There's something wrong with that dog because he's in an animal shelter. "No, that's absolutely wrong," argues Dori Villalon, vice president of Animal Protection at the American Humane Association in Denver. She says the theme of this year's Adopt-A-Dog month is to communicate that shelter dogs are not damaged goods.

"So many dogs are in shelters for reasons which have nothing to do with them," adds Villalon. "A foreclose, divorce or a family member passed away."

Many communities were doing great in the late 1990s and rolling past the year 2000 with so few adoptable shelter dogs, they began to import from communities that weren't doing as great. Then, the economy crashed. And in some places people began to even leave their dogs in abandoned foreclosed upon homes. "What do you do?" asked Sharon Harvey, executive director of the Cleveland Animal Protection League. "Our city is really is one of the poorest, so the intake went up as people lost their jobs, and their homes."

Denise Deisler, executive director of the Humane Society of Manatee County in Brandenton, Fla., says, "As more spay-neuter resources become available, we don't get many puppies any longer. We're seeing surrenders of adult dogs due to life changes as a result of the economy. And when there's no family member who is willing or able to take the pet."

Deisler, Harvey and other shelter professionals from around the country are frustrated. They can't control the economy. Many communities are now offering pet food banks, attempting to alleviate financial pressures. Those who qualify for the free food in Manatee County must have spay-neutered pets (a service also offered at no charge to those who qualify).

To that end a new and interesting trend has begun as a result of the struggling economy. Adopters can set the cost of pet adoption. The assumption is that people may pay what they can afford. "If I have the right family interested in the right dog, the adoption fee goes out the window," Deisler says.

There is some thinking that by paying more for a pet, it follows that there is more value placed on that investment. However, both Harvey and Deisler -- having been in the shelter business for many years -- are more than a little skeptical of that thinking. If this theory held kibble, the expensive so-called designer dogs like Labradoodles and Goldendoodles would then rarely be given up. Yet, they are also relinquished.

"What matters isn't how much you paid for the pet but how much you've bonded with the pet," Deisler adds.

Another trend is to simply make pet adoptions easier. Tired of seeing so many pets returned, shelters began requiring lengthy questionnaires. A common refrain from pet adoptors is, "It would have been easier to adopt a child."

Harvey says shelters with that attitude are their own worst enemies. "We work to keep the return rate as low as possible. We have a program (called Meet Your Match, from the ASPCA) that is sort of like eHarmony, matching the right people with the right pets, after they fill out a questionnaire. We provide ongoing counseling. Still there are returns. And we just say the pet has taken a wonderful field trip, and now we've learned more about that animal."

"When it comes down to making the decision about the right dog for you, I give our adopters credit for knowing what they believe will be the right match," Deisler says.

Perhaps, Villalon did it best with her two adopted dogs -- taking them on test ride as a foster parent before adopting. "For very different reasons each dog spoke to my heart," she says. "Miss Millie was a fat Chihuahua who needed surgery and teeth pulled. But she was so social and portable, and how could I not fall in love with Miss Millie? And my big guy, Addison (a Lab-mix) was the kind of social active dog I was looking for at the time."

Villalon continues, "The studies have shown that it's all about expectations. Be realistic. People may have seen in a breed in a movie, but that doesn't mean it's a good match. Or they have fond memories growing up with a German short-haired pointer, but is this really your lifestyle now?

Don't be fooled by what you think shelter dogs may be. Many search-and-rescue dogs are from shelters, as well as service dogs. "Never underestimate a shelter dog," Villalon says.

 

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