Let’s get some dogs into homes!

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BarkBox Hosts Rescue Month All October

So, here’s the summary before I get into the details: BarkBox is hosting several initiatives to get homeless pets adopted. One of them is through folks like me who are set up with an affiliate link. For the month, they’ve raised the discount I’m allowed to offer to 15% off a subscription AND have added a $5 donation for every box purchased in October to cover adoption fees for shelter partners.

And their partners are FAB! There’s a list of more than 15, but they have so many that tie into Pit Bull Awareness Month! Here are a handful that strike a chord with me:

Ambassador Pit Bull Rescue
Big Dogs Huge Paws
Bully Paws Pit Bull Patriots
NEW YORK BULLY CREW
Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary

OH! And if you want the October box – I hear it’s going to be quite spooky – today’s the last day to place that order, otherwise you’ll start up in November.

So, here’s another initiative: BarkBox is offering free three-month subscriptions to adoptable dogs shared by their partners all month. Hey! I’m a partner! 🙂 I’m going to be going to my shelter to photo some of the darling adoptable dogs to share and tag on Instagram to hopefully get them into homes. How exciting is that?!?!

If you’ve been debating a subscription, this is a great time to do it because you’ll be helping dogs find their forever homes while spoiling your pups! The box pictured above, btw, was the September box we received. The only thing we didn’t love was the pennant squeaky toy since it’s not a durable option, so that went into our shelter donation bag. Everything else was spot-on, and that football is still intact, if you can believe it! (You can also request “allergy-friendly” and “power chewer” subscriptions after you place the order… just forward your order confirmation to support(at)barkbox(dot)com requesting that special version.)

One last time, my affiliate link to get you 15% off a subscription!

I seriously can’t wait to get into the shelter and snap pics of darling dogs who are looking for their homes. I’ll be sure to share them as I go! In the meantime, have a lovely weekend! So much to come next week… Stay tuned! 🙂

Should pet adoptions be free?

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Last week we had a discussion on Facebook about whether it’s a better use of your donation to sponsor an adoptable dog or to pay the adoption fee for a dog in advance.

A single theme emerged: If someone adopts a dog simply because the adoption fee is free, then that person probably can’t afford to care for a dog for its life anyway.

That got me thinking… then researching… then wondering… Should pet adoptions be free?

I found some interesting arguments on both sides, but in the end, what I found went a long way to convince me that free adoptions – at least occasionally as a special promotion – are a great idea! So I wanted to share some of what I discovered.

Misconception #1: All those lunatic hoarders/dog fighters/animal abusers will flock to collect “free” animals.

A free adoption does not mean a shelter lowers their adoption standard. If the shelter requires an application for a full-price adoption, the shelter requires an application for a free adoption. If the shelter requires a home visit for a full-price adoption, the shelter also requires a home visit for a free adoption. And so on.

That fact goes a long way, in my opinion, to assuage the idea that free adoptions draw in the crazies who are just wanting to collect free animals for hoarding/fighting/torturing/whatever.

Misconception #2: People who can’t afford an adoption fee can’t afford to take care of their animal.

There is actually a ton of research out there to counter this argument. (Here are a couple comprehensive studies on fee-waived cats from Maddie’s Fund and ASPCA.) In essence, what shelters that have tried free adoptions have found is that it doesn’t attract people who can’t afford their pets. Instead, it draws in people who were on the fence about adoption and encourages them to go ahead and adopt.

Also, Christie Keith over at Dogged tackled this issue a year ago, and she raised an interesting point: “There is almost always at least a hint of judgment that poor people will be bad pet owners in a myriad of other ways, too.” But, the reality is, a Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science found that free adoptions did not devalue the pet in the adopter’s eyes, nor did it result in less attachment between pet and owner (versus a paid adoption).

Misconception #3: Giving away pets will take much-needed money from the shelter.

Shelters spend a ton of money on every animal they take in. I tried to find actual numbers, but they vary so widely from source to source that I didn’t feel comfortable quoting one specific thing. There’s no question that it’s an expensive endeavor to fully vet, groom, house, and feed animals in a shelter. However… If a shelter is relying on adoption fees to sustain operations, that shelter is in trouble at a more fundamental level. Instead of focusing on bringing in $125 or whatever for each animal – which comes and goes seasonally, at the whim of the economy, by what animals are “in stock,” and so on – a shelter in that position should be pouring its efforts into attracting and retaining donors, establishing a legacy giving program, cultivating “angels,” and diversifying their revenue streams. But that’s a post for another day. The bottom line, though, is that shelters can’t and shouldn’t rely on adoption fees to sustain operations.

One last point: From the studies linked to above and from this super honest post from Pets Alive, there’s another added benefit to free adoptions. Shelters that offer free adoptions for harder-to-adopt animals – say, cats over 3 years of age, senior dogs, etc. – decrease the amount of time those animals are in the shelter. In other words, they’re finding homes for them faster.

To me, it seems that the concerns that stop shelters from offering free adoptions have been alleviated with real-life examples like ASPCA, Pets Alive, and Maddie’s Fund. If it results in more animals ending up in loving homes, it seems like a home run. But I’m open-minded! I’d love to hear your experience.

What do you think? Should pet adoptions be free? Do you have examples or thoughts for either side of the argument?

Unexpected ways to help animals get adopted

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We all want to help animals find loving homes. One way, of course, is to adopt your next pet! But if you’re not currently looking to add to your family, there’s still a lot you can do to help place dogs and cats with their forever families. Here are five ways you can help animals get adopted.

Have an eye for photography? Own a decent camera? You can help get dogs and cats adopted by taking pro-quality photosthat show off the animal’s personality. Better pictures help “sell” adoptable dogs and cats because they appeal to potential adopters.
Emmett’s actual pic from the shelter’s website… he was one fat boy!
If you’re creative and like to write, donate your talent! Write compelling descriptions of adoptable animals.
Post local adoptables on your social media channels. Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter are great tools for spreading the word on adoptable animals in your area.
Teach shelter dogs a few tricks. Dogs with a little knowledge are more appealing to potential adopters. Volunteer a few hours of your time each month to teach shelter dogs basic behaviors like sit and stay.
Foster an adoptable pet. You’ll provide a loving home that will help the dog or cat become socialized and adapted, while freeing up space in the shelter for more dogs and cats. Just don’t be a foster failure like me!

This post is part of the Pet ‘Net Adoption Event 2012. Please visit the hub page and check out all the other fabulous posts about pet adoption. Plus, you could help your local shelter win big through the voting module on the Pet ‘Net hub page for visitors to enter their zip code. Once all the zips are tallied, a $5000 donation from Petside.com will be given to a local animal shelter in the winning community!