Adopting Shelter Pets – Interesting Findings in a Recent Survey
There is no question that adopting a pet from a shelter can be the right course of action for many families looking for a pet. My second dog, Gatsby, was adopted from a rescue organization. I knew from the start that I wanted to adopt, but the process was so arduous I thought it might never happen!
I filled out countless adoption forms, both online and in person; mailed, faxed, made calls and left messages with various agencies in my area for weeks on end. When my form was finally reviewed, the pet I was interested in was already adopted out and I had to go through the whole process all over again. There was even one instance where I was rejected as an applicant because I worked a regular job. There seemed to be a delay in when their websites were updated and what pets were actually available or had other adopters applying. I got lucky when one of my adoption forms landed in the inbox of a very dedicated foster mom who contacted me promptly about Gatsby. We did our interview over the phone and she accepted photos of my house as a “visit”. She called all three of my references that day, and had my current pets’ records faxed to her too. After all that, I was finally approved for a dog that hadn’t yet found a home, the catch? I had to leave the next morning for a three hour drive to pick him up. The whole process took me many months but ended very quickly with a sweet, cuddly puppy sitting on my lap for the long ride home.
Pet Charities recently released a study on where people are getting their pets (and why they are choosing that venue). It’s a very interesting report and should be especially helpful for shelters & rescues to take a look at themselves and potentially improve their adoption rates with some changes.
Some of the more interesting findings? 35% of pet owners interviewed had not spayed or neutered their pets, but 75% of them are considering it. The main obstacle to pet owners? The cost of the procedure itself along with a lack of knowledge on the subject matter. Many of the owners interviewed thought that a strictly indoor or confined animal didn’t need to be neutered, or that a female animal needed to have at least 1 heat cycle before surgery. It’s not surprising then that 50% of the interviewed pet owners that had at least 1 litter were unplanned pet pregnancies.
Another interesting tidbit picked up from the survey was the reasoning of those questioned who did not adopt from a shelter or rescue. Reasons included the adoption process being too difficult (which I can vouch for), inconvenience (either getting their pet and supplies at the same place was more convenient, or the shelter hours were inconvenient), or because the shelter or the idea of going to a shelter was too depressing. I wonder if some shelters should re-evaluate their adoption screening process and consider adding a satellite center inside a local pet store, like the Humane League does here at That Pet Place. This study might be a great benefit for rescue agencies and shelters all across the country to boost their adoption rates.
Take a look at the full report. It has some interesting findings.
