What is one thing your rescue group is doing well that you wish every group could do?
Many of you volunteer with shelters or rescue groups, and we can all learn something from each other.
So here’s my question:
What is one thing your shelter or rescue group is doing well that you wish every group could do?
Maybe it has an awesome program to thank all the volunteers. Maybe it hosts a dog friendly 5K run. Maybe it has some sort of free cat promotion.
Whatever it is, I’d love to hear it. Then we can all “steal” one another’s ideas, and imagine what we could accomplish. I’ll ask the question on Facebook and Twitter too and compile all the answers for you.
So … I’ll leave you with one example. Then I’ll get out of the way so you can share yours.
In my community of Fargo, N.D., I love how CATS Cradle Shelter has found a way to provide cage-free housing for all its cats. The cats get to live in open, “community style” rooms, and I would love if every shelter had this possibility. It’s so much better for the cats than living in small, dirty cages.
Tegan
Monday 29th of July 2013
Found this today. 10/10 for marketing! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=690122027681376&set=a.160032914023626.43462.159075170786067&type=1&theater
Lindsay Stordahl
Monday 29th of July 2013
Love it!
Pipa
Monday 15th of July 2013
Those previously mentioned things are essential in my view - great points. We do all those.
Another thing I love about my rescue is strong support for the foster carers. We have social events, a mentor, a FB page to ask each other dog training questions, training days, a library of DVDs and books on training and the list goes on. We also have clear procedures and guidelines documents. It just makes the process more formal and professional for the foster carer, which then makes it easier for the potential adopter.
We also have a really good 'matchmaking' system where you register your interest in getting a dog from us, even if there isn't one up at the moment you like. You put down as much info as you like about the kind of dog you're looking for, your lifestyle etc and we have a person who is always checking that list and seeing if any dogs coming into care would suit them. That means that sometimes dogs are in foster care for a really short amount of time. We also put people on that list (if they want) if we reject them from a particular dog. I think this helps soften the blow of rejection.
We work with the local pounds and share all our temperament testing notes from the pound dogs with the public, so sometimes people adopt straight out of the pound based on that. The public presence we have is really good for getting the message out there and has generated a lot of goodwill between the facets of rescue - public, us and pounds.
Obviously I love my rescue group haha...
Lindsay Stordahl
Wednesday 17th of July 2013
It's so great to hear about all these wonderful programs your rescue group offers. Foster carers can definitely use the support, and it must be so valuable to get together or just ask each other questions through the Facebook page.
I love how the group shares its temperament testing notes with the public. Sometimes groups have no standard procedure for testing a dog's temperament, and they keep these so-called "temperament tests" to themselves.
Pipa
Tuesday 16th of July 2013
Another thing I've just realised that is actually probably the best thing about my rescue group - they are polite. No matter how stupid, rude, ignorant or whatever people are in public forums to our rescue, the response is always delivered politely and as much help given as possible.
I just thought of that after reading a post by a different rescue group who tend to be rude and holier than thou.
Becky
Friday 12th of July 2013
SOS Animal UK - have great support post-adoption - a year in and I am still in contact via Facebook and emails, and if the situation calls for it, via phone! For a first-time dog owner (and a worrier) having a network of support is really encouraging and helpful for any queries -big or small. They love to follow the progress of the dog too if you wish to share!
Lindsay Stordahl
Friday 12th of July 2013
Great to hear! Thanks, Becky.
Abby (Doggerel)
Friday 12th of July 2013
This is a great question. I really like our rescue's (Southeast German Shepherd Rescue) policy of having an "on trial" period with every adopter; the adopter gets 2 weeks to see if the dog is a fit in their home before the adoption fee is paid. If things don't work out with the dog, they can return the dog to the rescue without hassle.
SGSR also does a good job of curating an online community; they have tons of Facebook followers from all over the USA (and world!). This certainly helps promote the dogs in need and arrange transportation when necessary.
Lindsay Stordahl
Friday 12th of July 2013
That two-week trial period is so important. It's not always possible to know if the dog is a good fit. Plus it takes at least a week for the dog to settle, get comfortable and show his or her true personality, don't you think?