Animal Welfare Professionals

Last month, my hypothesis article, "The Canine Search & Adoption Decision Process",  was published in a special edition of animals. You can find the article for free using this link.

I also created the below video for an animated overview of the article.  Watch! Read! Enjoy! And, feel free to ask any questions or share feedback on the content.

Last month, my hypothesis article, "The Canine Search & Adoption Decision Process",  was published in a special edition of animals. You can find the article for free using this link.

I also created the below video for an animated overview of the article.  Watch! Read! Enjoy! And, feel free to ask any questions or share feedback on the content.

The article offers three main takeaways while digging into the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of the decision-making process:

1. Handling Unknowns: Because animal shelters often have dogs with associated unknowns (history, age, behavior, health, etc.), people naturally feel unsure. To deal with these unknowns, potential adopters spend time searching for information to help them find a dog that they believe will be a great, compatible companion (i.e., able to confidently predict the future with the adoptable dog).  
2. The Power of Connection: The early emotional bond a person feels with a dog acts as a strong mental signal. This feeling of connection helps adopters overcome their fears and doubts tied to uncertainties, so they can confidently decide to adopt and take a chance on the future together.
3. Using Mental Shortcuts: Because choosing between numerous adoptable dogs takes a lot of mental and emotional energy, people use quick mental shortcuts to make the process easier. They might look at a dog's age, breed, or online photo to quickly frame assumptions for how the dog's personality and behavior will fit their household lifestyle.

Last month, my hypothesis article, "The Canine Search & Adoption Decision Process",  was published in a special edition of animals. You can find the article for free using this link.

I also created the below video for an animated overview of the article.  Watch! Read! Enjoy! And, feel free to ask any questions or share feedback on the content.

Hi Lawrence,

This is the framework I've been waiting for. The signal-to-noise framing maps directly to what we built at Animal-Angels Foundation.

Three pieces stand out from a practitioner perspective.

The "noise" problem (incomplete information, breed misdesignation, behavioral assessment validity) is exactly what AAF's Pet Resume system addresses. We replace breed labels with verified data on rental history, behavior, training, and medical care, and that data follows the pet across the network. We're trying to lower the noise floor before the adopter ever walks in.

The joint vs separate evaluation reversal (Hsee) explains why our Sniff and Greet program works better than traditional kennel walk-throughs. Sniff and Greet is structured around out-of-kennel interaction. Behavior becomes the primary predictor instead of morphology, exactly as your framework describes.

The "Update Evaluation" and "Suspend Search" outcomes are the underserved part of the field. Most shelters track adoptions, but nobody tracks the people who suspended their search. That's a population our Pet Help Desk could engage with prevention messaging before they back-channel acquire from a breeder or backyard source. New research opportunity?

Adoption Boost (our 7/30/60/90 day post-adoption support) was built without academic vocabulary, but it's directly addressing your Phase IV residual uncertainty. The decision threshold gets reached, but the noise doesn't disappear, and that's why returns happen.

I'd love to talk. Your framework gives me a structured way to think about something we've been operationalizing in the field.

calendly.com/animal-angels

Thank you for sharing the article, BJ

The article offers three main takeaways while digging into the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of the decision-making process:

1. Handling Unknowns: Because animal shelters often have dogs with associated unknowns (history, age, behavior, health, etc.), people naturally feel unsure. To deal with these unknowns, potential adopters spend time searching for information to help them find a dog that they believe will be a great, compatible companion (i.e., able to confidently predict the future with the adoptable dog).  
2. The Power of Connection: The early emotional bond a person feels with a dog acts as a strong mental signal. This feeling of connection helps adopters overcome their fears and doubts tied to uncertainties, so they can confidently decide to adopt and take a chance on the future together.
3. Using Mental Shortcuts: Because choosing between numerous adoptable dogs takes a lot of mental and emotional energy, people use quick mental shortcuts to make the process easier. They might look at a dog's age, breed, or online photo to quickly frame assumptions for how the dog's personality and behavior will fit their household lifestyle.

Last month, my hypothesis article, "The Canine Search & Adoption Decision Process",  was published in a special edition of animals. You can find the article for free using this link.

I also created the below video for an animated overview of the article.  Watch! Read! Enjoy! And, feel free to ask any questions or share feedback on the content.

Hello BJ, 

It's fantastic to see how AAF has been proactively iterating through program and process redesigns to deal with recurring issues that traditional process designs didn't handle as well. Lowering the noise before entry is likely to be especially helpful because it reduces the aversions that potential adopters may experience while onsite. 

I'm definitely interested to learn more details about the Sniff & Greet program. The anecdotal experiences could be informative for additional process features that could also impact adoption decision-making. And, you a absolutely accurate on the missed outcome pools that have been largely omitted or overlooked, and it's another research gap that I'm noting now to discuss with my research advisor and lab. 

Thank you for being open to connect. By the end of the week, I will setup a time to meet. 

Please keep doing what you're doing and continue to raise some very interesting and relevant post topics.

Lawrence 

Hi Lawrence,

This is the framework I've been waiting for. The signal-to-noise framing maps directly to what we built at Animal-Angels Foundation.

Three pieces stand out from a practitioner perspective.

The "noise" problem (incomplete information, breed misdesignation, behavioral assessment validity) is exactly what AAF's Pet Resume system addresses. We replace breed labels with verified data on rental history, behavior, training, and medical care, and that data follows the pet across the network. We're trying to lower the noise floor before the adopter ever walks in.

The joint vs separate evaluation reversal (Hsee) explains why our Sniff and Greet program works better than traditional kennel walk-throughs. Sniff and Greet is structured around out-of-kennel interaction. Behavior becomes the primary predictor instead of morphology, exactly as your framework describes.

The "Update Evaluation" and "Suspend Search" outcomes are the underserved part of the field. Most shelters track adoptions, but nobody tracks the people who suspended their search. That's a population our Pet Help Desk could engage with prevention messaging before they back-channel acquire from a breeder or backyard source. New research opportunity?

Adoption Boost (our 7/30/60/90 day post-adoption support) was built without academic vocabulary, but it's directly addressing your Phase IV residual uncertainty. The decision threshold gets reached, but the noise doesn't disappear, and that's why returns happen.

I'd love to talk. Your framework gives me a structured way to think about something we've been operationalizing in the field.

calendly.com/animal-angels

Thank you for sharing the article, BJ

The article offers three main takeaways while digging into the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of the decision-making process:

1. Handling Unknowns: Because animal shelters often have dogs with associated unknowns (history, age, behavior, health, etc.), people naturally feel unsure. To deal with these unknowns, potential adopters spend time searching for information to help them find a dog that they believe will be a great, compatible companion (i.e., able to confidently predict the future with the adoptable dog).  
2. The Power of Connection: The early emotional bond a person feels with a dog acts as a strong mental signal. This feeling of connection helps adopters overcome their fears and doubts tied to uncertainties, so they can confidently decide to adopt and take a chance on the future together.
3. Using Mental Shortcuts: Because choosing between numerous adoptable dogs takes a lot of mental and emotional energy, people use quick mental shortcuts to make the process easier. They might look at a dog's age, breed, or online photo to quickly frame assumptions for how the dog's personality and behavior will fit their household lifestyle.

Last month, my hypothesis article, "The Canine Search & Adoption Decision Process",  was published in a special edition of animals. You can find the article for free using this link.

I also created the below video for an animated overview of the article.  Watch! Read! Enjoy! And, feel free to ask any questions or share feedback on the content.