Like most shelters, we are facing reduced demand for dog adoptions. In response, we are trying to be strategic to increase our dog adoptions while keeping the pets safe and healthy. In recent months, we have not allowed the public to walk through the dog kennel rooms. My staff have noted the following as rationale for not allowing the public through the kennel rooms:
- See evidence of physical stress from the dogs when people walk through but are not allowed take them out and pet them
- The interaction when giving them the treat is short-lived, they go back to jumping and barking when the interaction is over
- Can cause more barrier reactivity. The dogs will learn that when they jump up people will walk away.
- Some staff members feel the dogs will display poorly and reduce the likelihood of an adoption.
My staff and I both want to do what's best for the dogs, but have different ideas for how to accomplish that. In response, we have decided to implement the following experiment:
- We will take some videos of the dogs as random visitors walk through the dog kennel rooms.
- For one month, we will strive to have a staff or volunteer walk through the rooms every 30 minutes and offer healthy treats.
- We will then take some more videos at the conclusion of the month to see if there is any significant difference
I know it is not a perfect experiment because there might be different dogs in the shelter in 30 days, but it was the best we could come up with.
What do others think? Is it a good idea or a bad idea to allow the public to walk through the dog kennel rooms (with supervision)?
#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment------------------------------
brandon mustful
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