| |
|
Animal Sheltering Magazine Articles |
| |
Don’t Forget About Us
Shelter staffs use special events, savvy marketing, and social networking to promote small-animal adoption.  More...
|
| |
| |
Coffee Break: Most Creative, Funny, or Effective Adoption Promotion
In your space, you told us about the most creative, funny, or effective adoption promotion your organization has ever done. More...
|
| |
| |
Out of the Mall, Into the Shelter
Autumn is in the air, and with it, some fall-themed adoption ideas. More...
|
| |
| |
Q & A: Marketing Change
Mike Arms draws on the experience of a nearly 40-year career in animal welfare to talk about how shelters can better promote their pets. More...
|
| |
| |
And Then What Happened?
Study examines animal health and behavior post-adoption. More...
|
| |
| |
Better with Age
Shelters match senior animals to the similarly well-seasoned More...
|
| |
| |
MouthPieces: What's With All the Questions?
This installment of MouthPieces offers valuable information that you can pass along to the public about the adoption process. More...
|
| |
| |
A Big New Voice for Shelter Animals
The Ad Council partners with The HSUS and Maddie’s Fund in an unprecedented national campaign to spotlight shelter adoption. More...
|
| |
| |
When it Comes to Dogs, Big is Still Beautiful …
Restrictive rental housing and tough economic times have shelters struggling to place large dogs. More...
|
| |
| |
Precious Cat Provides Free Kits for Shelters
Precious Cat is giving away free shelter kits to animal organizations that are part of the Shelter Partners program. The kit contains a litter additive that may help newly adopted cats and pet felines who have developed new potty problems to think inside the box. More...
|
| |
| |
A Puppy for Christmas?
Many shelters have reconsidered their bans on holiday adoptions, combining special promotions with sound policies to find pets responsible homes for the new year. More...
|
| |
| |
PetSmart and Lollypop Look Out for the Little Guys
Through a unique arrangement with Lollypop Farm, the PetSmart store in Henrietta, N.Y., is the only location in the country adopting, but not selling, such little critters as hamsters, guinea pigs, and birds. More...
|
| |
| |
Buddying Up
In Edmonton, house-soiling cats are given a second chance and becoming farmers' friends through the Barn Buddies program. More...
|
| |
| |
Animal Shelters Benefit from the Oprah Effect
In the wake of Oprah Winfrey’s show on puppy mills, adoption numbers spike in shelters across the country. More...
|
| |
| |
The "101" Department: Getting to Know You
Creating a good cage card can be a critical tool for keeping track of the animals in your care and helping potential adopters to find their furry soulmate. More...
|
| |
| |
Opening Up
Inspired by a collection of essays in Animal Sheltering, a shelter staffer shares her organization’s evolving perspective on adoptions. More...
|
| |
| |
The Behavior Department: What Placement Groups Say—and What Adopters Hear
New adopters don’t always understand the jargon counselors use when describing a dog’s personality and behavior issues. Here’s how to make sure your messages don’t get lost in translation. More...
|
| |
| |
What Happens After “Happily Ever After”?
The Michigan Humane Society tracks animals beyond their fairytale endings, making for more successful matches, happier adopters, and more confident staff. More...
|
| |
| |
The Behavior Department: Bad, Bad Cats—Whatcha Gonna Do?
A post-adoption survey helps the Animal Rescue League of Boston figure out how their adopted cats are getting on in their new homes. More...
|
| |
| |
The Behavior Department: Preventing Pooch Problems
Trainer and behaviorist Nan Arthur explains how new dog owners can help their pooches make a less stressful transition from the shelter to the home. More...
|
| |
| |
Cat Coupons and Dog Discounts
The animal welfare field has long preached against "free to good home" newspaper ads used by backyard breeders. But what if such consumer-savvy promotions were used to advertise adoptable shelter pets? More...
|
| |
| |
Judgment Calls
Interactions between the adoption counselor and the potential adopter are always charged with uncertainty. We present essays from both sides of the counter. More...
|
| |
| |
The Behavior Department: Helping the Scaredycats
Give cats a chance in their new homes by preparing adopters for reclusive getting-to-know-you behaviors. More...
|
| |
| |
The 101 Department: Find Your Target Audience
You probably have a sign in front of your shelter that tells visitors they've come to the right place. But how easily can people find your organization on the Web? Learn how to help pet-seeking people find your site. More...
|
| |
| |
The Price is Right?
Aiming to increase revenue and highlight overlooked animals, many organizations raise adoption fees on their most popular pets. We talk to organizations that have tested the waters. More...
|
| |
| |
The Behavior Department: New Research Helps Adopters Meet Their Feline Soul Mates
The ASPCA's Feline-ality program matches cats to people through examination of their personalities and behaviors. More...
|
| |
| |
The 101 Department: Highlighting the Wallflowers
Groups across the country provide tips on how they highlight the less popular pets in their care, finding good adopters for the wallflowers of the animal kingdom. More...
|
| |
| |
Off Leash: An Exercise in Empathy
To increase donations and adoptions at her local shelter, a volunteer lived the doggy life for a month. More...
|
| |
| |
357 Channels and Nothing On? Tune in to Your Next Pet
Comcast's On Demand Pet Adoptions is a new way to market shelter pets and shelter services. More...
|
| |
| |
Helping People Buy and Sell Homes—and Putting Pets in Them, Too
This realtor doesn't just find homes for people—she helps hook new home buyers up with shelter pets More...
|
| |
| |
PetsIncredible Does It Again
Your Adopted Cat, a new DVD from PetsIncredible, provides guidance to the new adopter on how to ease a cat’s transition into her new home. More...
|
| |
| |
Bunny Adoptions: Helping Humans Cohabit with Rabbits
Despite their popularity as pets, rabbits surrendered to animal shelters often stay there a while. And while many shelter staff provide fun toys, yummy hay, and comfortable housing for bunnies waiting for loving families, there simply is no place like home. More...
|
| |
| |
You Never Know Until You Ask
Adoption promotion created for SPCA Tampa Bay is "as good as any multimillion-dollar campaign"—but didn’t cost the shelter a penny. More...
|
| |
| |
For Better or For Worse?
Study examines how failed adoptions affect people's understanding of pet ownership and the adoption process More...
|
| |
| |
The Breed Report: The Boxer
While every dog is unique, knowing that one breed likes to herd and another likes to lap-nap may help caretakers provide a better temporary home—and locate the ideal permanent one. More...
|
| |
| |
Making Room for Greyhounds
The Humane Society of Greater Miami recently went the extra mile for greyhounds, when board members and staff decided to devote a portion of their dog kennels to educating the public about the breed. More...
|
| |
| |
DVD Helps New Owners Train Their Pooches
The Shelter Helper Program allows you to offer the training DVD to adopters for free. More...
|
| |
| |
Paws on Film
A California shelter gets a boost from the big screen. More...
|
| |
| |
Little Critters Get Big Advocate
Petco's new campaign encourages potential pet owners to adopt. More...
|
| |
| |
Mixed and Fixed: Not Pathetic, Just Pre-Owned!
A shelter in Georgia reframes the notion of pets with papers. More...
|
| |
| |
ShelterSpeak: Holiday Adoptions
Shelter staff from around the country discuss their organizations’ evolving policies on holiday adoptions. More...
|
| |
| |
Santa Claus is Coming to Town...
Instead of admonishing people about the dangers of holiday adoptions, counselors are treating them to on-the-spot education, gift certificates, and, most of all, a new kind of open-mindedness about what constitutes a responsible placement. More...
|
| |
| |
A Humane Society in Michigan Gives Donors Pets for the Holidays...but They're On the Gift Boxes Rather Than In Them
Shelter-animal gift tags offer an inventive way to raise money while also promoting adoptions. More...
|
| |
| |
The Declaw Dilemma
This feature article takes an in-depth look at alternatives to declawing, strategies for educating potential adopters, ways to discuss the issue with local veterinarians, and several organizations' position statements on the procedure. More...
|
| |
| |
A Breeze of Goodness in an Unlikely Place
Puppies Up for Parole, a training program for shelter dogs run by the Nevada State Prison and the Nevada Humane Society, changes the lives of both the dogs and inmates involved. More...
|
| |
| |
ShelterSpeak: Adoption Fees
Members of The HSUS's National Companion Animals Advisory Group discuss their policies on adoption fees. More...
|
| |
| |
Going Solo
Photographing shelter animals alone is often tricky, but the task can be made easier with these tips. More...
|
| |
| |
Glam Shots: Using a Digital Camera to Help Animals Show Their Best Sides
Tips for taking digital photos of shelter animals. More...
|
| |
| |
Taking the Public Inside
Former shelter workers harness the power of the personal to show the public the world behind the statistics of animal homelessness—and help them understand how they can change it. More...
|
| |
| |
Until Pigs Fly...
A look at some of the many reasons that placing an aggressive dog should never be an option. More...
|
| |
| |
Pets for the Bargain Hunter
Posters on display at the Humane Society of Missouri inform potential adopters that the local papers' ads promising free puppies and kittens are a classic example of bait-and-switch—new pets not obtained from the shelter come with all sorts of hidden costs. More...
|
| |
| |
All Over the Map—The Pros and Cons of Animal Transfer Programs
Around the country, more and more shelters are participating in transfer programs as a means to help animals find homes. Take some pointers from the groups that have already discovered how to do it well. More...
|
| |
| |
Do Off-Site Adoption Events Encourage Impulse Decisions?
Study finds retention rates are similar regardless of adoption venue—and adoption coordinators say it's because they screen carefully no matter where the process occurs. More...
|
| |
| |
Dwelling on the Positive
AnimalKind offers persuasive posters with heart. More...
|
| |
| |
Weighing in on the Scales
HSUS Director of Captive Wildlife Protection Richard Farinato discusses the challenges and consequences of caring for and placing reptiles. More...
|
| |
| |
Creating Lifetime Commitments
Ending euthanasia in our community means more than placing every animal. More...
|
| |
| |
In Pursuit of Lifelong Homes: Helping the Human Animal
In the last of our six-part series on what it would really take to end the need for euthanasia of healthy, behaviorally sound cats and dogs, Animal Sheltering takes on an age-old problem: How can we help the wackiest species of all, Homo sapiens? More...
|
| |
| |
Adopting Great Adoption Practices
Local organizations have a resource to help them in the endeavor of increasing adoption numbers: Great Dog Adoptions: A Guide for Shelters. More...
|
| |
| |
No Strength in Numbers
Study examines how visitor behavior and group dynamics can affect adoption of dogs in an animal shelter. More...
|
| |
| |
From Lemons to Lemonade
The eight agencies featured here started out with the same bag of lemons that most other organizations do—little time, scarce funds, lots of animals, not enough people—and squeezed them into tall glasses of tangy lemonade. More...
|
| |
| |
How to Set Up a Visiting Room
A friendly, welcoming visiting room can help man and critter find out if they're right for each other before rushing into a lifetime commitment; it's also a great chance to do some humane educating. More...
|
| |
| |
The Face That Launched A Thousand Adoptions?
Putting a positive twist on "most wanted" posters, the Potter League for Animals plasters local bus stop shelters in Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island, with the faces of lovable animals. More...
|
| |
| |
ShelterSpeak: Adopting Out Reptiles
"Do you place reptiles? If so, under what circumstances and conditions do you place them, and what special qualifications do you require of adopters?" More...
|
| |
| |
The Loneliest Victim
Many wonderful people open their homes to the victimized pets made famous by media reports, but close their hearts to the other animals in the shelter. More...
|
| |
| |
Shelter Adopters Served Here
A Vermont deli dishes out more than doughnuts. More...
|
| |
| |
Looking to Adopt a Cat or Dog? Pick up a Mouse. (Reproducible)
This advertisement, adapted from one originally used by the Michigan Humane Society, can help you promote your website as a resource for people in search of a new pet. More...
|
| |
| |
Get Adopted by a Cat (Reproducible)
This print advertisement was created with the help of artist Margaret Georgiann and design firm Dahlman Middour Design. More...
|
| |
| |
Are You Seeing Spots? If Not, We Can Help (Reproducible)
This print advertisement was created with the help of artist Margaret Georgiann and design firm Dahlman Middour Design. More...
|
| |
| |
Teaching Manners for Life
Mindful of studies that reveal "problem" behavior as a primary reason for animal relinquishment and euthanasia, shelters around the country are taking a closer look at how they can help animals and their caregivers solve problems before they spiral out of control. More...
|
| |
| |
Adoption Follow-Up Questionnaire
The Washington (D.C.) Humane Society uses this helpful questionnaire to keep the shelter in touch with adopters and increase the likelihood that animals will become permanent additions to their new households. More...
|
| |
| |
How to Write a Cage Card
The cards clipped to dog kennels and cat cages usually include just a few descriptive words, but they could be the most important words you write all day. More...
|
| |
| |
Adopt a Cat Today (Reproducible)
This print advertisement was created with the help of artist Margaret Georgiann for your shelter's use as a reproducible. More...
|
| |
| |
How Much is that Doggie in the Shelter?
The Spartanburg Animal Welfare League in Spartanburg, South Carolina, prints this persuasive bit of mathematics in its newsletter each year and also displays the information in its lobby. More...
|
| |
| |
They May be Seconds, but They're Not Irregulars (Reproducible)
Originally produced by the San Francisco Ad Club for the Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo, California, this ad has been adapted by the agency Scheyer/SF for other organizations' use. More...
|
| |
| |
What About the Animals Who Don't Make the Headlines?
Paulette Dean reminds the public that the shelter animals who make headlines aren't the only ones who need and deserve loving, responsible homes. More...
|
| |
| |
Adopting an Abused Animal: What You Should Know
An information sheet developed by the New York State Humane Association gives potential adopters the facts about adopting an abused pet. More...
|
| |
| |
Feline Background Information Sheet
The Santa Barbara Humane Society in California developed this "pet personality profile" form for cats. More...
|
| |
| |
Pet of the Week
Mary Boerner-Block tells the story of a blind and deaf collie who came into her shelter, stole her heart, and became "pet of the week." More...
|
| |
| |
The Gift that Keeps on Living (Reproducible)
This print ad, originally designed by Boelter & Lincoln for the Dane County Humane Society in Wisconsin, has been adapted for other organizations' use. More...
|
| |
| |
Canine Background Information Sheet
The Santa Barbara Humane Society in California developed this "pet personality profile" form for dogs. More...
|
| |
| |
Oregon Shelter Makes a Big Change For Small Mammals
By converting one of its supply closets into a small-mammal adoption room, the Oregon Humane Society created a less stressful environment for smaller pets and attracted new potential adopters. More...
|
| |
| |
Our Adoption Process And Why We Do It This Way
This information sheet from the Chester County (Penn.) SPCA educates prospective adopters about the adoption process. More...
|
| |
