Bad experience with an animal shelter?  Rejected? Let’s chat. 

I’ve been an animal adopter, an animal shelter worker, and an animal shelter volunteer.  I can’t know what happened in your particular experience with an animal shelter, but I hope to at least offer my experience;  maybe it can help you understand your bad experience with an animal shelter.   

Types of shelters:

Different types of shelters run differently, and the method of adoption can vary. It’s important to see the difference because it can help to explain why one shelter may be easy to adopt from whereas another may hold barriers to adoption.

Shelters with an open adoption policy

Shelters with an open adoption policy are the easiest to adopt from.  Many county animal control offices operate this way, as do many high-volume shelters.  What this means is that if you want an animal, you essentially go in and pick it out, pay your fee and go.  This is the easiest for an adopter.  The benefit is that you get the animal you want, no questions asked. 

Why aren’t all animal shelters open-adoption because of the high numbers of unwanted animals? 

The reason that not all animal shelters are open-adoption shelters is that there are many types of shelters and each has different goals.  Some animal shelters keep their numbers at the number manageable for the facility and the staff.  I’ve been to animal control facilities that are over-capacity.  The animals are in their kennels, in crates on the floor, and in cages outside- even if it’s below freezing outside- there is not enough room for the animals to have comfort. 

The goal in this environment is to get them out as fast as possible- less concern is placed on matching the pet to the owner’s lifestyle.  These shelters are often high-kill shelters and often euthanize due to space.  No one likes them, but then what is the alternative?  There is no place for these animals to go.  Animals from these shelters are often adopted out inexpensively and easily. These adoptions can include vaccinations; sometimes they don’t. 

The workers don’t interview the adopter to ensure that the pet is going to the right home for both the person and the pet. This can cause adoptions to not work out, and the owners frequently return the animals.  To give you a statistic, 7-20% of all adopted animals are no longer in their homes only 6 months later (Hawes et al., 2020).  The cycle just continues, but there are a lot of homeless animals, so there are a lot of these facilities.

Shelters that are more selective in adoptions

Shelters that take the time to screen applicants are often non-profit organizations that operate based on donations.  These shelters usually are selective about the number of animals they take in.  This is an attempt to keep adopted in their homes.  Remember the statistic of returned animals mentioned above?  

This type of shelter usually does not fill beyond its capacity.  These shelters have a process for animal adoption. Usually, this process begins with an adoption application.  When the adopter comes in to meet the animal, the shelter workers ask questions.   “Will your cat be indoors or outdoors?  Do you have a fenced-in yard for your dog?” These questions, along with others help to ensure that the pet is a good fit for the adopter and vice-versa.  It isn’t to be judgmental, but it is an attempt to prevent returns.  Workers in these types of shelters get to know the animals very well and think of them as their own in a way.  They feel a huge responsibility to ensure these animals are cared for in their future homes. 

Why shelter workers can be protective of the animals

Shelter workers see a lot- most people can’t imagine what happens to animals who are abandoned.  I don’t want to describe it, but suffice it to say that there is a lot of sadness and grief in animal rescue.  People get involved in rescue because it is very rewarding to help an animal go from near death and abandonment to seeing it go into a home where it will be loved and cared for and happy.  Rescue workers are compassionate towards animals.  We see animals abandoned, dumped, beaten, starved, neglected- and all of these to the point that many do not recover.  This is why many animal shelters are selective about adoptions.  The people who seem the nicest can easily be dog abusers.  It’s hard to tell, so shelters try to do their best to put the animals into good homes. 

Do shelters judge you when you surrender an animal?

If you need to surrender an animal, you may find that all the shelters are full. Working in a non-profit, I’ve had people yell at me when I told them our shelter was full.  They’ve told me that it’s my job to take their dog they don’t want anymore- this seems to be a common misunderstanding; there are non-profits who try to help, and there are county facilities. There is a difference between the two. However, when they are full, they are full. 

I (and every other shelter worker) would love to rescue every animal from any home where it feels unwanted.  I can only fill the space I have.  When it is full, it is full.  Every room has a capacity and if we go over that capacity, illnesses spread very easily as well as well-being declines from the anxiety of the animals.  If we go over capacity, we can lose our license. Shelter workers have an obligation to the animals already in their care. 

Back to the question- do shelter workers judge you when you surrender an animal? 

The truth is that it depends.  It depends on the circumstance.  I will say that no worker wants an animal to stay with you if you don’t want it, so we do try to help.  If your reason is that you and your animal don’t get along, well- that’s good enough—as long as you have really put in the effort to try.  What we hate is when a person returns a new animal without trying to help that animal adjust.  There is a rule of 3s that we try to make everyone understand when they adopt: 

If you have tried, and your animal just isn’t a good fit for you and your family, it is probably best to surrender the animal and let it find a family in which it can thrive. Shelter workers don’t judge this- they may try to convince you to try something else, but this isn’t judgment.  This is an attempt to try to help the situation- remember, shelters are full and they may not be able to take the animal immediately, but they don’t want to send you away without any help.  The people that we judge and feel angry with are those who don’t listen to the advice of the shelter when they adopt and then they return the animal in a very short time.  The truth is, shelter workers are animal lovers, and we want to be able to take them all in and help them.  We just cannot help them all, and this is a hard truth.

Why are shelter workers so judgmental when I try to adopt an animal?

Were you rejected for an animal adoption? If so, of course, you are angry!  Some shelters are very good at explaining why they rejected you, and some aren’t.  The workers at an animal shelter don’t know you.  They have to go by what’s on the paper and their policies.  Is it too strict?  Yes, sometimes it is.  It comes from a place of concern, and they want to protect the animals under their care.  What can you do?  Talk to them- ask them what you can do to be a better pet parent.  Don’t get confrontational, that’s not going to work. You may know you are the perfect pet owner, but they don’t.  Help them understand. Conversation and working together can help. 

Common reasons for dog adoption rejections

1. No fenced-in yard. Many dogs are very high in energy, and the shelter workers don’t know your lifestyle. You may be a perfectly wonderful dog owner, but shelter workers have had a lot of experience with dogs who were surrendered because they had too much energy for their owners.
2. The personality of the dog. If you have small children but the dog you want is not good with children, the shelter will reject your application.
3. Work hours. If you are away from home many hours of the day, but the dog you are interested in has separation anxiety, the shelter may reject your application.

These are only a couple of examples, but there is certainly a reason- the shelter could have it wrong, but re-read your application from their point of view and see if you can figure out the problem.

A personal example of a dog adoption rejection:

I have a couple of friends who are the perfect dog owners- they are a couple, and their children are their dogs.  One of them is essentially a dog behaviorist.  She works in the shelter to help troubled dogs, and she offers her services for free to help keep dogs in their homes if an adopter has a difficult time with a dog.  This couple was once rejected by every shelter for an adoption of a dog because their backyard was too small. This couple takes their dogs out on hikes, outings, and really everything they do is for the benefit of their dogs.   They really do care for their dogs– better than most humans.  For example, if her dog has an eye problem- they go to a dog eye specialist.  They were unable to adopt a dog. It can happen to anyone- remember that! They didn’t take it personally. Instead, they started volunteering.

Reasons for cat adoption rejections

1. Declawing: I’ve seen many adopters rejected for cats because of things like saying they would declaw an animal.  I personally don’t think anything on an application is an immediate cause for rejection.  I see it as an opportunity to talk to the potential adopter and explain the situation.  A person who would declaw a cat may not know what declawing entails.  Sometimes people are rejected if they want their cat to go outside.  
2. Indoor vs Outdoor cat: A lot of cats cannot live outside- some cats have never lived outside and do not have any wild instincts.  Some shelters don’t differentiate between cats that are outdoor savvy and not- all adopted cats will need to remain indoors until the animal feels your home is its home- or it will likely run away. 

Read more about whether or not outdoor life is right for your cat here

Indoor vs. Outdoor: Which is best for your cat?

These are conversations that need to happen with potential adopters, and many shelter workers do just reject them without a conversation.  I’ve had people come in looking for barn cats.  It’s true that if the adopter is truly looking for a mouser, most shelter cats don’t fit that description, but most shelters do have relationships with TNR programs that could easily find a suitable cat.  It just takes communication with the shelter to find the ideal cat.    

What if you never receive a call back from a shelter?

If you put in an application and never heard back, there could be a couple of reasons for this. 

1. They didn’t look at your application At one of the shelters I worked for, the workers would print the and set them aside, waiting for the adopter to come in to meet the animals.  The shelter you applied to may be waiting for you to come in or to call to set up an appointment.  It’s best to make a follow-up call. 
2. You are being silently rejected. Something on your application didn’t meet the requirements for the animal.  They should contact you and let you know, but many don’t.  Call, ask about your application and ask for them to talk to you about the needs of the animal- try to schedule a time to meet other animals- it may be that the one you want to meet is a terrible fit.  If you think it’s a great fit, talking to them in person and meeting the animal may be the best thing to do.   

Income and animal ownership

Adopter income is a difficult question for shelter workers- a person fills out an application and wants a pet.  The person is asking for a reduced fee because they can’t afford the fee, or this person will need assistance in feeding an animal.  Shelters may be hesitant to adopt to a person with financial difficulties.

  I am personally of mixed feelings in this situation.  It’s not that I think low-income families don’t deserve animals, but I do worry about what will happen to the animal if something happens and it needs veterinary care.  If a family cannot afford the adoption fee, how would they fund the day-to-day high cost of pet food and vetting? 

I have known people who didn’t have much money but who would sacrifice things to ensure their pet is cared for.  I would not begrudge that person an animal for anything.  The hard truth is that animal workers don’t know which applicants would be willing to find a way to care for their animals and which ones would just dump the animal- remember the people who seem the nicest can be an animal abuser-they just don’t know you.  I think in this case, you really must open up and talk to the shelter worker to help them get to know you and your circumstances.

Conclusion

There are a lot of reasons that people can have misunderstandings with animal shelters.  Sometimes the fault is that of the animal shelter, sometimes it’s a miscommunication, but always, the animal shelter workers are human beings and make the decisions they think are best for the animals under their care.   

Sources

Hawes, S. M., Kerrigan, J. M., Hupe, T., & Morris, K. N. (2020). Factors informing the return of adopted dogs and cats to an animal shelter. Animals, 10(9), 1573. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091573