Three Ways to Promote Successful Adoption Listings

I've said it a few times but I'm going to reiterate this point again ... if you are involved in rescue, you will increase adoptions if you promote the animals properly. There are many people out there who are surfing the web in their spare time (at work, on lunch, at home, etc.) ... some of them are looking for new pets. We have to accept that potential adopters are sometimes out there to be found via the internet.


Successfully presenting an adoptable pet is not brain-surgery but there are certainly a few best practices you should use that will help ensure the pet is adopted. Some of these suggestions are courtesy of AdoptAPet.com and Petfinder.com.

Promotion Tip #1 IT'S ALL IN A NAME

Shorter, easy-to-remember names work best. Also, you can use the name field to include a short attractive phrase like: “See My Video!”, “loves kids”, “fully trained”, or any other word or words that call out the best feature of that pet (for example “Molly – Loves Kids!”). Adopters will see that on their search results page, and are more likely to click on your pet!

Promotion Tip #2 THE VIDEO

A picture is worth a thousand words… but nothing captures a pet’s personality like a video! You only need 20 to 30 seconds… you can do it with most phones or digital cameras. Why are most rescues too lazy to make a video?? Probably because their fosters don't take the time to make one. It only takes a few seconds ... maybe even 10 minutes if you include the set up and take down time! *gasp* COME ON FOSTER HOMES! Here is your moment to STAND OUT and SHINE!

Promotion Tip #3 THE PHOTO

Oh dear ... how many times have I said that the rescue posted a terrible picture of a dog? TOO MANY! Rescues ... here’s your chance to make your pet really stand out! So DON'T MUCK IT UP! When a potential adopter does a search on a pet website and looks at the results page, the pet’s photo and name are the first things they see. Research shows that the best eye-catching main photo is a close-up of the pet’s face. Here are a few other suggestions:

~ Take the photo in the brightest light possible. This will hopefully eliminate the flash and will help show the actual contours of the pet rather than showing how shadows collect around them. It will also reduce red-eye.


~ Have the pet wear a bright solid color bandana that compliments the pet (how about a blue bandana for a dog with blue eyes?!?).


~ Place a toy or commonly recognized object (like a tennis ball or telephone) next to the pet to effectively show the pet’s size.


~ Take the photo with grass or a soft solid bright color as the background.  


~ Make dogs run around first so they are panting and look like they are smiling!


~ Hold a treat right above the camera lens to get the pet to look right at you!

Foster and Rehoming Tips 3 ~ Don't Trust The Dog

Way back when ago, I started a series of posts that were Tips for Foster Homes or people who wanted to become Foster Homes ... then I realized that the same tips could be used for people who were bringing a new dog or puppy home! Anyone who is rehoming a dog can use these same tips. (See "Foster Tips" label)



It's been a long time since I posted the last Foster Tips but I have one today for you ...

Don't Trust The Dog

What? Yep. You read that rightly ... don't trust the dog. People bring home dogs from various places (rehomed privately, from a shelter, from a breeder, etc) and more often than not, the people walk into their home and let the dog off the leash!! Then they can't figure out why the dog is going crazy (or why the dog attacked the kids when they were sleeping on the couch, or why the dog killed their cat, or why their existing dog started a fight with the new dog!).




In my opinion, that is one of the stupidest things you could do when bringing a new dog into your house. I don't care how KYOOT those eyes look. Why would you do that?? Even if you know the dog's history, you don't know the dog. I don't care if your friend owned this dog and you've known the dog for a while ... you don't live with the dog and therefore you don't know the dog. That means Don't Trust The Dog!




Small dog or big dog ... it doesn't really matter. Little JRTs or a Chihuahua can kill or do serious damage to your cats. Small dogs are just as capable of undesirable behaviour as big dogs are so don't write them off because they are so KYOOT.




Please ... for the sake of the dog you are bringing into your home. Think first. You don't know the dog so why would you trust it? It takes a bit more effort on your part to manage the environment and situation properly but it could mean the world if something happens and you are suddenly afraid of the dog you have just brought into your family. Here's to hoping you, your family and your other animals don't get hurt in the process ... It's your responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen.

Pupdate - ACD Foster ... Red-dog

Well it's been an interesting adventure with our foster dog, Red (which is what we tend to call her). As I mentioned in an earlier post, she is a 2 year old, deaf Australian Cattle Dog. I have to say that it's been an adventure. Working with a deaf dog is new to me so it's been a great challenge.

When Red first came home, she spent hours trying to attack the dogs. She tried to eat the cats. She couldn't even begin to comprehend the farm animals in our barn (and we didn't take her there for the first three weeks). She would be out of her crate or kennel for an hour and be mentally exhausted. (Thank goodness that we have both!)




I spoke with some people and found out that when people are in jail, they tend to sleep a lot when they've been "in" for a while. I believe Red had a similar experience. I wonder if it is a form of depression? I'm no shrink so I can't really begin to speculate.



It's been a month now and we've learned a lot about her. First, let me update her "ad" for you ...



Red is a 2 year old ACD. While she seems to be deaf, there are instances when no other animals are around and she does seem to hear sounds so we wonder if there is a hearing impairment coupled with some selective hearing. For the time being and for all intensive purposes, we consider her to be deaf. She is super affectionate with people and will melt anyone's heart and while she does not like cats at all, she does seem to genuinely like some dogs. Like most ACD's, Red needs a strong, firm but fair leader - no pushovers please!

We have learned a few things about Red ...



She will attack a dog that seems fearful, weak or is unable to defend itself (it may be sleeping or have something in its mouth). In that way, she is a bully.



She loves dogs who are older, bigger or have boat-loads of confidence.




She LOVES to swim. We take her to the pond every few days and she will swim around just for the sake of swimming. For the days we don't want to go to the pond, we do have a toddler pool that she enjoys using.



She gets the “zoomies” now. It’s so funny to see. Her “zoomie” time is usually after dinner during our evening walk.



She is mimicking my dogs’ behaviour and that of dogs who visit us. She watches them intently and then does exactly the same thing. Very entertaining.

Red is not yet ready to go to a new home. She is only able to take 4 hours of mental stimulation before getting irritable (at which point, she will take her frustration out on anything with 4 legs). She can only take about an hour of physical stimulation (running around the field on a long line or swimming and splashing around the pond). We are looking to get a vibrating collar courtesy of BAS ... we'll see. I'd like to teach her to come when it vibrates (I know, most people use the vibration as a "reward" but I don't want that ... I want something that will tell her to come back - this is how a hunter I know trains his redbones). If she will come when it vibrates, it will make me feel a whole lot better because I would know that there is a way for me to communicate with her when she's far away.


** Note the two "kiddie pools" below ... note the price difference. You can get them cheap if you go and buy a kids pool rather than a "dog" pool.

Foster / Rehoming Tips 2

If you didn't read my earlier post of tips for foster homes, please do so. There are some awesome suggestions and tips from others added in the comment section too so don't skip those!




In rethinking this whole "Foster Tip" idea, I realized that this information can be used by everyone who brings a new dog into their house - adult or puppy. Whether you keep the dog or are only a temporary home for it, these tips are all things you should remember. If you follow the tips suggested in my posts and as comments by other readers you will set yourself and your dog up for success.




So, what's Tip number 2? Well, this may start a wild fire on here but here goes ...

Give the dog a few days to grieve

When you bring a dog into your home, it is a new environment, right? People, sounds, smells ... all new. We all know this; but what is it that we often forget??




We are all guilty of planning for the future with our new dog - even if the dog will only be with us for a few weeks. We all do it - we think about the great times we will have with the dog, the training we will do, the bond that will form. (Do you notice that this is all about "us" the people and not really about the dog?)




What some people forget is that this dog had a life before coming to you. He had a family and a home (even if his home was a tie out in a backyard it was still his home - we may not think much of it, but it was his world). He loved them (no matter what they did or didn't do). Regardless of the history of this dog, he will need time to grieve and to be fair to him, you need to give him time to do so.




In the first week (5 to 7 days) you need to give the dog space. You should have the dog in and out of the crate multiple times throughout a day. Crate training takes time and LOTS of practice. Give him a stuffed Kong or something that is safe to play with if you feel uncomfortable leaving him in there.




For the first week, he should spend more time in the crate than out. Every few hours through the day you should take the dog out, go to the potty spot, spend some time (like 15 minutes or so) working on basics such as not pulling on the leash and sit. Take him for a walk if you know he is capable of doing so.




Depending on the dog, this simple exercise may be an awful LOT of mental stimulation for him. It doesn't seem like a lot to us, but for a dog from a sheltered background - the simple act of being handled, walked, etc is sometimes over-stimulating.




Only one person in the family should work with the dog for the first week (walking, feeding, handling). This builds a trust relationship with that person and don't worry - the rest of the family will get to build a relationship later on.




You must allow the dog to grieve as well as settle in to his new surroundings. Believe it or not, this initial period of not paying total and complete attention to the dog is more difficult on the people than it is on the dog.

Tips to Foster Homes - Number 1

There was a great request on yesterday's posting ...


mytwh said...
BTW, I'm starting work with a local rescue to foster dogs. Any advise for a new fosterer??? Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks!


What a good idea for a blog topic! I have SO many tips I could pass on and I get so busy ranting and raving that I forget these little things. Thank you mytwh for asking. I'll have to ensure I remember to post tips regularly!


And the super-cool thing about all this? You could apply the tips I will be giving you to all dogs - including your own. This is not only info for the foster home, it can be used for the regular pet owner too!

Tip number one

You know all that stuff the rescue just told you about the dog's history? Like how it's been chained to a tree, beaten, ignored, scared, blah blah blah ... etc.? After hearing the dog's history and about what a tough life the dog has had, you probably feel a bit sorry for the dog, you may be a bit frightened about what the dog has done/could do and you might want to just take the dog up in your arms and hug, kiss and squeeze all the bad things away. Don't do any of these things.


Always listen to what the person is saying but more importantly what the person isn't saying. It will help you determine things you will need to deal with. Perhaps the dog that's been chained to a tree won't be house trained. The dog that's been beaten will latch on to anything that could become a security blanket for it - including you or your other dogs (therefore watch you don't allow protective or territorial aggression to develop!!). The dog that's been ignored will have more obvious issues - destruction, excitement urination. The dog with fear will eventually bite unless the fear is resolved (don't make excuses - he WILL bite).


The first thing I want you to do is forget everything the rescue told you about the dog's history. Remember only those things that will be important in the dog's re-training (like he chases cats/cars/bikes/etc, bites children, jumps up, house training, aggressions). Remember only the behaviours and not the circumstances so you can begin working with the dog with an open mind. If you don't, you will have a biased opinion and will make excuses for the dog. This will not help the dog and it will hinder its ability to rehab. If you get stuck in the perpetual rescue mind-set "woe is the dog, poor dog, blah blah blah" then you will end up keeping the dog for longer than you should. I see it happen regularly and usually it is because the people get so tangled up in their own imagination they can't deal with the dog properly.


If you do this, you will be one step ahead of a lot of the other fosters out there.

Holiday Cheer - I Rescued a Human Today

It's been over a week since I posted the last bit of mushy stuff for the Holiday Season. I thought I would post another. This one circulated around an email list that I receive. I didn't write this, but figured I'd post it for something good to read while I'm working on my next rant. :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Source unknown.

I rescued a human today.

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her. I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life. She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes. I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved.

At least I could save one.

I rescued a human today