 |
No More Homeless Pets Forum
August 25, 2003 Tough Adoption Policies |
Do really tough adoption policies protect pets? Will counseling help keep dogs and cats in their homes? Karen Green of Best Friends Animal Society will share the latest information on keeping pets in homes and the most up-to-date thinking on successful adoptions.
Introduction from Karen Green:
Have you ever wondered if your adoption applications really work? Have you worried that adopters aren't being screened thoroughly enough? Have you had pets returned from homes that passed your screening with flying colors? Have you noticed pets thriving in homes you evaluated as only mediocre? Have you rewritten adoption applications, contracts, or policies after one bad experience? Do you watch applicants you've turned down head down the street to the pet store, and wonder if you should have done something differently?Adoptions are key to saving animal lives, yet creating adoption programs that place pets in appropriate homes, insure the success of those placements, and foster warm relationships with the community remains a challenge for most shelters and rescue groups.
This week we'll talk about which adoption practices really work, and which are based on myths and misunderstandings. I'll answer your questions about why some people surrender their pets, and why others keep them. We'll discuss ideas on how to find homes for pets that will keep those pets, and how to turn down an adopter without alienating a potential supporter of your shelter or organization.
If you've ever wondered whether your adoption program is serving your critters and your adopters effectively, write in with your questions. If you haven't wondered, this may be a good time to step outside your organization and take an objective look at your program. In any case, I hope you'll join me this week for an honest and objective look at pet adoption programs.
Questions
Experiencing a high rate of return on adoptions
Same day adoptions
How important is checking references in placing animals?
Formalizing responses to requests for help from the public
Can you ever stray from your own adoption rules to place an animal?
Diplomatically turning a person down for an adoption
Training your fosters to adhere to your screening requirements
Internet and long distance adoptions
Getting the public to take training classes
Adoption myths
Convincing adopters to keep pets in the home
What are reasonable adoption fees?
Ordering the Pet Behavior Protocols
Experiencing a high rate of return on adoptions
Question from Heidi:
I am the director of a new sanctuary opened last November. We are experiencing many returns with our adoptions - probably 4 out of 10 dogs coming back. We are particular and are not looking to break all adoption records our first year. We just want the animals we place to remain in what we checked into and found to be a good home. Yet we are finding that when the going gets tough and a little training is in order, people seem to throw up their hands and call us to pick the dog or puppy up.We just had a wonderful dog returned who had been adopted as a 12-week old puppy. He was returned because he was getting out of the yard. He came back very well mannered, and loves the other dogs he has been placed with. We couldn't make her understand that he was getting out of the yard because he was looking for something to do, and that she should try to bring him in the house and spend more time with him.
These are people with great homes, nice yards that are fenced, and the financial means to care for the animals. They had great resources.
What advice can you give?
Response from Karen:
Having adopted pets returned from their homes is always a disappointment. After all, what we're aiming for is happy homes for life. But the reality is that many families surrender their pets, for a variety of reasons. A 40% return rate is a bit high, however, and I think you'll be able to develop a program that results in a much higher success rate (90% retention is a realistic goal). Focus on measuring the number of successful placements, rather than just a lack of a return (a low return rate could just mean that adopters are surrendering pets elsewhere, or sticking them in the back yard forevermore...).Since I don't know the details of your adoption process, I will make some general suggestions.
Know your dogs. What do you really know about your dogs? Do you have owners provide you information when they surrender their pets to you? Do you have a system for recording observations made by staff and volunteers? Each dog should have a record, including any information he came in with, and things you've learned about him while he's been with you. Ask staff and volunteers to take notice of each dog's personality, consider how what they see might play out in a home, and take notes. Make sure your adoption counselors have that information.
Have you seen your dogs in a home environment? Consider a foster care program, or even sending dogs on "sleepovers" with staff or volunteers. Then add what you learn to the dog's record. Some behavior you just don't see in a shelter or rescue (like a dog being afraid of ceiling fans), and some behavior is altered by the environment itself. As much as possible, you want to know what your dogs are likely to be like in a home, so you know what they need to succeed, and you can prepare a potential adopter for reality of life with that dog.
Prepare your dogs for adoption. Can you utilize volunteers to provide some basic obedience training to your dogs? (You'd need an experienced trainer to train your volunteers and establish training protocol.) Even simple steps, like teaching dogs to sit while you put on their leash or before they eat, and teaching dogs not to jump up, will help the dog show well and make the transition to a home more smooth. For dogs that pull on lead, walk them on Gentle Leaders (or Halti's, or any other of the halter-type leads). There's enough stress and change involved when a new pet joins a family- do as much as you can before you send your dogs out. If you've got a very mouthy puppy, or a dog that has a history of house soiling, you need to work on those issues before you send the dog out. Make sure you're setting your dogs up to succeed.
Build a relationship with potential adopters. Your application should not be the basis of your relationship. You are there to counsel and guide a person who wishes to welcome a pet into their family for life. Talk with them. Why are they thinking about adopting now? What is their lifestyle like (activity level, travel, time away from home, children, partner, living situation, plans for the future)? What relationship have they had with past dogs, and what kind of relationship do they want with the new dog (do they want a snuggler, or a more independent dog? do they want a dog to jog with every morning, or to lay on the couch with every night? do they want a dog that will protect them, or do they want a mellow dog that accepts everyone?).
Think of your dogs as medicine, and potential adopters as sick patients. You are the doctor. A good doctor doesn't just take your temperature and send you home with an antibiotic. He does a physical examination, asks questions, and listens to the answers. Then, if medication is appropriate, he prescribes the one most suited to the specific condition and patient. He provides information about the medication, about how and when it should be taken, about what side effects to look out for, and about what changes in your condition should be considered urgent, and when to call him back.
Prepare the adopters for the reality of adoption. The primary reason pets lose their homes comes down to one issue: unrealistic expectations. Basically, people don't realize what they're getting into. Fortunately, this is something we have a fair amount of control over. Make sure your adopters realize what they're up for. They may have had puppies in the past, but, if they're like most of us, they've blocked out the memories of getting up all hours, cleaning up poop, pee, and the remains of treasured belongings, going to the vet for boosters every 3-4 weeks, the incessant whimpering and barking... Talk through the logistics with them. Who will go home at lunch and let the dog out? How will they handle housebreaking? How will the dog get exercised every day? What will they do when they have to move? Some points apply to all dogs, but other issues will need to be addressed for certain breeds, and of course for specific dogs. Remember to set your adopters up to succeed, too.
Maintain a relationship with adopters and adopted pets. If you can develop a relationship with each applicant, you will be creating a safety blanket for your pets. Make follow-up calls, and always welcome the adopter to contact you. An adopter who sees you as knowledgeable, respectful, and caring will call you when she is having trouble with the dog she adopted. And you should be ready to help. Your organization needs to have resources to support pets staying in homes. You need to know about reputable local vets, trainers, groomers, and boarding kennels. You need to know how to handle basic training and behavior problems, and when a specialist needs to be brought in. You need to be able to offer solutions to managing a pets needs. You need to be able to offer support and solutions. And you need to know when it just isn't a good match, and the animal should come back to your organization. The home may be a good one, and a great fit for another animal, but if the placement isn't going to stick, you need to be able to bring the pet back (without causing the adopter to feel guilty), recognize what didn't work, and try again. Your greatest goal is for the adopter to come to you with questions or concerns.
You mentioned that many of your returns are the result of bad behavior or lack of training. This can be addressed not only while the animals are with you, but also after they are adopted. Some adoption programs require adopters to go through a basic obedience course with their adopted pet. Others offer this option, but don't require it. Still others require it for specific animals that especially need it. Develop a partnership with a local trainer(s), and put together a plan.
Finally, understand that some pets will be returned. Some adopters aren't able to provide what they hoped they could. Some run into personal problems and can no longer care for the pet. Take advantage of the situation to learn more about the pet, or more about your adoption process, if possible. And when you've learned what you can from the situation, get back out there and start looking for another home. Don't dwell on it, don't beat yourself up about it, and don't beat the adopter up about it. Poop happens. Pick it up. Throw it out. And move on with your life.
Same day adoptions
Question from Paul:
There are two groups in town doing adoptions. One does same day and does high volume adoptions and the other will not do same day and does a very limited number of adoptions. The problem is that each side criticizes the other and won't do off-site adoption events together. The group that doesn't do same day says that they are more careful and have fewer returns and feel the other group is more concerned with volume. The group that does same day says they are careful and they are placing a lot more animals that would be killed because the other group is only doing a very small number. They are constantly badmouthing each other in the press and in their newsletters. Do you have any thoughts on whether same day adoptions are bad? Is there any research backing up either side?Response from Karen:
I have never seen any evidence proving that same day adoptions result in higher failure rates. However, the issue here is really the groups' difficulty in working together, not the adoption criteria specifically. Unfortunately, this happens quite a bit amongst humane groups. The thing is that by publicly badmouthing other humane organizations, each group not only sacrifices their own integrity, they also communicate to the public that the entire humane movement is a big mess. I expect that both groups care very much for animals, want them to find good loving homes, and want animals not to be killed for lack of a home. They just disagree on exactly how to go about that. The groups could hold adoption events together and still use their own criteria and procedures for placing the animals- the procedures aren't the problem. The groups don't have to agree with each other on their adoption criteria to partner together on an event, but they do have to agree to disagree. And I expect they will not have a very beneficial relationship as long as they continue to publicly badmouth each other.I'm not sure what your involvement is with these groups, so I won't get into making specific suggestions about helping develop their relationship. There have been several excellent past forums relating to this subject that offer pertinent advice and resources. You can access past forum archives on the Best Friends web site.
Good luck!
Comment from Jeanne:
We have the same problem here with groups trashing those of us who do same day adoptions for the shelter. We are bound by the shelter guidelines as the animals still belong to the city. In over 150 animals there have been four returns. I monitor the shelter daily for the website so I know who comes and goes on a daily basis. The four returns were successfully re-homed. We do counseling as to which pet might be best for the adopter on site, and sometimes discourage the person completely if that seems the best thing for the person and the animal. I just have to wonder if these who criticize think all the animals would have been better off dead because of four returns. Recently I met a dog we had adopted out about a year ago at an obedience trainer meeting. This dog is now an obedience demo dog. I would hate to think he would be better off dead because of four dogs returned over a two-year period.How important is checking references in placing animals?
Question from Joan:
We have found that over the years we gave made our adoption criteria less stringent and try to be less judgmental of potential adopters. Sure we want to make good adoptions, but don't ultra-strict rules scare people away or make people lie? Our debate right now is over personal references. We really like to have a vet reference, but when there is not, how much importance would you place on a personal reference? If it is important, how many do you recommend? Not being able to reach references has slowed down/lost many adoptions for us.Response from Karen:
It sounds like you've made a pretty positive move with your adoption criteria. Relying too much on a list of criteria takes the focus off what is best for that person and for the animal, and turns it into some kind of test. And a person is much more likely to "cheat" on a test than lie in a comfortable conversation.A positive vet reference is certainly a nice vote of confidence for a potential home. Groomers, boarding centers, and trainers can also sometimes offer references. But I wouldn't put too much into a reference, and I don't think that one should be required to approve an adoption. After all, there are all sorts of weirdoes out there, and nearly all of them have friends. Unless there is a particular reason the reference carries weight, I wouldn't bother. Focus on communicating with the potential adopter(s) and getting information from, and a sense of, them directly. You'll learn much more from that.
Comment from Cheryl:
I am a bit concerned with this answer. I have had several cases where adopters are turned down by other groups and then "learn" the right responses to make. They can sound pretty convincing when they have practiced the right things to say.They leave damning information off their applications like previous pets that weren't vetted or were even mistreated. I have found these types of things out several times by contacting personal references. I have also had two previous occasions where personal references have begged me not to adopt to the person because they were bad pet owners. But they didn't want me to tell the person that they had said so. I think personal references are a very important part of the adoption process if done properly.
Comment from Lynne:
I would like to respond to the statement that it's not necessary to check references. While it's true that even weirdoes have friends, it's also true to many weirdoes are not too bright.I recently checked a vet reference prior to an adoption. The vet's response was to not let the family have another dog under any circumstances. Their last one had been inadequately cared for and subsequently died. Although this vet had clearly let the family know that their lack of care had caused the animal's death, nevertheless they used him as a reference!
It is extremely important to check references. You just never know what will surface.
Response from Karen:
I should have been more clear when I talked about references the other day. I certainly don't mean that they are unimportant or should not be pursued. I suggest asking for and following up on references from vets, trainers, boarding kennels and other individuals who are in a position to offer insightful comments. However, I would not deny an adopter who was new to the area, or hadn't had a pet recently, and just didn't have any such references. And while you could certainly get some interesting tidbits of information from friends, family, colleagues and other casual references, I would not hold out for those, or put too much weight into a glowing referral from a potential adopter's friend.It's important to have some key questions you always ask references, too. In some cases, the reference may feel uncomfortable just busting out and telling you something negative about the home. Try to get them to talk, and ask specific questions. One of the things I ask is, "If you were trying to find a home for a dog, would you try to place it with this person?" Make a list of questions and take notes as you go along.
Children can also tell us a lot about adopters. They don't know to conceal anything, so they're a great source of information. If you've got a family looking at adopting, it's a good idea to get friendly with the kids. Not only will you get a good sense of how they will interact with the family pet, but you can also find out a lot about the parents!
Things come out in home visits, too, that you don't see elsewhere. And not just the basics, like, is the yard really fenced. People usually act much more like their natural selves when they're in their own homes, and you can often get a much clearer sense of them. And if there are other pets in the home, you get to meet them and see how they're treated.
One comment talked about potential adopters "learning" the right responses to your questions, and this can certainly be the case. Not only that, but, frankly, most people could figure out what the "right" answers are without even having to learn that from another group. I actually find it surprising that anyone tells the truth when the truth is, "I'm going to keep him outside on a chain and use him for hunting." I can't say it enough- you need to have open conversations with people, ask questions that get them talking. Instead of "Will you keep him outside or inside?", try, "Tell me a little bit about what your plan is for Rex, where he'll stay why you're at work, and where he'll sleep and that kind of thing." It's surprising how much comes out, when someone gets chatty... so much that you'd never get on an application or doing a quick 20 questions routine in the midst of a crowd of people and barking dogs.
Formalizing responses to requests for help from the public
Question from Christine:
I am a shelter volunteer and have been asked to look into creating scripts for different animal behavior issues to be used by volunteers staffing our proposed hotline. These scripts would require sign-off from the staff veterinarian. Is there an existing knowledge base of questions and answers that can be used to help volunteers provide accurate and consistent information? There is a concern at the shelter that not all of the volunteers will have the same perspective and many volunteers would prefer to have the arsenal of answers at their disposal. Thanks for any suggestions!Response from Karen:
It's great to hear that your shelter is working on formalizing your procedures for responding to requests from the public. Being able to provide helpful and consistent advice and resources to the public is essential to your organization's image, and more importantly, to your success in saving lives. You'll want to develop specific guidelines that work for your organization, but I do have two suggestions on places to start.There is a book called "Pet Behavior Protocols: What to Say, What to Do, When to Refer" by Suzanne Hetts, PhD. Dr. Hetts is a certified applied animal behaviorist with the Animal Behavior Center in Colorado. The book was written for shelters, veterinarians, rescues, etc. who frequently receive requests for help with behavior problems. It tells you what to look for, what questions to ask, what suggestions to offer, and when to refer to a behaviorist. The book is very detailed, and a bit on the pricey side, but an incredible resource. The publisher is the American Animal Hospital Association, and the ISBN is 0941451747.
Can you ever stray from your own adoption rules to place an animal?
Question from member:
Our group has an adoption application and contract for cats and one for dogs. We stick to our application and policies, but sometimes it seems like we miss out on good homes that just don't quite fit into what we're traditionally looking for. There are NO exceptions. Do you think it's a good idea to do some adoptions that don't fit the mold, or is it unfair to others to stray from the rules?Response from Karen:
All animals have different needs, and your job is to look out for each one of them. Every organization needs policies, procedures, and records for adoptions. But ideally you have well trained adoption counselors you trust and your policies are guidelines- not set in stone. When you think about it, it's actually a bit silly to have the same requirements for a home for a mouthy, rowdy 6-month-old Rotty pup, for a 7 year old with hip dysplasia, and for a shy adult dog who depends on other dogs for security.There are exceptions to almost every rule, and adoptions are just the same. One of our requirements is that dog adopters have fully fenced yards. But we have made some exceptions. Some of our dogs can jump or climb fences, and so a fence is meaningless. Some adopters are willing and able to walk their dogs regularly. Some dogs don't require much exercise, and need to be supervised outside in any case. A fenced yard is not a guarantee for a happy dog, though it is a good guideline.
Several years ago I fostered a mama dog and her 12 puppies. I took 5 of the puppies on their first adoption, and a nice couple fell in love with one of the runts (she's over 50lbs now- the bigger pups are over 100lbs). They were extremely nice, interacted beautifully with the puppy, and met all of our criteria, except a fenced yard. The woman worked at home and was very active- hiking in the mountains at least every other day. I spent a lot of time with them, and really believed they would give Jade a great home. I approved their adoption and said good-bye to a very happy family.
When I sent out birthday cards to the pups on their first birthday, Jade's "mom" called back. "She's a perfect dog and we love her so much. We go on walks and go hiking several times a week. If you have any of her littermates, we'd love to adopt another one, because she is the best dog." This dog is set. She is part of a family, and she's loved and cared for. Two of the other puppies, placed during a separate adoption, were returned within a month. One for barking, and one they just "didn't have time for". Both of the puppies had been living in those very fenced yards we had sought.
We placed another dog with a man who lived in his motor home and traveled the country. No fenced yard, obviously. He sent us an entire photo album months later including pictures of the dog sleeping on the bed, playing in the park, hiking in the woods... captions with all the pictures. It's a great home, a wonderful home, and definitely a nontraditional home.
Adoption policies should provide a framework for your adoptions, but they should not be a crutch. By focusing on getting the "right" answers, you cannot only miss out on great homes, but get fooled into believing that inappropriate homes are great. Again, this is all the more reason to have open conversations with potential adopters. It's amazing what kinds of things you learn that you'd never see on paper...
Comment from Margo:
We've found fostering to be a good way around the "rules". For instance, we have a policy that undergraduate students aren't allowed to adopt from us, but are allowed to foster. However, this past year we had an undergraduate student foster an 8-year-old FIV-positive cat. She could not have been more devoted to him, taking him on the plane with her for school breaks, and generally demonstrating a level of commitment to this cat that was exceptional by any standards. At the end of the academic year, we finalized the adoption - and we have every confidence that this cat is in a loving, permanent home.Diplomatically turning a person down for an adoption
Question from Becky:
Right now I am the only person who handles adoption inquiries for our dog pound (very small-only 6 to 8 dogs at a time) and I'm not a good people person yet. How do you diplomatically tell a person that they are not good candidates for adopting one of your dogs? There's got to be some right wording for it without causing the people to have a tantrum on the phone. I know this isn't quite in the realm of what this forum is, but our actual shelter is just being built and it would be nice to have practiced the wording a few times before our 6-8 dogs become 40-50.Response from Karen:
Denying adopters is always tough, but it's another one of those realities of doing adoptions. There are some tactics you can apply that may help, as far as phrasing goes. However, your overall approach to the potential adopter from the minute you say "hello" makes the biggest difference. If you have approached the situation as a counselor and a facilitator there to help the person evaluate what kind of pet (if any) will fit into their lives, you're dramatically reducing the 'judgment' factor. Approaching adoptions in this manner may be tough, at least for a bit, but it is a much more natural and pleasant way to relate to people, and will ultimately result in higher quality adoptions, better community relations, and a much happier you!When you're denying an adoption within this context, you are much less likely to upset the applicant. You can say things like, "It seems like you may end up having to move again in the next few years, and I know you had to re-home your last dog when you moved. Maybe this isn't a great time for adopting. Would you be interested in looking into our foster program?" or, "I can certainly understand why you'd want to adopt Roscoe. He's an awesome dog. I've known Roscoe for a while, and he's got a lot of energy. He really needs a fenced yard. Is there a possibility you could build a fence at your place?"
For some more general issues, you can make more general statements that apply to all of your animals and all adopters. For instance, "Actually, we do have a policy about placing dogs in outdoor-only homes. Our dogs have been through a lot- that's how they ended up with us, and we want to make sure that they'll really get to be part of the family in their new homes." or "I know that a lot of cats love the outdoors, and many live long lives outside. Outside cats are at a great risk of getting hit by cars, lost, stolen, or infected with diseases as serious as Feline Leukemia and FIV. The cats we have here have already lost their homes, or never had any. We feel that it's our responsibility to make sure that they find homes where they'll have the best chance to live long, healthy, happy lives."
Your goal, when you're turning down an adopter, is not just to keep one of your pets out of that person's home, or to get that person out of your shelter. You've got two other key opportunities here:
Build bridges; don't burn them. Every person who walks through your doors is a potential asset. That person, whether she is an ideal adopter for one or your pets or not, could be/become a financial supporter, foster home, volunteer, or otherwise an advocate for your group or for animal welfare in general. Do not underestimate the influence one very satisfied or one very dissatisfied 'customer' can have on your work and in your community. Take advantage of the opportunity you have to make a good impression.
Educate. And not the patronizing version of "educating" that many of us get caught up in, the kind where we tell people what they're doing wrong and what they should do to fix it. Really educate. You are in the position to know more about pet care and behavior than the average Joe. You are the expert. If you're not, become one. It makes sense that you have information to share. Every conversation offers an opportunity to educate, whether it's about appropriate housetraining methods or pet overpopulation. The thing is, if all you do is send someone away without one of your pets, then, well, that's all you've done. You haven't saved a cat from declawing, or a dog from living on a chain. You've just saved your cat from being declawed or your dog from living on a chain. Have information with you, and be able to share it in a supportive, non-combative way. "You know, when I was growing up, that's how we housetrained our dogs, too. But I've ready a few books, and talked with a lot of trainers and the current thinking is that that method doesn't work as well as others. It can actually even cause all sorts of problems. We've got this booklet..." or "I know that a lot of vets still recommend declawing, but it's become a pretty controversial subject. Actually, it's now illegal in some places! I've done a lot of research into this, and it looks like the key is providing the right kind of ‘approved' scratching surface in the right places. Check out this article..."
It's important, too, to be realistic and respectful with your words. If you say something like, "Declawing messes cats up and causes litter box problems and aggression", the person in front of you, who may have 6 happy, healthy declawed cats at home, is going to dismiss you immediately. If you say something like, "Declawing is cruel and inhumane", what you are saying to someone who has declawed a cat is that they are cruel and inhumane. You're attacking them. That person is not going to be open to hearing more of what you've got to say.
One last thing about denying adopters; make sure that's what you need to do, before you do it. A lot of people really don't know, haven't even considered as problems, some of the issues you may blacklist them for. Some vets do recommend declawing, and a potential adopter may have been doing what he thought was the most responsible thing to do when he had his cats declawed. This is why an open dialogue is so important. Focus on finding solutions, not problems. You may be able to help a "poor" candidate become a great home.
Comment from Jennifer:
Love this answer. Another big danger if adoption counselors aren't diplomatic and kind, that I've heard about over and over, is that potential adopters will just give up on the rescue route and go buy a pet listed in the paper. Backyard breeders don't drill them with seemingly irrelevant questions and don't judge them like so many rescue organizations with unqualified adoption counselors do.Comment from Jude:
I feel that a lot of very good information was given in the response to this email. However, there leaves the unanswered response about turning down a potential adopter who simply isn't the right home. If you feel the person cannot respond to your information/training, one method we found that worked was to have someone travel around the adoption pens and listen in or engage people in conversation. When their discussion with a potential adopter led them to believe this would be a bad placement, they would silently signal a volunteer who would tell the adopters that the dog was already spoken for.Now, this doesn't stop them from seeking animals elsewhere, nor does this educate them, but when a potential adopter seems frightful, this is an easy way to stop them without being obvious and not letting on you aren't accepting them, for example no fence, to avoid them going to the next place and simply stating they have a fence when they don't. We DO mention the things that are dangerous for a dog, such as no fence, being left outside, etc. We try to educate them on these issues but don't teach them tools for fooling the next rescue group they encounter.
Response from Karen:
Good point. Sometimes there is a problem that you can't educate or counsel your way through. You may just have a really bad feeling about an applicant. It wouldn't be appropriate to say, "I'm sorry. I can't put my finger on it, but there's just something about you that makes me really uncomfortable." While I am a strong advocate for honesty, you may want to have a way of dealing with these issues indirectly. Saying that you've already got an application on a pet or something like that usually works. My main recommendation is to make sure you're using excuses only as a last resort, when education or counseling won't get you through the situation in any sort of acceptable way.Training your fosters to adhere to your screening requirements
Question from a member:
We are a foster home group with certain standards that our people who foster have to adhere to when placing animals, but we allow each foster to screen their own potential adopters. If they want to be more strict than our requirements, that has been ok in the past. However, now we have one woman who won't adopt to anyone who smokes or who would even consider declawing. Her fosters are staying with her an incredibly long time because few homes are meeting the criteria, so we can't take in any new animals to help them. We agree with her overall that this is good, but wonder if we are missing otherwise really good homes because we are being too strict.Response from Karen:
That's a tough situation, and one most of us run into with staff, volunteers, or foster homes. To help avoid problems like this, and keep your program running smoothly, here are a few basics.Establish policies and procedures. First of all, your organization needs to identify what policies and procedures fit your values, resources and needs. Which policies are set in stone, and which may be flexible? Where do you fit on the quantity-quality spectrum? Your board, or whoever makes decisions for your group, should sit down and find a position they can all stand behind (if they haven't already, of course).
Foster parent training/orientation. Last week's forum topic was about volunteers, and there was quite a bit of discussion about having requirements for volunteers, and even firing them, in some cases. Same thing goes for your foster homes. Their responsibilities and rights should be laid out clearly from the get-go. They need to know what is expected of them. If your foster homes are also doing adoptions, they should go through foster parent training and adoption training. Ideally, their first several adoptions should involve a seasoned staff member or volunteer, so that the foster parent can receive some guidance, and so that you can get a feel for what her strengths and weaknesses are.
Internal communication. Make foster parents, adoption counselors and other staff and volunteers aware of your group's values and goals. A volunteer newsletter and volunteer events are great ways to recognize and support your volunteers, and also maintain their feeling as part of a team.
Do your foster homes realize how many animals your organization is dealing with? Or how many you are turning away? It is easy for those working directly with the animals they are trying to place, and especially in foster homes, to focus entirely on that animal(s) in front of them. This is understandable, to a degree, but it's important that your foster homes also realize that you are only able to save lives as long as you are able to find homes.
Checks and balances. Have procedures in place for catching problems early on and for coaching volunteers to get them back on the straight and narrow, or for dismissing volunteers that are serious problems.
If you're going to allow your adoption counselors some flexibility in adoptions, I think that's great (granted they are trained and managed adequately). However, it sounds like this woman may be creating her own basic standards. She's not saying, "Snowball has chronic upper respiratory infection, so he needs a nonsmoking home." She's just rewritten your adoption policies. Now I don't mean this to sound overly critical of this woman. I'm sure she's doing what she thinks is best to find the most wonderful homes for her charges. But I do think you should address this with her. Let her know how much you appreciate her dedication to the animals she cares for. And let her know that you are concerned that she might be setting the bar a bit too high. You'll need to feel out how far you need to go, and in what direction. But be clear on what your expectations and needs are, as an organization. Perhaps she'll need to move on to another organization that's a better fit for her. But hopefully you'll be able to work this out so that she can remain a valued volunteer for your group.
Comment from Yogi:
I've been the adoption coordinator for a small, non-profit all breed rescue group for 8 yrs. & have been doing rescue & adoptions for 13 yrs. Our group prefers to keep the adoption screening process upbeat.People open up when they feel the atmosphere is friendly & relaxed. After all, adopting a new family member should be a happy occasion. We are realistic in our expectations - (example) we want a loving, responsible home but don't expect every adopter to allow pets on the furniture just because we do. This is one reason my fosters aren't given the same freedoms as my personal pets.
We try our best. It does help when people see how much we care about our fosters, and we do follow up. We want adopters to know we're here to help if they have a behavior problem - people are usually happy to hear ways to work out the problem. We aren't perfect; there aren't guarantees. We work hard to match the right pet with the right family. Usually it pays off but occasionally we make a mistake.
We are willing to take time to educate a first-time pet owner - we know groups that won't adopt unless you have prior pet experience. We also know some people are ignorant & choose to stay that way. We have no power to educate those unwilling to learn. Our requirements for adoption are stricter than those of the public shelters.
We don't condemn them. We understand their situation. At least half of our foster animals are released to us from local shelters - adoptable animals that would have been put to sleep because they needed more than the shelter could offer. They ask for our help - we have a good working relationship with our local shelters.
Comment from Christine:
Perhaps someone should give the foster family's perspective against some of the more restrictive adoption policies. I know I fostered for a group because I really adored the positive outlook of one of their board members. They made the foster homes responsible for scheduling all vet appointments, including spay/neuter, getting all animals their shots at an open shot clinic that usually had a one to two hour wait to get through on a week night, you had to schedule time at an offsite adoption which was only open for fosters for four hours on each weekend day and often you could only bring your charges every other week.I have seen them turn down four-month-old kittens from the adoption venue two weeks before Christmas to avoid an impulse adoption, only to adopt them out three days after the holiday. Their policies were exceptionally restrictive, but the one that finally did me in was the woman who was middle aged and had lost her cat of 21 years three months prior to planning on adopting. She wanted to adopt a seven-year-old short hair black cat. She had one five year old cat at her owned home, was aware how slow introductions needed to be made and had made provisions for the introduction, extra litter boxes, etc. Then she admitted her cat occasionally came out on the patio and sat with her. The cat came in when she did and she tried to discourage the behavior, but admitted that once every other month of two the cat would foil her and rather than risk the cat running off while she chased it she let the cat sit. The cat never left her sight. She was denied the adoption because a leukemia cat might have been in the neighborhood and passed an area where her cat might pass and it would be unfair to new cat to expose her to such danger!
That decision was enough to get me to stop fostering for them because it would take sometimes three months to get a litter of kittens adopted and I finally understood why. One good thing though, they let their foster family's decide if their foster kittens were suitable for declawing or not based on temperament. Of course, no adult would be declawed. Just thought maybe some groups might wonder why they have trouble holding on to good foster homes.
Response from Karen:
My response to the three comments above is that balance is really the key, and that every group has to find it's own. The thing is that any of these choices can be defended, because they are all made for the welfare of animals, and we all care about what we're doing and want to make the best choice. One thing I do find frustrating and sad is how often the difference in position prevents different groups and shelters from working with or even supporting each other. If we can all focus on doing what we can do, the best that we can do it, rather than what everyone else is doing wrong and how awful they are for not doing things our way, we will have removed one of the greatest hurdles of the humane movement. It's unfortunate when we are sometimes are own worst enemies, threatening the public's support of humane issues more by openly criticizing each other than any other external force could.Internet and long distance adoptions
Question from a member:
We use the Internet to do a lot of adoptions. Up until now, they have all been local. But we are starting to get a lot of requests from across the country for adoption and are struggling with whether we should try this or not. Our Board has a lot of concerns about quality adoptions. How can you maintain good adoption screening if the person is in another state?Response from Karen:
Internet-initiated and otherwise long distance adoptions are getting more and more common. Sure, it can seem a little strange, or even impersonal, for someone to "fall in love" on-line (whether it's with a person or a tabby cat) but it doesn't necessarily mean you're getting any less in a home.Some groups do not do long distance adoptions at all. Some will place animals only within surrounding states, or some other predetermined radius. Some require the adopter to come to the shelter and meet the animal before completing the adoption. And others regularly place animals in homes far away. If you're going to do long distance adoptions, here are several special considerations:
References play a more important role in long distance adoptions. Fortunately, it is natural for the adoption process to take longer when travel needs to be arranged, so that gives you some time to work with. I would require at least one reference from an animal professional (vet, behaviorist, etc.) who can attest to the potential adopter's appropriateness, or lack thereof.
Contact. I recommend having phone conversations with every adult member of the family, in addition to any e-mail correspondence you may have. And don't skimp on your phone calls. Just because the person isn't right there in front of you doesn't mean you can't have a decent and telling conversation and get a good feel for them.
Home visits. Obviously, a home visit is tough to do long distance, but there are some options. For our long distance adoptions, we sometimes will send out a Best Friends Network notice to organizations in the area where the potential adopter lives, asking if they can do a home visit for us. This option, by the way, is available for other groups. While we can't be sure there's a Network organization in the area you need, we're happy to try. Note that we do not know most Network organizations personally, and can't vouch for them. When a Network organization does a home check for us, we're not asking them to approve or refuse the adoption- we give them specific things we're looking for and we ultimately make the decision.
Transportation. This, obviously, is going to be an issue. Most groups require the adopter to pay all the transport costs, but there will some extra work involved for you. Depending on local regulations and the mode of transport, animals may need a health certificate to travel. You'll have to figure out what to do about carriers (will you need to purchase more? how will you get yours back?). But a little research into local regulations and transport options, and a little experience, and you'll be able to work out all the details.
Returns. Another issue that you'll have to be prepared for is what to do about returns. Our adoption contract requires the adopter to get the animal back to us if they can no longer keep him, but, frankly, if someone calls us and says, "I can't keep Buffy and I'm going to have to take him to a shelter" we do whatever we need to do to get Buffy back to us. We don't want any of our little guys stranded out there. Anyway, you'll want to have some sort of plan for dealing with returns.
Benefits. There are some plusses to long distance adoptions. Because the process takes considerable time and effort, you avoid impulse adoptions pretty thoroughly. Frankly, the commitment of time and money just in getting the animal home is a good sign- this person is clearly willing to make sacrifices for this animal. Our experience has been that, although long distance adoptions are much more complicated than traditional adoptions, the return rate is extremely low and these homes are those most likely to keep in touch with us and send us pictures and letters for years to come. In short, I would say that long distance placements constitute a considerable portion of our "extraordinary" adoptions.
Getting the public to take training classes
Question from a member:
Our community has a lot of obedience training and behavioral programs. Our humane society has a free one. Many trainers offer one for low-cost or free if the animal was adopted from a shelter. Yet we find that most people are not taking advantage of them. They either don't want to take the time, or think that it is easier to just get rid of the animal than go through training, or wait until the behavioral issue becomes a huge problem. It is frustrating to offer services and still seeing a large number of animals being surrendered to our shelters because they aren't being used. Do you have any thoughts on how we could convince people to utilize services before it becomes a problem?Response from Karen:
First off I want to say kudos to your community for putting together programs for helping adopters with dog training and behavior problems. I can certainly understand why you're bummed out about people not using the programs, though. Basically, it seems like what's missing is sufficient marketing/promotion of these programs- people don't know they exist.Market these programs to the public. If people don't know about these opportunities until they've gone into the shelter to give up their pet, you're not likely to have many takers. Just as with a spay/neuter or adoption program, you need to tell the public what you have to offer. People often respond better to "special" deals with time limits. They may be thinking about going through a training course "some day", but you need to get them to go do it now. Maybe you do something like a partnership with a nut company for a "Nutty dog training special". Be creative and have fun with it. Not only will the public come, they'll tell their friends, and the media will cover the story, too.
There are some creative and effective ideas for marketing your programs on the forum archives from Julie Castle's forum on "getting your message out".
It may make sense to form a partnership between the different programs. Some forms of promotion, like PSAs related to training or other more general promotion, would benefit all the programs.
The individual shelters and groups in your area may also want to consider requiring adopters of pups or dogs who already have some issues to go through obedience training. Or offer incentives such as a discounted adoption fee or rebate for those who complete a training course. The best time to get people to go through training is at the beginning, when they're still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship with their new pet.
Adoption myths
Question from a member:
I hear all these differing policies about adoptions. For instance, not adopting out black cats.... I've been starting to do some rescue and adoptions on my own, and I'm not sure if these policies make sense and I should use them, or if that would be too restrictive. To tell the truth, I'm not sure I even really understand why some of these policies exist out there. I want to be sure that I find good homes for the animals I place, and I don't want people to just go running off the pet store because I've turned them away, but I also don't want to miss out on good homes. If I'm not doing many adoptions, I'm not saving as many lives. Any suggestions?Response from Karen:
You've hit on a very important point. We humans tend toward assumptions. We make decisions about what we think about ideas, people, places and things based on an extremely small amount of information and perhaps a glimmer of personal experience. Sometimes assumptions are correct. But most often, at least to a substantial degree, assumptions are about as useful and appropriate as the old adage' suggests. You know, the one that goes, "when you ASSUME, you make an ASS out of U and ME".It is our responsibility to give the animals we care for the best chance at a home and a life. We owe it to them to not pass up potential homes based solely on ideas we are not really able to substantiate. Have reasons for your policies- reasons that you can support not just with one or two anecdotal stories you heard about a friend's cousin's husband's colleague's cat. Question your policies regularly. Make sure they still make sense.
Let's take the Halloween adoption issue. Now, I'm not saying this to pick on groups who don't do Halloween adoptions. But I think we need to be able to look at what we're doing critically. This stuff is too important not to examine carefully. So, we know that some remarkably disturbed individuals make animal sacrifices around Halloween, sometimes of solid black or white cats. So we decided there would no adoptions during October. Why? Presumably because witches or devil worshipers will come to our adoption events, fill our questionnaires, go through an interview process, and pay a considerable adoption fee, knowing that you'll be checking in with them and the cat, just so that they can take their newly adopted pet into the woods on October 31st and sacrifice it? Are we perhaps being just a wee bit dramatic? Animal sacrifices tend to be of stolen pets or stray animals. Your adoption screening should prevent placement in homes where there is a great risk of this. So why the anti-October adoption policies? I have never seen any evidence or heard any compelling argument supporting a Halloween ban on solid color cat adoptions. Is it possible that someone would adopt a cat just to use it as a sacrifice? I suppose. But if you're not going to place an animal where there is a possibility the adopter will do something that may harm the animal, you're not going to be doing any adoptions at all.
How about same day adoptions? Could you potentially find out damning information about a potential adopter by having several days or a week to check them out? Sure. Would a potential adopter perhaps rethink their ability to commit to an animal if they have a day or two to think about it, and then decide not to adopt? It happens. Does that mean that doing same day adoptions places your critters at high risk? I don't think so. You may disagree, and that is certainly your right. But make sure your reason for your position is based on some real and substantial information.
I see a lot of rescues that pride themselves on having such strict adoption policies that they can screen out any imperfection, and that every home they find is spectacular. There are other shelters that handle hundreds of animals each day and can only save more than a few by doing same day, often fairly quick, adoptions. Both are doing what they can to give the most to the animals. Don't worry about where other group's balance is, or where my balance is- focus on your own. It's all a matter of where your organization sits on that line- the spectrum from quality to quantity. Of course we want our critters to go into great homes where they will be loved and cared for, for life, in the manner we find fitting. But when we turn away a home, that is potentially a life lost, so we better have a compelling reason for making that choice.
Comment from Jeanne:
Karen Green wrote: "But when we turn away a home, that is potentially a life lost, so we better have a compelling reason for making that choice."This is a MOST excellent point. I am often dealing with shelter animals that if not adopted here and now will be dead tomorrow. They have no foster home etc to go back to. I think many critics of same day adoptions choose not realize that this is the animal's ONLY chance at not being dead. In a situation where the animal has a place to go stay until adopted the group can have requirements and screening processes that these about to die animals just cannot and do not have.
Another thing that crosses my mind about this is that what I consider over screening leads to animals only being adopted by "the chosen". There are many wonderful homes available that may not be in the "best" neighborhood, the adopter may not drive a brand new car, may not have a polo pony on his/her shirt etc. BUT what does this have to do with loving and caring for an animal? I wonder how many of the groups would screen out the people without these "qualifications" people... I know it happens here.
Comment from Edna:
I feel compelled to your answer. We are a small shelter in a rural area where we do hear of animal sacrifices from some animal control officers. These are not anecdotal but factual. Therefore, we do not finalize adoptions of all small animals for 1 week before Halloween. We do all of the paper work, put the adoption sign on the cage tag, and the adopter can pick up the animal after Halloween. Since our animals are usually not altered until they are adopted, we have little problem with this because we take all adopted animals to a veterinarian to be examined and altered before they can go to their new (and we hope forever) home.We are planning to change our policy to same day adoptions, but even there it will not be across the board. We will do a vet check before we release a pet. Since vets are not open Saturday afternoon and Sunday, whoever adopts on those days will have to wait. We also insist on a landlord permission form signed and validated from all renters. I don't think we miss many good adoptions, but I do think because of our strict adoption policies that we do limit many bad adoptions. I don't think any adoption is better than death. I have seen too many animals who would have thanked us if they had been euthanized instead of being in possession of the people who were supposed to care for them.
Convincing adopters to keep pets in the home
Question from member:
A lot of the animals we get returned from homes come back for really small problems. We try to talk to the adopters about working out whatever the issue is, whether it's a behavior problem or a lifestyle change. Sometimes they just need to have a little more patience while a problem is being worked out. But they hardly ever listen. How can we convince adopters to try to work things out with their pets?Response from Karen:
Also a tough question. The thing is that while we want to provide support and resources to adopters so that they can keep their pets, there's a danger to trying too hard to convince an adopter to keep a pet. If they feel awkward or guilty returning the pet, when you're telling them how easily they could fix this problem, or how hard it will be for the animal to come back to you, they may just agree to keep trying (in an effort to placate you) and then take the dog or cat to another shelter instead. You shouldn't be "talking them into something", just "talking them through something".What I recommend is talking to the adopter about their different options, so they know enough to make an informed decision. Always keep the option of returning the pet open. Be conscious of the effect your attitude may have on them- you don't want to say things that are going to make them feel guilty or ‘stupid' about returning the pet. Also, really listen to what the person is saying. Are they asking for help in making it work? Have they already decided to return the animal and are "done" trying (you may need to ask them this directly, if you can't tell)? Or are they unsure and needing some direction?
One other note on this: Some groups respond to all calls from adopters like this with "bring the dog/cat back". There seems to be some feeling that if the person isn't sure, if there are problems, then the home "isn't a good home" or "isn't meant to be". Certainly that may be the case, but be open to other possibilities. Many adopters will need a little direction, but will make wonderful homes and will continue to work through problems. The fact that they are seeking help is a great sign in itself. It's likely that all they need is a little support and a little advice.
What are reasonable adoption fees?
Question from a member:
Do you think that price has a role in adoptions? We have been thinking of raising our prices (which are $50 now) to $80 but are afraid of alienating people. Yet we want more of the true prices to be revealed so people see what they are getting with a fully vetted animal. There is a wide variety in our county - our animal control only charges $20 and a couple of rescue groups charge $100. One rescue has two for the price of one deals. Does this seem to de-value the animal by giving deals on them?Response from Karen:
Good question! And one without a universal answer, I'm afraid. Adoption fees vary by region, reflecting the average income levels, value placed on pets, costs of adopting from other local sources, and costs of providing pre-adoption care. Generally dog adoption fees are higher than those of cats, which is usually pretty well accepted- society seems to place a higher monetary value on dogs than on cats. It sounds like, considering fees of other local agencies, $80 would be reasonable, at least for a dog. You may want to give $65 a try for cats.Your fees may depend somewhat on your situation. Do you need that money to pay the vet bills? Or are you asking for the fee because you want to show that your animals have value? Probably some of both. But if there's a minimum return you need on every adoption, obviously that will need to be reflected in your fees.
You do want your adopters to know what that fee includes, and it would be worth printing up a little sign to post at your adoptions clarifying that. You could include what your actual costs are for pre-adoption care (spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, parasite treatment and/or prevention, grooming, micro chipping, collar and tag- whatever is included) and then relate that to what they are charged (our cost- $163, your cost- $80!). Let them see that they're getting a deal. Not only could they be saving money, but they're also saving the hassle of having to have all this done themselves. You might even want to include on the sign that there can be other costs (antibiotics, surgery, etc.), and mention that donations help offset these costs to your organization. You can put out a donation can next to the sign.
As far as special deals go, I think they can be a great idea. After all, you're not lowering your standards; you're just offering a special. Discounts on pairs of pets are common, especially pairs of kittens. If you want to get kittens into homes as pairs, especially when the homes don't have another cat already as a companion, giving a discount may make it possible for the adopter to take home two instead of one. You can also offer a discount for adoptions at special promotions. For instance, our No More Homeless Pets in Utah program puts on a "Labrador Day" special adoption each year over Labor Day weekend. All labs, lab mixes, and "labs at heart" (which, by the way, includes some cats!) have discounted adoption fees, and they all come with a tennis ball. It's just a fun thing to do and gives people that great feeling of getting a great deal. Does this mean that those people don't care about these pets as much as those who adopt at regular prices? Not at all. It's just clever and different, and it may get those people who've been 'thinking about getting another dog for a while' off their lonely butts and over to your adoptions.
Asking different amounts for some different animals sometimes makes sense as well. If someone is adopting a special needs dog who will require $60 a month of medications for the rest of his life, and it's a good home, you may want to reduce or even waive the fee. Anyway, you might consider some flexibility with adoption fees for special situations.
I have noticed a lot of groups around who are really focused on the whole, "Well, if he has trouble coming up with a $100 adoption fee, what kind of home is he going to give?" While that may seem sensible on some level, it's really a bit extreme. Now I'm not saying we should just give animals away when adopters can't afford the adoption fees. I'm just saying that we shouldn't give up on a home because they don't have a lot of disposable income. A lot of good, dedicated, loving homes may have trouble spending $200 bucks for adoption, and we should be sensitive to adopter's financial situations. We have to remember that there are often many other costs associated with adopting a new pet. An adopter needs to get food, leashes or litter, food and water dishes. Kittens and puppies may still need another two or three trips to the vet over the following couple of months for booster shots. Adopters will need to pay license fees. Some will need to rebuild a section of fence, or buy a crate for crate training. So in addition to flexibility for special needs pets, you might also consider some flexibility for special situations- for instance someone who is going to have to shell out $400 to his landlord when he gets home with his new cat, and asks if you can discount the adoption fee.
