1. How it usually happens
Those caring for animals on the ground live in a precarious balance: limited time, scarce resources, continuous emergencies. Days start early and end late, often with night rounds to check colonies, administer therapies, or rescue injured animals.
There is an aspect that is rarely fully told: difficult decisions. Not all animals can be treated immediately, and sometimes you must choose where to allocate the few available resources. It is not a matter of will, but of possibility. This weighs heavily, every day.
A real anecdote in its simplicity: someone skips dinner to pay an urgent vet visit. The next day they return to the field as if nothing happened, with a phone full of messages they cannot answer.
In this context, documenting seems the lowest priority. Yet it becomes fundamental: it serves to tell what really happens, maintain trust with supporters, and protect against doubts or disputes.
2. What you need to prove
Here the point is making concrete work visible, without turning it into bureaucracy.
It can be useful to prove:
- That an animal was taken into care
- That it received specific treatments
- When and where they were carried out
- Expenses incurred for visits, meds, feeding
- Evolution of the animal's condition
- Link between received donations and activities performed
The goal is to show real continuity between intervention and result.
3. What to collect
The collection must be simple and compatible with life on the field.
- Photos and videos of the animals over time
- Screenshots of shared updates
- Veterinary documents (medical reports, prescriptions)
- Expense receipts (clinics, meds, food)
- Messages or notes on activities performed
- Photos of environments or intervention situations
A useful detail: even a quick photo taken at the right time is worth more than a reconstruction done later.
4. How to proceed
No need to change how you work. You just need to capture what you already do.
Integrate small gestures into your daily routine. A photo, a note, a screenshot. That's it.
- Take photos before, during, and after treatments when possible
- Keep documents and receipts as soon as you receive them
- Write short notes right after an intervention
- Organise files in a simple folder
- Keep original files without modifying them
When you have collected the material, you can use ExistBefore to timestamp it. It is a practical way to give order and continuity to what already exists.
5. Mistakes to avoid
Some mistakes stem from rush or exhaustion.
- Always postponing gathering evidence
- Using only memory or spoken tales
- Not keeping receipts or documents
- Taking only "pretty" photos and not useful ones
- Leaving everything scattered between phone and chat
- Modifying or compressing original files
A useful tip: even minimal documentation, if done consistently, becomes solid over time. Timestamping materials with a free attestation helps maintain order without adding weight to the day.
6. After documenting
Once the material is organised, everything becomes easier to manage.
- Share updates with those supporting your work
- Reply concretely to any requests for clarification
- Maintain continuity in information
- Use documentation to improve organisation and communication
- If necessary, compare with other entities or associations
Clear documentation doesn't just serve to prove, but also to tell a story. It helps others understand what it truly means to care for animals, every day, even when nobody is watching.