Animal Welfare Professionals

Our shelter requires people to sing a liability waiver to walk around our facility. Our shelter includes open cat areas where they may have direct contact with an animal. This seems to clog up our process a bit with a liability waiver followed by an adoption application. We currently use google forms to collect information but people constantly "break" the form and edit it or mess it up for the next visitor. What does your shelter use? Do you have a program for waivers or sign ins that you like?

#AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms

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Stephanie Root
Offsite Adoption Coordinator
Humane Society of Greater Dayton
OH
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SO, I'm guessing this might vary by state, but we only have visitors sign in a log book when they arrive. We use a Matchmaker adoption process, so no adoption survey or form to fill out ahead of time. Instead, they get to wander around, and if they see a pet they like or want to meet, they talk to a Matchmaker, who ask them the questions - rent or own? existing pets? etc - and if all goes well, we use PetPoint to do a contract right there. Customers have nothing online to mess up (only to sign the contract), and pets go home same day. Our return rate is around... 8%? which is right in line with the US shelters as a whole. And a lot of that can stem from trained, well-informed Matchmakers, and so we expect this year to be lower, since we've put some new training and protocols in place.

Back to the first part, though - does your state or local laws require a liability waiver? If not, I'd just delete that - but again, check with insurance, etc. It does seem a bit excessive - we always clearly mark any kennel with an animal in that might cause harm, and block visitors from them.  It does sound like your facility should re-think the process of letting visitors enter so much data, though! Perhaps a front desk person to do entries would save time in the long run?

Best of luck!

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Monica Lowe
Development Support Specialist/Matchmaker
NORTHWEST ORGANIZATION FOR ANIMAL HELP
WA
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Our facility requires all visitors, including volunteers, to sign a log-in book. We don't ask for a waiver. Visitors can then visit our cat room and walk the dog adoption kennel hallway.

If someone wants to meet an animal one-on-one, they are required to fill out an application and have it approved. They can get the form online. Although the application asks if people are open to a home visit, to my knowledge we seldom if ever, visit a home. We would hardly have the staff for that, or for on-demand MatchMakers. The turn-around on the approval process is usually quick - next day, I think. I know of one person who was put off by waiting a day for a cat.  Also, since I've started doing dog meet and greets, I've noticed that people tend to want to either take some time to think about it after they meet a dog or want to get their home ready. 

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Eudora Watson
Volunteer
Potsdam Humane Society Shelter
New York
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