Evaluation of a Novel Dog Adoption Program in Two US Communities

Abstract

Millions of dogs enter animal welfare organizations every year and only a fraction of them are adopted. Despite the most recent American Pet Products Association (APPA) data that nearly half the US population owns a dog, only 20% acquired their dog from an animal welfare organization. Studies show that people consider adopting from an animal shelter more often than they actually do, which indicates a potential market increase if programs can make shelter dogs more visible to adopters. This research focused on a novel adoption program where shelter dogs were transferred into foster homes who were tasked with finding an adopter. Shelter dogs were placed in the path of potential adopters and bypassed the need for the adopter to go to the shelter. The results show that this novel program was effective in a variety of ways including getting dogs adopted. Although length of stay was significantly longer for dogs in the program, the dogs were in a home environment, not taking up kennel space in the shelter. The program also had a lower rate of returns than dogs adopted at the shelter. The foster program tapped adopters in different geographical segments of the community than the dogs adopted from the shelter. By bringing shelter dogs to where adopters spend their time (ex: restaurants, parks, hair salons), the program potentially captured a segment of the population who might have obtained their dog from other sources besides the shelter (such as breeders or pet stores). This novel approach can be an effective method for adoption, has many benefits for shelters, and can tap into a new adopter market by engaging their community in a new way.

Surrendered and Stray Dogs in Australia—Estimation of Numbers Entering Municipal Pounds, Shelters and Rescue Groups and Their Outcomes

“…Foster and rescue networks are invaluable because they reduce facility overcrowding, thereby reducing disease and behavioral issues [ 95 ]. They also provide behavior conditioning in a foster care environment [ 95 , 96 ] and extend the reach of the adoption program to potential adopters beyond the vicinity of the shelters [ 95 , 97 ]. It is recommended that councils increase utilization of fostering and rescue groups in the community, and implement more innovative marketing strategies to increase adoptions.…”

Socio-Economic Factors in Companion Animal Relinquishment on the Sunshine Coast, Australia

“…Morris and Gies (2014) found a decrease in companion animal intake and euthanasia over 25 years, which they attributed to rescue organizations, more effective spaying and neutering programs, licensing and identification Society & Animals (2017) 1-19 methods, websites for searching for lost companion animals, marketing, mobile units, and events. Programs to increase transfer to foster homes using hair salons, restaurants, and other segments of society that provide alternatives to sourcing companion animals from a breeder or pet store are contributing to declining shelter trends (Mohan-Gibbons, Weiss, Garrison, & Allison, 2014). On the other hand, some shelters are now importing companion animals from other regions, which may manifest as higher numbers of adults than litters in shelters, and demonstrate geographic differences in companion animal surrender (DiGiacomo et al, 1998;Morris & Gies, 2014), with many places (such as this region) not mandating sterilization.…”

RandAgiamo™, a Pilot Project Increasing Adoptability of Shelter Dogs in the Umbria Region (Italy)

“…These complementary activities acted as a campaign to raise public awareness on the problem of stray dogs and gave some RandAgiamo dogs the chance to meet the general public in daily life. The “ foster programs ”, as described by Mohan-Gibbons et al [ 6 ], considered the reluctance people have in acquiring dogs from shelters, so they placed adoptable shelter dogs in foster homes, called “ Adoption Ambassadors ”. These dogs were walked in public areas to make them visible and familiar to potential adopters.…”

“…Countries such as Austria have similar provisions, while in many others, such as USA and Australia, euthanasia is still a routine practice to control overpopulation. Although there are no official statistics, estimates reported in these countries suggested a euthanasia rate of 30%–60% [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. The Italian law No.…”