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Local shelter implements new adoption program
Meet Your Match enables staff at the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter to match dogs to the best family.
Published: 02/18/2009
Harry got to meet Sally, now you can meet your match.
Not a typical partner, but a dog.
For nearly a year, those who want to adopt a dog have had the choice of choosing a pet based on a character match at the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter.
The Meet Your Match Canine-ality adoption program, started by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is designed to increase the likelihood that shelter dogs bond with their adopters and are accepted as part of the family.
Jerry Varner, director of operations for the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter, said each dog is assessed on its canine-ality with five tests – friendliness, playfulness, energy level, motivation and drive.
The canine-ality assessment places dogs in one of three color-coded groups that represent the dog’s persistence. For example, dogs that fall in one particular category may be a wallflower, a busy bee or a goofball.
“After the dogs are profiled, it’s time for potential parents to take a survey too,” Varner said.
Donna Duffau, the kennel manager at the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter, said interested clients are categorized with specific questions in the form of a survey.
“Clients are asked questions like, where will the dog stay while you’re not at home, or how many people are in your family,” she said.
The survey answers are used to get to know the adopter and the lifestyle the dog will be living in. The survey is not to test potential owner’s qualifications.
“It’s not about whether we want to adopt you a dog, it’s about adopting you the best dog for your lifestyle,” Duffau said.
The shelter is already seeing positive results – Varner said fewer dogs are being returned. The assessment program is doing more to secure the bond between pet and owner. He said he knows the program works because in one particular month the shelter saw zero returns out of 33 adoptions.
“It was not uncommon to have dogs adopted and have them returned a day or two later,” Varner said. “Sometimes we saw between 16 to 17 dogs returned in one month.” The shelter’s clients are pleased with the canine-ality assessments as well.
Sherri Rothfusz, a participant in the Meet Your Match program, said it is hard for some people to find an animal that gels with its owner’s lifestyle. Rothfusz adopted a 2-year-old Golden Retriever named Sienna from the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter a couple weeks ago.
“My husband said I fell in love with Sienna faster than I fell in love with him,” Rothfusz said. “I was attached quickly. We love her. Sienna is a perfect fit for our family.” Rothfusz said she’s glad they used Meet Your Match to pick their pet. She said she was wary of bringing a strange animal into her house because she has three young children, but the program put her at ease.
“Knowing what the shelter has done to work with the dogs made me feel comfortable bringing a new dog into the house,” she said. “We would never take her back – she’s ours for life.” Varner said Meet Your Match has opened up more forward thinking with the shelter’s clients. It lets the clients know the shelter is doing something extra to take care of its animals and ensure their homes are permanent.
Meet Your Match is a nationwide program, so people all over can try the survey and be matched with a dog. Varner said the goal of the ASPCA and the animal shelters is to make sure dogs get adopted and are appreciated and loved for life.
“That’s what Meet Your Match is all about,” he said.
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