In this episode of Rescue Tails, Robert and Robin tackle one of the hardest challenges in dog rescue: building buy-in with volunteers, staff, trainers, and kennel teams.

After collecting intake, medical, and training data, rescues still face a critical question. How do you get people to consistently follow systems, protocols, and best practices? This episode explores leadership, trust, communication, and culture inside volunteer-driven rescue organizations.

Robert and Robin discuss mindset, shared purpose, explaining the “why” behind policies, navigating pushback, cultural differences, and how leadership behavior shapes rescue culture. Drawing on real examples from Rebel Rescue in South Korea, this conversation offers practical insights for rescue leaders seeking to align people, systems, and outcomes.

In this episode of Rescue Tails, Robert and Robin continue their intake procedures series by focusing on how rescue organizations can turn intake data into practical, effective training plans.

Rather than collecting notes that sit unused, they explain how to convert early behavior observations into clear training goals, foster adoption matching, implement stress-reduction strategies, and protect length of stay. The episode covers handling plans, foster matching, red-flag thresholds, escalation protocols, and why standardized language matters when working with volunteers, trainers, and adopters.

Using real-world rescue examples from South Korea and beyond, this episode helps shelters and rescues move from reactive problem-solving to proactive, outcome-driven training systems.

In this episode of Rescue Tails, hosts Robert and Robin break down dog rescue intake procedures from a training and behavior perspective. Moving beyond medical checklists and surface-level temperament tests, they explain how to observe behavior without labeling or prematurely failing dogs.

The conversation covers low-stress handling, decompression periods, separating intake behavior lanes, enrichment during intake, and why the first 24–72 hours should be treated as data gathering, not final judgment. Using real rescue examples from South Korea and the U.S., this episode helps rescues, fosters, and volunteers make better placement decisions while reducing behavioral fallout.

If you work in rescue, fostering, shelter operations, or canine behavior, this episode offers practical insight into creating safer, more humane intake systems that actually work.

What happens after a rescue collects intake information on a dog? In this episode of Rescue Tails, Robert Forto and Robin Lucas break down how rescues actually use intake data to make real decisions about placement, medical care, foster needs, and adoption readiness.

They explain how dogs are assigned to specific tracks, why the first 24 hours matter, how rescues assess operational risk, and why internal notes must be separated from public-facing adoption language. The episode also features Inu, a six-year-old Shiba Inu returning to rescue and in need of a new home or foster placement.

What happens before a dog officially enters a rescue? In this episode of Rescue Tails, Robert Forto and Robin Lucas break down real-world intake procedures used by dog rescues, from urgency assessment and legal status to medical screening, quarantine, and early behavior observations.

The conversation explains why intake is about risk control, disease prevention, and long-term outcomes, not just saving every dog immediately. The episode also features Milky, a five-year-old Samoyed rescued from a life on a chain and now looking for a home.

Volunteering with a dog rescue sounds simple, but the reality is far more complex. In this episode of Rescue Tails, Robert Forto and Robin Lucas break down what volunteering really looks like behind the scenes, from daily shelter operations to long-term commitment, emotional challenges, and the skills rescues actually need.

They discuss what makes a great volunteer, common misconceptions about rescue work, why retention is so difficult, and how people can meaningfully support animal rescues in their own communities. The episode also features Genie, a three-year-old Shiba Inu currently looking for a home.

In this episode of Rescue Tails, Robert Forto and Robin Lucas tackle one of the most challenging topics in dog rescue: the 24-hour rescue fail. They explain why some dogs are returned within hours of adoption, what adopters often misunderstand, and how unrealistic expectations can derail even the most well-screened placements.

The conversation breaks down the 3-3-3 rule for rescue dogs, common behavioral triggers in the first days at home, and what rescues are doing to prevent quick returns. The episode also features Cory, a high-energy border collie mix who was returned after several months because of a mismatch between lifestyle and expectations.

In this episode of Rescue Tails, Robert Forto and Robin Lucas take listeners inside a real puppy mill rescue in South Korea. They explain how illegal breeding operations work, what life is like for breeding dogs, and what it takes for a small rescue to intervene safely.

The conversation covers the rescue process step by step, from the initial tip to veterinary care, adoption challenges, and the difficult decisions rescues must make when resources are limited. The episode also features Handsome, a senior dog rescued from the mill, who is now looking for a home.