Pet adoption
Encyclopedia
Pet adoption usually refers to the process of taking guardianship of and responsibility for a pet
that a previous owner has abandoned or released to a shelter or rescue organization. Common sources for adoptable pets are
Dogs adopted from shelters are often referred to as shelter dogs or pound puppies; dogs adopted from rescue organizations are often called rescued dogs or rescue dogs (not to be confused with search and rescue dog
s). Similarly, cats adopted from rescue organizations are commonly known as rescue cats. Many shelters and rescue organizations have put together informational websites to help the public choose the right pet for their family.
Pets are taken to animal shelters for many reasons.
People deal with their unwanted pets in many ways. Some people have the pet euthanized
(also known as putting it down or putting it to sleep), although many veterinarian
s do not consider this to be an ethical use of their resources for young and healthy animals, while others argue that euthanasia is a more humane option than leaving a pet in a cage for very long periods of time. Other people simply release the pet into the wild or otherwise abandon it, with the expectation that it will be able to take care of itself or that it will be found and adopted. More often, these pets succumb to hunger, weather, traffic, or common and treatable health problems. Some people euthanize pets because of terminal illnesses or injuries, while others even do it for common health problems that they cannot, or will not, pay for treating. More responsible owners will take the pet to a shelter, or call a rescue organization, where it will be cared for properly until a home can be found. Homes cannot always be found, however, and euthanasia is often used for the excess animals to make room for newer pets, unless the place has a no-kill policy. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the US because of a lack of homes. Animal protection advocates urge people to spay or neuter their pets and to adopt instead of buying animals in order to reduce the number of animals who have to be euthanized.
To help lower the number of animals euthanized, some shelters have developed a no-kill policy. These shelters keep their animals as long as it takes to find them new homes. City shelters rarely have this policy because of the large number of animals they receive. No-kill shelter
s are usually run by groups that have volunteers or individuals with enough space to foster pets until a permanent home can be found. However, many of these groups and individuals have a finite number of spaces available. This means they will not take in new animals unless a space opens up, although they will often take back pets that they have adopted out previously. Sometimes they try to find the dogs foster homes, in which the dog is placed in a home temporarily until someone adopts the pet.
The central issue in adoption is whether a new owner can provide a safe, secure, permanent home for the pet. Responsible shelters, pounds, and rescue organizations refuse to supply animals to people whom they judge unable to supply the animal with a suitable home. Sometimes, a new owner may face training or behavioral challenges with a pet who has been neglected, abused, or left untrained. In the vast majority of cases, patience, training, and consistency of care will help the pet overcome its past.
A forever home is a term that refers to an adopter who agrees to be responsible for the animal for its entire life. There are two basic understandings of the concept. A broad interpretation simply says that the adopter of the pet agrees that the animal's well-being is now their personal responsibility for the rest of the animal's life. If the adopter can no longer keep the animal for any reason, they would need to be responsible for finding a healthy and happy home for the animal, and making sure that the people of the new home are taking good care of the animal for the rest of its life. Should the adopter die before the animal, they should have a plan in place for the care of the animal. A more restrictive view that some shelters attempt to integrate as part of the adoption agreement puts conditions on when and why the adopter could arrange to move the animal to a new family. For example, forever home agreements might specify that the adopter will not get rid of the animal for trivial reasons, or that the adopter will always be sure that the animal will be permitted should they move to a new residence. Some agreements might specify allergies or violent behavior on the part of the animal as reasons allowable for an adopter to relinquish the animal.
One problem shelters are fighting to overcome is what they term "Big Black Dog syndrome
". Big black dogs (BBDs) are consistently the hardest dogs to place — even if they’re friendly, well trained, and in perfect health. This may be due to a number of factors, including fear stigma against certain breed types, attraction to ads and the fact that black dogs often do not photograph as well as lighter coated ones, and the fact that black dogs are often portrayed as aggressive in film and on television. Organizations have started campaigns to educate the public about BBD syndrome. Similarly, shelters often have difficulty placing black cat
s due to common superstitions regarding black cats as bringers or harbingers of bad luck. Some shelters also have policies halting or limiting adoption of black cats immediately prior to Halloween
for fear that the animals will be tortured, or used as "living decorations" for the holiday and then abandoned.
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
that a previous owner has abandoned or released to a shelter or rescue organization. Common sources for adoptable pets are
- Animal shelterAnimal shelterAn animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
s, in the case of dogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s also known as dog pounds - Rescue groupRescue groupAn animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable new homes for them...
s - Pets found loose or stray without identification, and which are unclaimed by any owner
- Advertisements placed by individuals trying to find a new home for their pet
- Pets that have been abused or neglected and have been confiscated from the offending owner
- A fast growing source is online pet adoption. These sites have databases of pets being housed by thousands of animal shelters and rescue groups, and are searchable by the public. The Shelter Pet Project, a unique pet matching service; Let's AdoptLet's AdoptLet’s Adopt!, also known as Sahip Çıkalım! in Turkish, is a Turkey based animal rights group founded on Jan. 8, 2008 by two activists; Viktor Larkhill and Fulya Ulusoy. Let’s Adopt! is not legally registered as an association and is a largely internet driven group that makes use of social media in...
, a global animal rescue and pet adoption organization; Pet Search Party, which covers Canada and the United States, and Petfinder.orgPetfinder.orgPetfinder.com is an online database of adoptable pets in the care of about 13,000 animal welfare organizations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The site has facilitated 17 million adoptions in its first fifteen years. At any one time, 300,000 adoptable pets are listed: dogs, cats, rabbits, birds,...
, covering the United States, Canada and Mexico; are four well-known online pet adoption agencies.
Dogs adopted from shelters are often referred to as shelter dogs or pound puppies; dogs adopted from rescue organizations are often called rescued dogs or rescue dogs (not to be confused with search and rescue dog
Search and rescue dog
The use of dogs in search and rescue is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people. Dedicated handlers and well-trained dogs are required for the use of dogs to be effective in search efforts...
s). Similarly, cats adopted from rescue organizations are commonly known as rescue cats. Many shelters and rescue organizations have put together informational websites to help the public choose the right pet for their family.
- Breeding: Backyard breederBackyard breederBackyard Breeder is a general term, often considered derogatory, used in USA to describe people who breed animals, often without registration. In some cases the animals are inbred narrowly for looks with little regard to health. The term most often is used to describe certain types of breeders of...
s are a leading cause of overpopulation because they usually produce more dogs than they can sell and often produce animals that do not meet stated breed standards. - Death: Owner dies and no one in the family wants to (or can) keep the pet.
- Changed circumstances: Financial or living arrangements change drastically and people feel they can no longer provide an appropriate home for the pet. This might also include someone having to move to a new living situation where pets are not allowed.
- Second thoughts: A pet purchased on the spur of the moment or as a gift for another person (frequently for Christmas). Often the owner discovers that caring for the pet is much more work than expected, or requires more space or exercise than they are prepared to give.
- Lost pet: Pet leaves home or cannot find its way back, and carries no identification tags or microchip. The owner does not succeed in finding it (or makes no attempt to do so).
- Health: The owner experiences severe health problems that make it impossible to care for the pet. Or the pet itself is diagnosed with a medical condition the owner is not prepared or willing to address.
- Practice babies: Shelters use this term for animals that have been adopted by couples and which are then abandoned when the couple separates, or when a human baby comes along and the owners no longer have the time or inclination to care for their pet.
- Moving across borders: People leave the country; quarantineQuarantineQuarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
laws in some countries can be traumatic to pets and owners, so to avoid the stress, the pet is surrendered to an animal shelter. - Allergies: Many owners claim to have developed allergies to their pets, or that their children have developed allergies to their pets.
People deal with their unwanted pets in many ways. Some people have the pet euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
(also known as putting it down or putting it to sleep), although many veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
s do not consider this to be an ethical use of their resources for young and healthy animals, while others argue that euthanasia is a more humane option than leaving a pet in a cage for very long periods of time. Other people simply release the pet into the wild or otherwise abandon it, with the expectation that it will be able to take care of itself or that it will be found and adopted. More often, these pets succumb to hunger, weather, traffic, or common and treatable health problems. Some people euthanize pets because of terminal illnesses or injuries, while others even do it for common health problems that they cannot, or will not, pay for treating. More responsible owners will take the pet to a shelter, or call a rescue organization, where it will be cared for properly until a home can be found. Homes cannot always be found, however, and euthanasia is often used for the excess animals to make room for newer pets, unless the place has a no-kill policy. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the US because of a lack of homes. Animal protection advocates urge people to spay or neuter their pets and to adopt instead of buying animals in order to reduce the number of animals who have to be euthanized.
No-kill Shelter
A kill shelter is an animal shelter where animals are euthanized if they are too sick to be treated or too aggressive to be suitable for adoption or due to lack of shelter space...
s are usually run by groups that have volunteers or individuals with enough space to foster pets until a permanent home can be found. However, many of these groups and individuals have a finite number of spaces available. This means they will not take in new animals unless a space opens up, although they will often take back pets that they have adopted out previously. Sometimes they try to find the dogs foster homes, in which the dog is placed in a home temporarily until someone adopts the pet.
The central issue in adoption is whether a new owner can provide a safe, secure, permanent home for the pet. Responsible shelters, pounds, and rescue organizations refuse to supply animals to people whom they judge unable to supply the animal with a suitable home. Sometimes, a new owner may face training or behavioral challenges with a pet who has been neglected, abused, or left untrained. In the vast majority of cases, patience, training, and consistency of care will help the pet overcome its past.
A forever home is a term that refers to an adopter who agrees to be responsible for the animal for its entire life. There are two basic understandings of the concept. A broad interpretation simply says that the adopter of the pet agrees that the animal's well-being is now their personal responsibility for the rest of the animal's life. If the adopter can no longer keep the animal for any reason, they would need to be responsible for finding a healthy and happy home for the animal, and making sure that the people of the new home are taking good care of the animal for the rest of its life. Should the adopter die before the animal, they should have a plan in place for the care of the animal. A more restrictive view that some shelters attempt to integrate as part of the adoption agreement puts conditions on when and why the adopter could arrange to move the animal to a new family. For example, forever home agreements might specify that the adopter will not get rid of the animal for trivial reasons, or that the adopter will always be sure that the animal will be permitted should they move to a new residence. Some agreements might specify allergies or violent behavior on the part of the animal as reasons allowable for an adopter to relinquish the animal.
One problem shelters are fighting to overcome is what they term "Big Black Dog syndrome
Black dog bias
Black dog bias is a veterinarian and animal shelter phenomenon in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favor of lighter-colored animals. This is also common with cats. Active measures are taken to make black dogs more appealing...
". Big black dogs (BBDs) are consistently the hardest dogs to place — even if they’re friendly, well trained, and in perfect health. This may be due to a number of factors, including fear stigma against certain breed types, attraction to ads and the fact that black dogs often do not photograph as well as lighter coated ones, and the fact that black dogs are often portrayed as aggressive in film and on television. Organizations have started campaigns to educate the public about BBD syndrome. Similarly, shelters often have difficulty placing black cat
Black cat
A black cat is a feline with black fur. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. The Bombay, known for its sleek black fur, is an example of a black cat. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats...
s due to common superstitions regarding black cats as bringers or harbingers of bad luck. Some shelters also have policies halting or limiting adoption of black cats immediately prior to Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
for fear that the animals will be tortured, or used as "living decorations" for the holiday and then abandoned.
See also
- Greyhound adoptionGreyhound adoptionGreyhound adoption or Greyhound rescue programs focus on finding homes for Greyhounds who are no longer needed for racing. In some countries they live in kennels at the track....
- Human-animal bonding
- PetPetA pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
- Pets for vetsPets for vetsPets for Vets is a 501 non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to providing a second chance to shelter dogs by rescuing, training and matching them with American veterans who need a companion pet.- History :...
- P.A.W.S.P.A.W.S.P.A.W.S. or Pets Are Wonderful Support is a North American network of non-profit organisations that advocate the value of the bond between humans and their pets as a means to extend a person's quality of life and life-span, specifically elderly or disabled persons. P.A.W.S...
External links
- Hearing Dogs for Deaf People - information about adopting a dog
- AdoptaPet.com - searchable listing of pets available for adoption around the U.S. and Canada, as well as shelters and rescue groups
- Pet Pardons - A facebook app that allows you to list and or advocate for pets in Kill shelters or Rescues across America.
- Lucky Dog Rescue Blog - Read about the reality of Rescuing dogs in America, the fostering and Adoption process and more.
- Petango - searchable listing of pets available for adoption around the U.S. and Canada, as well as shelters and rescue groups
- PetFinder - searchable listing of pets available for adoption around the U.S. & Canada
- Pet Adoption Information - from the Humane Society of the United States
- Pet Search Party - Online database of thousands of lost, found, and adoptable dogs and cats from across the United States and Canada
- AnimalRoulette.com - the first online pet adoption site with live video and audio direct from shelters across America