Someone on staff evaluated a dog and on the way back to the pen with him told me that he doesn't belong in the adoption program (read: needs to be euthanized) and is a total nightmare. Soon after, the dog was adopted and was immediately calm and happy in his new home with another dog and cat.
A customer was in the adoption office and mentioned having a chihuahua at home and is interested in adopting the pit bull, Chickpea. As soon as the staff member heard this, she said "You have a dog at home? You do NOT want Chickpea." Chickpea plays very rough and did not do well on one meet and greet. The other dog wanted to be left alone, but she kept wanting to play. Chickpea had many play buddies at TLAC and got along great with them. So based on this one meet and greet, the adopter had immediately turned off the customer without giving it a chance. Remember, staff rarely interacts with the dogs. They base their comments to customers on a few items in their database.
One staff member told me one day how much she hates her job. Not that it's hard or frustrating, but that she "hates" it.
A couple was in this weekend looking at Chickpea. An experienced volunteer introduced them to the dog and talked to them for a long time about her special needs and how she'll need training and a strong leader. They were very open to all she had to say. They went in to the adoption office to fill out the paperwork to adopt her.
A little while later, the volunteer noticed them talking to another volunteer, so she walked over and saw the the women in this couple was crying. Apparantly, the staff member told her that Chickpea should never go to a dog park and would attack other dogs on walks in their neighborhood. Yes, the same Chickpea who had plenty of play buddies at the shelter.
The volunteers have seen what happens when an adoption match is bad. Usually when a dog gets returned after being adopted, it gets immediately euthanized. We've had some of our favorites get adopted, Yay!, to be returned in a few days and euthanized. It's devastating. We strongly believe that informing adopters about all behaviors noted at the shelter, and their possible implications, is crucial to ensuring a permanent match.
This is not what we've seen with staff, though. Instead, we're seeing extreme negativity about dogs and quick, biting comments that would scare off the most dedicated adopters.
So this volunteer sent out an email to the volunteers and staff, explaining the recent comments that volunteers have heard, along with this recent one, and suggestions that we all stop and think about how we relay negative information about a dog to customers. Not hiding anything, but not condemning the dog, either. This was staff's first response:
"It is not our job to be negative, it is our job to be informative and educational. Believe me, we want long stays dogs into appropriate homes as much as anyone because we see daily the dogs that do not even get a chance to come to adoption. Staff was very appropriately trying to make sure the adopters expectations met those with which living with Chickpea would be like...I feel confident that all of us, volunteers and staff, did the best possible job with this dog. We need to Remember, we are all on the same team. We all want the same thing and we need to trust in each other that we are all doing the best we can. "
Ok, the volunteer specifically said that we need to be completely honest about the dog. She only said that perhaps we need to reconsider how that message is being delivered. This was her response:
"I'm sorry, I have to respectfully disagree. Over and over I have heard the first words out of a counselor's mouth about a particular dog be very negative and discouraging. It is often an off-the-cuff reaction, not a well-thought out counseling session based on knowledge of that adopter's circumstances and skill level. I would not be surprised to find that many of our visitors find the attitude they are met with not only discouraging, but also demeaning to them. Worse, yet, the comments have often been ones that I found to be overstated or inaccurate based on my experiences. I'm certainly not claiming to be the all-knowing arbiter of dog behavior. The volunteers try to respect staff judgment. But very often, it is the volunteers who spend numerous hours with the dogs. It is the volunteers who see how they interact with other dogs and people over and over and over in the courtyard. If anyone has actually seen the potential adopter interacting with a given dog, it is a volunteer. So I think our judgment has value as well.
I can think of 2 dogs off the top of my head (Diesel and Santa anyone?) that I really liked that went to inappropriate situations and were returned and killed. So I know the stakes of a bad adoption. My post did not question informing or educating adopters,or ask staff and volunteers to have a Pollyanna attitude about the challenges of some of our dogs. It asked everyone to think about how they convey that information. This was intended to make everyone examine their own actions and re-think bad habits they may have unconsciously fallen into. And if this is a shelter policy, then it is a request to the management that the policy be changed.
Finally, I will once again ask everyone, staff and volunteers, to think of the numerous reports we have gotten about dogs that were troubled in the shelter and became model citizens once they left. When the first words out of your mouth are going to be the equivalent of, "you don't want THAT dog," please stop and think for a minue about whether you are unfairly condemning that dog. "
So staff replied, stating again that they must give the whole truth to the adopters, so the volunteer replied, stating again that she agrees the whole truth must be given to the adopters, she's just asking that everyone think about how they deliver their message. Then staff sent out this message:
As a courtesy to other volunteers, please do not continue to carry this thread into the Dog Manners Yahoo Group. This conversation is better served between the key parties and not the entire Dog Manners Volunteers - who often just want to come in and interact with the dogs without getting into these in-depth differences of opinion. We could not do all that is achieved without the abundant support, dedication, and cooperation from our volunteers. WE give a huge thanks to those of you continuing to serve the shelter. Volunteers are here to support the shelter in the manner in which TLAC Management deems to be in the best interest of the animals in our care. If you want to address the decisions of the TLAC Management team, bring your concerns to the team and not to the entire Yahoo Group.
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