AnimalsFirst launches live dispatch tool for animal welfare teams

AnimalsFirst unveiled Field Services Dispatch, a new platform for animal control and welfare agencies that combines live call management, officer safety, mapping and analytics. The system is being demonstrated at a Washington conference now and is already rolling out to clients.

Why it matters: - Animal control teams often juggle dispatch work across radios, whiteboards and disconnected logs. - Field Services Dispatch puts call handling, officer tracking and safety monitoring in one live system. - The product also feeds operational data into management reporting, giving agencies a clearer view of workload, response times and backlog.

What happened: - AnimalsFirst unveiled Field Services Dispatch on September 24, 2026, at the PNW Animal Welfare Conference in Wenatchee, Washington. - The company said the product is being shown publicly for the first time at the event hosted by the Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies. - AnimalsFirst said the system is complete, is being demonstrated live now and is rolling out to clients. - The company also pointed to more product information.

The details: - Field Services Dispatch gives dispatchers one visual board for every officer, active call and waiting call. - Each officer has a live status showing the current case, next assignment and time spent at each stage of a call. - Dispatchers can move officers through En Route, Arrived, Transport and Clear with one action, and the system automatically records timestamps. - A built-in Check-In timer turns an officer’s status red and flashing when a check-in is due. - Multiple officers can be assigned to the same case while keeping separate activity and time records. - Waiting calls can be filtered by priority, case type, jurisdiction or status. - An integrated map shows active, upcoming and unassigned cases. - The system automatically keeps a working log of who responded, when they arrived, when they left and how long each officer spent on the call. - Field activity is stored inside the AnimalsFirst shelter management platform, so the case, people, animals, officer activity and time spent stay in one operational record. - AnimalsFirst paired Dispatch with a Management Dashboard for field supervisors, shelter executives and the cities and counties they serve. - The dashboard shows cases opened versus closed, backlog changes, time to resolution, busiest days and hours, case aging and workload by jurisdiction.

Between the lines: - The product is designed to make dispatch both a safety tool and a management system. - By tying timestamps and field activity to the same record, AnimalsFirst is positioning Dispatch as a source of operational and contract reporting, not just day-to-day call handling. - Steve Zeidman, chief growth officer, said animal control officers often work alone and the dispatcher is their lifeline. - Zeidman said the board is meant to help dispatchers see every officer and waiting call at once and ensure check-ins are not missed. - Zeidman also said the timestamps give managers real numbers for city and county conversations.

What's next: - AnimalsFirst will demo Field Services Dispatch this fall at the Tennessee Animal Care & Control Conference, Michigan Pet Alliance Conference & Expo and Texas Animal Control Association Conference. - The company said the rollout is continuing for AnimalsFirst customers using Field Services. - Agencies can schedule a demo at AnimalsFirst's demo page.

The bottom line: - AnimalsFirst is turning field dispatch into a connected operational system for animal welfare agencies, with live safety monitoring and management analytics built in.