4 WAYS TO HELP LOCAL SHELTER PUPS GET ADOPTED FOR CLEAR THE SHELTERS DAY
Clear the Shelters day is coming up on August 17th! The goal? To clear out your local animal shelter and get all those furry four-legged pals into their furever homes! To help make this the best Clear the Shelters day yet, we want to share our tips on how you can help clear your own local animal shelter on Saturday.
1. FOSTER A PUP IN NEED
Many dogs get stressed in the shelter environment. As a result, their behavior ends up deteriorating and once polite pups can suddenly become quite problematic pooches.
Many mouthy, jumpy, “naughty” dogs become well-mannered and calm as soon as they are in a home environment as opposed to the loud, overwhelming shelter.
Since many dogs are behaved much better in foster homes, they become more eligible for adoption when potential adopters show up to meet your foster. You basically become a shelter dog’s publicist, doing your best to get your foster dog adopted into his loving furever home!
Consider opening your home up to a foster dog and showing them the ropes of what life is like in a real-life, loving home. You could make all the difference for the stressed out shelter pooch!
2. TAKE QUALITY PHOTOS TO IMPROVE A DOG’S PROFILE
While we aren’t all master photographers, those who do have experience in photography can have a huge impact on the lives of shelter pets.
Most shelter pets don’t have the best online profile pics. Many times a shelter dog’s photo is taken when the animal first comes in – they’re scared, dirty, and not feeling like their best selves. They’re taken from above angles where you can barely see the pup’s face. Sometimes the photos are blurry, dark, or are taken from outside of a crate. These photos definitely don’t capture the dog’s best side!
If you’ve ever had to download an online dating app, you know that photos really make a difference.
Which pup would you be more excited to visit at the shelter?
Professional (or amateur) pet photographers can use their photo skills to capture shelter dogs in their best light, showcasing their charm and personality! A flattering canine photo can drive a potential adopter to come in and meet the pup they connected with online.
3. POST FLYERS FOR YOUR FAVORITE SHELTER PETS
If you regularly volunteer at your local animal shelter, now is a great time to make fun flyers highlighting your favorite shelter pet’s features. Getting dogs adopted is in large part about promotion and publicity! Try to post your favorite shelter pet’s flyer at local coffee shops or community centers to spread the word!
If you can put up posters before August 17th, it’ll also give potential adopters a few dogs that they recognize and will want to make a point of meeting when they come in for Clear The Shelters Day!
4. VOLUNTEER AT YOUR LOCAL SHELTER ON THE WEEKEND (ESPECIALLY AUGUST 17, 2019!)
Most shelters are pretty short staffed, so it can be difficult for shelter workers to give hands-on attention to every potential adopter that walks through the doors. This is a shame though, since individuals are more likely to adopt a dog when a volunteer is there to help answer questions.
Shelters can be very stressful, overwhelming places for both dogs and humans! You can be a big help by guiding potential adopters around the shelter. Even better, ask visitors what kind of qualities they are looking for in a dog and help direct them to a few favorite candidates!
You can be a huge help in helping people adopt the best dog that matches their lifestyle and needs. We even have a dog adoption scorecard in our Dog Adoption Guide that can help with narrowing down potential doggie pals.
While you probably don’t have time to ask visitors to fill out the full scorecard on Clear the Shelters day, you can at least prepare by knowing some of the most requested dog qualities:
- Cat-friendly
- Dog-friendly
- Kid-friendly
- Jogging pal
- Can be left alone for 5-8 hours
Try to keep a little list on hand (in your head or on paper) of shelter dogs that meet some or any of those requirements, since many visitors come in looking for these kinds of dogs.
The choice paradox theorizes that humans are actually more stressed when they have too many choices, and a packed shelter is a great example of choice overload! Helping narrow the huge pool of dogs for a potential adopter just might be the thing that lands a pup in their forever home.
Your local shelter will definitely benefit from your help on August 17th, but if you have the time to regularly volunteer on the weekends, that’ll be great too! Most shelters have the highest number of visitors and potential adopters on weekends and holidays, so your presence as a volunteer will be hugely beneficial on those days!
Will you be helping out your local shelter on August 17th? Do you have any other ideas about how to make this Clear the Shelters day the best yet?
About the Author: Meg Marrs is the Founder of K9 of Mine, a website devoted to helping owners take the very best care of their fur friends.
