Transport Coordinator know when you have returned from your leg. The well-being of our volunteers is as important to us as the cats we transport.

Any infraction of these policies and procedures will result in the transporter being removed from our driver’s list. We take our transports very seriously and expect our transporters to do the same.

Imagine Home thanks you for helping to get kitties home.

Happy Transporting!