Article Not Good For Rescues

[aussielover]

I find that just talking with prospective adopters tends to give a much better idea than any application form process.

I've looked at a few adoption application forms out there, and have found many of them to be somewhat intrusive and can be daunting for prospective adopters - that's why we don't have a form, but ask people to actually call us about any dog they may be interested in.

We seem to be able to find decent and permanent homes for most of our charges (very few returns) with our procedures/processes.

Sure, we get our fair share of people who may not be suited to the particular dog they are calling about, but we can suggest/show to them other dogs that may be a better fit. It's fairly rare that we get a potential adopter that isn't suited to any dog available - but we have knocked back one or two who really would have been suited to a stuffed toy instead of a real dog... *grin*

The trick is in the communication and time spent making sure of the adopter's expectations - then matching them to a dog that they can live with. If you don't have the time to talk to adopters, and are using an adoption form to "weed out timewasters", then maybe a rethink of how much workload you are taking on is in order.

A big part of rescue is about communication - if you don't have any people skills at all, then you really aren't going to get far.

T.

Agree totally with this.

If a rescue is knocking back all fulltime workers as being unsuitable to adopt from them I would assume it is because they are adopting out dogs prone to separation anxiety and have no idea how to avoid it other than putting dogs in homes where people are usually home. A good rescue should be able to match a well- adjusted dog with people that work full time, and to know what sort of homes would suit their different dogs.

Unless it is a breed where demand outstrips supply in which case the dog will go to the family that most impresses the rescue. Good homes may miss out and that is no reflection on them.

I don't think dogs with true "separation anxiety" or any dogs that are showing signs of being likely to be affected by it, are suitable candidates for adoption.

I know of dog affected by severe SA that was rehomed to a family where the parents worked from home. Sounds good in theory but now the poor family has to organise their lives around the dog, who cannot even be left on its own for 15 mins without self-harming and extremely destructive behaviour

Surely it sounds better to say something like "even though we know you could offer an excellent home, xxx family was able to offer company to the dog all day so we felt the dog would be better suited to them" rather than "you cant have this dog because you work full time"

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I like to judge each home on its merits and match the dog accordingly. I'm a full time worker and I constantly get asked "who looks after the dogs when you are at work"?

As I tell people, my dogs are old - i won't get a young dog because it doesn't work for me generally, there could be the odd exception but i don't like coming home to destroyed belongings or getting complaints from the neighbours about barking - it's actually playing but this is what young dogs that i have had, have done.

My old dogs get a walk in the morning and then sleep all day - they sleep even when I'm here at the weekends! They are very loved when I'm here and always want to come back with me if I've been away and they've been boarded with people, some of whom have been home all day. It's not always about the amount of time a person is around, it's about how they interact with the dog.

[_PL_]

The trick is in the communication and time spent making sure of the adopter's expectations - then matching them to a dog that they can live with. If you don't have the time to talk to adopters, and are using an adoption form to "weed out timewasters", then maybe a rethink of how much workload you are taking on is in order.

A big part of rescue is about communication - if you don't have any people skills at all, then you really aren't going to get far.

T.

Nup, we use a form as first point of contact, a dedicated volunteer who handles the email hello's and everyone gets a response.

All applicants and all dogs are individuals: & viewed as such. Good homes who don't suit the dog or have missed out are recommended to another rescue.

We did "rethink how much workload we were taking on" and oddly enough people like bosses and family, eventually get very tired of rescue taking over. Really fed up in fact.

So there has to be a line. My line is not having my phone number on the internet. Not being the first to cop a gobful because someone wants their old dog taken away asap or to get a dog out under our clause.

& I think you'd agree T, my people skills are somewhat ok. lol. But nobody is born a rescuer/public relations expert, it's a constant learning curve.

[minimax]

What did me in was when I went with someone to do a house check and the potential new owner was knocked back because her kids were in their PJ'S at 10 am.

I witnessed something similar and I was so upset by it that I actually came home and threw out all of my kids pyjamas and from then on right up till right now they sleep in tracky dacks or T shirts etc in case anyone came and judged me unfit for my dogs because my kids had a sleep in.

Ive never done a yard check for any rescue since.

I think that's completely atrocious. What's next - someone being knocked back because the handwriting on the application isn't neat enough?

[sas]

I find that just talking with prospective adopters tends to give a much better idea than any application form process.

I've looked at a few adoption application forms out there, and have found many of them to be somewhat intrusive and can be daunting for prospective adopters - that's why we don't have a form, but ask people to actually call us about any dog they may be interested in.

Ours is such and it is for a reason. We actually put all responses on a spreadsheet for the dog and a rehoming panel goes through them and compares them. Of course people are also spoken with as well. This process is a winner within our organisation in regards to suitable homes found and return rates which are pretty much non-existant.

We work full time so forms help us go through things in our own time which may be 1am in the morning.

Everyone is going to do something different. Rejecting people for stupid reasons is well...stupid.

[cryptic]

I find that just talking with prospective adopters tends to give a much better idea than any application form process.

I've looked at a few adoption application forms out there, and have found many of them to be somewhat intrusive and can be daunting for prospective adopters - that's why we don't have a form, but ask people to actually call us about any dog they may be interested in.

We seem to be able to find decent and permanent homes for most of our charges (very few returns) with our procedures/processes.

Sure, we get our fair share of people who may not be suited to the particular dog they are calling about, but we can suggest/show to them other dogs that may be a better fit. It's fairly rare that we get a potential adopter that isn't suited to any dog available - but we have knocked back one or two who really would have been suited to a stuffed toy instead of a real dog... *grin*

The trick is in the communication and time spent making sure of the adopter's expectations - then matching them to a dog that they can live with. If you don't have the time to talk to adopters, and are using an adoption form to "weed out timewasters", then maybe a rethink of how much workload you are taking on is in order.

A big part of rescue is about communication - if you don't have any people skills at all, then you really aren't going to get far.

T.

Agree totally with this.

If a rescue is knocking back all fulltime workers as being unsuitable to adopt from them I would assume it is because they are adopting out dogs prone to separation anxiety and have no idea how to avoid it other than putting dogs in homes where people are usually home. A good rescue should be able to match a well- adjusted dog with people that work full time, and to know what sort of homes would suit their different dogs.

Unless it is a breed where demand outstrips supply in which case the dog will go to the family that most impresses the rescue. Good homes may miss out and that is no reflection on them.

I don't think dogs with true "separation anxiety" or any dogs that are showing signs of being likely to be affected by it, are suitable candidates for adoption.

I know of dog affected by severe SA that was rehomed to a family where the parents worked from home. Sounds good in theory but now the poor family has to organise their lives around the dog, who cannot even be left on its own for 15 mins without self-harming and extremely destructive behaviour

Surely it sounds better to say something like "even though we know you could offer an excellent home, xxx family was able to offer company to the dog all day so we felt the dog would be better suited to them" rather than "you cant have this dog because you work full time"

And what options do you suggest for the dogs showing signs of or having true seperation anxiety if they are not candidates for adoption.

[Snout Girl]

Agree totally with this.

If a rescue is knocking back all fulltime workers as being unsuitable to adopt from them I would assume it is because they are adopting out dogs prone to separation anxiety and have no idea how to avoid it other than putting dogs in homes where people are usually home. A good rescue should be able to match a well- adjusted dog with people that work full time, and to know what sort of homes would suit their different dogs.

Unless it is a breed where demand outstrips supply in which case the dog will go to the family that most impresses the rescue. Good homes may miss out and that is no reflection on them.

I can only speak in my case and the entire breed rescue works under the 'fulltime worker = no adoption of ANY dog' rule. I cant imagine every dog in their care has seperation anxiety issues. Plus there is no chance to impress with any application as it is made abundantly clear from the start your application will not be looked at if there isnt someone at home 24/7. Whilst I acknowledge dogs need love and attention, at the end of the day they are dogs and not babies so should not require the same kind of time supervision. And I am a dedicated owner who spends most of my non work time with my dogs.

[tdierikx]

The trick is in the communication and time spent making sure of the adopter's expectations - then matching them to a dog that they can live with. If you don't have the time to talk to adopters, and are using an adoption form to "weed out timewasters", then maybe a rethink of how much workload you are taking on is in order.

A big part of rescue is about communication - if you don't have any people skills at all, then you really aren't going to get far.

T.

Nup, we use a form as first point of contact, a dedicated volunteer who handles the email hello's and everyone gets a response.

All applicants and all dogs are individuals: & viewed as such. Good homes who don't suit the dog or have missed out are recommended to another rescue.

We did "rethink how much workload we were taking on" and oddly enough people like bosses and family, eventually get very tired of rescue taking over. Really fed up in fact.

So there has to be a line. My line is not having my phone number on the internet. Not being the first to cop a gobful because someone wants their old dog taken away asap or to get a dog out under our clause.

& I think you'd agree T, my people skills are somewhat ok. lol. But nobody is born a rescuer/public relations expert, it's a constant learning curve.

I've actually just had a look at your adoption webform, and it's a whole lot less intrusive than many I've seen out there... AND it has plenty of other information that lets a prospective adopter know where they stand.

So, actually, your group has obviously thought a lot about the way the form was designed, and what it was designed to do - and I bet it works well.

... and for the record, I KNOW your communication skills are exceptional... *grin*

T.

[Greytmate]

And what options do you suggest for the dogs showing signs of or having true seperation anxiety if they are not candidates for adoption.

When I ran a foster care program we would have the carers get the dogs gradually used to spending time on their own.

A dog showing signs of anxiety is not always suitable to be offered for adoption as a pet.

[tdierikx]

And what options do you suggest for the dogs showing signs of or having true seperation anxiety if they are not candidates for adoption.

Sometimes it's kinder to end their obvious suffering...

T.