Pet Rescue

[Leah82]

So I'm helping out a local rescue with their pet rescue listings as they are few and far between despite the many dogs in care at the moment.

One of the reasons they haven't persisted much with pet rescue is the amount of 'bull shit' inquiries they get.

I'm just wanting to get some more ideas on...

What type of bullshit inquiries do you see? Is it just people that haven't really read the description properly in which case you might be able to divert them to a more suitable pet or is it really just people wasting your time?

and secondly do you have any processes to minimise these inquiries?

At the moment I'm wondering if I could put a link to their adoption application form in the pet rescue ad but then reading through the applications might take even more time.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Leah82

[BarbedWire]

The other side of the coin.

Before I got Thumper, my last dog, some rescues probably thought I was a time waster. Some of the Pet Rescue listings (I'm sure this doesn't include the OP's rescue group) are very generic and not very helpful and sometimes when you first start looking you are not really sure what you are looking for anyway. I made many enquiries and was totally turned off by rude replies or no reply at all. I would never go near those groups again nor would I recommend them to anyone else. I finally did find what I was looking for and we are a perfect match.

IMO rescue groups should not shut out the so called time wasters.

[melzawelza]

Is the rescue the kind of rescue that blanket knock out huge groups of people as 'unsuitable'? (I.e no people that work full time, no people with/without another dog etc etc)

It seems odd to me that a group would get such an enormous amount of 'bullshit' enquiries that the benefits of PetRescue would not be worth it, unless they were the type that turn away anything that isn't in their minds 'perfect'.

[Leah82]

It's definitely a fine line to balance. Rescues are often run by people who already have full time jobs and when they are not working they need to manage the dogs currently in care (many of whom need vet work/rehabilitation) as well as urgent requests to surrender animals, adoption inquiries are unfortunately often lower on the priority list.

I'm happy to help in this particular instance but in helping I don't want to increase the work load of the people running the rescue

[BarbedWire]

Maybe taking enquiries is a good way for some of the elderly to help out with rescues. They are usually considered too old to foster and this is a way they can be useful.

Also perhaps the rescue description could include a link to one of those sites where they help people work out what sort of dog would suit them.

Such as this site although it is meant for purebreds.

My link

[Little Gifts]

From one of those RSPCA adoption drives I still remember the lady and her kids who were insistent about wanting a particular dog even though they had no fences and they had chicken and the dog in question was a runner not good around other small animals. That to me is clearly a potential adoptee who is wanting a dog she likes the look of and does not even have the home environment suitable for a pet. She hasn't thought about that particular dog's needs or the realities of being a pet owner. A time waster.

I personally think a rescue group should be happy that a potential adopter contacts to ask questions when those questions are practical or informed ones. A quick read through an email would be able to tell you whether that person was a long way off being a suitable adopter. I would respond to those with a standard response that could be a cut and paste job saying "thank you for your enquiry. Please read our (potential adopters guide or whatever else you want them to be aware of) and let us know if you have any questions before completing and submitting an Adoption Application. After this we will be able to consider your interest in (dog's name)." If they make the effort to do all that then give them the benefit of the doubt.

If you get an enquiry for a dog with very specific needs (ie not good around young children or only dog household) then I'd email back ensuring they are aware of that specific need and could they respond to it in relation to their current and future household before submitting an Adoption Application. That will weed out people who have not read the ad properly or who don't have a plan for raising that particular dog appropriately.

Not everyone knows how the process works and there are also people with English and literacy issues to consider so not all time wasting emails are deliberate. There are a lot of dogs to choose from on PR and it is probable some people will be looking at more than one dog at the same time too.

[melzawelza]

No fences doesn't make someone unsuitable to own a pet. In the USA in a lot of places it's almost unheard of for there to be fenced yards, and people also keep dogs in units. If the dog is given appropriate exercise on leash on the street and off leash where allowed then someone without a fenced yard could be a great adopter.

Of course, the person needs to understand this and not just let the dog out the back unleashed, but if they do and they're realistic about the situation there's no reason to have a blanket rule like 'no fences = no dogs'.

Having blanket rules and not looking at individual situations means lots of lost adoption opportunities which means less dogs getting rescued which means more euthanasia. My interstate aunt recently wanted to adopt a little dog at Renbury farm that had a hold on it from a Sydney rescue. It had two days left on its hold to be adopted before it went to the rescue. I had to rush her to get everything in place (flights etc) in that two days rather than advising her to just apply through the rescue as I knew they wouldn't give her the dog as she doesn't have fences.

Needless to say the little dog is happy as larry and living the good life.

Edited September 23, 2014 by melzawelza

[Leah82]

I don't want to turn this into a discussion about what makes a good potential adopter, at the end of the day the decision is not up to me and all rescues are well within their rights to make sure dogs go into homes where they are MOST likely to spend the rest of their days.

I'm just trying to make sure as little time as possible is wasted with people who haven't really taken into consideration the commitment of owning a dog and those that looked at the picture and nothing more.

I've been looking over other pet rescue accounts and along with LG's suggestions have come up with a few ways of trying to do this. Only time will tell how successful I am :)

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I went through some of the SA listings and some of them are

"we have a dog, it's not good with cats, call if you're interested"

which doesn't really help people at all.

If you have criteria for adopters - ie what makes them suitable or not, you need to write that into a cut and paste and put it on every page.

Eg

we have a dog, she needs at least 30 minute walk twice a day and lots of trick training and really secure fences.

She will destroy any unattended pair of sox in reach.

She comes desexed and vaccinated...

Keeping a dog costs approximately $ per week for food, with extra costs $$ for vaccination, flea and worm annually - as long as no emergency vet treatment is required.

a good dog owner will do these things for their dog.

Coat care - this type of dog will need clipping every 6 weeks and that costs $$

Ie if you can put some more specific detail other than "we have a dog, phone" - you get more chance of the right home phoning up.

So I would look at what the time wasters have in common and write an ad that - if they read it - will explain why they get excluded.

[tdierikx]

We used to find that a lot of people only seemed to be looking at the photos of the dogs, and not actually reading all that much of the stuff written about it - then they'd fire off an email asking for information that was clearly written in the blurb... annoying, but then sometimes people just can't seem to absorb what they read on a computer screen (it's a known issue in all fields, not just in the rescue world).

The blurb needs to be short and to the point... lots of flowery prose just won't be read - simple as that. The photos need to show the dog as it actually is - maybe capture some of the personality by using a long lens and shooting from a distance so as the dog is doing what comes naturally. Definitely try for the tilted head portrait shots too if you can - people DO love those, and it can pull them into looking at the other photos of the dog in question. ALWAYS put up more than one photo of the dog also... it will stop the enquiries for more photos to get an idea of what the dog actualy looks like.

Sometimes writing the blurb as though you are the dog looking for a forever family can be read better than statistical info that comes across as somewhat boring. We had great success with this approach actually - we found that most enquirers for those dogs had read and absorbed what the "dog" had to say about their situation.

Having blanket rules about what constitutes a "good" home can cripple you somewhat - but if that's how you choose to run your rehoming arm, then you may need to suck it up and deal with the people who think they may be able to pursuade you otherwise. Having a slightly more open and individual approach to each dog's (and potential new owner's) needs may see many less so-called "time waster" emails coming your way...

Just some food for thought... *grin*

T.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

dating profiles for dogs? I can't find the original one (google fail)

I am very affectionate, fun loving, good sense of humour, love attention, long walks on beach, gardening and I hate cats.

looking for a special person who is honest and willing to commit.

people notice my big brown eyes

and my enthusiam for life

I can't live without a tasty pair of sox

My worst quality is I am easily distracted.

I am most passionate about food.

[keetamouse]

I have this at the end of each blurb:

IF YOU FIT THE CRITERIA FOR ANGUS PLEASE EMAIL ME FIRST WITH A RUN DOWN OF YOUR LIFESTYLE, ACTIVITY LEVELS, HOW MANY IN THE FAMILY, THE KIDS AGES ETC, YOUR OTHER DOG ANYTHING THAT GIVES ME AN IDEA OF THE TYPE OF LIFE I CAN EXPECT FOR ANGUS FOR THE NEXT 10 -12 YEARS. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER DOG AND ANGUS WOULD BE ON HIS OWN MOST OF THE DAY THEN YOUR ENQUIRY WILL NOT PROCEED.

I have so many people still ring me and I have to then ask them to email me like the blurb says, they just don't read the whole description they see the pic and then hunt for the phone number, they to me are time wasters, if I am home I have to drop ever thing to answer the phone and that can be many times a day.

If I let the phone go to message bank they hang up without leaving a message and then ring my mobile, if that goes to message bank they then ring my home again and still don't leave a message, I get really pissed off by this stage and sometimes pick up and tell they that it is annoying when they ring so many times and can they please email me.

I just had one now as I was typing this and when I rang him back he said he just rang and I didn't pick up so he was just now going to email me that's what I ask people to do before they ring

You can't win

Maree

CPR

Edited September 23, 2014 by keetamouse

[tdierikx]

We used to turn our phones off on Christmas Eve to avoid the last minute "gift" purchase enquiries/demands... errr!

There will always be people who really don't think about the bigger picture when looking for a pet - they want X dog, and they want it now - and if that means calling some poor rescue worker/vollie at all hours in order to secure said dog, then that's what they will do... you can't possibly have anything better to do, and are hanging by the phone waiting for them to take the dog off your hands after all... *sigh*

T.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

Keetamouse

is your blurb really like that - all caps and the bit about emailing buried in the text?

IF YOU FIT THE CRITERIA FOR ANGUS PLEASE EMAIL ME FIRST WITH A RUN DOWN OF YOUR LIFESTYLE, ACTIVITY LEVELS, HOW MANY IN THE FAMILY, THE KIDS AGES ETC, YOUR OTHER DOG ANYTHING THAT GIVES ME AN IDEA OF THE TYPE OF LIFE I CAN EXPECT FOR ANGUS FOR THE NEXT 10 -12 YEARS. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER DOG AND ANGUS WOULD BE ON HIS OWN MOST OF THE DAY THEN YOUR ENQUIRY WILL NOT PROCEED.

the first thing to put is the most important thing that I want to happen - and it has to be short.

details the why or twenty questions... like I've been learning from trying to get politicians to do stuff for me (or anybody really)...

People love surveys tho. I wonder if this could be incorporated somehow.

some questions to find you the best dog...

1. email first with details about you and your life

2. how often do you go for walks

3. how many live at your home where the dog will be

4. how many kids - how old is each one

5. do you have other dogs or pets?

6. how many hours per day will Angus be on his own? (don't suggest the "right answer")

7. do you care if all your sox have new holes in them?

8. did I say email - please email. I love emails.

9. I might answer the phone between 3pm and 4pm on weekdays. I will not answer it during breakfast, work, dinner or sleep time.

10. owning a dog requires patience - how patient are you? (you will be tested, daily).

[Leema]

I find PetRescue gets far more genuine enquiries than my adverts elsewhere (Gumtree and Facebook).

To me, the purpose of a rescue ad is to GET enquiries! The person might not be suitable for the particular dog they originally enquired about, but maybe one of your other dogs in care is suitable. It's awesome when you can pass one enquiry onto another dog.

If for some reason I have a dog that is getting a lot of unsuitable enquiries, I might put a clause in with ***s and capital letters. For example, I had a dog that was not child friendly, and I kept getting enquiries from people with kids, or people that were pregnant?? I have no idea why, but I guess the dog was pretty. Putting a NO CHILDREN clause with lots of stars got rid of most of these enquiries. Phew.

So, basically:

No, I don't get many time wasters. I might be getting some people who need a little bit of a re-education. I might be getting some people who are more suited to another dog - awesome.

[Leah82]

Thanks for the tips guys.

At this point I think I will be rewriting the adoption process as at the moment it's more about the rescue and ongoing support rather than the process for adopting a dog

and secondly, getting rid of the phone number and setting up a separate email account for adoption enquiries, potential matches can then be forwarded the adoption form to fill in or you can clarify anything that needs clarifying in your own time.

And Leema I know what you mean by passing one enquiry to another dog, my property manager husband does this for rental properties and does it well. Rather than just standing at the door passing out application forms he talks to the potential tenants to find out what they are looking for and will book them into see another property if he has another one that is more suitable.

[Aphra]

I think there are two things going on here.

There are lots of pets looking for homes so people often apply for several dogs at a time. It's frustrating to contact someone to be told, "I've just adopted a dog from someone else", but it's just how it goes.

Pet Rescue advices people to contact the rescue group and make sure the dog is still available before they make the application, which explains those inquiries. I also think people like to make contact before they submit an application, just to see if there are people at the other end. :-) Some, if not most, rescue groups can be terrible at getting back to people, so you can't blame adopters for hedging their bets.

I link to my enquiry from from the listing and about 50% of people fill that out immediately and the other 50% want to make contact. Some people like to read lots of information and look for it, others just don't read it - I suspect that is related to people's preferred learning and communication styles. Possibly we should think about how we can structure pet profiles so they have hooks for all kinds of learners. Maybe the lead image could have some text straight up which gives some clues "I need lots of exercise" or whatever? Visual people might never get past the photo, so that might help them?

For most people getting a new pet is a serious experience, they're dealing with strangers and they have lots of choice. Although they often don't read the whole profile, I also think they're looking for reassurance, a bit more information and a sense of who they're dealing with. People put a lot of trust in rescue groups and I think it's sensible of them to get a sense of who you are.

I do get frustrated at having to answer the same questions over and over again, but I try to remember that I do this every day, my adopters may be getting into the process for the first time and need a bit of hand holding. If this is all new to them, they may not even know much about navigating around Pet Rescue to pick up on the group profile and other information.

I don't have a phone number listed on my Pet Rescue listings though - I work full time and just can't handle taking lots of calls at work.

[mita]

Excellent post, Aphra. Your experience & insights show through.

[keetamouse]

Keetamouse

is your blurb really like that - all caps and the bit about emailing buried in the text?

IF YOU FIT THE CRITERIA FOR ANGUS PLEASE EMAIL ME FIRST WITH A RUN DOWN OF YOUR LIFESTYLE, ACTIVITY LEVELS, HOW MANY IN THE FAMILY, THE KIDS AGES ETC, YOUR OTHER DOG ANYTHING THAT GIVES ME AN IDEA OF THE TYPE OF LIFE I CAN EXPECT FOR ANGUS FOR THE NEXT 10 -12 YEARS. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER DOG AND ANGUS WOULD BE ON HIS OWN MOST OF THE DAY THEN YOUR ENQUIRY WILL NOT PROCEED.

the first thing to put is the most important thing that I want to happen - and it has to be short.

details the why or twenty questions... like I've been learning from trying to get politicians to do stuff for me (or anybody really)...

People love surveys tho. I wonder if this could be incorporated somehow.

some questions to find you the best dog...

1. email first with details about you and your life

2. how often do you go for walks

3. how many live at your home where the dog will be

4. how many kids - how old is each one

5. do you have other dogs or pets?

6. how many hours per day will Angus be on his own? (don't suggest the "right answer")

7. do you care if all your sox have new holes in them?

8. did I say email - please email. I love emails.

9. I might answer the phone between 3pm and 4pm on weekdays. I will not answer it during breakfast, work, dinner or sleep time.

10. owning a dog requires patience - how patient are you? (you will be tested, daily).

Sorry not sure what is wrong with what I have written, "email me" is in the first line, not buried in the text, caps is to "emphasise" so it stands out, todays generation see caps as "shouting" I don't.

CPR don't have a list of questions as I find what I do ask for gives me an idea of whether I go to the next level and that is I phone them and then go from there.

I have had a few people lately that have filled in another rescue groups questionnaire which is on average 3-4 pages long and I don't have time to read it when a lot of it does not apply to what I need to know.

I feel when you have a list of questions they answer with a "yes" or "no" they don't expand on this, by asking people to write their little blurb is easier for me and after rehoming nearly 1000 dogs in 14 years I must be doing something right.

Maree

CPR

[melzawelza]

I guess if a whole section of the population sees all-caps as yelling it's maybe preferable to avoid? I've also read that linguists have found that putting things in all caps actually makes it harder to read because it's much more blocky and uniform. You might find for that reason people are skipping the all-caps block of text which has important info you're wanting to convey.

Edited September 24, 2014 by melzawelza