THE USE OF PRE-ADOPTION EDUCATION BY POTENTIAL ADOPTERS TO FACILITATE SUCCESSFUL DOG ADOPTIONS

Abstract

Every year millions of dogs enter US shelters and only a fraction of those dogs get adopted. To combat this problem, many shelters have programs designed to increase adoptions. But increasing adoptions alone does not address the fact that there is a significant number of dogs that are returned to shelters. One major reason that has been cited for why people return the dogs they have adopted is unrealistic expectations and incompatibilities. The goal of this thesis project was to create and distribute an online tool that would not only educate potential adopters about the importance of successful adoptions, but also help them in identifying the traits in shelters dogs that would be compatible with their lifestyle. This adoption success tool, which was named “Finding Your Fido”, included three main parts: an introductory video about the shelter statistics and what to expect from owning a dog, a questionnaire aimed at getting potential adopters to consider what they are personally expecting from a new dog, and a set of recommendations pertaining to shelter dog characteristics based on the participant’s responses to each question in the questionnaire. Finding Your Fido was distributed to two cooperating animal shelters located in the Phoenix, Arizona region. Over the six-week period that it was available, twelve potential adopters completed the Finding Your Fido adoption success tool. Unfortunately, none of those participants completed the follow-up survey about their adoption status and satisfaction with the tool. However, the central objective of this thesis was still met in that an online adoption success tool was created and there were lessons learned from the process.