Sharing Resources for Shelters and Rescue Organizations
Throughout the year, we partner with innovative organizations that are doing groundbreaking work to increase dog adoptions, including our annual Dogs rule.TM grant recipient, to create toolkits that showcase their work. Here, we re making all our toolkits available in once place.
Welcome Committee: Helping Dogs Transition to the Shelter
Created in partnership with the San Diego Humane Society, a DOGS RULE. grant recipient, “Welcome Committee: Helping Dogs Transition to the Shelter” delves into strategies and practices shelters can use to enhance the welfare of dogs from their very first moment in animal shelters. The Welcome Committee initiative was created to address the unique challenges faced by dogs experiencing fear, anxiety and stress in the shelter. The toolkit outlines the comprehensive approach the initiative takes, including multiple departments from Admissions and Operations Leadership to Animal care, Behavior & Training and Volunteer Engagement. Further, the toolkit explores the program’s core components, like enriched housing, additional enrichment activities, and focused, practical behavior plans. Read more here.
Bark to Basics: Creative Adoption Ideas for Dog Adoptions
In this toolkit, developed by Kristen Hassen, you’ll hear from the shelters and rescues who are increasing dog adoptions through innovative adoption and foster programs, events, and incentives. They provide concrete, easy-to-implement ideas to get more dogs into homes faster – a recipe book of real solution that can be implemented without a lot of time or resources. Read more here.
Build Your Dog Adoption Super Highway
In this toolkit, developed by Kristen Hassen, you’ll find common practices and policies that are keeping animals stuck in shelters, easy changes you can make to speed up your dog flow, the WIRC model of customer service (welcome, inform, respect, celebrate), how to ask for and accept help, and how to get your community on board. You’ll have access to examples from real-life shelters who are having adoption success, even in this difficult moment. The toolkit is designed for all levels of staff and volunteers. Read more here.
Keeping Families Together
This toolkit provides an overview of Human Animal Support Services, a new, community-centered approach to animal services that focuses first on keeping pets and people together, even in tough times. In this system, the ultimate goal is that the only animals who come into the animal shelter are the ones who truly need to be there, while others are served in their homes and communities. Read more here.
Shelter Scan Interactive Kennel Cards
This toolkit provides tips to create eye-catching, current and positive personalities for adoptable animals, using visually appealing, interactive kennel cards. These cards use unique QR codes and eye-catching personality traits to help animals stand out to prospective adopters. Read more here.
ComPAWtibility Match
This toolkit highlights resources developed to enhance interactions with potential fosters and adopters, as well as existing adopters. The resources include compatibility matching quizzes, a matchmaker program, virtual home visits and adoption events, a text-based foster program, and a post-adoption support program. Read more here.
Virtual Foster Program
This toolkit showcases a new program that paired dedicated volunteers with dogs who had been in a shelter for the longest time as “virtual fosters.” These dogs get the benefits of a traditional foster home – like personal and consistent interaction – while still residing at the shelter. Read more here.
