 |
No More Homeless Pets Forum
May 3, 2004 Why Pets are Relinquished & What to Do About It |
Karen Green of Best Friends Animal Society will answer your questions and share insights into the underlying reasons that animals end up in shelters and what can be done to keep animals in their homes.
Introduction from Karen Green:
We've all heard the reasons people have for giving up a pet: "We don't have enough time for him." "She's peeing all over the house." "My stepdaughter is allergic." "He's growling at the baby." "He has bad hips and we can't afford the surgery." And the ever-popular "We're moving."There's no question that lifestyle changes, behavior problems, and expense can contribute to pet relinquishment, but there are underlying causes that don't show up on those questionnaires people fill out when they turn a pet over to a shelter or rescue group. Many people who bring a pet into their household have unrealistic expectations about what that pet will or will not provide, require, or act like. When the realities of caring for and sharing a home with a pet set in, the commitment to that animal can falter. The intensity of the bond a person shares with his/her pet has an enormous impact on whether that person will keep a pet when the going gets tough (or moves to a new apartment).
Effective spay/neuter programs reduce the number of animals becoming homeless. Adoption programs find homes for homeless pets. Trap/neuter/return programs control feral cat populations, reducing the numbers of cats dying in shelters and on the streets. So what can we do to help keep pets in their homes? What can we, as shelter employees, volunteers for rescue groups, or individual animal advocates, do to keep pets from becoming homeless? What services can we provide to help with those lifestyle change situations, behavior problems, or expenses? What about making people's expectations about having a pet more realistic? How can we strengthen the bond between people and their pets? And what do we do when we think an animal shouldn't stay in the home?
This week, we'll discuss ideas for creating communities where pets have loving homes and keep them for life. We'll talk about what you can do, whatever your level of involvement in animal welfare, to provide the support needed to prevent animals from losing their homes and entering the shelter/rescue system.
I look forward to answering your questions about how you can help save lives by keeping pets in their homes, and keeping those homes stable and healthy.
Questions
Pet friendly rental housing
Surrendering animals when they can't afford medical care
Requiring appointments for relinquishments
When people want to adopt a breed they saw on TV and think they are getting the perfect pet
Convincing groups that knowing where animals came from is important
Offering short-term foster care when necessary
Returning pets because of behavioral conflicts with other pets
How much responsibility should we put on the owner surrendering the animal?
Charging a surrender fee
Reaching ethnic communities
Is relinquishment to a shelter ever the preferable option?
What resources does Best Friends provide?
Supporting a local shelter in putting programs in place
Pet friendly rental housing
Question from Kim:
It's becoming widespread practice around here for apartments to charge $20 more per cat per month plus their $300 non-refundable pet fee.A tenant over three years with 2 cats will thus pay close to $2000 in pet "fees", when the landlord has maybe nothing risked, and was going to replace the carpet between tenants anyway. Seems like the most that could be lost is depreciated cost of carpet, which may be only a couple hundred dollars at most. I've been wondering if these policies could be challenged on legal basis.
Karen Green's response:
It is not at all uncommon for rental housing to charge more for tenants with pets. Many rentals also restrict pets by size, species, or breed. I don't have the legal background to say whether one could challenge these rules legally, though it does not seem likely to me. Aside from pets used for assistance, there are no regulations that I know of limiting a property owner's ability to restrict pet ownership/guardianship.Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to wipe out additional rental fees or deposits for people with pets. I believe the result would be far fewer rental choices for pet owners, and there's little enough of that already. If an extra twenty bucks a month is all that stands between a pet in a home and a pet in the shelter, well, things could be much worse. Actually, increased rental fees and deposits for pet-toting renters is one of the arguments people often use to convince property owners/managers to allow pets in their housing at all. Unless a property owner has a personal interest in their tenants having pets, there's not much other reason to think that they would allow pets in their rentals. After all, pets can cause property damage; they make noise; they make other waste; they can be source of tenant disputes; and they often mean higher property insurance rates.
Most renters expect to pay more for housing that allows pets. I own my home; the expenses I've incurred as a result of my pets are substantial (I hesitate to tally up even just the big ones...). These expenses, as well as medical expenses and basic care costs (food, litter, etc.) are part of having a pet. Helping people have realistic expectations about these costs is something we need to work on in our humane education, adoption practices, and on a personal level, with friends or family, etc.
The larger issue here is simply the shortage of pet-friendly housing, and there are a lot of things you can do in your community to help increase the rental options for pet owners/guardians. There are some great resources developed by the San Francisco SPCA as part of their Open Door program to help encourage landlords to allow pets in housing, and to offer support to make that experience as positive as possible. Just as we want to make it as easy as possible for people to have, and to provide good homes to, pets, we want to make it easy for people to support those relationships. We cannot expect landlords to allow pets in housing just because we think it's the right thing to do. The Open Door program also includes tips for renters on finding housing, and a list of pet-friendly rentals in the San Francisco area. This is a great model program that could be replicated in any community. You can learn more at: http://www.sfspca.org/opendoor/index.shtml
A pet-friendly rental listing can be a valuable resource to people with pets in your community. You don't have to work at a shelter to provide this service. Any individual could create a pet-friendly housing list. The key is promoting the listing so that people who need it know how to find the information.
Comment from Lois:
In California there is no such thing as a non-refundable deposit. According to state statues a landlord may only charge up to a two months rent for a security deposit and nothing beyond that. They can charge what they want for rent, if the city is not under rent control. In Los Angeles, for example, if you are in a rent controlled building the landlord may only charge 3% a year for a rental increase. This means that if the building was under rent control in 1978, when the rent control ordinance passed, when an apartment is vacated the landlord may increase the rent as he wishes, but once the apartment is rented, then it goes back under rent control. This does not change the deposit law, however.Surrendering animals when they can't afford medical care
Question from Sandra:
I volunteer at a city shelter, which pretty much has to take any animal in, and there are lots of owner surrenders. Just this past Friday a woman brought in a German shepherd with hip dysplasia and her reason for surrendering the dog was she couldn't afford the medical expenses and just couldn't take care of it anymore.The outcome for this dog is probably not good since many potential adopters don't want a dog that has serious medical problems. So how do we talk to owners turning in their animals because of medical reason? What if they simply don't want to deal with their animal's problem and just want to get rid of it?
Some people really show genuine emotion when they are surrendering their animal. However, I've seen many others who seem (at least on the surface) to show zero remorse.
Karen Green's response:
I'm going to back up a step from your more specific questions for a moment. I feel strongly that the appropriate approach to someone who is considering surrendering an animal is to assess the situation and to discuss options. Our most helpful role is as a resource - someone who knows about pets and all aspects of pet care, including finding a new home for a pet, if that's what's best. It's very important to listen and pay attention to a person during this process. For you to be able to have any positive impact, you need to know what you're trying to impact. You want to start by asking some questions and trying to determine to what the person is open. I have consulted with thousands of people who were considering giving up an animal, or were in the act of giving up an animal. I learned quickly that there are some people that are not interested in discussing alternatives! It didn't matter how many innovative and practical solutions I could think up for them.You can only help someone if they are interested in your help. Your goal can't be to make the person do something they don't want to do. But your goal can be to offer them the information they need to make the best decision they can make in that situation, and to offer support to help with whatever decision they make. If their decision is ultimately to turn the animal over to you, then you can work off of what your options are for that animal.
I get into all this because I think it's important in how we address people who surrender pets for any reason, or are looking for help with a pet situation. This approach is most efficient, will help support positive public relations, and is most likely to result in a happy ending for the animal.
So, if a person can't keep a pet because they truly cannot afford medical care for that pet, then there are a few options. Note: I'm not making recommendations here. I'm just bringing up options.
You can try to offer resources to help them. Perhaps your shelter, a friends of the shelter group, veterinary clinic, or other humane agency can develop a fund to help pay for veterinary expenses for low-income pet owners.
If you have a clinic in or affiliated with your shelter, you may be able to perform the surgery for reduced cost, or your organization can absorb the costs.
Your organization could pay part or all of the veterinary expenses to a private veterinarian.
You could offer suggestions on how the person could raise the funds for the surgery or treatment, such as a yard sale or bake sale, web site, etc.
The owner could keep the pet and not treat the injury/illness/condition.
The owner could have the pet euthanized by a private veterinarian.
The owner could seek other funding through organizations that provide funding in these situations, (for instance, IMOM, www.imom.org).
You could take the pet into your facility, and then either pay to fix or treat the medical problem, try to find a home that will adopt the animal and absorb those costs, or euthanize the animal.
You discuss options, the owner can decide which he can/will pursue, and you can help him support that decision in the most appropriate manner. For instance, in some cases, euthanasia may be the most humane decision. The pet's owner may be coming to the shelter because he isn't comfortable making the decision to euthanize an animal that is truly suffering and can no longer be effectively treated medically.
The initial reason the owner may give for surrendering the animal is that he "can't afford the medical care and can't take care of the animal any longer", but you may find, through further discussion, that euthanasia is really appropriate. In another case, you may find that the owner is just not bonded to or interested in investing anything into the animal. In that case, you'll pursue other options, which may mean having her sign the release papers and then doing what you can through your program to find something suitable for the critter.
Please note that I am not suggesting we endorse people who are making irresponsible decisions for their pets. But it's important that we realize that they may make these decisions. If we are open to seeing all the options, then we can provide the most appropriate information and support, greatly improving the odds in the pet's favor.
We can approach these situations without judgment and with our focus on helping the individual find and pursue a humane solution. Then we will have much more success than if we go into each case with a predetermined idea of what the solution is. If we take this approach, and can identify or develop resources and programs to support many of the different options for the various situations in which pets can lose their homes, we can keep a lot of pets healthy and happy in their homes, and out of animal shelters!
Requiring appointments for relinquishments
Question from a member:
I heard a suggestion that shelters should consider requiring appointments for relinquishments. I really like the idea of having the opportunity to counsel pet owners to encourage them to keep their pets. However, I'm afraid that if people show up at the shelter to surrender a pet and we turn them away because they don't have an appointment, they'll dump the pet on their way home. What are your thoughts on requiring appointments?Karen Green's response:
There are many programs and resources your organization can provide to help people keep their pets. However, it is important to note that to be effective, these programs need to be widely publicized. You want the public to know about your behavior counseling, pet-friendly housing listing, or emergency medical fund before they show up at the shelter to give up their pet. Counseling at a surrender appointment is a great idea, but to help keep pets in their homes, you really need people to come to you well before they're at that point. So requiring an appointment to surrender an animal will not necessarily have a huge impact on the numbers of people who go through with the decision to give up a pet. However, there are still benefits to a surrender appointment.There have been more and more private animal shelters, which are requiring appointments to surrender an animal. (I do not know of any animal control agencies that require appointments.) Some of the benefits of surrender appointments are obvious. For instance, a shelter can keep a more even schedule, avoiding floods of animals coming in all at once. Not only is this easier on your staff and/or volunteers, but it gives you the chance to interview the owner/guardian about the pet. The ability to talk with a pet's person in a relatively open setting will help your organization learn much more about the animal, which will help you to provide what is necessary to find that animal an appropriate new home. Another argument for requiring appointments is that it changes the perception of surrendering a pet as being a simple convenience, like dropping off the dry cleaning. It shows that surrendering a pet is a process that the shelter takes seriously, and expects an owner/guardian to take seriously as well.
Regarding your concern that people may dump pets, if they are not allowed the option to surrender them through the appropriate channels, there are a few points to consider. The shelters that have implemented surrender appointment requirements have found that, for the most part, people are very receptive. They have also found that many people have been fairly willing to try other options before surrendering a pet, when these options are presented during a "surrender" interview (see the note about this below). Most people really do want to do right by their pet, and will work with you on finding solutions to keep the animal safe and happy. For those that are unwilling to come back later for an appointment, there are a couple of options. Many, if not most, of the programs that require surrender appointments will make exceptions to that requirement, if there seems to be a threat to the animal. I have not seen any evidence that requiring people to make an appointment to surrender an animal results in an increase in abandonment, abuse, or neglect.
Comment from Luann:
Just wanted to share our policies on appointments for surrendering a family member. The person calls our telephone lines and leaves a message on the 4 lines we have available: the Dog line, the Cat line, the Volunteer line, and the Miscellaneous line. We have people taking messages and returning phone calls. During our conversation with the person we find out what type of animal(s) and for what reason the animal(s) are being given up for. We also find out some health history and frequency of visits to the vet or if the animal(s) is even seeing a vet on a regular basis. We also suggest possible solutions on how to keep their animals depending on the reason given for giving it up. If the animal is purebred we try to steer them to purebred rescues, or help them in advertising the animal in the proper way if they want to try to find a home first themselves.We then tell them because we are a No Kill Shelter they need to be set up an appointment for a temperament test and we only test during the day by appointment only. (We will make some re-arrangements if the person truly cannot make a day appointment.) But we will suggest they take a vacation day if possible. If the person does not want to spend the time doing the legwork then they really do not care, and if it is a little difficult for these people they will usually end up taking the pet to the Humane Leagues. For the most part, people will jump through the hoops; rarely do they not. We inform them to fax the vet records prior to the appointment, and the day of the appointment it's $35.
Temperament fee is required prior to the test beginning if the animal(s) does not pass the $35.00 is non-refundable. We tell them depending on the availability the day of the test the animal maybe staying or may need to go home with them until room becomes available. (We never know when we may come in a day to find the dog law officer has visited through the night and left us a few packages that fill the kennel, and we are all aware of the emergency intakes we were not planning on.)
The owner has to come to the shelter with their animal(s). You would be surprised... Sometimes, depending on time issues, they will ask if they can foster their pet because it has become reality when they walk into the kennel and see animals behind kennel fencing. It tugs at their heartstrings to think they are going to leave their animal here.
So screening to us is very important. If their animal(s) does not pass the temperament test we would be unavailable to help them other than giving them some literature and other information of other avenues to pursue. They are pre-warned this can happen. We have been doing this since we opened because of the limited space we have.
When people want to adopt a breed they saw on TV and think they are getting that perfect dog
Question from Cindy:
A problem our shelter faces is that when people come in and they have in their mind that they want a cute terrier, because they saw Eddie on "Fraiser". We try to explain about the breed, their digging and their level of energy. The people aren't even listening to us, because they think they are getting Eddie, all trained and perfect. We find that it is really hard to counsel them. If we go through with the adoption, the dog often comes back because, sure enough, it wasn't what they expected. If we don't go through with the adoption, because there really is nothing wrong with the adopter, we just don't think this is the appropriate dog for them, the people are mad at us and say they will just go to a pet store. We feel like it is a catch-22.Karen Green's response:
A very good point! You can "educate" a person's ears off, but sometimes they aren't interested in hearing what you have to say! A few thoughts on this issue:1. First, and I can't say this enough, our approach to adopters is very important. Our public image and customer service should be excellent. We can't expect people to be interested in our "education" if they don't trust and respect us. We need to approach the public as customers, and partners. Try putting yourself in the shoes of a person who comes to you to adopt, and consider how your organization is perceived.
2. Your goal is to match a pet with an adopter. Most (not all, but most) potential adopters will appreciate your efforts to help them find a pet that will fit into their lifestyle. If you believe that a pet is a poor fit for a home, you are not obligated to follow through with the adoption just because the adopter has a fenced yard and three references. I think that I provide a wonderful home for my companion animals (not surprisingly), but I most certainly would not be a good fit for a Fox Terrier!
Remember that an adoption application is just a tool, not a test you can use to determine whether someone is a "good" or "bad" adoption prospect. Focus on the individual adopter and animal, not on the paperwork.
3. Consider options other than just approving or denying an adoption. What about a trial period? A "foster-to-adopt" program? Why not take the pressure of possible "failure" off, for you and the potential adopter, and figure out what is going to be a good fit by giving it a try? If this idea rubs you the wrong way, remember that the alternative may be putting animals into homes in which they "fail", or missing out on homes that could have been an excellent fit.
The Denver Dumb Friends League has recently started a program where adopters take a sort of personality test. Potential adopter's responses to various questions place them as one of nine "canine personality types". Each type has a correlating color, and the kennel card for each animal in the shelter is color-coded to those same types. So an adopter has an objective way of determining which animals are likely to be the best fit for them. What a fun and creative way to match pets with people!
Convincing groups that knowing where animals came from is important
Question from Linda:
Any ideas on unique strategies to help convince groups that it's important to know from where their animals come? In our area, some organizations may ask this, others do not. So there isn't a very realistic picture to tell us where to go from here. We've all got hold of a different part of that elephant.Karen Green's response:
Ice cream? Chocolate? Alcohol? Or have you already tried those?Seriously, though, you're right to be looking for creative ways to address this issue. Let's look at some of the reasons a shelter or organization may not want to commit to getting this data and some ideas for addressing those reasons:
1. You're basically asking organizations to do more work. Getting meaningful information about where animals come from (and why, and how, and what kind.) means more paperwork, more data to organize, just plain more hassle.
Actually, for a place that already uses a decent system for gathering and processing information already, it's not that much more work. But for some shelters and organizations that may have an antiquated system, or no system at all, the prospect could seem overwhelming. If this is the case, offering to help with locating the appropriate software, assisting with creating forms, and offering administrative assistance with implementing this new process may help.
2. They may not see the importance of getting the information.
In this case, of course, providing supporting information is the key. To be able to determine what programs and efforts are most needed in your community, you need to know what the greatest needs are. If you want to slow the number of animals coming into the shelter, you need to know where they're coming from and why. Then you can develop plans to address those issues. But hey, I'm preaching to the choir, right?
I'd like to suggest, as a resource, the Community Assessment and Planning for the Humane Movement guide (written by your very own No More Homeless Pets Forum moderator, Aimee St. Arnaud, by the way), available on our web site at: http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/pdf/Assessment.pdf
3. They may not see the purpose for gathering the information. Perhaps, in their situation, the information would not be used to make any changes, so the extra effort involved in getting it seems fruitless.
It's possible that you could offer to help them make changes within their organization. Or to create programs, as part of your organization that would address the issues.
4. It may be that you're asking for the information as part of a community-wide effort. In that case, there is a whole new pile of possible contentions. They may not agree with your efforts. They may not believe that your efforts will help them. They may not believe that your efforts will help the animals. They may fear that you will use their data against them. They may just not like you.
More communication is the key. Don't be afraid to just ask them why they don't want to get the data. Then address their concerns. Humility can go a very long way in these conflicts.
More suggestions for gathering and using statistics effectively can be found in the No More Homeless Pets Forum archives: "Statistics and Definitions: What can they do for you?"
Honestly, though, you can never overestimate the power of food in developing relationships and effecting change.
But when all else fails, just do the best you can with your part of the elephant. You may find that others come along, especially when they see how... umm... how nice your elephant tail is coming along? Ok, we'll ditch the analogy. Just don't let the resistance of other organizations keep you from proceeding with your plans and goals.
Offering short term foster care to owners when necessary
Question from Crystal:
I was wondering if a kind of respite care, or short-term foster care (for a few weeks or months) would help keep more animals in their homes. I remember a particularly heartbreaking case where a woman, who had just had a baby, had her husband walk out on her. She was at the end of her rope and felt as if she just couldn't care for her (senior) cats anymore, so she had to relinquish them. I wonder if she could have kept her cats if someone could have taken them temporarily until she got her life together. There are many other situations such as this, when someone is going through such a rough patch in his/her life that they feel they cannot care for or cope with an otherwise cherished pet.Have you heard of or had any experience with short-term foster care? I've heard of programs that provide temporary shelter for pets of abuse victims. Would "respite care" follow the same template? Or would foster homes work better? And what about the animals in this situation - how would their welfare best be served if they needed some kind of respite care?
Karen Green's response:
Another great question!Of course the best respite care providers are individuals, friends or family of the pet's guardian. On an individual level, you can avoid some of the challenges you face as an organization providing a similar service. Obviously, not every person has a friend or family member that can help out with a pet when times are tough. However, if you have someone coming to you for help with an animal, it's worth encouraging him/her to look for solutions closer to home. Sometimes they don't ask friends or family for help, because they're embarrassed, or think people won't want to help them. Often when solutions to those particularly tough pet situations are resolved, it is through a personal contact, a colleague, a member of their church, etc.
Last year I cared for my sister's dog, Reina, for a couple of months. My sister and her family were living with a friend temporarily while they looked for a place to rent where they could have a dog. There didn't seem to be any alternative temporary options, and it is possible that Reina would have lost her family permanently if she hadn't had a place to hang out for a while. Finding a pet-friendly rental while on a tight budget was not easy, but they were committed to bringing Reina back home. I think it helped that my 3-year-old nephew kept referring to Reina as his "best friend", talking about playing with her in the yard when they got their new house, and blessing her in his prayers. (And some people say little kids and big dogs don't mix!)
Anyway, Reina never had to enter the shelter/rescue system, and is now happily back home with her family. While Reina has a fabulous temperament, she is a very large, Rottie/German Shepherd mix with bad hips and knees. It was much easier to care for her in a foster home for two months than to start from scratch and find her a new permanent home. There certainly are situations in which interim care will make it possible for a family to keep a pet for life.
However, (and this is a pretty big "however") particularly as a shelter or organization, there are a lot of issues that come up if you're providing temporary care for owned pets. Here are a few things to consider:
The owners may not come back for the pet. You can't assume that you'll know who will follow through, and who will just fall through. You should be prepared to end up with the animal. So whatever qualifications you have on taking in animals into your program should also apply for (allegedly) "temporary" critters.
You'll need to have an agreement with the owner/guardian on at what point the animal becomes yours. You don't want an animal sitting in a kennel or foster home for weeks or months on end, without adoption as an option, because you're still waiting for the owner to return.
How will you handle the liability issues? If the pet becomes ill or is injured, you could be held responsible by the owner. On the other hand, if the pet injures someone else, you could still be held liable! Having temporary responsibility for an animal that is not legally yours brings up a whole load of legal issues.
Who will handle costs, especially the big ones? If a pet is sick or injured, who will pay for treatment? How will decisions be made about what treatment will or will not be pursued?
Our experience with "temporary" care has not been great, I'm afraid. We do not offer temporary housing as an option, but we have made exceptions a few times in the past. It can be very frustrating to have an animal in your program for which you can make only limited decisions as far as care and placement. We require people to officially surrender an animal, but if someone is trying to work out something so that they can take the animal back, they can apply to adopt the animal when their situation changes. In the meantime, we have the option of seeking a home for that animal. And we're not dealing with the potential of sending an animal, into which we have invested a lot of love and resources, back into a home that we don't really think is a good home (that can be quite awkward!).
Having said that, I won't say that a system couldn't, or hasn't, been developed that serves this purpose and works smoothly. I have heard of such programs, but do not know enough about any to say how well they really work, and how they handle these issues. If anyone out there runs such a program, please write in and let us know about it.
Returning pets because of behavioral conflicts with other pets
Question from Renata:
One of the problems we see here at our shelter is that pets are being returned because of behavioral conflicts with a pet or pets that already exist in the home. Even after encouraging the adopter to give it more time, or suggestions of how to moderate their behavior, these pets still find their way back to us.Recently, we had a 1-year-old cat returned after 4 months in a home because it was aggressive towards an older cat. You can see that the owner doesn't want to give the animal up, but feels pushed into a corner. Occasionally, they are open to trying a different animal, but more often, they are frustrated and it feels as if we have lost out on all fronts. What advice can you give us to help keep these pets in their homes?
Karen Green's response:
What I really like about this question is that it's about how we can develop our adoption programs to improve pet retention. Basically, what can we do to help keep pets in the homes that we put them into in the first place? Here are some general guidelines to consider for adoption programs:Implement interview-based, rather than application-based, adoption counseling. An open discussion with potential adopters gives you the opportunity to get a clearer picture of their home and lifestyle. It can help them figure out whether bringing a/another pet into their home is the right choice, and if so, what kind of pet will be a good fit. It also helps prepare them for the realities of adopting a pet (and the pet they are interested in, in particular). Many adoption programs rely heavily on adoption applications, which do not (and cannot) really provide enough information, and which can create a relationship with a potential adopter that is not conducive to honest reflection and objectivity. (I am not opposed to adoption applications- I just feel that it's important that they are only a small part of our adoption process.)
Provide resources before there is a problem. New adopters can (and should) be counseled about introducing a new pet to the home, and offered materials and further consulting to help them make that introduction smooth, and to address problems as soon as they arise. For cats in particular, first impressions are very important. An adopter who makes the initial cat-to-cat introduction too quickly increases the risk that the cats will not accept each other. We want to do everything we can to set our adopters and adoptees up to succeed. Find ways to avoid potential problems, and have the tools and knowledge to find solutions when problems do arise.
Keep the door open for both the adopter who has questions or concerns and for the pet who may need to come back to you. It's important that the adopter understand that the door is open. So make sure that your relations with adopters are friendly and fair, so that they feel welcome coming to you. Some adopters will hesitate to contact a group or shelter to return an animal because they think they will be chastised for "failing" the animal. Do what you can to make sure that your adopters see you as a resource, as an organization that cares about what is best for them, and for the animals.
Often, when someone adds a new pet to a household that already includes a pet(s), there is an adjustment period. The adopter may feel badly about not spending as much time with the "original" pet, or may panic about social conflicts between the animals. Generally, a person will "side" with the animal that was there first. If an adopter comes to you with these types of concerns, counseling can really help.
In some cases, there is clearly a substantial problem and the adopted pet is not going to work out in that home. You'll be able to see that it's just not a good fit. But other times, you may be able to help an adopter accept some of these trials as a normal and natural part of life, for them and for their animals. Adding a new life to a household is an adjustment for everyone. Just as it would be in a new marriage, with a new baby, or when a relative moves in, everyone has to make some shifts and sacrifices. But when we stick with it, and work through these changes, the result can be a more enriched and fulfilling life for everyone involved.
Last year I fostered a young dog named Kipper. Kipper was, well, a "special" dog, if you know what I mean. He had not been adequately socialized before four months of age, when he came to Best Friends, and he had some serious medical problems due to malnourishment. He was extremely sweet, but definitely would need a special home. A wonderful family from California saw Kipper in our magazine and fell in love. They called. We talked extensively about Kipper, his temperament, his background, and all his specialness. They were a perfect fit for Kipper, and we were all delighted. They drove quite a distance to come pick him up, and spent a day with him here to help him adjust to them before returning home.
Everything was going beautifully. I kissed his sweet face good-bye, and they headed back home to start their life with him. I was not expecting the tearful call the next day. "We think we need to bring him back. It's not working out."
When they brought Kipper into the house one of the other dogs barked at him, and he barked and growled back. They were extremely distraught. But we talked it through. We talked more about Kipper's history with dogs (which had been very positive), discussed how new this was for Kipper, and that it would take time for him to not be frightened. We came up with a game plan (which included them calling me at any time if they needed to talk about the situation). I assured them that of course Kipper could come back if they thought that was necessary, but that I knew how much they cared about him, and about making this work, and I was confident that he would adjust.
Within two days, they were calling saying that Kipper was fitting right in with everyone, playing with the other dogs, following the toddler around the house, waking the father up by nibbling on his beard. I still get updates and photos from Kipper's family, and he is flourishing in his fabulous, loving home.
I've certainly had other experiences with adoptions that didn't have such fairytale endings. Some matches just don't work out, and that's why providing a safety net for your adopted critters is so important. If one of our adoptions doesn't work out, we learn what we can from the experience, and set to finding a better match for that pet in a new adoptive home. We can't avoid ever having adopted pets returned to us, or having any pets lose their homes. We can, however, create programs that not only improve the chances for success in a home, but also provide a safety net, when necessary.
How much responsibility should we put on the owner surrendering the animal?
Question from a member:
I belong to a coalition of animal groups and have noticed that there are a lot of urgent e-mails sent saying things such as "child very allergic, place must be found by tomorrow or cat/dog will be sent to shelter". Also things like "there is a group of stray cats on this person's property, if they are not removed he is going to poison/shoot them", or "person moving, cannot take pet(s) with them, needs placement by next week." Or how about this one... "The pet is sick and the people do not have the money for vet bills" (although they haven't even taken the animal to the vet for a diagnosis, so how do they know how much it will cost to treat?). Or, "The animal is sick and the people do not want their children to lose another pet as their last pet got hit by a car so if a place isn't found, they will be forced to put the animal down because they don't have money for vet bills."It seems that in this last situation, the people are teaching their children irresponsibility and also to avoid any painful situations. Do you have any suggestions as to handle these situations? It seems by simply removing the animal rescues/shelters are taking upon themselves all the responsibility whereas some of it really should lay on the shoulders of the owner.
Karen Green's response:
I have always felt that our responsibility, as people trying to help animals, is to provide support to enable people to be more responsible, not less responsible. Of course you have to balance that with what will help the animal. I think that as long as people are willing and able to try to keep a pet, or find it a new home themselves, we should try to help them. When they are really done with the animal, they're done. You may not be able to help keep that animal in its home, but you can still take the opportunity to educate.Let's say "Joe" calls you and says he has to find a new home for his dog, "Bear". Bear is, for instance, a 6-year-old Husky, not neutered, and Joe is tired of Bear getting out of the yard. Also, Bear keeps eating Joe's chickens. Joe wants your organization to take Bear and find Bear a nice new home, perhaps on a ranch somewhere, a place that Bear can run, because clearly Bear does not care for being cooped up in a yard.
Joe is not responsive to your offer of resources that could help Joe keep Bear. Also, Joe is adamant that he does not have the time to find Bear a new home. Plus there are no ranches where Joe lives. And, after all, you're the shelter, so you really know best how to find a new home for Bear, and perhaps you have a list of people who want to adopt. After all, aside from the yard escaping, leg lifting, and chicken eating, plus being a bit on the mature side, Bear is a "really great dog".
You may not be able to make a difference in what Joe does with Bear. But perhaps, during your conversation with Joe, you're able to slip in some information. For instance, you could tell him that un-neutered dogs are more likely to wander, that Huskies can sure be good at getting out of a fence, and have a pronounced prey drive. You could explain that there aren't fantasy ranches out there for every dog like Bear, but a home that met Bear's need for exercise and stimulation might be a great fit. You could inform Joe that your organization is trying to find homes for lots of dogs, and that an individual owner focusing on finding a home may well be much more effective than a shelter with dozens of dogs to try to save everyday.
Again, it's possible that having said all this may not change what Joe does with Bear, but perhaps this new information will affect Joe's future decisions. Maybe he'll get the next dog fixed, look further into what kind of dog would do well with his situation, or maybe decide not to get another dog at all. Maybe, when Joe's sister, Ellen, is having trouble with her dog running off all the time, Joe will tell her that he heard that neutering can help with that. Who knows?
Now, would I spend an abnormally extensive amount of time discussing all this with Joe? Probably not. Time is a valuable commodity in animal welfare. But I'll sure try to plant some seeds while I can. Otherwise, the only thing that happened in this whole situation is that Bear lost his home, and there's no reason to think that Joe will do anything differently in the future.
We have countless opportunities to share information, and I'm a firm believer that we should take advantage of those opportunities. We can't make people change by judging them, or just telling them that their way is wrong (trust me, I've tried!), but people often do make different decisions when provided with new information, especially when that information is received from someone that they view as an ally. Sometimes, the best we may be able to do is to be an ally with a lot of helpful information.
Of course, it also helps if we can find a new home for Bear.
Comment from Amy:
Website with keeping pets in homes resourceshttp://www.petguardian.com/common.php?v_section=4&v_page=1-4
Comment from Fern:
This is an area I would like learn more about and see what I can do to help.For me the worst owner turn-in was from my own family. My brother, who is disabled, had to get rid of his cat or get evicted from his apartment. Since he is limited in mobility and funds he needs to stay in that apt. Here's the part I still can't believe even after 5 years. My parents decided to tell my brother they got Bubba a good home, but they really were going to drop him off at a kill shelter.
WHAT !!! These people are my parents???? I want a DNA test. Yes, I took Bubba and he's great. Yes I still love my parents. I just don't understand them.
Karen Green's response:
Somehow, it's always extra disappointing when someone we love (or even from whose loins we sprang forth, in some cases), falls through on a commitment to an animal. All the more reason to practice understanding when faced with people that we don't know anything about, and therefore have no reason to like them, in spite of their shortcomings. We just can't judge people based simply on their relinquishment of an animal. That lady that leaves her pregnant dog at our shelter because she's sick of dealing with the puppies could have donated a kidney to a stranger last year. Trying to give people the benefit of the doubt can help. And after all, we all do act in pretty poor form every once in a while, right?I hope this forum week has helped you with some ideas and tools for helping animals. It sure seems that you're doing great so far... Bubba's safe and happy!
Comment from Sheryl:
Educating medical professionals on animal issues -We animal advocates can respectfully educate medical professionals by offering them information and articles. Remember when obstetrics professionals were telling pregnant women to get rid of their cats due to the overblown (and easily preventable) risk of toxoplasmosis? While the problem persists to some degree, we have seen improvements in this area. I believe that educating medical professionals, including allergists and immune specialists is an extremely important part of our work right now.
I just faxed the article below to my husband's allergist. My husband almost didn't return to this allergist, because when the doctor learned we had cats, his quick response was, in his words, "Cook ‘em." A nurse called to confirm one of my husband's appointments, and reviewed recommendations from the last appointment, including, "Get rid of cats."
My husband and I consider this treatment disrespectful and unacceptable. My husband tested allergic to cats on a single, notoriously unreliable blood test. However, he shows no reaction to cats (ours or anyone else's). After not having cats for several years, my husband's allergies did not worsen a jot when we got our cats. Nonetheless, this allergy "expert" is eager to tell him and others to ditch their pets with no concern for the fate of these furry and feathered family members.
In my experience, many people who have relinquished their animals due to supposed allergies have found that their allergies do not improve once the animals are gone. We have four cats. In our eight years running a home-based massage therapy business, only one client has had to leave due to a reaction to the cats. Many, many more clients have told us they are "very allergic" to cats, yet they did not react to ours at all. This is not always the case, and certainly there are people who react badly to cats. But I believe it is important to assume nothing.
My husband and I are not remotely susceptible to some doctor's glib suggestion that we "cook" or get rid of our cats. However, many people see doctors as authority figures to be obeyed, when in fact they really are contractors working for us. If someone loves his/her pets and also has allergies, I believe they should seek medical professionals who will work with them, and who don't attempt to impose arbitrary rules that may or may not apply.
Charging a surrender fee
Question from Christy:
Is it a good idea to charge an intake fee for animals? Our local APL just started doing that, because they said that they think this will put more responsibility on the owner and make them think first. My fear is that it will lead to more people abandoning them on the streets, because they don't want to pay; or they'll be flooding organizations that don't have an intake fee. Do you know if this truly does help with its intended purpose or not?Karen Green's response:
Well, you pretty much covered the most basic arguments for and against charging an owner surrender fee! I think what works best depends somewhat on the role an organization plays in the community. A municipally funded shelter may be required to accept owner surrenders as part of its contract. But a private shelter that is not supported by taxpayer dollars is in a different position, and usually has more flexibility in this area.I do think that it is perfectly reasonable to require a surrender fee. I think it helps make pet-owners more accountable, and it certainly makes sense. We live in a society where people are accustomed to paying for services. Caring for an animal - providing appropriate veterinary and behavior care, and finding that pet a new home, is an impressive service to offer.
Too often, I think we condemn a practice based on our fears of the worst possible result. Saving animals' lives requires us to step out of that box, to challenge those ideas - to try different things and measure what actually happens.
The feedback I've heard from most shelters that implement a fee policy is that the public is much more receptive than one might expect. Though the concern of increased abandonment is a common one, I have not seen compelling evidence that shows that this is actually the result. I have heard conjecture, but nothing statistical that supports this theory.
Though, to be fair, I also have not seen evidence that shows that people value pets or humane agencies more if they have to pay for surrender! Requiring a fee does suggest to the public that humane services have value. The effect of that suggestion is not clear, but we have to start somewhere, right? Besides, shelters need money to save animals, and a fee sure can help offset a shelter's costs.
Remember, too, that a shelter that requires a surrender fee can make exceptions, if they feel that an animal is at risk of abandonment. I'm all for guidelines, but not big on hard, fast, rules.
Comment from Jeanne:
The shelter here has signs posted that there is a fee... $15.00. If the person offers to pay it is gratefully accepted, BUT not asked for. Experience has shown that often the pets are taken out and turned loose in the parking lot, and if not there often down the street.Reaching ethnic communities
Question from Rebecca:
How do you reach out to the ethnic communities in your area? We have a large and growing population of Spanish speaking residents as well as other smaller populations of Asian and middle eastern all of which have different views of animals and don't always know the laws or resources available to them for animal welfare.Karen Green's response:
That's another tough, but very important question. There are few basic steps I'd suggest for reaching out to minorities in your area:1. Work within and through the community you're trying to reach. It will help to have an ally that is part of that community to be your spokesperson. It is very important that you work with members of the community that are already addressing these issues, and/or are affected by them (animal control, veterinarians, clinics/hospitals). You don't want to be seen as an "outsider" coming in and imposing your values on people.
2. Understand the issues. There are two parts of this. You need to know what the key pet-related issues are for the different minority groups in your community. You also need to understand the economic and cultural differences that may be behind those issues. For instance, you may find that in one geographic region, there are substantially more people living in poverty. The area may have a proportionately high number of a particular minority group. The shelter that serves that area may be handling a particularly large number of intact animals.
3. Develop programs. You need to put together programs that will be useable, desirable, and effective in these specific geographic areas and/or cultural groups. Your existing programs may be appropriate, or you may need to make changes to those programs to make them a better fit. An appropriate program for the situation mentioned above would be a very low or no cost spay/neuter program. You may want to use a mobile clinic or provide transportation assistance, as those living in poverty are less likely to have their own transportation and/or schedule flexibility to transport animals to and from the clinic.
4. Target marketing. You'll need to focus your marketing efforts directly to the demographic you are trying to reach. Your marketing plan should be guided by the specific problems you are facing. For example, if spay/neuter were a significant problem, you would want to address all of the advantages that would come from spaying or neutering your animal. Perhaps the group you're targeting doesn't know that neutering a dog can reduce aggression and roaming. Or that spaying a cat will keep the noisy tomcats away. Again, if you find that these animals aren't being altered because of the cost, make sure that your greatest marketing aspect is that it is free or low-cost, has an incentive, will come to you, etc. Your program should be promoted through media that reach that audience (radio, cable television, and print media). Work with local businesses, churches and community groups to explain your program, and ask for help with spreading the word. Your promotional materials may need to be in a different language and a different style than you would use in other areas.
You can get started by making sure that your printed materials are available in key languages, and that you have volunteers who can provide consulting, resources and referrals to those who speak another language and are coming from a different cultural perspective.
I hope this has helped. This is a challenge on which the humane movement does not have a firm grasp, but we are making progress!
Is relinquishment to a shelter ever the preferable option?
Question from a member:
We see many cats coming into our shelter because they have scratched up the owner's furniture. We always recommend having a scratching post for the animal and taking advantage of many of the anti-scratching products on the market, but there are still those cats that seem determined to go for the furniture. Our standard M.O. is to take these animals back and attempt to re-home them. We've always had a tough stance against de-clawing, but I'm beginning to wonder if we shouldn't be more flexible in situations like these. Do you think it's wrong to advise de-clawing if it's the difference between an animal having a home or possibly being put down?Karen Green's response:
I'm going to take this question back a step from the specific topic, because there is a much larger underlying issue. At what point is a solution to relinquishment poor enough that going to the shelter is preferable?We all want pets to live wonderful lives, with no pain and no hardship. We want every pet to get enough good food, exercise, stimulation, veterinary care, grooming and love. But it's important to remember that life comes with pain and hardship. Frankly, extremely few humans get good quality and sufficient quantity of food, exercise, stimulation, veterinary care, grooming and love, and it's generally much more under our control than it is under an animal's control. This doesn't mean that we want to encourage a person to keep a pet when the animal is clearly suffering from neglect and abuse. But it does mean that we have to constantly ask ourselves where the line is, and how we can maintain a balance in which we maximize the number of animals that are alive but minimize abuse and neglect.
I am most comfortable looking at each situation individually. There are cases in which I've helped a person get plans for a cattery, so that they could have a safe place to house a cat which had a spraying problem (and other possible solutions had been exhausted, or were not feasible for the person). Sure, living in the house with the family would be preferable, but that simply was not an option, and it seemed like the cattery option would be a decent alternative for that cat. There are also cases in which I've helped a person with re-homing resources for a small dog that "they just didn't have time for." The dog may have gotten along okay in that home, but was a dog that would easily find a wonderful home, without displacing another homeless pet. When the dog someone "didn't have time for" was an older, ill-mannered, large breed dog, that didn't seem to have any living alternatives, I helped figure out some cheap and easy ways to improve the dog's living situation and keep the dog in the home. Yes, the dog sure could have used some more TLC, but his basic needs were being met.
Where you as an individual see that line between "better than death" and "better off dead" is something you need to figure out. My experience has been that people draw this line differently based on both their view of life, and their view of death. I can only recommend that you look at each case, each animal, and consider the options as objectively as possible. We can't ask the animals what they would choose, unfortunately (at least most people don't believe that we can). I feel strongly that we need to give every animal out there every reasonable opportunity to live.
What resources does Best Friends provide?
Question from Rebecca:
I am wondering what programs your group has tried in the past and what you have found to work/not work. As a very small group that focuses on just info dissemination we get a lot of calls from people looking to replace a current pet with a "newer and better model" so to say.Karen Green's response:
The core program Best Friends operates to keep pets in homes is called the Best Friends Network. The Best Friends Network office receives all the requests that come into Best Friends for help with a pet. We have nine full time staff members that provide counseling, resources and referrals to these individuals. We offer assistance with a variety of different situations, such as:- sharing information about FIV that may help a rescued cat find a new home
- providing building plans for a cattery so that a cat can stay in its home
- sending out a message to Best Friends Network members to ask for help with transporting a dog to a rescue group in another state, or
- offering advice about how to find a new home for a pet
While most requests for help are routed through the Network office, some of the resources that may be able to offer are in other areas in the sanctuary. Best Friends operates a free trap/neuter/return program (loaning traps, providing transportation, and performing surgeries in our on-site clinic). We are sometimes able to help with other veterinary needs for low-income pet owners in our local area. We have a dog behavior and training expert who is able to consult with dog owners on behavior problems. We may be able to help with animal transport within Utah and the surrounding states.
For more information, see the forum archive with the Best Friends Network.
Our Network Coordinators are problem solvers with a lot of resources at their disposal, and a lot of moral support to offer. Much of what we provide is information, and information can be an extremely effective tool in saving lives.
Supporting a local shelter in putting programs in place
Question from Madelyn:
Our county is building a shelter, which will open next month. Our group plans to support the shelter in its efforts. How can we start out on the right foot with combating animal relinquishment? What would be the most important programs to put into place?Karen Green's response:
Your question is deceptively short, considering what a biggie it is! I won't go into detail on each option, because we'd be here for hours, but I'll offer sort of an outline. Ideally, of course, you want to be able to provide or refer people to resources and programs related to:1. Pets in rentals, including a listing of pet friendly rentals, tips on finding pet-friendly rentals, information on being a responsible pet owner, efforts to entice property owners/managers into allowing pets in rentals.
2. Pet behavior help, including individual counseling, fact sheets or other print information on common pet behavior problems and what to do about them, referrals to respectable local trainers and behaviorists, provision of low or no-cost training and behavior help for those with financial need.
3. Spay/neuter assistance, both for low-income households with pets, and for feral cats (while ferals don't come directly from homes, they sure do end up in the shelters, as do their offspring).
4. Pet food and medical care assistance, for low-income households and feral cats.
5. Responsible adoption practices, including neuter before adoption for all shelter animals.
6. Redemption efforts, including licensing compliance campaign, pet ID programs (microchip clinics, collars and tags to low-income households), effective means for owners to find lost pets.
7. Great accessibility, excellent customer service and public relations (so people know about you, trust you, and can get to you when they need help).
A few key points:
You can break all this down into two different types of services: referrals/resources, and services/programs.
There are a few different vehicles for providing information to the public. The most common are through a website, a phone hotline, and through printed materials. I recommend a combination of the three, whenever possible.
You want to be a clearinghouse of information. When someone in your community needs help with or for an animal, they should be able to come to you and find an answer. The answer might be a referral to another agency or individual that can provide what they need, or you may be able to give them information (advice, or resources) directly to help them.
None of this will do any good if people don't know about it! You need to promote these programs aggressively. Having an easy to remember (and/or find) hotline and web site will make it possible for you to focus your promotion efforts on driving people to you.
These sorts of services, at least the clearinghouse/referral/resource side, are great to provide as a collaborative effort. You'll have much more effect driving everyone in town to one web site and phone number to find help than having every shelter and rescue in town maintaining its own list of resources.
You'll be able to find information and advice on most of the items listed above in earlier posts in this week's forum, in previous forum archives (all available at: http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/weeklyforum/forumarchives.cfm), and in the "resources" section of our web site (http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/resourcelibrary).
You asked where you should focus. That really depends on where the most animals entering your shelter are coming from, and there are ways of finding that out. My previous post on gathering statistics will give you some more ideas in this area.
Hope this gives you something to start with! ;-)
