At our shelter, a government shelter, nothing goes home with a pet except the pet. No instructions, no conversation. I commend you  for making the effort.  I would like to add the the 3-3-3 rule has been debunked.  I'm not sure who came up with it, but it certainly isn't correct.  Ant veterinary behaviorist will tell you that it's not accurate. Each animal is an individual. Each animal has a different history and temperament.   The 3-3-3 rule sets forth unreasonable expectations for a dog/cat.  Very few, if any, dog/cat is going to adjust emotionally in three days or even ten days. And of course, each is an individual.

I am a behaviorist as well but that rule has not necessarily been debunked it's just been discussed as not a hard set rule but more of a good generalization. We do go over that as well that each animal is different but it is a good starting place and to just monitor from there.

At our shelter, a government shelter, nothing goes home with a pet except the pet. No instructions, no conversation. I commend you  for making the effort.  I would like to add the the 3-3-3 rule has been debunked.  I'm not sure who came up with it, but it certainly isn't correct.  Ant veterinary behaviorist will tell you that it's not accurate. Each animal is an individual. Each animal has a different history and temperament.   The 3-3-3 rule sets forth unreasonable expectations for a dog/cat.  Very few, if any, dog/cat is going to adjust emotionally in three days or even ten days. And of course, each is an individual.

Great!  From  what university did you earn your degree?  Florida has a great undergraduate degree in Animal  Science, and they offer the advanced Masters or Doctoral degrees.  

I am a behaviorist as well but that rule has not necessarily been debunked it's just been discussed as not a hard set rule but more of a good generalization. We do go over that as well that each animal is different but it is a good starting place and to just monitor from there.

At our shelter, a government shelter, nothing goes home with a pet except the pet. No instructions, no conversation. I commend you  for making the effort.  I would like to add the the 3-3-3 rule has been debunked.  I'm not sure who came up with it, but it certainly isn't correct.  Ant veterinary behaviorist will tell you that it's not accurate. Each animal is an individual. Each animal has a different history and temperament.   The 3-3-3 rule sets forth unreasonable expectations for a dog/cat.  Very few, if any, dog/cat is going to adjust emotionally in three days or even ten days. And of course, each is an individual.

At our shelter, a government shelter, nothing goes home with a pet except the pet. No instructions, no conversation. I commend you  for making the effort.  I would like to add the the 3-3-3 rule has been debunked.  I'm not sure who came up with it, but it certainly isn't correct.  Ant veterinary behaviorist will tell you that it's not accurate. Each animal is an individual. Each animal has a different history and temperament.   The 3-3-3 rule sets forth unreasonable expectations for a dog/cat.  Very few, if any, dog/cat is going to adjust emotionally in three days or even ten days. And of course, each is an individual.

At our shelter, a government shelter, nothing goes home with a pet except the pet. No instructions, no conversation. I commend you  for making the effort.  I would like to add the the 3-3-3 rule has been debunked.  I'm not sure who came up with it, but it certainly isn't correct.  Ant veterinary behaviorist will tell you that it's not accurate. Each animal is an individual. Each animal has a different history and temperament.   The 3-3-3 rule sets forth unreasonable expectations for a dog/cat.  Very few, if any, dog/cat is going to adjust emotionally in three days or even ten days. And of course, each is an individual.

It's possible your adopters are experiencing cognitive overload at the time of adoption. If you consider how much is happening in just a few hours, including deciding to adopt a pet, visiting the shelter, the hard choice of picking one pet over another, trying to guess what a cat they meet in a cage would be like in their home, speed-dating to pick a lifetime companion, application and adoption counseling forms and conversations, a barrage of new instructions and reading material at a time of maximum excitement and distraction, it's little wonder that a lot of adopters misstep when they get home.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a newly adopted pet for their first veterinary visit and all of the handouts they were given are still untouched in the go-home bag.  It's likely that adopters can only remember a few instructions at that time, maybe even just one to three, and that more than that are not internalized. 

You ask if other shelters commonly have returns due to poor introductions to new pets, and speaking for the shelters in our region, I would say no. Returns of cats for any reason are low, and when they do occur it's extremely uncommon to be due to an injury. If the scenario you are describing happens often, I'd consider trying a lighter and more focused and individualized adoption experience.  Pick the most critical instruction and feature that. If the adoption counselors are speaking more than listening, flip the script and let the adopters do most of the talking in a guided conversation.

For example, the counselor could start with an acknowledgement that going-home day is exciting for adopters but can be scary for cats. Therefore, it's important to plan for a very quiet and safe transition from the small cage and stable daily routine to the large space and bustle of family life. Starting out with a smaller "safe place" before opening up to the whole house, other pets, and visitors will help the cat adapt to this whole new lifestyle without becoming overwhelmed and shutting down. Then the counselor can ask the adopter to describe their ideas about how they can achieve this soft landing for their new pet. Together, they can consider the options that come up and the counselor can coach them toward good choices. This allows the adopter to envision the step-by-step process of getting home and to brainstorm ideas with the counselor to come up with a plan for success.  This iterative process engages the way adult learners process information, allows adopters to envision the steps to come in their own home, and to resist impulsive temptations like stopping by to meet the parent's dog. Since they've already mentally rehearsed the process and received positive affirmation for it, they are more likely to follow through. Adult learners (maybe all learners) are pretty bad at absorbing information received as lectures, and really bad at picking out the most important headlines when many points are delivered.

Of course, there is a lot more that adopters need to know about the care of their new pet, but this can be trickled to them in a way that doesn't overwhelm. The adoption visit can be limited to the essentials of a good match for the cat and the adopter's personality and lifestyle, essential medical information, and the coming home process.  I recommend that shelters join Petszel, a free app that trickles information to adopters at the right cadence, sends post-adoption surveys to adopters at Day 1, Week 1, and Month 1 (and beyond), and provides expert-designed education to adopters reporting issues with their new pet. Since this all happens automatically, the shelters receive a huge amount of information from adopters in real-time and can head off problems before they are back at the shelter returning their pet. Several large shelters using Petszel report 20% fewer returns. Check out our peer-reviewed paper on Petszel data: Shelter to Home: Surveys of Early Post-Adoption Experiences with More Than 22,000 Dog and Cat Adopters

And finally, it's worth sitting in on some adoption counseling sessions to see how they are going. With high staff turnover and individual personalities and knowledge bases, it's possible that some counselors are having more success than others. 

This is amazing advice Julie! As an adoption counselor for cats, what I also do is when I want to go over what they should do with their new pe, I bring them out of the cat room and sit them down in our cat area for a conversation, without the stimulation of the cats and kittens around. I've found that when people are looking at the cats, they don't pay attention to anything you're saying :)

This is amazing advice Julie! As an adoption counselor for cats, what I also do is when I want to go over what they should do with their new pe, I bring them out of the cat room and sit them down in our cat area for a conversation, without the stimulation of the cats and kittens around. I've found that when people are looking at the cats, they don't pay attention to anything you're saying :)

It's possible your adopters are experiencing cognitive overload at the time of adoption. If you consider how much is happening in just a few hours, including deciding to adopt a pet, visiting the shelter, the hard choice of picking one pet over another, trying to guess what a cat they meet in a cage would be like in their home, speed-dating to pick a lifetime companion, application and adoption counseling forms and conversations, a barrage of new instructions and reading material at a time of maximum excitement and distraction, it's little wonder that a lot of adopters misstep when they get home.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a newly adopted pet for their first veterinary visit and all of the handouts they were given are still untouched in the go-home bag.  It's likely that adopters can only remember a few instructions at that time, maybe even just one to three, and that more than that are not internalized. 

You ask if other shelters commonly have returns due to poor introductions to new pets, and speaking for the shelters in our region, I would say no. Returns of cats for any reason are low, and when they do occur it's extremely uncommon to be due to an injury. If the scenario you are describing happens often, I'd consider trying a lighter and more focused and individualized adoption experience.  Pick the most critical instruction and feature that. If the adoption counselors are speaking more than listening, flip the script and let the adopters do most of the talking in a guided conversation.

For example, the counselor could start with an acknowledgement that going-home day is exciting for adopters but can be scary for cats. Therefore, it's important to plan for a very quiet and safe transition from the small cage and stable daily routine to the large space and bustle of family life. Starting out with a smaller "safe place" before opening up to the whole house, other pets, and visitors will help the cat adapt to this whole new lifestyle without becoming overwhelmed and shutting down. Then the counselor can ask the adopter to describe their ideas about how they can achieve this soft landing for their new pet. Together, they can consider the options that come up and the counselor can coach them toward good choices. This allows the adopter to envision the step-by-step process of getting home and to brainstorm ideas with the counselor to come up with a plan for success.  This iterative process engages the way adult learners process information, allows adopters to envision the steps to come in their own home, and to resist impulsive temptations like stopping by to meet the parent's dog. Since they've already mentally rehearsed the process and received positive affirmation for it, they are more likely to follow through. Adult learners (maybe all learners) are pretty bad at absorbing information received as lectures, and really bad at picking out the most important headlines when many points are delivered.

Of course, there is a lot more that adopters need to know about the care of their new pet, but this can be trickled to them in a way that doesn't overwhelm. The adoption visit can be limited to the essentials of a good match for the cat and the adopter's personality and lifestyle, essential medical information, and the coming home process.  I recommend that shelters join Petszel, a free app that trickles information to adopters at the right cadence, sends post-adoption surveys to adopters at Day 1, Week 1, and Month 1 (and beyond), and provides expert-designed education to adopters reporting issues with their new pet. Since this all happens automatically, the shelters receive a huge amount of information from adopters in real-time and can head off problems before they are back at the shelter returning their pet. Several large shelters using Petszel report 20% fewer returns. Check out our peer-reviewed paper on Petszel data: Shelter to Home: Surveys of Early Post-Adoption Experiences with More Than 22,000 Dog and Cat Adopters

And finally, it's worth sitting in on some adoption counseling sessions to see how they are going. With high staff turnover and individual personalities and knowledge bases, it's possible that some counselors are having more success than others. 

It's possible your adopters are experiencing cognitive overload at the time of adoption. If you consider how much is happening in just a few hours, including deciding to adopt a pet, visiting the shelter, the hard choice of picking one pet over another, trying to guess what a cat they meet in a cage would be like in their home, speed-dating to pick a lifetime companion, application and adoption counseling forms and conversations, a barrage of new instructions and reading material at a time of maximum excitement and distraction, it's little wonder that a lot of adopters misstep when they get home.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen a newly adopted pet for their first veterinary visit and all of the handouts they were given are still untouched in the go-home bag.  It's likely that adopters can only remember a few instructions at that time, maybe even just one to three, and that more than that are not internalized. 

You ask if other shelters commonly have returns due to poor introductions to new pets, and speaking for the shelters in our region, I would say no. Returns of cats for any reason are low, and when they do occur it's extremely uncommon to be due to an injury. If the scenario you are describing happens often, I'd consider trying a lighter and more focused and individualized adoption experience.  Pick the most critical instruction and feature that. If the adoption counselors are speaking more than listening, flip the script and let the adopters do most of the talking in a guided conversation.

For example, the counselor could start with an acknowledgement that going-home day is exciting for adopters but can be scary for cats. Therefore, it's important to plan for a very quiet and safe transition from the small cage and stable daily routine to the large space and bustle of family life. Starting out with a smaller "safe place" before opening up to the whole house, other pets, and visitors will help the cat adapt to this whole new lifestyle without becoming overwhelmed and shutting down. Then the counselor can ask the adopter to describe their ideas about how they can achieve this soft landing for their new pet. Together, they can consider the options that come up and the counselor can coach them toward good choices. This allows the adopter to envision the step-by-step process of getting home and to brainstorm ideas with the counselor to come up with a plan for success.  This iterative process engages the way adult learners process information, allows adopters to envision the steps to come in their own home, and to resist impulsive temptations like stopping by to meet the parent's dog. Since they've already mentally rehearsed the process and received positive affirmation for it, they are more likely to follow through. Adult learners (maybe all learners) are pretty bad at absorbing information received as lectures, and really bad at picking out the most important headlines when many points are delivered.

Of course, there is a lot more that adopters need to know about the care of their new pet, but this can be trickled to them in a way that doesn't overwhelm. The adoption visit can be limited to the essentials of a good match for the cat and the adopter's personality and lifestyle, essential medical information, and the coming home process.  I recommend that shelters join Petszel, a free app that trickles information to adopters at the right cadence, sends post-adoption surveys to adopters at Day 1, Week 1, and Month 1 (and beyond), and provides expert-designed education to adopters reporting issues with their new pet. Since this all happens automatically, the shelters receive a huge amount of information from adopters in real-time and can head off problems before they are back at the shelter returning their pet. Several large shelters using Petszel report 20% fewer returns. Check out our peer-reviewed paper on Petszel data: Shelter to Home: Surveys of Early Post-Adoption Experiences with More Than 22,000 Dog and Cat Adopters

And finally, it's worth sitting in on some adoption counseling sessions to see how they are going. With high staff turnover and individual personalities and knowledge bases, it's possible that some counselors are having more success than others. 

We do send every animal home with an "adoption packet" that includes some information on decompression (we do utilize the generalized 3-3-3 paperwork to give people a place to stand on). It also includes basic husbandry, local veterinarians, introductions, enrichment ideas as well as contact information back to our Pet Resource Center if there is anything going wrong for the adoption. I know there are also companies that specialize in post adoption follow-up, like https://petszel.com/ that might be worthwhile looking into for you.

Otherwise, I hate to say that sometimes people will do what they think is best or the way they were taught and ignore everything that they are given. Sometimes I want to shake people when they call and say "now where do  I go for this s/n appointment?" when it's in their email, in a pamphlet, and also a reminder text XD But that's just how some people are. Try to think of them as the memorable exclusions, not the rule. At our clinic we do anywhere from 40-70 s/n a day so if I do only have one person contacting me, that really is a small percentage even if it feels exhausting.

I've seen some pretty neat post-adoption podcasts, little reels etc and I think all we can do is just try to communicate to more people and hope that people listen. When possible - always leave a door open a crack (if you have the capacity) for follow-ups.