RescueConsole REST API — Overview and Getting Started

The RescueConsole REST API gives you programmatic access to the same data your team works with every day — animals, people, donations, events, and more. Any operation you can perform as a team member in the app, you can perform via the API using an API key tied to that same role. Use it to sync records with other tools, automate repetitive workflows, push data to reporting dashboards, or build custom integrations alongside Zapier and Make.

Base URL

Every request goes to your organization’s subdomain:

https://{your-subdomain}.rescueconsole.com/api/v1

Replace {your-subdomain} with the subdomain you chose when you created your RescueConsole account — it appears in your browser address bar whenever you’re signed in.

Authentication

All API requests must include a Bearer token in the Authorization header. Generate your API key in Settings → Integrations → API Keys.

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

See Authentication for full details on creating and managing keys.

Your API key carries exactly the same permissions as the role it was created under. A key created by an account with read-only access can only read data — it cannot create or update records. Make sure the member role used to generate the key has the permissions your integration needs.

Content Type

All request and response bodies are JSON. Include the Content-Type header on any request that sends a body:

Content-Type: application/json

Example Request

Here is a basic authenticated request to list animals:

curl -X GET "https://your-org.rescueconsole.com/api/v1/animals" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

A successful response returns a paginated JSON object:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "anim_01hx9z3kqp4f8vbn2tj7yd6m",
      "name": "Biscuit",
      "publicName": "Biscuit",
      "species": "dog",
      "status": "Available",
      "careState": "in_care",
      "isPublic": true,
      "createdAt": "2026-09-01T14:22:00Z",
      "updatedAt": "2026-09-15T09:10:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "total": 142,
    "page": 1,
    "perPage": 25,
    "totalPages": 6
  }
}

Paginated Responses

List endpoints return paginated results. Use the page and perPage query parameters to navigate:

Parameter	Default	Maximum	Description
`page`	`1`	—	Page number to retrieve
`perPage`	`25`	`100`	Number of records per page

The meta object in every list response contains total, page, perPage, and totalPages fields.

HTTP Status Codes

The API uses standard HTTP status codes to indicate whether a request succeeded or failed.

Code	Name	When you’ll see it
`200`	OK	Request succeeded; response body contains the result
`201`	Created	A new record was created; response body contains the new resource
`204`	No Content	Request succeeded; no response body (e.g. a deletion)
`400`	Bad Request	The request was malformed or missing required fields
`401`	Unauthorized	The API key is missing, invalid, or has been revoked
`403`	Forbidden	The API key’s role does not have permission for this operation
`404`	Not Found	The requested record does not exist or is not visible to this key
`422`	Unprocessable Entity	The request was valid JSON but failed validation (e.g. an unrecognized status value)
`429`	Too Many Requests	You have exceeded the rate limit; slow down and retry
`500`	Server Error	Something went wrong on our end; if it persists, contact support

Rate Limiting

The API enforces rate limits to protect service quality for all organizations. When you exceed the limit, you receive a 429 Too Many Requests response. The exact limits are not published; design your integration to back off and retry when you encounter a 429.

Error Responses

When a request fails, the response body contains an error object describing what went wrong:

{
  "error": {
    "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
    "message": "The status 'Limbo' is not a recognized animal status for your organization.",
    "fields": {
      "status": ["Must be one of your configured Animal Statuses"]
    }
  }
}

The fields property is present on 422 responses and maps field names to arrays of validation messages.

Next Steps

Authentication

Create an API key and learn how to pass it with every request.

Animals API

List, retrieve, create, and update animal records.

People API

Read and write adopter, foster, volunteer, and donor records.

Donations API

Record and retrieve gifts against campaigns and donors.

Events API

Create, update, and publish adoption days, fundraisers, and clinics.

​Base URL

​Authentication

​Content Type

​Example Request

​Paginated Responses

​HTTP Status Codes

​Rate Limiting

​Error Responses

​Next Steps

Authentication

Animals API

People API

Donations API

Events API

Base URL

Authentication

Content Type

Example Request

Paginated Responses

HTTP Status Codes

Rate Limiting

Error Responses

Next Steps