The new adoption policy ratings system.

[_PL_]

I thought I'd post this because it indirectly effects everyone regardless of whether you are involved with rescue or not. If you're part of the community I believe you want to see appropriately placed rescue dogs. The community wants responsible rescues whose best interest is a great match not just turnover. I want that too. 

 

But who do you think will attract more people? The Flexible, the Moderate or the Strict?

 

Because Pet Rescue are correct. Potential adopters don't always understand what the adoption process is (and why it's not as simple as just choosing a dog), and they don't know that there are 'Flexible' groups who take no care with rehomings and have no return policy .... and they will be successfully competing for attention. 

 

Oh and there is already a spot to list your adoption procedure so it's easily explained already.

 

This new system will benefit high turnover groups, in turn attracting more inquiries via the site, and in turn more opportunities for PR to hit them up for donations 

 

The latest news from PetRescue.    

 

Adoption policy levels

We understand that all rescue organisations operate independently and have their own policies and procedures when matching potential adopters to suitable pets.

The differences can be vast, and potentially tricky for prospective adopters to navigate, particularly if they are new to the adoption experience. And attracting new adopters is vital if more rescue pets are to be saved!

What's the change?

All existing PetRescue member rescue groups, shelters and pounds now have the option to select a policy level that best represents their adoption policy, so that pet seekers are fully aware of how flexible or strict the groups are when they make an enquiry about a pet.

This policy level information is visible on each pet listing, underneath the 'Adoption details' heading.

Why?

Communicating adoption policy information helps pets and adopters connect quickly and smoothly.

It helps prospective adopters understand your requirements early on in the process, enabling them to connect more smoothly with your rescue organisation.

This helps set expectations from the get-go, which means better matches, faster. And that means more lives saved!

What are the policy level options?

These policy level descriptions are intended as a guide only, to help adopters in their journey to find a new furry family member. A rescue organisation may undertake some of these processes and requirements, but not others, during the enquiry and adoption process.

Flexible

An organisation with flexible adoption policies and procedures is one that embraces open adoption philosophies. The enquiry and adoption process is simple and straightforward, with ongoing support available after adoption. This MAY include:

• Short or no application form
• Phone chat or email contact
• Meet and greets
• Interstate adoption may be available
• Adopt-on-the-day may be available under certain circumstances (ie. in a shelter or vet situation, in-store adoption events etc.)

Moderate

An organisation with moderate adoption policies and procedures undertakes a more in-depth application process, or may have particular living requirements for pets. This MAY include:

• Application form required (prior to meet and greet)
• Interview via phone chat
• May have specified requirements for individual pets (i.e. indoor pets only)
• Home check may be required

Strict

An organisation with strict adoption policies and procedures undertakes a detailed and involved screening process prior to a prospective adopter meeting the pet. This MAY include:

• Full application form required before the group will contact a prospective adopter
• Lengthy and detailed application form
• Interview via phone or face-to-face
• Universal requirements regardless of individual circumstances (i.e. all adopters must be over 25yrs, no young children etc)
• Home check required
• May require vet reference or other checks

[Mjosa]

About two months ago another of my grandsons and his partner adopted this beautiful Kelpie from the RSPCA, his name is Walt and he is travelling Australia in a motorhome with them, they were lucky to get him, as when they visited the RSPCA to look at dogs they took the wrong turn to go out and ended up where the dogs that were not ready for adoption, needing vet work done, and spotted him, this poor boy had been very badly treated by his former owner and had been at the pound for three months, the three of them are just so lucky because of the wrong turn taken to get out of the pound that day.

[Little Gifts]

I can see why this might be useful information to a potential adopter but it sort of makes it sound like some groups are unnecessarily bureaucratic and will take much longer (which many people say they don't have). From the other side of the fence I know that stricter adoption policies are totally necessary for some dogs and some breeds of dogs to ensure the adoption is a long term and successful one. Groups that have stricter policies tend to take on the harder to rehome cases too. I wish there was a way  Pet Rescue could reflect this, helping people make the link to it being about the dogs needs rather than the groups needs. They seem to be upselling the flexible policy too, like why would you choose an organisation with strict policies when you can get all of this in an instant! Not sure it's on the mark.

[Mjosa]

 My previous post in this thread should have been under the heading of Dino the GAP dog. Sorry.

[Pjrt]

6 hours ago, Mjosa said:

About two months ago another of my grandsons and his partner adopted this beautiful Kelpie from the RSPCA, his name is Walt and he is travelling Australia in a motorhome with them, they were lucky to get him, as when they visited the RSPCA to look at dogs they took the wrong turn to go out and ended up where the dogs that were not ready for adoption, needing vet work done, and spotted him, this poor boy had been very badly treated by his former owner and had been at the pound for three months, the three of them are just so lucky because of the wrong turn taken to get out of the pound that day.

Wow that’s almost the exact thing that helped me get Tits by chance from the RSPCA at Lonsdale earlier this year. It’s almost 2 hrs drive for me so I was getting there as often as I could. They will not hold a dog that you’ve looked at online, they will only hold once you have seen the dog in person, which I guess is fair enough, but makes things hard when you see a potential match online and 2 hrs later they’re gone every time. So I went this day and saw all the usual suspects, Staffy mix, working dog mix, a sprinkling of nondescript Med to large mixes, and a couple of ‘foxies’ of course no small fluffies. So I stopped a staff member and asked we’re these the only dogs and what I was looking for. She says, actually there is a little guy out the back that must be due up the front soon, paged for a staff member to bring him up, and although I had to wait 2 weeks for him, I was able to have first hold on him, as I’d actually met him. If I’d never spoken up I might still be looking. Tits has fitted in beyond my expectations, he’s a true treasure. He was chipped so I know his birthday. He turned 7 this week. 

I want a companion for him now and come up against all mannner of roadblocks trying to get the right dog out of rescue, even looking nationally. 

 

[tdierikx]

There are things one can be flexible about, and then there are those things you can't... like fences suitable to contain the dog you wish to adopt... *sigh*

 

... it should come down to a suitable match for the individual dog (or cat/rabbit/ferret/etc) and a potential adopter IMHO... blanket policies only limit the number of actual possibilities for any individual animal.

 

T.

[Mjosa]

Mingaling Tits is just so adorable, it only takes for one to speak up like you did or like James and Alice taking the wrong turn to go out and you all have ended up with your heart dog, they had to wait for 2 weeks too while he had his vet work done and recover, he is just the most amazingingly friendly boy.

[Two Best Dogs!]

I think I would have liked such indicators when I was dog hunting back when I got thistle. I applied to so many dogs and kept getting rejected. One of them I'm still very sad about. A foster 5 month old staghound x. I worked too much so wouldn't be able to settle her in? Even though I had outlined my plans to take 3 weeks off and slowly introduce to alone time. They made no mention if she had separation anxiety or not. The real kicker was 1 year after adopting thistle she was still in that rescue in foster. 

 

The place I got thistle from were a little unsure of my working hours but didn't mind once I explained my 3 weeks off plan. And she was clearly identified as special needs...

 

so I think a flexible rating is a good idea so don't go pinning my hearts on dogs I'll be rejected for.  Saves time on everyone's side...

 

(although pretty sure I've already picked my next rescue dog source lol)

[_PL_]

PetRescue

950+ member organisations
8,000+ pets looking for homes
20,000+ pet-seeking web visitors per day

And...how many different enquiry and adoption processes and policies?

Rescue organisations have a lot in common, starting with a passion to make the world a better place for homeless pets. But there are a lot of differences too!

These differences in enquiry, application and adoption policies and procedures can be pretty bewildering for pet seekers, especially for those who have never adopted a rescue pet before.

Currently, breeders are the number one source for obtaining a dog in Australia, and 75 per cent of cats are acquired from non-rescue sources^. Converting pet seekers who currently get their pets from breeders and other non-rescue sources is vital if more rescue pets are to be rehomed. Adoption should be the number one option for obtaining a pet!

To see more pets adopted, we want to make the search process a little less bewildering for the 20,000 pet-seekers who visit PetRescue.com.au each day.

This latest phase of the Matchmakers Project is designed to help your rescue organisation set adopter expectations from the start of the enquiry process, which means better matches, faster. And that means more lives saved!

So, flexible, moderate, strict - what’s your policy?

[_PL_]

Above is how it was explained in the member email. Better matches, faster. Like I said, higher turnover and encouragement to be 'flexible' because it will attract more people to their website. As LG said, anything other that flexible gives the impression of being unnecessarily bureaucratic.

Uptight, withholding, suspicious, picky, difficult to work with.

You can't make everyone happy, so for every dog there will be people who find the process hard because of a refusal and they will be more attracted to the Flexible (easier) groups. 

 

Any group who has slower turnover or rescues sick or senior dogs has always faced judgement. Why rescue like that when there are hundreds of easy healthy dogs dying. Rescue ones that are faster to adopt so you can get more in.  

Now we get labels from within the site that is supposed to be a supportive, non judgemental resource for every member. 

 

 

Last year, no home visits was represented as best practice So this has been coming for a while.

Quote

There is increasing evidence that, despite being carried out with the best intentions, home checks can create a barrier to adoption, sending prospective adopters elsewhere to obtain their new furry family member.

At a time when we wholeheartedly want more people to choose rescue as their first option for sourcing a pet, it makes sense to look at ways to encourage more adoptions, and to place pets more quickly in order to free up space for incoming animals.

 

Edited October 16, 2017 by Powerlegs

[shel]

At 450 pet applications a day (170k a year or so) and 90k adoptions the issue isn't a lack of adopters getting pets. Even though that's what they *say* the problem is. 

The problem is, like jobs, there aren't enough pets to go around. Mostly because there aren't enough groups with enough resources to get the animals out of the pound and get them ready for adoption any quicker than you already do.
 

PetRescue says there are over 956 rescue groups on their site.

But on their rescue directory pages there are 68 pages of 12 groups (68 x 12 = 816) + 1 page of 10 groups = 826

There are 826 groups servicing the whole country. That's including major shelters like the RSPCA.

Just 239 groups have more than 10 pets listed (total) as of today.
 

Rather than hounding rescue groups about their policies or how quickly they can return mail to adopters, maybe PetRescue need to be looking at why just a couple of hundred groups are doing most of their adoptions. At the rate rescues are disappearing (or carers are being forced to quit caring) they'll be left with expensive infrastructure and no content.

Of the people who have nominated so far...

3 have nominated STRICT

6 have nominated MODERATE
And just one group has registered as FLEXIBLE

The idea that there is a bunch of rescue groups ready to jump on the 'flexible' adoption policies train, simply ignores the reality that most groups want autonomy over their adoption process and are already doing all the can to get pets into homes. If they were truly interested in increasing the capacity of rescue, they would be asking you what support you actually need and championing, not working to disparage, your processes. It's frankly, absurd that they think they can "rescue", without rescue.

[Little Gifts]

Interesting stuff Shel.

 

 

[Malti]

'Flexible' should read 'Easy'. Don't adopt dogs from pet shops as it is impulse buying but you can if it is an open rescue day at a petshop?? I don't see the difference.  

Petrescue already has an existing field called 'Adoption Details' where rescues can put in their adoption process for adopters to read when they click on a particular dog they are interested in. 

Lets face it Petrescue has stopped being for rescue a long time ago, they still claim $10 to them saves a life,  rescues have been told they are wrong for doing home checks, they now want to cater to adopters and rescues being put in the 'moderate to strict' category is going to be less appealing and rescues that are in those categories aren't turning over adoptions quick enough for Petrescue liking and dogs are being killed because rescues choose not to use the 'flexible' option. No interest in the rescue or the dogs future, just as long as it is a quick as possible rehoming.

Petrescue seem to promote puppy flipping rescues now instead of seeing rescue as a responsibility. But hey, Gumtree doesn't seem so dodgy to advertise rescue dogs on now.

[Scottsmum]

This seems all a bit too "one size" for me. Not sure who'd want to self describe as "flexible" (seems way too relaxed) or strict.

 

Personally,  I'd want to know the individual rescue policy.

[juice]

I just spotted a dog i know is in HP listed with a rescue ( hub), as strict. Interesting as i could walk into the pound no questions asked as the dog is overdue and take it.

I 'm not really sure i understand how a group can say they are in control of a dogs adoption when they are not?

 

i also had a pathetic response from a well known rescue on PR  who took a week to get back to me after i filled in the very long application form ( wanting my drivers license number etc), they said they would text my ASAP , nope, took 2 calls and days waiting , and then told me to call between certain hours which i did and it went to answerphone the whole time! no wonder their dogs live in kennels for years!

[RuralPug]

5 hours ago, juice said:

I just spotted a dog i know is in HP listed with a rescue ( hub), as strict. Interesting as i could walk into the pound no questions asked as the dog is overdue and take it.

I 'm not really sure i understand how a group can say they are in control of a dogs adoption when they are not?

...

That seems particularly shoddy - listing a dog that is not in their care.
I have no problems with a rescue sharing a dog that is in a pound, it might get that dog adopted even though they have no space for it; or sometimes rescues will list an impounded dog in the hope of attracting a foster home, so that they can take it from the pound. In either case it should be made quite clear that the dog is in the pound, and not safe with the rescue.

Edited October 17, 2017 by RuralPug

[juice]

They take great shots and get the dogs exposed but they are saying they are strict , and you have to have a phone interview . 

[RuralPug]

9 minutes ago, juice said:

They take great shots and get the dogs exposed but they are saying they are strict , and you have to have a phone interview . 

Ah ok, so they are not pretending that the dog is anywhere else, but what you are saying is that you have knowledge of the pound's adoption procedures and they are not strict at all?
 

[_PL_]

The dogs have their pound number, I just can't find where it says the dogs are still impounded. Maybe that's what the phone call is for?

 

To me it looks like they are with rescue already. 

 

Edited October 17, 2017 by Powerlegs

[RuralPug]

That just sounds weird. 
EDITED TO ADD: 

Okay on the rescue's page at PetRescue they state:
" was founded in 2016 to help promote dogs currently in Hawkesbury Companion Animal Shelter."

So it looks to me like they pull from the pound when a firm adoption query is made but not before.
And comparing their adoption fee with the pound itself, they are actually slightly cheaper than adopting straight from the pound plus you get to meet the pet with your current pets before adoption (I don't know if the pound does that).
My personal preference is to have pound dogs fostered for at least a few weeks in a family home before being adopted out as I think you can match dogs and homes better, but there is no law saying it has to be that way.

It is all upfront as long as you read the rescue's page.

 

Edited October 17, 2017 by RuralPug