Animal Welfare Professionals

At the Alpine Animal Shelter in far west Texas, we run 5 day/week play groups (staff and volunteers trained by Dogs Playing For Life) and get great chances to observe every dog's dynamics of play. We love our play group rockstars but we also have some rockstar dogs who get along with some dogs but not others, or some who do well with a couple dogs but get overwhelmed when the group gets bigger. We hate the term "dog-selective" - in part because the shelter environment can make it very hard to identify the "selective" behavior, or to even assume that "selectivity" will follow a dog to a home where all their needs are met. (Note: play groups are great,  but in no way does it meet each dog's daily enrichment needs.)  As such, some dogs aren't dog park material - just too many variables to anticipate and manage. Does anyone have language on a kennel card or that they use on PF that accurately conveys this sort of dog's behavior as observed in the shelter without making a dog seem like it is has "issues"? Thank you!

Really good question, H3!   I just call them 'dogs' ... lol!   its' absolutely normal to not love being around other dogs... so i don't single them out on cage cards or in any other way. Just make sure i talk to interested people about it before they decide to adopt. 

Thank you for this! Somewhat unfortunately, our shelter is run by ACO's who don't typically know the dogs well or engage in what I would call adoption counseling. Our Enrichment Coordinator tries to talk to potential adopters when she is on site, but a lot fo folks fall through the cracks. That said, it is reassuring to be reminded that dogs are dogs! It's normal for them to have their own preferences and cliques! :) We will continue to make progress... we got a better application approved so that's a small piece. THANK YOU!!

We use DPFL and also the term "dog-selective".  We try to add information about the kinds of dogs with which an individual plays well:  "Prefers high-energy", "Prefers non-confrontational" etc.

Good idea! I think we could add a coupe of lines to our kennel card that our play group coordinator could circle. Including an "everyone" for our rock stars. Thank you!

Might not meet your exact needs but in our small shelter, we have signs that list the dog’s “dog friends”. While the goal really is to help staff identify which dogs do well together in playgroups, others might see the sign and see some dogs have more/less “friends”. Might be a way to open up discussion on how that particular dog prefers quieter dog interactions than parks, etc.

This is a great idea! Our average length of stay is about 45 days so we could definitely add this to our kennel cards!