Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello! I'm looking for feedback about adoption program policies. As with so many shelters right now, we're struggling with a long LOS for big dogs and really taking a hard look at any well-intentioned policies we might have in place that are creating a barrier to adoption. We already use an "adopters welcome" approach and do conversational adoption counseling without a lot of barriers. However, we've also always done adoption counseling prior to getting dogs out for people who want to meet them. In the past, this may have been a small hurdle, but back when adopters were aplenty, it helped weed out some folks who weren't truly interested in adopting a pet. Maybe this has become a barrier? How do you all handle this? If someone walks into your shelter, does a staff member or volunteer get a dog out for someone right away with few questions asked? Then, if they're interested in adopting, you do the counseling afterward? Have you tried this and it didn't work? What went wrong? Or have you tried it and it was a success?! If it helps, we're a non-profit shelter without a government contract and do about 2,200 adoptions and placements annually. I'd love to hear your feedback!