We Foster Challenge

October 12, 2021
Maddie's Fund Chew On This blog post:
To find adopters and fosters for pets who are more difficult to place, start with your language

The language we use is important because it is the lens through which potential adopters see the pets in our care. In an effort to keep communications brief, we may use as few words as possible when describing pets, but everything these subtle changes communicate to the wider world may not be obvious to us. Could something as simple as one or two words be hindering our fostering and adoption efforts?  

Think of the term “behavior dog.” What does it imply? When you hear it, what are your assumptions? Is it clear whether this condition is permanent or not? In fact, a dog who guards his kibble in a shelter may not do this at all in a home, and a behavior that is problematic for one adopter may not be an issue for another. 

Read the full blog post