We just had some folks here in the Brain from the NY SPCA, which runs a no-kill (they house the pets until they're adopted, rather than euthanizing them after a certain period of time) shelter here in Manhattan. This is what they wanted to hear about from all of you.
2006-06-14 12:30:36 · 22 answers · asked by Cincinnati Food and Wine Guy 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
CORRECTION: It was actually the Humane Society of New York, not the New York SPCA as originally written. Brainiac regrets the error.
2006-06-15 12:34:18 · update #1
I have volunteered in several shelters and love working with the animals. For people coming in - it's best that they don't see the surrender area, that can often be an uncomfortable situation.
Make it easy for them to get to where the animals are - people wan to see their potential future pet...they don't want to stand in lines, or fill out forms first. Make it easy to see the animals, and have enough staff or volunteers on hand to be able to allow them to go into a separate room to "try out" the animal..be able to pet them, see their disposition
Have pet profiles available online so folks can"visit" them from home. Also have as much info available on pet cages so they can read about the history of the animal to know if they might be a good fit.
Have a private area for interviews and filling out forms so people can be candid and if counselors have to turn a family away for any reason, it isn't so embarassing for the potential owners.
The animals need to be in clean pens, the animals themselves need to be clean, and healthy, so folks get to see their best side, as much as possible.
And for the person who wrote telling them to quiet the animals... they are only animals, and they are looking for a good home. Dogs will bark, cats will meow... they are all seeking love and attention...and they just want you to know that they are excited to meet you!
2006-06-14 12:39:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would feel more comfortable if I knew that the pets are free of disease and have received all their shots and been declared in good health by a veterinarian. I would feel more comfortable if I saw signs on the cages that showed the staff are honest and forthright about the animals and not just trying to paint a rosy picture and trick people into taking an animal that is unsuitable for their household. Eg I would appreciate seeing signs that tell about the animals history and if it was not suitable for a household with small children etc. This would make me trust the shelter staff when they recommend an animal and say it would be a good choice for me.
If an animal is in a dirty environment I would not want it. I bought four budgies for my kids recently and I went to a more expensive store and paid more because the first store I went to had too many birds in a cage and there was poo in all the water containers. That was a turn off.
2006-06-15 17:40:51 · answer #2 · answered by MAK 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Make sure all the animals appear to be in good health and that the cages are clean.
I would want to know that the animal i am adopting is not coming equipped with kennel cough or some other illness. Unfotunatley most of the shelters where I live send out sick pets all the time.
2006-06-15 00:34:55 · answer #3 · answered by rrodriquez01 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all, the place has to be clean. There is nothing more which turns a visitor off, when the place is not kept clean. The animals need to be well groomed, and perky looking. They really should be neutered and up to date with their immunizations. It is always nice to see certificates and diplomas of education particularly in this field. A greeter at the door with the pet the people had in mind of adopting. And some type of decorative animal theme, throughout the shelter.
2006-06-14 19:54:41 · answer #4 · answered by ab_zy_lm 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have been to different shelters to walk the dogs or play with the puppies and looking for a dog to adopt. Some of them I won't go back to because the people didn't make me feel welcome. I also use to volunteer at a no kill shelter. The lady working the desk tried to make everyone feel welcome. Bottom line, I think the first contact is what makes people want to be there or not want to be there. In order to get them there, one thing they do here is have a weekly show on the local channel showing some of the animals for adoption. And take them out to different festivals around the area. I have a wonderful basset hound I got at a humane society. I think he's pure bred, nonetheless, he is just wonderful! I found him when browsing petfinder.
2006-06-14 19:38:11 · answer #5 · answered by MissCan'tBeWrong 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe catorgorize the dogs by breeds and whether or not they can go to homes with kids put those in a certain section, when we were looking for a pet every single dog we fell in love with and my son 3 at the time, we'd be told there was no way we could take that dog with a small child, we were looking at beagles at the time which are the best with kids, apparently at least in wi. where im from there not good with kids, we visited a few area shelters and eveytime-same thing and they all were pretty friendly to me so that was a terrible experience :heart breaking so dont let families fall in love with an animal if theres no chance they can adopt it.
2006-06-14 19:40:06 · answer #6 · answered by goldie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We just adopted a dog after a long search at the many local shelters. I would have had a much better experiance if the people working were nicer. Every visit they always acted as if they were too busy to help, didn't offer information an breeds, feeding, vets or anything else. They seemed to be annoyed with their job and didn't seem to care for animals.
2006-06-14 19:37:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some of them are scary when they bark at you, but I don't know what you could do about that. One time I went to the Spca and the lady was trying to potty train the dog. I think this would be highly beneficial, but hard work I'm sure. But it might help more get adopted. Some air freshener might help too LOL.
2006-06-14 19:35:19 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the dog could be brough outdoors. I went to get a dog, and all I could do was spend time with it in a small, very small room. I wanted to see more personality while out and about.
Its common sense that the environment is not like a home, and is easier to keep steril(clean), just make sure the cages are clean.
2006-06-14 19:36:09 · answer #9 · answered by nateb48 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would like shelters to be cleaner, no one wants to think a pet they would get would wind up sick. Also posting they had shots and are disease free would help too.
The staff, you can tell if people just work at a job or if they love the job. People in shelters should love their work with animals and love seeing the joy on the adoptive parents faces and in the animals eyes when they are going to their new home together.
I would personally feel good adopting if the staff gave me a paper with some special things about my new baby on it, like "he loves it when you hold him on your shoulder like a baby", "he loves rope dog toy cords to play with", things like that, that tells you he was well cared for and the staff cared enough to write special things he liked down.
2006-06-14 19:49:48 · answer #10 · answered by Tina of Lymphland.com 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋