Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello

Often working in a muncipality, we are not able to say no unless there is documented proof that adopter should not adopt.  But how do you handle situations where , while trying not to judge a person, do you turn down an adoption when you are not quite sure the person will able to take care of a pet when they are not able to take care of themselves.    Case in point, we had a person come in:

1. signed in out visitor log in two different spots as two different people
2. informed staff they wanted to adopt a dog for protection as people were wanting to steal from them
3. they looked around at our dogs, then wanted a cat, then wanted one of our senior chihuahuas

Staff did not feel threatened by the person just unsure how to handle it.   I thought about calling for a police officer, but with persons with mental illness that sometimes does not work in our favor.

Thoughts?

Person ended up without a pet due to not having an ID.   Thank you.

#Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)

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Chun Mezger
Animal Services Officer
North Richland Hills Animal Adoption & Rescue
TX
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Sometimes, those things have a way of working themselves out. In your case, the lack of an ID. With this situation, I would have most likely said "It seems that you are unsure of exactly what might best suit your needs. I'm going to suggest you think about it overnight and come back tomorrow".  It works every time, and they never come back the next day.  Always make it sound like you are doing them a favor: "It's great that you are taking the time to figure out what is best for your household. I'm here again Friday if you'd like to chat again".  I have never had them come back. 

Once I did have to say something to the effect of "I'm not comfortable doing an adoption with you today, because of your uncertainty. My manager will be in tomorrow so I think we should wait until she's here." 

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Bonny Birch
Volunteer Manager
Palm Springs Animal Shelter
Palm Springs, CA
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That is difficult situation for sure. As a private rescue not affiliated with a municipality we have more options but we still have people that want to "impulse" adopt. We have an application process and let the adopter know, since we are a volunteer run organization it will take a few days to vet their application. This definitely weeds out those who are not serious about adopting. I think Bonnie offered a great suggestion in making it about them and what is best for their household. 

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Lisa Burn
Co-founder/VP
Farmhouse Animal & Nature Sanctuary
Myakka City, FL
https://farmhousesanctuary.org
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Hi, I've found the best way to do this is to make it about the animals not meeting the person's needs. Explain that the match is a relationship and if its not right for either person or pet then someone is going to get hurt. For the uncertainty, I usually say I can see you want a pet to be with you but it seems you might not know exactly what characteristics you want in your pet. I suggest doing a want and don't want in their pet and then look again. 

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Jean Gillan
Animal Control
Randolph Public Health
MA
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This is a challenging but important scenario that many shelters face. While we must avoid arbitrary judgments, clear inconsistencies and concerning statements can justify pausing the process, even without formal documentation.

In this case, the lack of ID provided a neutral reason to decline, but other red flags could also warrant a gentle but firm delay. 

For safety, discreetly alerting a colleague or supervisor in the moment is wise. Involving police is risky with mental health concerns, but if threats arise, prioritize staff safety. Documenting observations (even informally) helps build a record for future cases.

Would love to hear how others balance compassion with caution in these situations.

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CM Mishir
Blogger
Caremypet
Los Angeles
https://www.caremypet.org/
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