Adopting A Dog With Sedona - Part 2

In Part 1 of our series on adopting a dog with Sedona Shepherd, we focused on the application process from the potential adopter's point of view.  In this blog, we will discuss the process from the rescue point of view.  We are going to look at the process from a holistic perspective and get "into the weeds."  Our goal in this blog is twofold.  Our first goal is to give the reader an understanding of what we and many other rescues are looking for.  Our second goal is to provide an account of the challenge that a rescue group like ourselves deals with when trying to advocate for our dogs while making our process as efficient and inviting as possible.

A POSITIVE APPROACH

“When you open up the adoption application in the morning, tell yourself: The people applying today will be helpful, grateful, humble, honest, benevolent and good-natured.”  - NOT Marcus Aurelius

As our readers should know by now, we love us some Stoic philosophy.   So, if the above quote sounds somehow familiar, it is, in fact, the opposite of Marcus’ original quote.  We feel our updated version is a better way to start off working on an application. 

The application process aims to find a suitable home for one of our dogs.  We have to play a balancing act between advocating for each dog and remembering that "perfect can be the enemy of the good."  It is, of course, natural for someone to fill out an online application and believe they are a perfect applicant.  Unfortunately, as a rescue, we have no personal history with the applicant.  Therefore, at the start of the process, we have no idea if an applicant is qualified to adopt a dog, especially a large breed dog like a German Shepherd or some of the other large breed dogs we help. 

There is a reason that there are so many dogs up for adoption, and that is because, in general, humans have failed the dog and did not adequately prepare for the needs of owning a dog, and usually, in our case, a German Shepherd dog.  If that were not the case, there would be no need for Sedona Shepherd, and a small number of dogs would be up for adoption solely because of very unfortunate situations. 

As a rescue, we prefer to start with the belief that each applicant will be an excellent fit for one of our dogs.  Unlike some other rescue groups, we are not looking for ways to turn people down.  Now that the application comes in, what happens next?

MY HOW THE TIME FLIES

“Concentrate every minute like a Roman–like a man–on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions.” – Indeed it is Marcus Aurelius

Because we are a smaller organization, all our volunteers are active and have their specific "groups" that they focus on.  Generally, we have two or three people who focus on processing applications.  Almost all of our volunteers work full-time jobs or are already living busy lives. Upon receiving an email with a completed application, one of our volunteers thoroughly reviews the application.  Sometimes this can be a quick process, especially if an applicant has appropriately filled out the application and, upon first glance, meets all the initial criteria.  However, approximately 30% of applications do not complete the information correctly.  This can mean anything from not listing references, not reading our general requirements, being outside our adoption range, not providing us with the applicant's age, or wanting a puppy.   Depending on the application, we will have to spend time getting back to the applicant to provide the missing information. 

Once everything is in order, our next step is contacting a vet reference.  Sometimes this is a smooth process, other times, the applicant may have listed the incorrect vet, may have their dog listed under the spouse or partner's name, or occasionally a vet may require us to have the applicant reach out to the vet to give them permission to speak with us.  As mentioned in Part 1, we allow flexibility during the vet check.  However, if someone sporadically brings their dog to the vet every 2-3 years, they will fail the process.  It is not necessarily a judgment on an individual (though we do feel it is not asking for a lot to bring in a dog for an annual visit), but we have middle-aged or older dogs that often need more medical attention.  We must feel confident that vet care will be regularly provided to a Sedona dog.

In the next step, we reach out to personal references.  "Back in the day," before everyone stopped answering the phone from a number they did not recognize, references were more likely to pick up and speak with us.  Sometimes, the references can be challenging to contact, and we may need to reach out to an applicant for additional references.  The reference checks are essential, and the results can be enlightening.  Results range from having ex-spouses talk about what great pet parents their "ex" is to a family member saying they wouldn't let one of their dogs stay with the applicant. 

To streamline the application process, we may combine the interview with the applicant with a home visit.  If possible and appropriate, we may do a virtual home visit.  Even if we had an active volunteer in all 21 counties in NJ available to do a home visit on short notice, there is still the time needed to match a volunteer's schedule with the applicant.

Each step of the way – reviewing the application, gathering additional information, reaching out to references, and meeting the applicant has unique challenges that can push out the amount of time needed to complete an application.

From reviewing an application to hopefully the adoption day, a complete application can take between 2 to 8 hours to fully process.  Applications that don't result in an approved applicant can still take up a significant amount of time. 

THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE

“It’s all in how you perceive it. You’re in control. You can dispense with misperception at will, like rounding the point.” – Marcus Aurelius

Here is a breakdown of the final result of an application.  As you can see, half of the applications we receive and spend time on end up either; an applicant being outside our adoption range, not appropriate for various reasons, or an applicant that stops responding at some point during the process.  About 17% at some point will let us know they are no longer interested, 13% have adopted elsewhere (sometimes with our help reaching out to other organizations), and 16% will adopt or foster for us.  At any point in the process, an applicant can decide to go elsewhere, change their mind about adoption, decide they really wanted a puppy, or not respond to inquiries from our volunteers, aka ghost us.

MEASURING SUCCESS

“There is no greater harmony but to love only what happens, what was destined.” – Marcus Aurelius.

We aim to find that forever home for each dog that leaves our program, and we have a very high success rate.  Over 93% of all the dogs we adopt stay with their new family for the rest of their lives.  If, for any reason, the adoption is not working out, Sedona Shepherd takes any dog back into our program.  Since our founding, only 3 dogs that were returned did not find a second forever home.  Thor and Abby stayed with us the rest of his natural life, and Jyn was returned for severe medical reasons that required medical euthanasia.  The combination of a thorough and empathetic adoption application process is behind our high success rate. 

We hope Part 2 of the adoption application process gives the reader and any potential applicant better understanding of what goes on “behind the scenes” at Sedona Shepherd.

FIONA - The first dog saved by Sedona Shepherd in 2014.