- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Questions arose from my previous post about giving pet shops and puppy mills the boot program that Best Friends designed and is now being implemented in several states. There was concern voiced from some involved with shelters that if all the prime dogs are transferred to the boutique adopt shops, shelters would lose significant revenue. Here are some answers to that and more.
1. Can you walk us through the process of how dogs are turned over to the new pet shops that adopt?
I can’t speak for all of the “humane” pet stores nationwide, but of the ones I know of, either (1) independent rescue groups come in and host mobile adoptions whereby they showcase their own adoptables, or (as in the case of WoofWorx) the store pulls animals directly from the shelters, paying the same adoption fee as anyone else. [read more on WoofWorx in Best Friends Take the Road Less Traveled]
2. If all the highly adoptable dogs puppies kittens are at the boutique pet shop, what’s going to attract people to the shelter?
The ratio of rescue-only pet store animals to shelter animals is such that there are thousands of adoptable animals still remaining in the shelters even after a humane pet store pulls the few they do for their own adoptions. The reality is that many people will never go to the shelter, no matter how much they would like to adopt, and if humane pet stores offer a venue for those animals to be seen by people who would otherwise never be exposed to them, then great – they’re receiving an opportunity to be adopted that they would not have in the shelter.
3. Won’t pet shops simply move online, where it’s still the wild west, with no regulations?
That is certainly a possibility, although their sales would undoubtedly be much lower, as most people are not as willing to spend several hundred or thousand dollars on an animal they can’t see or interact with in person before committing to.
4. People say pup my ride is a success because BF is already a no-kill shelter with infrastructure and financial backing in place to care for and rehome the less adoptable dogs – the majority of the shelters in this country can’t afford to operate the same way. In what ways does BF help cash strapped shelters join in this project?
Pup My Ride is a success because we are able to save thousands of dogs that would have been destroyed in shelters (or by commercial breeder)s by networking them out to rescue groups throughout the country. We only take a few of those dogs back to the sanctuary. Thus, we are alleviating the burden on the shelters, not alienating them. For more information about the national puppy mill Pup My Ride program and the Los Angeles shelter Pup My Ride program, please visit our website: puppiesarentproducts.com
5. What successes/trends are you seeing so far with the possible closing of puppy mills due to this program?
The Puppies Aren’t Products campaign seeks to address the pet overpopulation crisis by promoting adoption, relieving the burden on shelters through programs like Pup My Ride, educating the public and advocating for better legislation regarding commercial breeding and pet store/internet regulations within the pet trade.
We have seen significant success within each of these components, from pet store bans to the increase in rescue-only pet stores, to higher adoption rates, to a greater public awareness of puppy mills and the pet store connection. We anticipate that these successes will continue, and we will continue our efforts until we have achieved our mission of No More Homeless Pets.
Many thanks to Best Friend’s Elizabeth Oreck, the National Campaign Manager of Puppies Aren’t Products, for her considered answers to these questions, and to Barbara Williamson, Media Relations Manager, for facilitating the request.
Pup My Ride and Puppies Aren't Products are both great. Anything to help "give pet shops and puppy mills the boot". These ideas can work, I think! Thank you for your efforts.
Peggy
Thanks for stopping in, Peggy! While there is no one perfect solution and adjustments will be made, shelters have another tool to help move adoptions safely higher should they decide to use it. It's all about finding successful adoptions for more animals.
Thanks for clarifying, Mary. These are complicated — not to mention emotional — issues. Education, education, education — we can't have enough of it. There will always be distortions but your efforts to set the record straight are crucial.
Hi Edie. I think these are ideas whose time has come. We need to be open to trying new things as long as we provide the proper safety net for the animals. What I always find so interesting about Best Friends is their lack of getting involved with details better decided by the principals working any given program. At least that's how I see it. They form and champion the big idea nationally, implement the program and with their examples we can sort it out locally. And thanks for the vote of confidence! ;-D
I’m a fan of formal transfer programs. My Lilly came into Humane Society of Boulder Valley as a transfer from a cash-strapped, rural area, where she would have had a much lower chance of adoption.
I’d have to see this new pet store concept in action. I still fear they’ll grab the low hanging fruit (easy adoptions, including puppies) and leave other shelters to do the hard/real work.
Hi, Roxanne, thanks for stopping by, and I hear you on the transfer programs. We work with downstate shelters, some of which simply don't have adoptions. Yep, no typo. They are I think beyond cash strapped.
I wouldn't worry too much about low hanging fruit and puppies, shelters have been doing the same thing to get numbers and donations up for years where quotas are demanded – I see it all the time. What's hard is increasing adoptions appropriately so returns don't go double digit. As we've seen, it's up to shelters to cut the deal they want to live with. And shelters will be paid their adoption rate, so there's no cause for financial concern. What changes is that shelters have a retail outlet, hopefully retrained to adopt. All the better to have more turnover to good homes. We'll have to see what issues arise as this goes forward, but it's a good start. Thanks for joining the conversation!
Edie is absolutely right… Education is vitally important! Thanks so much for sharing this interview and clarifying info on the Pup My Ride program.
Hi, Maggie, glad you broached the topic so we could get as much clarity as possible on these programs. Evaluation reports over time will be of interest to all of us:)
Great interview, Mary. And I am not sure I understand the shelter's original concern. Shouldn't the long term goal of shelters be to go out of business … make themselves obsolete? Edie's right (about a lot of things) – but this time about there being emotional issues and the need for education. But for dog's sake, shouldn't the #1 priority be about successful adoptions and not worrying about whether they come from a regular shelter or a boutique shelter? Wonderful follow up!
Thanks, Rod, glad you liked the follow up! I agree that the utopic endgame would be no more need for shelters. This might be possible sooner in some areas, while not as likely until much later in others given the cultural differences that exist across the country. Some areas are 20-40 years (or more) behind the curve on pets being part of the family. (Anybody have the social science on this topic?)
It's good to give voice to concerns – get it clear – so the chatter about the program is what is true and not what is feared. Since it's up to shelter's to make the deals that are good for the shelter and the dogs and the pet shops, it should be challenging, but exciting too.
The tough dogs will always be the tough dogs. That's why I don't think we'll see the end of shelter's usefulness until we see the end of people's predilection for seeing pets as commodities to be left without training, mishandled, and eventually discarded. Thanks for stopping by:)
More articles are needed about the dangers of buying animals online. There are many gullible people who believe that what they see is what they get when they purchase online. Education, which is where social media comes in,can be an effective way to broadcast the message. There is a company http://www.ultimatedogginsite.com/ that states” Selling dogs and puppies online is a breeze at UltimateDogginSite.com.
No login or credit card is required! Simply click the “ADD A DOG” link
below to add a dog on our web site”
We are bound to see more and more of this.
Hi Elizabeth, and welcome! I agree – online purchases of a pet is just weird on so many levels. Even good breeders, according to a commenter here, are getting into the online market as a way of introducing their pups to the broadest possibe audience.
I wonder if breeders will finally start policing their own, maybe devise a yearly "seal of approval" for websites and a board to decide who gets renewed. Something will have to be done to help the public know if they are dealing with serious careful and family breeders or the other kind that spit puppies onto conveyor belts for boxing up and shipping out. Thanks for stopping by!
Mary – I had heard of Pup My Ride, but had no idea about al of the other topics you elaborated on here. So glad you followed up! I learned a few new things today!
As someone who opposes puppy mills, it is nice to learn about some of the other work being done to end the practice. Thank you!
Thanks for stopping in, Mel, and you can picture me jumping up and down clapping that there was something here you didn't know about -yay! It's another reason I love the blogging community: I learn from others, too:)
It's amazing, isn't it? We have laws the USDA is supposed t follow to protect animal's welfare in all commercial situations, and we find they are not being enforced by the USDA! Since this behavior appears to be a pattern, we have to get creative to stop as much cruelty as is possible on the one hand while we write and call our reps to demand change on the other. I would call Bests Friend's program an excellent start to that end. And you're welcome:)