This was a concern for us as well, so we made sure to plan out what our course of action would be if 1) a foster-to-adopt asked for an extension, and 2) if we suspected they were just extending without really trying the training. When a foster-to-adopt asks for an extension, we have a list of questions that we ask them based on their reason for their extension, and gauge from there whether it's a fair ask. It's a gray area and sometimes depends on other factors, like if we have immediately available fosters or how long that dog has been sitting around in our care - if it's a super long stay that otherwise has had no other interest, what's another week? We do extensions on a week-by-week basis, and we cap at one month. We also explain the shelter crisis and why it's so important for them to let us know the moment they think they want to adopt or pass on adoption. Which extensions to approve and which to deny start to become intuitive after you've been through a good amount of them.
For example, someone wanted to extend their foster-to-adopt because the dog was not super playful with their resident dog, and they had been looking for a friend for their dog. We responded asking for more information about what their interactions were like up to this point, and then gave them feedback based on that. We had historical data that our dog tended to take longer to warm up but would turn playful after a few weeks, and the dogs clearly just needed some time to get to know one another. We declined an extension as there had been no incident between the dogs, and we made the dog available for adoption again, BUT we asked if they'd like for us to check in ahead of inviting adopters to meet the dog. Our policy is that once an adopter has been invited to a dog, we have to honor that adoption through to completion -- our foster-to-adopters are told this at the onset of agreeing to an FTA. This has been a useful compromise for us where we don't think the reason for extension is totally necessary, but we don't want to fully cut off the FTA just because they aren't ready quite yet. This way, we can start vetting other adopters for the dog, but still leave the option of adoption on the table for these FTA, and that tends to make them feel more supported as well. In this specific scenario, when we did find a match for their dog and reached out to them ahead of an invitation to that adopter, they adopted within the next couple of hours, and we were able to pivot the other adopter to a different, similar dog in need.
We offer multiple follow-up training sessions if necessary and if it's clear that the foster-to-adopter is really trying. Our training support is on a spectrum, so if the dog has something severe and the FTA is showing us that they're really trying their best and are committed to the training, we'll go ahead and support another session for them. If the dog isn't that severe and seems to be improving, but they still request a session, we might put them in touch with one of our volunteer behaviorists, or we will recommend that they work with one of our partners on their own dime, since their intent is to adopt and our training funds are limited. A lot of FTAs have been understanding of that.
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Jackie Perro
VP of NY Rescue
Hearts & Bones Rescue
NY
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-20-2024 12:15 PM
From: Maddie's University
Subject: Getting Fosters and Adopters in the Door (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)
Question from the chat:
"My organization's concern with FTA is that they may just keep extending and turn into palliative fosters. Has this been a problem in your program? Do you only offer the 1 behaviour counseling session or multiple follow-ups?"
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Maddie's University
Maddie's Fund
Original Message:
Sent: 03-18-2024 06:46 AM
From: Sheila Segurson (she/her)
Subject: Getting Fosters and Adopters in the Door (Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition Day 1)
Data from Shelter Animals Count indicates that adoption numbers are down in the United States, as compared to previous years. How does that match with what your organization is experiencing? Regardless of whether your adoption numbers are down, it's always fun to learn about new ideas to get fosters and adopters through your organizations' front door to meet dogs. ☺️
Join us on Wednesday, March 20th at 11a PT/2 p ET where we'll hear from @Rachel Jones (she/her), Consultant and Founder of Rachel at the Shelter, who will explore data collection as a means of directing marketing efforts and discuss the building blocks of a successful behavior dog marketing approach.
We'll also watch short video presentations from @Lindsay Layendecker of Jacksonville Humane Society and @Jackie Perro (she/her) of Hearts & Bones Rescue.
Camp Maddie: Behavior Edition happens on March 20 and April 3 from 9a – 1p/PT, 12p – 4p ET. Learn more here.
Please use this thread to discuss and ask questions about this topic now and after the Camp Maddie event.
#Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment
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Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB
Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist
Director of Community Solutions
Maddie's Fund
Pleasanton CA
9258608284
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