Animal Welfare Professionals

Hey all! I wanted to pick everyone's brains on what information and questions you thought were most important to include on adoption applications/questionaires.

I have only been working at my local Humane Society a few months, but am trying to promote some big changes because we currently operate how they have for the past 20+ years (no website, all paper forms and no electronic copies or management, etc.) I am also trying to revise our forms including our adoption questionaire, which is currently only half a page and includes only the most basic of information. I don't want to make the application a barrier to adoption, however we do want to create good matches and ensure our animals are going to proper homes.

What questions do you find most useful to include on your adoption applications/questionaires?

Alternatively, what questions are unhelpful or don't provide you with much information?

I have been browsing a number of other organizations to look at their adoption applications and it varies so much! Looking for any tips, recommendations, or examples of what works for your organization! I'll add that we currently are a lower volume shelter (we have about 6 dog runs/kennels and 12 cat and kitten enclosures), but hopefully expanding our operations in the coming years if all goes well!

#AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms

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Julia Nawrocki
Shelter Staff
Lake County Humane Society
MN
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We're a pug rescue group and some questions that have been most useful in helping us select the best family are:

• If your pug needed surgery for an eye ulcer (a common injury for pugs), could you afford the cost of the surgery (average cost is approx $2000)? YES/NO/MAYBE/EXPLAIN
• Temperament, age, breed, sex of current pets
• Annual pet budget
• Would you consider giving up a dog that: CHECK ALL THAT APPLY. List includes: job relocation, dog developed medical conditions, housetraining issues, marks indoors, sheds too much, digs, dog has anxiety, aggressive, etc. 

We're looking for someone who will not give up easily and quickly on their pug. For example, if they explain any special needs their previous pets had (diabetic requiring insulin shots, incontinence or needing to express the dog, eye drops etc) that they willingly took on, that shows us the applicant is all-in for their pet. Of course, we are mostly dealing with purebred dogs who have more medical issues (compared to mixed breeds), so we want to ensure the applicant can emotionally and financially handle the responsbility.

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Melody Chalaban
President
Pug Rescue of Korea
CA
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Those are great questions to add to an adoption application.  We do ask for veterinarian reference and a personal reference.  The usual stuff. We call the veterinarian and ask about the animals in the care of the people applying.  If any of the animals are not up to date on vet care, we ask the person applying for adoption why? If animals are not up to date on vet care, they are denied.   I may sound mean, I don't mean to be that way. I don't want to put a rescue animal through something unnecessary.   If the people are approved for adoption, the microchip we provide comes with a free registration.  Our rescue can not be taken off the registration of the rescue animal. If at any time the adopters can not keep the rescue animal, they have to return them to our rescue.  If the chip is scanned, we are called. It makes a lot more work for us but, that is how we do things.  Right now I am able to keep up with all adopters. In the near future I will need help.  The list is growing each month. I keep up with the vet care of all rescues and the training of dogs.  Adopters have 6 months to provide a training certificate or proof of training or we will take the dog back. The dogs we foster are trained and the training should be continued. So, that question is on the application.  I explained all this because, where we are, people don't want to adopt out locally and have a trust issue. Especially with the dumping and overpopulation of dogs and cats. We had to start adopting out locally and out of state, adopting out period because we are only a year old. I personally have been in rescue in some way for over 5 years. I know. That is not a long time.  The things you learn when you dive into the rescue world.

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Kim Jackson
Dog Trainer
For The Puppies Foundation Inc
MS
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-16-2024 10:47 PM
From: Melody Chalaban
Subject: Adoption Application Questionaire

We're a pug rescue group and some questions that have been most useful in helping us select the best family are:

• If your pug needed surgery for an eye ulcer (a common injury for pugs), could you afford the cost of the surgery (average cost is approx $2000)? YES/NO/MAYBE/EXPLAIN
• Temperament, age, breed, sex of current pets
• Annual pet budget
• Would you consider giving up a dog that: CHECK ALL THAT APPLY. List includes: job relocation, dog developed medical conditions, housetraining issues, marks indoors, sheds too much, digs, dog has anxiety, aggressive, etc. 

We're looking for someone who will not give up easily and quickly on their pug. For example, if they explain any special needs their previous pets had (diabetic requiring insulin shots, incontinence or needing to express the dog, eye drops etc) that they willingly took on, that shows us the applicant is all-in for their pet. Of course, we are mostly dealing with purebred dogs who have more medical issues (compared to mixed breeds), so we want to ensure the applicant can emotionally and financially handle the responsbility.

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Melody Chalaban
President
Pug Rescue of Korea
CA
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It's great to hear that you are helping your group with re-assessing and updating your procedures! When we are all so busy dealing with the everyday needs of our animals, it can be easy to leave aside these things and not realize how long it has been since they were reviewed.

Our approach is similar to yours. We have a pretty bare-bones application, and focus on conversation with the adopters to collect the rest of the info. Honestly, I find that approach lets us make better matches than relying on a series of yes/no questions that ignore the fact that both people and animals usually don't fit into neat little boxes! 

How many different staff members/volunteers are doing your adoptions? How hard would it be to set up training or practice sessions for everyone on best strategies for collecting info during conversation? Does the application need to function to help guide staff through adoptions? Or can it mostly be basic adopter info that you might need for microchips/license?

Have you looked at the Adoption Counseling course Maddie's Fund just released? https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/adoption-counseling I found it very helpful, and plan to add it to training for staff who are joining our Behavior Team. (Also hoping we can have our desk staff do it, but their training is decided by folks other than me. So I have to convince those people that it will add to their skills.)

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Emme Hones
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right now, I am the only one doing this.  I have a couple of board members and a few volunteer fosters who help during adoption events. We have only had 2 adoption events so far.  I have looked at the adoptions counseling and passed the information along to all who actively help.  The information on Maddie's Fund can be overwhelming. Not complaining about that. I need to take it in one thing at a time. Our adoption application is actually 3 pages long. The adoption contract is 5 pages long.  I have learned very quickly, CYA goes a long way. That is from our attorney. :) 

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Kim Jackson
Dog Trainer
For The Puppies Foundation Inc
MS
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2024 06:21 AM
From: Emme Hones
Subject: Adoption Application Questionaire

It's great to hear that you are helping your group with re-assessing and updating your procedures! When we are all so busy dealing with the everyday needs of our animals, it can be easy to leave aside these things and not realize how long it has been since they were reviewed.

Our approach is similar to yours. We have a pretty bare-bones application, and focus on conversation with the adopters to collect the rest of the info. Honestly, I find that approach lets us make better matches than relying on a series of yes/no questions that ignore the fact that both people and animals usually don't fit into neat little boxes! 

How many different staff members/volunteers are doing your adoptions? How hard would it be to set up training or practice sessions for everyone on best strategies for collecting info during conversation? Does the application need to function to help guide staff through adoptions? Or can it mostly be basic adopter info that you might need for microchips/license?

Have you looked at the Adoption Counseling course Maddie's Fund just released? https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/adoption-counseling I found it very helpful, and plan to add it to training for staff who are joining our Behavior Team. (Also hoping we can have our desk staff do it, but their training is decided by folks other than me. So I have to convince those people that it will add to their skills.)

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Emme Hones
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Hi Julia!

The shelter I work for has a check in questionnaire.  We recently switched from scheduled adoption appointments (a holdover from COVID) to walk in adoptions. I recommend reading through the material from HASS's Competitive Pet Placement Project. That material helped us change our structure from the adopter filling out a questionnaire in Acuity when scheduling their adoption appointment online to using a Google Form questionnaire for walk in appointments and tracking our waitlist in Google Sheets. This is what we include on our questionnaire:

Name, Phone #, Email, & Address

What age of cat are you looking to adopt?

              -I specifically want to adopt a kitten(s).

              -I am open to kittens or adults.

              -I want to adopt an adult cat(s).

How would you describe your household?

             -Busy! There is always noise or guests.

             -A fairly standard low buzz of noise like music or television with occasional guests.

             -Quiet as a mouse.

I share my home with:

               - No one else. Just me!

              - Other adults

              - Teenagers

             - Children

             - Infants/Toddlers

Do you have other pets in the home? 

             -I have no other pets.

             - Cat(s) that likes other cats

             - Cat(s) that do not like other cats

             - Cat(s) not sure if they like other cats

             - Dog(s) with experience with cats

             - Dog(s) with no experience with cats

             - Dog(s) not sure if they have experience with cats

             - Other (add text)

If you have other pets, how old are they? 

              - Under 5 years

              - 6-10 years old

             - 11+ years old

When you picture your kitty family member, what do you imagine?

            - Lap Cat: They are happiest when they are physically close to me.

            - Social Butterfly: A confident cat that will interact with guests.

            - Independent: They prefer to do their own thing.

            - Adventurous: A cat that will walk on a leash and is comfortable with travel.

            - Easy-Going: A "go with the flow" cat that has a laid back personality.

           - Cat Friendly: My resident cat needs a companion.

           - Active: A cat with intelligence that enjoys a lot of playtime and activities like clicker training.

           - Kid Friendly: My children want a pet companion to grow up with.

          - Emotional Support: A cat that will be my best friend and confidant.

Are you open to a cat with any of the following?

            - is older than 5 years

           - is older than 10 years

          - is on a special diet

          - is on medication

          - needs an injection

         - FeLV

         - is shy and needs to acclimate on their own time (i.e. three weeks or more)

         - needs to work on their manners (i.e. chases your ankles, knocks items off shelves, etc.)

         - is very high energy (i.e. needs two or more structured play sessions per day, enjoys clicker training, etc.)

         - None of the Above

Do you have any questions or concerns about the following? 

Choices include Cost of Care, Cat to Cat Intro, Cat to Dog Intro, Nail Trims, Carrier Training, Pet Insurance, etc.

What other things would you like our adoption counselors to consider when introducing you to cats? (free text space)

Where did you hear about us?

We only have cats here so I assume you may want a separate questionnaire for dogs! We don't have any barriers like landlord or vet checks. The questionnaire is mainly to kick start the matchmaking process and not to be an application. 

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Morgan Jones
Adoptions and Support Counselor
Tree House Humane Society
IL
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Good afternoon everyone,

To my fellow animal lovers and guardians, please hear me out. Keep your questionnaire simple. It should gather basic information on the adopter and their level of pet ownership to give your agency a starting point to begin the conversation.

Name

Address 

Phone

Email

Emergency Contact Name

Emergency Contact Phone

What brings you in today?

Additionally,

-A checklist to use as a counseling reference is also a good tool to have to ensure things such as pet basic needs, pet behavior, training, pet introductions, veterinarian relationships, rehoming dos and don'ts, etc. have been covered during the conversation

-Adoption handouts in print and electronic copy

-Adoption contract that is suitable to your agency

-Post-adoption check-ins

-Open return policy

Ideally, I would say that every adoption should begin as a foster (giving time for the pet to get to know their new companions and make sure they are the match for them); but knowing how this is sometimes impossible adoption is the next best thing.  As a former animal shelter employee and the current state of sheltering, we must work together to remove barriers to the adoption process. Questions that give us an idea of what someone is looking for are great to ensure a compatible match, but a person could come in thinking one pet is what they want and end up walking out with a completely different pet. Questions posed to deny an adoption should be posed as a means to have a conversation and share knowledge. A means to share community resources and veterinarians willing to work with the community that would like to provide a pet with a loving home.  If someone wants a pet, they are going to get one; why not have the conversation to ensure a person is ready to be a pet parent and knows who to call when a situation occurs? Once a person knows, they are better able to make an informed decision. Informed conversations can lead to successful adoptions. Informed conversations may also lead to a person finding that adoption may not be the commitment they are seeking. It could lead to the possibilities of short-term fostering, volunteering, donating, and much more. 

Know that there are times when a pet adoption has to be denied (a conviction of cruelty to animals for example), it should not be based on an annual pet budget, pet temperaments, or if a person has to return a pet due to unforeseen circumstances. There are agencies/groups that assist with pet-related costs (grant funding, donations, fundraising, etc), training, and rehoming or short-term fostering as needed. 

This is not to shame the organizations using these questions to deny an adoption application, because, at one point in the past, the organization I worked for had a similar application process.  We have to be the change though. We have to equip people with the knowledge and resources to be successful pet parents. We are the experts. If not us, then who? I will say again, if someone wants a pet, they will get one.  We preach adopt, don't shop; but at the same time, we have agencies out here that are pushing people to shop because of barriers. 

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Michelle George
Director of Community Animal CARE
Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity
GA
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Michelle,

You bring up a good point in your post.  Originally we had a short application for adoption.  Our rescue was getting hit with "don't let the dog be adopted back into the same area it was dumped".  We originally required a fenced-in yard before we would adopt a dog. We have changed that to not required. We are trying to push the Foster to Adopt program.  The Foundation is a year old with very little donations and running solely on adoption fees. I have a few questions for you that would help me.

1. Do you call the veterinarian on the application to check if existing dogs are being vetted?
2. If you are told none of the existing animals have vaccines and are overdue, do you go ahead and adopt to the person?
3.  We microchip the dogs.  The microchip comes with a free registration that includes our rescue as an emergency contact and can not be taken off the chip identification.  Is that ok?
4. We are in MS where there is a massive dumping, neglect, and cruelty problem.  In addition to overpopulation.  I have no problem with adopting out locally and we are actively doing so. How would you address the bashing of our rescue for doing this?
5.  Should I not keep up with adopters after a month or so to ensure the dogs are good in the adopters home? We become "friends" through text and phone calls offering training help until the adopter starts training with a local trainer for them.  That is in the adoption contract too. They must be willing to go through training with the dog.
6.  We have everything outlined in the adoption contract as far as returning of the dog/cat or seizing the rescue animal if the adopters are no longer able to care for them.  
7. I guess I want to know if I am being too caution with potential adopters.  We were recently approved for a big box pet store adoption partner. We will be adopting out dogs in the store the same day.  I will admit, while I would love for all the dogs to find their fur-ever home, I am weary of this. Especially when it comes to the Pitbull breeds.  

I apologize if I am asking too many questions.  We started out trying to help the existing rescue community. No other rescue would commit to our dogs once we vetted them. I still don't understand that. We didn't ask for reimbursement for a rescue commitment after the dog was fully vetted. We did not want to adopt out dogs, we just wanted to help the rescue organizations with veterinarian care, spaying, and neutering.  For whatever reason, it did not work out and now we are adopting out dogs and cats.  This has been something that has kept us questioning if what we are doing is wrong. 

Thank you

Kim 

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Kim Jackson
Dog Trainer
For The Puppies Foundation Inc
MS
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-19-2024 10:58 AM
From: Michelle George
Subject: Adoption Application Questionaire

Good afternoon everyone,

To my fellow animal lovers and guardians, please hear me out. Keep your questionnaire simple. It should gather basic information on the adopter and their level of pet ownership to give your agency a starting point to begin the conversation.

Name

Address 

Phone

Email

Emergency Contact Name

Emergency Contact Phone

What brings you in today?

Additionally,

-A checklist to use as a counseling reference is also a good tool to have to ensure things such as pet basic needs, pet behavior, training, pet introductions, veterinarian relationships, rehoming dos and don'ts, etc. have been covered during the conversation

-Adoption handouts in print and electronic copy

-Adoption contract that is suitable to your agency

-Post-adoption check-ins

-Open return policy

Ideally, I would say that every adoption should begin as a foster (giving time for the pet to get to know their new companions and make sure they are the match for them); but knowing how this is sometimes impossible adoption is the next best thing.  As a former animal shelter employee and the current state of sheltering, we must work together to remove barriers to the adoption process. Questions that give us an idea of what someone is looking for are great to ensure a compatible match, but a person could come in thinking one pet is what they want and end up walking out with a completely different pet. Questions posed to deny an adoption should be posed as a means to have a conversation and share knowledge. A means to share community resources and veterinarians willing to work with the community that would like to provide a pet with a loving home.  If someone wants a pet, they are going to get one; why not have the conversation to ensure a person is ready to be a pet parent and knows who to call when a situation occurs? Once a person knows, they are better able to make an informed decision. Informed conversations can lead to successful adoptions. Informed conversations may also lead to a person finding that adoption may not be the commitment they are seeking. It could lead to the possibilities of short-term fostering, volunteering, donating, and much more. 

Know that there are times when a pet adoption has to be denied (a conviction of cruelty to animals for example), it should not be based on an annual pet budget, pet temperaments, or if a person has to return a pet due to unforeseen circumstances. There are agencies/groups that assist with pet-related costs (grant funding, donations, fundraising, etc), training, and rehoming or short-term fostering as needed. 

This is not to shame the organizations using these questions to deny an adoption application, because, at one point in the past, the organization I worked for had a similar application process.  We have to be the change though. We have to equip people with the knowledge and resources to be successful pet parents. We are the experts. If not us, then who? I will say again, if someone wants a pet, they will get one.  We preach adopt, don't shop; but at the same time, we have agencies out here that are pushing people to shop because of barriers. 

------------------------------
Michelle George
Director of Community Animal CARE
Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity
GA
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