Rescues and shelters get downright proactive to find homes for their long-term residents

by Kerry Bleskan

With greater public awareness, better facilities, and more resources, shelters are able to house homeless pets longer than they used to, giving more a chance at adoption. All this has given rise to a relatively new phenomenon in sheltering, the long-time resident. Some dogs and cats become more or less permanent residents of their shelters. So what gives?

We talked to workers at a half-dozen local shelters; they have differing ideas about what creates a longtimer. Is it appearance? Personality? Plain old bad luck?

Maybe the bad luck of being plain. In a column for the Tri-Valley Herald , East Bay SPCA staff said they suspected that one-year resident Apple, a brown tabby, was overlooked because of her looks. “Apple isn’t fluffy. She doesn’t have unusual coloring, or an extra-long tail. She is the ultimate ‘straight man,’ making everyone around her look good.”

Several shelters mentioned pedigree as a factor. At the Humane Society of Sonoma County, black cats tend to stick around, says public relations director Angela Bonnert. So do dog breeds with bad reputations in the media, such as Rottweilers and Pit Bulls. Michele Mussen of Countryside Rescue sees Golden Retrievers and Poodles as well as all types of purebred cats get adopted relatively quickly.

Grown animals aren’t adopted as fast as puppies and kittens. “Usually age plays a part,” Bonnert said. “Older animals are more difficult to adopt.” So are larger dogs.

Special needs might hold up a pet’s adoption, and for good reason, said Tricia Breen, shelter animal liaison for Marin Humane Society. “We have a deaf dog right now that will require just the right home, with someone who is confident enough to tackle that issue.”

Certain delays, such as training time or medical treatments, are expected by shelter staff and can enhance the likelihood that the pet will be adopted. “All of our dogs go through training,” Bonnert said. “Some just need a week to get used to a routine and walking on leash; others can take six to eight weeks before they are ready for adoption.”

Sonoma County Animal Regulation shelter supervisor Cathy Fenn said that some pets need time to recover from upper respiratory infections (URI) or kennel cough. Mussen points out that certain ailments, such as heartworm in dogs and URI in cats, not only take time to treat but also delay spay/neuter surgery.

If animals are involved in a court case, Fenn said, they stay at the shelter indefinitely. This can be very tough on the pets. “Some animals do fine, but others go what we call ‘kennel crazy.’ This only seems to happen with dogs.”

Symptoms of kennel craziness include obsessive behaviors: nonstop pacing, barking, or jumping. It points out the Catch-22 of long-term sheltering: the longer pets aren’t adopted, the harder it is for them to be adopted. “We have had [some] dogs and cats here for over a year,” said Susan Simons, the director of Pets Lifeline. “It gets harder and harder to adopt them out the longer that they are here.”

The importance of being fostered

“Animals in a shelter are under stress,” Breen said. “We do the best we can to help them during their stay, providing social interaction, play, some mental stimulation with play for cats, exercise and training sessions for dogs.

“We have a pretty rapid turnover here,” she said. Marin’s current record holders have been there since last fall, and haven’t really been ‘there’ the whole time. “Both the dogs here since late October have gotten breaks from the shelter, gone to our Pen Pal program at San Quentin to get out of the kennel atmosphere and get some further training,” Breen explained. “One cat has been with us since September, but he has medical issues and has spent a good part of his time in foster care.” Several shelter and rescue representatives mentioned foster care as one solution for longtermers, but primarily as a respite. Fostering isn’t available to all shelters, and if a pet is off –site visitors aren’t getting to meet her.

Getting creative

Shelters seem to have three strategies for getting healthy, good dogs adopted: publicity, publicity, and publicity. Bonnert says that while the Sonoma shelter works to get the word out at events, in the media, and with their mobile adoption vehicle, the pets sell themselves. “The story behind an animal really appeals to people’s emotions and can be a lifesaver for these animals.”

Countryside Rescue advertised for more than a year to find the right home for Cleatus, a Walker Hound who had previously used his intelligence and athleticism to destructive ends. “In comparison, I once ran a month-long ad for a black Lab I had for adoption,” Mussen said. “During that month, I was able to place five black Labs, some pulled from shelters because I had so much response to my one ad.”

Sheri Cardo, Marin Humane Society’s public relations director, recalls another ad that worked. “We placed a small display ad in the Marin Independent Journal that said ‘Reward!’” The dog’s eventual adopter came to shelter, paper in hand, asking, “What’s the reward?”

Long-termers are often highlighted on websites, television news, and through breed rescue organizations. Some shelters off er promotions, such as Sonoma’s “Silver Whisker Club” for pets older than seven. These pets’ adoption fees are discounted.

If a lack of attention is the problem, languishing in the shelter can be the solution. Take Valentino, a “completely charming” black dog who was ignored by adopters at Marin Humane for three months. When he became depressed, losing interest in food, the staff began keeping him in the lobby and administrative offices to show off his lovely manners and calm demeanor. It worked, Breen said, and when his adopted family brought him in for a visit
several months later, his interest in food had clearly returned. Valentino was actually a bit overweight.

Here’s looking at you, kid

Long-termers can certainly enjoy a home once they find one. Simons likes to tell the story of Julie, a hound mix who had been in and out of shelters for three years before finding a forever home at age nine. Against the odds, Julie did not develop behavioral issues during her years with Pets Lifeline and other shelters. “Julie now plays on the beach outside her Sausalito home, goes for long walks with her people, and plays with her dog friends on her own grass and with her own toys.”

Do shelter workers and volunteers ever have a hard time letting go of a great pet who has been there a long time? Sure, they said, but there’s more sweet than bitter.

“We are always happy to see them go to good homes since we can’t possibly keep them all,” Mussen said. “And every time we place an animal, it opens up a spot for another animal.” “They absolutely become staff favorites,” Breen said. “We all tend to gather with the new family to see them off .” And some tears are shed, but no one would have it any other way. “A shelter is not an ideal environment for the animals. A home is.” Speaking of home, chocolate Lab-Setter mix Griffin would like one. He was rescued from neglect in 2004 and gained weight and confidence during his stay at the Humane Society of Sonoma County. After more than six months in the shelter, he found a home and the staff bid him a very fond goodbye.

More than a year later, his adopted “mom” had to move to an assisted-living facility that does not allow pets. “She is heartbroken to have given him up,” Bonnert says. She sings praises to Griffin’s manners (he’s housebroken and very good on a leash) but admits that he isn’t a very happy guy right now. “His spirits are down—he surely misses his family,” she said. “We hope that Griffin will find a permanent home really soon.”