Idle Shelter visiting - best practice?

[Dalesred]

I didn't know quite what to call this thread!

 

Does anyone else occasionally visit shelters 'just because'?

I can't have another dog for lots of very good reasons and yet I'm still drawn to visiting the shelters from time to time to offer a donation and 'have a look round'.

Most places welcome visitors. Today I went to the RSPCA shelter and was told that you needed to have registered first and expressed an interest before being allowed to see any of the inmates. After being at first taken aback, I decided that it sounds a good idea to me - it saves the dogs from getting excited and stressed as poeple wander around, and it reduces the chance of inexperienced people from picking a dog on looks rather than on best fit for their circumstances.

Is this therefore good practice?

Should I not go looking round anymore?

My DH thinks I'm daft doing it anyway. Today left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.

[Liz P]

I do that too and have yet to end up with an extra dog, though I did accidentally walk into an adoption day at a pet store and came home with an extra cat. I have found several BCs in shelters I just could not leave behind, but I found them homes. One had been very badly abused (beat with a metal pipe) and the shelter said he was aggressive (bit employee while cornered). They were not going to put him up for adoption but I asked for a chance. It took me hours of coaxing to touch him, but once I did he trusted me 100%. When the shelter employees came back into the room and saw him snuggled in my lap I was able to get them agree to let me find him a foster home, which turned out to be a complete failure because his foster parents decided they could not part with him

[Michelle K]

I've done that a number of times and if one caught my eye and heart, then I would spread the word as much as possible to try to get him/her adopted. I enjoy spending time with them, but I always try to be really careful, because it's extremely easy to carry things back on clothes to my dogs. When I get home, I make sure to change my clothes immediately to wash. I'm just extremely protective of ours.

[Bordercentrics]

Shelters can use volunteers to do lots of things. Kathy trains dogs at one local shelter (she works on issues like leash pulling, shyness, which may keep dogs from being adopted.) I photograph all adoptable dogs at a different shelter, and upload the pictures and brief descriptions to Petfinder.com. Other volunteers do temperament evaluations or just walk the dogs.

 

Obviously, shelters vary in their use of volunteers, but there is always something that the dogs need.

 

The risk is bringing dogs home - that's why we now have two Border Collies!!

[WyoBC]

I think it's great to go in and visit the dogs, even if you can't get one right then. I go into our humane society once a week or so to walk different dogs, work on some commands and just help out. I think it helps the dogs stay used to people, and not so lonely. I also change clothes and wash my hands/arms before I get home. I know most of them are healthy but I still don't want to take a chance. It is easy to want to bring some dogs home though.

[Brandon M]

If you enjoy doing it, you should go in and visit the dogs/cats in the shelter whenever you can. When I was in my early teens my brother and I used to ride our bikes about 10 miles each weekend to go walk the dogs at the humane society in Corvallis, OR. And we used to have a website we made called Dawg Gone Dogs that we planned on using to try to help get some dogs adopted, but being young and unemployed we couldn't promote it and eventually we gave it up. I still have rolls of undeveloped pictures of dogs from the shelter.

[Samantha J]

We do that a lot too. Our local home is a Woodgreen one that is quite big. We often visit and walk around the dogs and fuss them and talk to them etc. I think that the ones who cannot cope with the visitors they keep in another part and just put a photo and their details up. I can understand that totally and for the ones that really want attention then visitors are good i think. It also gives the dogs something to do as they can watch what is going on outside.

We couldn't give a home to one at the moment but i do still enjoy seeing them as i feel i am helping with donating for the time being. There is also a shop on site to donate goods - they have had a lot of my stuff too.

 

I can understand the RSPCA approach however i like the set up they have at the Woodgreen where we are as it allows the ones who like attention to get more fuss. They also have a lot of fundraising things going on there too like they have collectors fairs/antique fairs etc so this means more money and the people who go walk around the dogs too which they then donate too if they wish.

 

They do not allow you to see the pups tho under 1year which is a very very GOOD thing.

 

If you enjoy it and the dogs enjoy it then i think visitors are a good idea.

 

The home we go to has a high turnover of dogs which in some way is really horrible as it means loads of homeless ones, but also there is a lot of people taking them so that is fab. When i look there the historys are sometimes so sad but the place they home them in is really nice with indoor/outdoor bits so they can get away from public viewing if they want. Also it means that the next home is looked at before they go and the owners too so they have a good chance at finally getting a good home.

[Cassidy]

I would love to do that, but I'm not sure I could do it without bringing one home. It would bug me until I did, LOL