Second Chance: Goal – More Pet Adoptions!

19 Apr Second Chance: Goal – More Pet Adoptions!

Second Chance Humane Society’s Animal Resource Center (SCHS) and Thrift Shops have been serving San Miguel, Ouray and Montrose Counties since 1994. The shelter is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 11 to 5:30. Community veterinary services are available by appointment.

View shelter pets and services online: www.adoptmountainpets.org.

Go here for more on Dr. Shari DePauw of Second Chance. Second Chance veterinary clinic is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Call (970) 626-9713 or email clinic@adoptmountainpets.org

Donate here.

Go here for more options from Second Chance.

More adoptions. That is the goal of Second Chance and every other animal rescue organization. We have a wonderful shelter, with veterinary care, dedicated staff, and reliable volunteers. We also know that a shelter is never the best place for a pet to thrive. The place for pets is in a home. Achieving successful adoptions means we have adopter-friendly hours and policies.

We have adoptable pets listed on our website, Petfinder, and featured on social media. We highlight pets in newspaper ads in local papers. Such tactics help spread the word about available pets and pique interest in them. If a person sees a pet online or in the paper, the next step is meeting them “in person.” Recently, we realized that our hours could be more friendly to busy people in our communities. With that in mind, we have changed our adoption hours to include Sundays. That means two weekend days when potential adopters can visit the shelter and get to know our adoptable pets. Our new adoption hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:30 pm.

Taking pets into the community is another way to find their people. Adoption events are scheduled at Chow Down in Montrose, Petco, and Telluride Farmers Market (in the summer). We’ve added Ridgway Farmers Market to our regularly scheduled summer events and are planning to bring pets to one-time events such as the Gear Sale at The Nature Connection in Hotchkiss, Kitten Yoga at Montrose Library, and a summer reading event at Ridgway Library.

Studies have shown that overly intrusive and complicated applications do not mean better placements. They only deter potential adopters. We have a simple adoption application. We start with the belief that people are loving, responsible, and honest. In the vast majority of cases, we are right. In cases where an adopter takes on too much or is not a right fit with a pet- our door is open for those pets to return. In fact, our contract stipulates that fact.

Knowing up-front about potential issues is another way to make sure a pet is properly placed. All our pets are observed and evaluated by our staff for behavioral issues and we pass along that information to all potential adopters. If a dog has a history of anxiety, we disclose that and give tips to ease his transition to home life. If a cat is not a fan of other cats, we recommend her to homes where she won’t have to share attention.

We sometimes offer reduced-fee adoptions for certain pets or when our pet population is at capacity. The myth that people should be able to “afford” to adopt has not proven true. Most folks value and care for their pets regardless of how much they paid for them. Adoption fees never come close to covering the cost to care for a pet in a shelter. If our community supports our work with donations, we can remove some of the barriers to adoption.

Rocky

My name is Rocky. I’m a senior cat, so my adoption fee is reduced. I’m a big, mellow guy who would love to be sitting on your windowsill watching the world go by.