Understanding Animal Rescue Intake Policies
Animal rescue organizations around the globe are bracing themselves for an influx of unwanted and abandoned pets this holiday season; but how easy is it to part with one? In an age of disposable pets, accepting unwanted animals into large independent and national animal rescue charities has become increasingly complex.
Should unwanted animals be refused because they don’t fit a specific profile?
Animal profiling and retail business practices have become necessary tools in response to our careless pet ownership. Store owners must strive for quick turnover by maintaining an appropriate mix of animals that satisfy both adopters and whims; success will be measured by how much merchandise moves off shelves; this applies especially for dog products.
Owners no longer have the luxury of simply showing up or calling up their local rescue and expecting their pet to be accepted for adoption without experiencing some form of difficulty; rather, it may require long processes or they could even refuse it altogether if your pup does not fit the required profile.
As there are simply too many animals for rescue to accommodate, rescue organizations have to be selective when accepting animals for adoption – specifically ones with chronic health conditions, severe behavioral problems, or unpopular breeds such as Bull Terrier type dogs.
Understanding Selective and Non-selective Intake Policies.
Most professional organizations publish a mission statement and an “intake policy” on their website that details their ethos as well as any circumstances under which they will accept or refuse your pet for rehoming – these could be either selective or non-selective open door policies; some charities even try to leverage non-selectivity for marketing reasons by emphasizing it in literature and decrying other charities for not adhering to them.
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in England is an example of an animal shelter which follows an “NON-SELECTIVE” policy, as evidenced by their open intake policy which they explain as being increasingly rare among animal shelters; yet still accepts that space limitations will limit this provision.