Become a Founding Shelter
HomeWagger isn’t just a place to list dogs — it’s rehoming infrastructure. We’re building a calmer, welfare-first workflow designed with UK rescues and shelters, not around volume, speed, or “marketplace” behaviour.
- ✅ Structured EOIs (less inbox chaos)
- ✅ Messaging only opens once you accept an EOI
- ✅ Clear stage tracking from interest → outcome
- ✅ Better long-term placement stability (less repeat rehoming)
Note: Founding Shelter Circle isn’t a “directory listing promise”. It’s early partnership + structured onboarding so the tools truly fit real rescue work.
Prefer to explore first? A Free Shelter tier is available with limited active listings.
What you get
- • Full Pro access from day one
- • Lifetime founding rate (locked in)
- • Priority onboarding + direct founder support
- • Direct feedback channel (shape what ships)
- • Optional “Founding Shelter” badge
What we avoid
- • No selling dogs
- • No “first come, first served” pressure
- • No boosted listings or pay-to-win
- • No welfare shortcuts for growth
Best for
UK rescues/shelters who want fewer unsuitable enquiries, clearer adopter suitability, and a calmer, safer rehoming process — while helping shape sector-grade rehoming infrastructure.
Limited to 5 shelters so onboarding stays high-touch and manageable.
Why we’re doing this
Shelters and rescues are carrying too much: admin burden, emotional load, urgent welfare cases, and the constant risk of unsuitable matches. The Founding Shelter Circle helps us build the right workflow — with real rescue realities at the centre.
Less inbox chaos
Structured Expressions of Interest (EOIs) and controlled messaging reduce speculative enquiries and repetitive back-and-forth.
Clearer suitability
Capture key household and lifestyle info upfront so you can spend time on the right adopters — and decline earlier, more calmly, when it isn’t a fit.
Welfare-first by design
No sales behaviour. No “fastest wins”. Just calmer decision-making, better communication, and safer placements.
Common shelter headaches we help prevent
HomeWagger is designed to remove problems before they become time-consuming, emotionally draining, or welfare-critical.
- • Time spent progressing unsuitable adopters
- • Emotionally difficult late-stage declines
- • Inbox overload and speculative enquiries
- • Emergency rehoming fallout
- • Failed or short-lived placements
- • Repeating the same explanations again and again
Result: more clarity, less admin drain, better outcomes for dogs and adopters.
What’s included in the Founding Shelter Circle
You’ll get full Pro access (web first), priority onboarding, and a direct feedback loop — without turning rehoming into a marketplace.
🧭 Structured EOI workflow
- • Guided Expressions of Interest (screen before admin)
- • Accept / redirect / decline pathways
- • Clear next steps for both sides
- • Less “where are we up to?” messaging
💬 Controlled messaging (gated)
- • Messaging opens only after you accept an EOI
- • Boundaries that protect volunteer time
- • Cleaner communication trail per case
🌟 Founder-level support + recognition
- Priority onboarding (we set you up properly)
- Direct founder access for setup and early questions
- Influence (your feedback shapes what ships)
- Founding Shelter badge (optional)
🛡 Trust & safety baseline
- • Welfare-first guardrails
- • Reporting + moderation pathways
- • No selling, no bidding, no pay-to-win
📊 Operational insight tools
- • Rescue-focused analytics (not vanity metrics)
- • Track listing performance and EOI flow
- • Spot overlooked dogs and adjust listings
🏥 Pro shelter toolkit (included)
- • Enhanced public shelter profile (branding + optional vanity URL)
- • Team access (role-based) where enabled
- • Bulk upload (CSV) where enabled
- • Secure Document Vault tools where enabled
Tool availability may roll out in phases, but Founding Circle members receive Pro access as features launch.
💷 Founding pricing (locked in)
- £19/month (first month free)
- £190/year (save £38)
- Lifetime founding rate
- Cancel anytime on monthly
Standard Shelter Pro pricing at public launch is £34/month.
✅ Fairness promise
- • No boosted listings
- • No “queue skipping”
- • No pay-to-win visibility
- • Suitability stays central
How the Founding Shelter Circle works
Short, supportive onboarding. Small cohort. High-touch feedback. The goal is to build what you’ll actually use.
Apply
Tell us about your rescue/shelter, your current workflow, and what would genuinely help.
Onboard
We’ll set up your shelter profile and tools (web first). You’ll get a direct support channel.
Use + test
Try the workflow with real dogs and real enquiries. Tell us what’s clunky or missing.
Shape the build
We iterate fast. Founding shelters influence what gets prioritised and refined.
Our promise
HomeWagger will never become a dog marketplace. Everything is built to support safe, fair rehoming — and reduce workload, not add to it.
Who this is for
We’re keeping the cohort tight so we can support properly. If you’re unsure, apply anyway — we’ll tell you honestly if you’re a good fit right now.
Good fit if you…
- • Rehome dogs and handle enquiries regularly
- • Want fewer unsuitable EOIs and calmer screening
- • Care about consistent welfare standards
- • Are open to giving feedback as you use it
Not a fit if you…
- • Need instant high-volume advertising
- • Want a “first come, first served” approach
- • Expect automation to replace safeguarding
- • Want selling/fees per dog listing
What we need from you
- • A named contact for onboarding
- • Basic details for verification
- • 20 minutes for feedback check-ins (optional)
- • Real-world honesty about what’s not working
FAQs
Quick answers — if you want to ask anything else, just contact us.
Is the Founding Shelter Circle free?
The Founding Shelter Circle is a paid Pro partnership with a lifetime founding rate: £19/month (first month free) or £190/year (save £38). Monthly is cancel-anytime after the first month.
If you’d rather explore first, we also offer a Free Shelter tier with limited active listings.
What’s the difference between Free, Founding, and Pro?
Free Shelter lets you explore HomeWagger with limited active listings and the core EOI workflow. Founding Shelter Circle gives you full Pro access from day one plus priority onboarding and direct founder support — at a lifetime founding rate. Standard Pro for shelters is £34/month at public launch.
Will we be publicly listed as a “partner”?
Only if you choose. Some shelters want a quiet trial first — that’s completely fine. A “Founding Shelter” badge is optional.
Does this replace our current adoption process?
No. HomeWagger is designed to support and streamline your workflow, not override your safeguarding policies. You remain fully in control of checks, approvals, and final decisions.
Do you allow selling dogs or paid boosts?
No. HomeWagger is not a marketplace. We don’t allow selling, bidding, or boosted listings. Pro never changes who gets considered — it funds safer infrastructure and better operational tools.
Apply to join the Founding Shelter Circle
Share a few details and we’ll come back to you with next steps. If you have a deadline (urgent capacity issues), mention it — we’ll do our best to prioritise.
Option A: Embedded form
Paste your Zoho Form iframe embed code below (replace the placeholder iframe).
If the embed looks cramped, you can increase min-height above.
Option B: Link out
Prefer not to embed? Link to your application form instead.
Open application formOr contact us directly
If you’d rather email, include your shelter/rescue name, location, and what you’re hoping to improve.
Email: hello@homewagger.co.uk
Let’s build something that genuinely helps rescues
If your team is tired, overloaded, and doing the hard welfare work every day — the Founding Shelter Circle is designed to give you calmer structure and real operational support.
Apply to join the Founding Shelter CircleNo pressure. No hype. Just calmer tools for safer outcomes.