How to Make Your Adoption Application Stand Out
It’s been almost a year since the incredible animal adoption boom caused by so many people’s ability (or order) to work from home. While seeing so many animals go home is incredible and having fewer animals in shelters is the goal—many eager applicants have ended up without a new furry family member. Applicants have spent hours filling out online forms, never hearing back, or receiving automated rejections. To help avoid some frustration, we’re sharing some tips to help you stand out in the animal adoption application process.
Before filling out an application…
Research the rescue/shelter: Most organizations have FAQ pages and information about their adoption process. Before applying, make sure you can afford the adoption fee, are comfortable with the adoption process, trust the organization you are working with, and know the organization’s return policy.
Read adoption profiles fully + carefully: Does the dog’s personality match your lifestyle? Are you able to meet the dog’s needs (energy level, life experience level, anxieties, fears, medical conditions, etc.)? If a dog needs a home with a fenced yard, another dog, an experienced adopter, a quiet neighborhood, or any other specifics—it’s because the rescue/shelter knows that the dog will be set up to succeed in a home with those things. Rescues do not purposefully limit an animal’s applicant pool unless it is necessary for the wellbeing of the animal.
Prepare for adoption: If you have young kids, what are your plans to manage your household so everyone is safe? Check out Family Paws for ideas to include in your application! If your dog will be alone for more than a few hours, what dog walker will you hire or which friend or family member can you count on?
All Brown Dog adopters must work with a professional dog trainer post-adoption. It’s great to have a dog trainer lined up ahead of time, and sometimes they can even assist in the adoption process to help you find the perfect fit. Letting a rescue/shelter know that you’ve connected with a professional dog trainer ahead of time is a great way to show you are thoughtful and committed. Here’s a blog post about how to choose a great dog trainer.
“
Letting a rescue/shelter know that you’ve connected with a professional dog trainer ahead of time is a great way to show you are thoughtful and committed.
Talk to your partner, spouse, family, roommates: Proactively have a household conversation about adoption preferences, responsibilities, and non-negotiables. We ask if everyone is on board with adopting an animal in our application for a reason!
When to fill out an application: Fill out the application when you are ready to adopt and see an adoptable dog or cat that matches your application. Filling out applications ahead of time can lead to your application being filed in a general application folder. Also, applying for “any animal” is not recommended because it signals to a rescue/shelter that you don’t know what you are able to realistically give to an animal. Not everyone can adapt to a dog’s needs, so it’s important to have realistic expectations of the lifestyle you can provide a dog and your non-negotiables in terms of energy level, behaviors, medical, etc.
Filling out the application…
Apply early: Save searches on Petfinder.com and Adopt-a-Pet.com or ask the shelter/rescue when they will be posting new dogs and monitor the website for new adoptables. Most organizations do not operate by “first come first served,” rather they are looking for the best fit for an animal and application. However, getting your application in early can increase the likelihood that your application will be seen and considered before more applications are received.
Apply thoughtfully: Provide complete, detailed answers in your application. Include plans for training, dog walking, and back up plans for vacation or emergencies. In the Brown Dog Coalition adoption application, we ask for an annual estimate of care for a dog/cat—include a reasonable estimate and think through the cost of food, vet care, emergencies, training, walking, etc. At the end of our application we also ask, “Why are you looking to adopt a dog/cat?” We aren’t looking for a novel, but writing a few sentences about the life you can provide for the animal (previous experience, routines, activities you will include your animal in, etc.) is helpful in our decision making process!
Add the rescue’s email address to your accepted mailer list: This is a common problem with rescue and shelter organizations! Make sure to add their email (browndogcoalitionandrescue@gmail.com) to your address book so their follow up email doesn’t end up in your spam folder.
Give your vet and references permission to talk to rescues: Make sure your current animals are up to date on vaccines and that animals you’ve had in the last 5 years have a traceable and good vet history. If this is your first time adopting or you're a practiced pet parent, make sure your personal references know rescues/shelter may be calling them and to be able to speak to their attributes as an adopter.
Don’ts: Adopters who know the kind of life they can provide for an animal are great. Adopters looking for a unicorn who will seamlessly fit into their life are not. Try to have realistic expectations when looking to adopt an animal—no one is perfect and that goes for animals, too! The difference is—people are able to adapt and manage their schedule and lifestyle to help a new furry family member succeed. We look for adopters who are open and able to adapt to the needs of an animal as they change over time.
After filling out the application…
Be patient: Brown Dog Coalition, like many other rescue organizations, is entirely volunteer run. Rescue workers and adopters all want the same thing—for animals to find loving forever homes. If you don’t get the animal you applied for, please be kind. Brown Dog keeps applications on file for three months, so email us when you see another animal you are interested in. There are so many great applicants right now, that it can be like splitting hairs to choose who moves forward.
Be responsive: Brown Dog Coalition usually responds to applications within 72 hours and we wait 24 hours after emailing until we move onto the next qualified applicant. Most organizations will move on to other applicants if they do not hear back after a certain amount of time. Being sensitive to the rescue’s time helps the process go quicker and run smoother.
We applaud you for wanting to adopt a rescued or shelter animal. On the other side of the application process are dedicated, animal-loving people, who are looking for great fits, thoughtful applications, and adopters who can adapt. The most important qualities we look for in adopters are thoughtfulness and responsibility—knowing what you can realistically give an animal, planning for your future adoption, and answering application questions conscientiously are all signs of these key traits.
“
The most important qualities we look for in adopters are thoughtfulness and responsibility.