Animal Placement and Follow‐Up

Protopopova, Alexandra; Bollen, Kelley

doi:10.1002/9781119618515.ch25

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…Behavioural issues, particularly incompatibility with humans or other animals, are among the most common reasons for animals being returned to shelters (Mondelli et al 2004 ; Gates et al 2018 ; Scott et al 2018 ; Hawes et al 2020 ). However, the tags on ‘Rehome’ may also suggest undesirable behaviours or matching issues between the animals and a potential adopter’s new home (Protopopova & Bollen 2022 ). Indeed, shelter dogs labelled as ‘good with children’ had increased adoption rates in one US shelter (Luescher & Medlock 2009 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is further corroborated by the present study, as dogs and cats that were labelled as needing an ‘experienced adopter’ had greater odds of being relinquished to an animal shelter after being posted on ‘Rehome.’ Also, dogs that were labelled as ‘special needs’ had lower odds of diversion, perhaps because the label suggests difficult cost or medical requirements for the pet. Previous authors have suggested that staff refrain from adding these descriptors to the profiles of animals, and instead discuss them during the adoption counselling phase (Protopopova & Bollen 2022 ); although this may be more difficult to implement with individual relinquishing owners in comparison to trained adoption counsellors in shelter organisations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Predictors of successful diversion of cats and dogs away from animal shelter intake: Analysis of data from a self-rehoming website

Protopopova

2023

Anim. welf.

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As animals experience distress in animal shelters, leaders call for increased efforts to divert intake of companion animals away from shelters. One novel intake diversion strategy is supported self-rehoming, where owners find new homes for their animals without surrendering to a physical shelter. This study aimed to identify predictors of successful diversion of animals through the AdoptaPet.com ‘Rehome’ online platform. Data for dogs (n = 100,342) and cats (n = 48,484) were analysed through logistic regression to assess the association of animal- and owner-related factors and outcome. Overall, 87.1% of dogs and 85.7% of cats were successfully diverted from animal shelters, out of which, 37.8% of dogs and 35.3% of cats were kept by their original owner. Multiple animal-related factors predicted increased odds of diversion (e.g. younger, smaller). Dog and cat owners who set a longer rehoming deadline (i.e. > 8 weeks) were over twice as likely to keep or adopt out their animal. Dog owners who surrendered for owner-related reasons had increased odds of diversion in comparison to animal behaviour issues. We conclude that online-supported, self-rehoming platforms provide pet owners with an alternative to relinquishment that may reduce the intake of animals to shelters; however, owners with animals that are not preferred by adopters may have to decide whether to keep their animal or relinquish their animal to a shelter or rescue. These results provide guidance for animal shelter professionals on the likelihood of successful diversion programmes given certain animal and owner characteristics.

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