Letter of Agreement for Communicators to Participate in Pilot 3
“Communicator” agrees to participate as a volunteer in a pilot project offered by Giving Animals Voice, (“GAV”), a nonprofit incorporated in Michigan, USA
. This Letter of Agreement outlines the objectives, scope, process, and the participants’ responsibilities.
OBJECTIVES Pilot 3 seeks to collect data relating to potential benefits of providing animal communication to animals in shelters, rescues and sanctuaries and to share the aggregated data and analysis for purposes of raising awareness of animal communication and making communication available to other organizations.
SCOPE Pilot 3 will include a minimum of 20 dogs; approximately 10 organizations: and approximately 10 experienced animal communicators. The organizations (a mix of shelters, rescues and sanctuaries) will identify at least 1 dog to receive animal communication, specify the topics/issues to be addressed during the communication session, and identify the enrichment goals for the dog. The volunteer communicators will remotely communicate with the dogs and verbally convey the information received to the organization’s representative. The communicators understand that each organization retains sole discretion relating to decisions and actions about care for the dogs, and they will not offer advice or make suggestions about care.
DATA The data will consist of the organization’s REQUEST for communication; the organization’s responses to 2 SURVEYS; and the audio recording of the communication session.
PROCESS Each communicator’s participation consists of 2 steps.
Step 1 – COMMUNICATOR AGREES TO COMMUNICATE WITH A SPECIFIC DOG GAV will contact communicators and forward the organization’s REQUEST specifying the dog and the topics to be addressed. If the Communicator agrees to communicate with the dog, GAV will arrange for a virtual communication session at a mutually convenient time.
Step 2 – ATTEND THE ANIMAL COMMUNICATION SESSION A GAV representative hosts the communication session via a videoconferencing meeting and attends the session to provide technical support and to ensure Pilot protocol is followed. The meeting is attended by the communicator and the organization’s designated representative (staff, volunteer or foster) who has knowledge of the dog and of the topics the organization wants to address. The communicator’s role is to 1) introduce herself and seek to make the dog comfortable; 2) initiate communication focusing on the topics specified in the REQUEST or by the designated representative during the session; 3) invite the dog to communicate on any other topic; 4) verbally convey all information received from the dog to the designated representative. The audio recording will be uploaded to the organization.
GAV’s RESPONSIBILITIES GAV agrees to 1) arrange for the virtual communication session as described above; 2) provide a copy of the audio recording to Communicator upon request; 3) arrange for collection and analysis of Pilot data; 4) share the results of the analysis with participants and others as described above.
COMMUNICATOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES Communicator agrees to 1) read, sign and return this Agreement and the Code of Conduct for participants; 2) provide communication services on a volunteer basis; 3) invite the dog to communicate and to address issues/topics specified by the organizations; 4) verbally convey all information received to the organization’s representative; and 5) to protect the integrity of the data for the duration of the Pilot by a) communicating with the dog only during the recorded session; b) refraining from providing other modalities to Pilot dogs; c) refraining from providing any advice as to decisions or actions relating to care for the dog; and d) and refraining from contact with the organization outside of the recorded session.
