Animal Welfare Professionals

Hi everyone! 

We, like many shelters and rescues, enjoy sharing happy adoption stories on our social media. Especially for those special needs cases that pull on the heartstrings. 

Unfortunately, we've had a handful of adopted pets return to our care for a variety of reasons these last few weeks. One of these dogs was a special needs case, who attracted the attention of hundreds on social media. We waited a full week before sharing the update and adoption photo, as it seemed to be a perfect match. He was in his home for six weeks before returning to our care, and it was truly a surprise to us all.  It seemed that he developed some aggressive tendencies in the home that we did not observe during the four months spent in our care. 

I'm wondering how you would go about sharing this not-as-happy update, after people have already celebrated his recovery and adoption? Dozens of our donors left supportive comments, some even asking for continued updates from his new home.  He will soon be available for adoption again, which means making an appearance on our website, which will undoubtedly lead to questions about his last placement. We do not want to shame the previous owner in any way (it was a very difficult decision bringing him back to the shelter), but do not want to hide his recent struggles with aggression. He will need formal training once he's adopted again. 

I would greatly appreciate any advice you have about how to navigate this situation with grace. Thank you!

Hi everyone! 

We, like many shelters and rescues, enjoy sharing happy adoption stories on our social media. Especially for those special needs cases that pull on the heartstrings. 

Unfortunately, we've had a handful of adopted pets return to our care for a variety of reasons these last few weeks. One of these dogs was a special needs case, who attracted the attention of hundreds on social media. We waited a full week before sharing the update and adoption photo, as it seemed to be a perfect match. He was in his home for six weeks before returning to our care, and it was truly a surprise to us all.  It seemed that he developed some aggressive tendencies in the home that we did not observe during the four months spent in our care. 

I'm wondering how you would go about sharing this not-as-happy update, after people have already celebrated his recovery and adoption? Dozens of our donors left supportive comments, some even asking for continued updates from his new home.  He will soon be available for adoption again, which means making an appearance on our website, which will undoubtedly lead to questions about his last placement. We do not want to shame the previous owner in any way (it was a very difficult decision bringing him back to the shelter), but do not want to hide his recent struggles with aggression. He will need formal training once he's adopted again. 

I would greatly appreciate any advice you have about how to navigate this situation with grace. Thank you!

I agree with Samantha. Something I learned in a class I'm taking about shelter cats is to think of animals that got adopted but then were returned more as if that person was fostering the animal for however long, got them out of the stressful shelter environment for a while and gave us new information that we can use to find the right home for them. While it isn't ideal or what was planned, it is more of a net positive than a negative and you are more equipped and know how to better provide for this animal.

Hi everyone! 

We, like many shelters and rescues, enjoy sharing happy adoption stories on our social media. Especially for those special needs cases that pull on the heartstrings. 

Unfortunately, we've had a handful of adopted pets return to our care for a variety of reasons these last few weeks. One of these dogs was a special needs case, who attracted the attention of hundreds on social media. We waited a full week before sharing the update and adoption photo, as it seemed to be a perfect match. He was in his home for six weeks before returning to our care, and it was truly a surprise to us all.  It seemed that he developed some aggressive tendencies in the home that we did not observe during the four months spent in our care. 

I'm wondering how you would go about sharing this not-as-happy update, after people have already celebrated his recovery and adoption? Dozens of our donors left supportive comments, some even asking for continued updates from his new home.  He will soon be available for adoption again, which means making an appearance on our website, which will undoubtedly lead to questions about his last placement. We do not want to shame the previous owner in any way (it was a very difficult decision bringing him back to the shelter), but do not want to hide his recent struggles with aggression. He will need formal training once he's adopted again. 

I would greatly appreciate any advice you have about how to navigate this situation with grace. Thank you!

Hi everyone! 

We, like many shelters and rescues, enjoy sharing happy adoption stories on our social media. Especially for those special needs cases that pull on the heartstrings. 

Unfortunately, we've had a handful of adopted pets return to our care for a variety of reasons these last few weeks. One of these dogs was a special needs case, who attracted the attention of hundreds on social media. We waited a full week before sharing the update and adoption photo, as it seemed to be a perfect match. He was in his home for six weeks before returning to our care, and it was truly a surprise to us all.  It seemed that he developed some aggressive tendencies in the home that we did not observe during the four months spent in our care. 

I'm wondering how you would go about sharing this not-as-happy update, after people have already celebrated his recovery and adoption? Dozens of our donors left supportive comments, some even asking for continued updates from his new home.  He will soon be available for adoption again, which means making an appearance on our website, which will undoubtedly lead to questions about his last placement. We do not want to shame the previous owner in any way (it was a very difficult decision bringing him back to the shelter), but do not want to hide his recent struggles with aggression. He will need formal training once he's adopted again. 

I would greatly appreciate any advice you have about how to navigate this situation with grace. Thank you!