Animal Welfare Professionals

 View Only
Expand all | Collapse all

Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

  • 1.  Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 17 days ago

    In the last 4 years,  we have experienced exponential growth in the number of cats adopted through our organization.  Dog adoptions, however, are basically flat.  Those involved in the dog division have, at various times, given feedback as to the reason(s).   For instance:  easier to foster a cat than a dog, seasonality, lack of foster and/or mentors, litters of kittens impact numbers.   For these and other reasons, I would not anticipate the Dog Division to match the Cat Division's numbers.   However, I would anticipate that we could have an expectation for incremental growth.  

    What are others seeing in their organizations?  Increase, decrease or flat?  Thank you in advance for your feedback.


    #AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms
    #FosterPrograms

    ------------------------------
    Annette Agner
    Director of Operations
    Pet Haven
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 14 days ago

    Our adoptions are down with both cats and dogs. I am taking in less animals, trying to help people with placements at other shelters or resources to rehome. Most of our dogs are over 50 pounds. We are also seeing returned adoptions with people moving. It is all so very frustrating! I am pushing hard for fosters (day out, weekend, short-term, anything!).



    ------------------------------
    Kate Williams
    Manager
    Animal Welfare Friends
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 14 days ago

    Thank you for taking the time to respond!  I am hoping that I will hear from several others!



    ------------------------------
    Annette Agner
    Director of Operations
    Pet Haven
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 11 days ago

    Thank you so much for your feedback.



    ------------------------------
    Annette Agner
    Director of Operations
    Pet Haven
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 14 days ago

    Our adoption numbers for both dogs and cats are down. Rental housing in our area is also drastically changing, with most changing their policy to not allow pets, causing many returns. 

    Best, 
    Kelsey 
    NC 



    ------------------------------
    Kelsey Quinn
    Volunteer
    Lending Paws a Hand
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 13 days ago

    We are in rural North Central WA. Our dog adoptions are way down. Rescues in our county are having to transfer dogs to the Seattle metro area weekly.



    ------------------------------
    M K Bdeir
    Matchmaker
    Fur Ever Yours Dog Rescue
    Tonasket
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 13 days ago

    We are along the Gulf Coast Texas  so it's never great, but our cat adoptions have increased, and our dog adoptions have decreased. We have some really nice 50lb+ dogs who we can't understand why they are still here. 

    Additionally, we have seen a dramatic increase in  owner surrender requests, animals dumped in our parking lot, tossed over the fence and even being dumped during shelter hours when staff is there. It's like someone pulls up, and watches for staff and jumps out the second they see staff enter into one of the buildings to dump the the crate or tie the dog to the fence. 

    It's very frustrating. 

    Ann
    Texas



    ------------------------------
    ann traynor-plowman
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 13 days ago

    Thank you so much for your response!  It is very helpful.  Although we are a rescue, not a shelter, we are encountering a similar situation.  Owner surrenders,  of animals not previously adopted from us, has also exploded.  



    ------------------------------
    Annette Agner
    Director of Operations
    Pet Haven
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 12 days ago

    At snip we have seen increase of abandonment of both cat and dogs.    The adoption rate is low.   We get comments all the time. Oh I would love a pet but I dont want to pay that much on an adoption fee.  It's maddening- our adopt fee doesn't even cover the cost to prepare an animal for adoption.   We are such a small shelter grants are even hard to get, so that we can off set the loss from the adoption fee.   I also feel we are at an disadvantage even with the Maddie grants offered due to being so small we don't have the man power to have everyone attend the weekly meetings or everyone participate the forums.   



    ------------------------------
    Alisa Fraser
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 11 days ago

    Alisa -

    Regardless of size, I imagine that there are many people that share your concerns.  On average, we also do not cover the costs to prepare an animal for adoption.    We have a large volunteer organization but relatively few staff members.  And, they are pulled multiple directions.  So, we don't have the capacity to apply for all the grants that we would like to or participate in Maddie's to the extent we'd like.    I always find something useful on Maddie's but it is so expansive that I never get as far as I'd like in tapping into the resources available.   Owner surrenders has exploded in the Twin Cities.   We help as many as we can but the need will always surpass the capacity.



    ------------------------------
    Annette Agner
    Director of Operations
    Pet Haven
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 11 days ago

    Ann - we are neighbors!  I second everything you said in your post.  The number of animals being abandoned here has been staggering lately.  I'm assuming it has to do with the fact that most of the local animal shelters are full and are either turning people away or making them schedule an appointment two weeks in advance.  Truth be told, I'd rather them be abandoned here than on the side of a road or in a store parking lot... but it is still so frustrating and sad.



    ------------------------------
    Sandi Mercado
    Shelter or rescue director
    Citizens for Animal Protection
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 11 days ago

    We have been struggling with finding foster homes and also finding adopters. We have also gotten a huge number of requests for owner surrenders. We're doing our best, but we can't help them all. We have tried lowering adoption fees and a "Clear the Shelter" campaign. It's hard for us to lower adoption fees because we are in an area where vet costs are very high so spay/neuter and other medical costs are a big part of our expenses. We are scheduling more adoption events and using social media and emails to promote our dogs/pups. 



    ------------------------------
    Mona Hicks
    Canine Humane Network
    Highland MD
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 11 days ago

    Our adoption rate is null.  Our foster rate is null - in the last five years, we have never had puppies grow on our property, but we currently have three liters 6-9 months old and still with us.   It is very frustrating, we receive up to eight calls a day asking us to take a dog, and we can't...  One of our last adoptions came back to us with a serious foot injury.  We have vetted the family, but they still failed.  Now the sweet dog is back with us, learning to walk again.  



    ------------------------------
    Connie Ash
    Director
    Mended Paws Sanctuary
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 11 days ago

    Connie -

    Thank you so much for your response.  No one has yet responded that they are seeing an increase.  Several common threads of frustration throughout.



    ------------------------------
    Annette Agner
    Director of Operations
    Pet Haven
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Dog Adoptions: Increased, Decreased or Flat?

    Posted 10 days ago

    This is the state we're in, too...nobody wants to foster and nobody wants to adopt. We're not even getting inquiries. We're all volunteer and smaller, and we do dogs that are giants, seniors and special needs, so that's where it starts. However, we've had great success with placements in the past. But now, more than ever, we are at a point where we're stuck. It's discouraging, heartbreaking, frustrating...you name it. We have incredible, fantastic, out of this world great dogs...crickets. Yet the requests to take them keep rolling in nonstop. 



    ------------------------------
    Allison Rathert
    Founder/President
    k9.5 Rescue
    ------------------------------