Page 17 - Jennifer Mooney

RESEARCH
Literature Review & Analysis
Information to New Owners
The necessary information provided to adopters from the organisation include
the dog’s breed, age, size, and history. The organisation advises that training is
the most important consideration for new pet owners. This organisation’s advice
to potential pet adopters is as follows: “Consider the extent of the commitment
to owning a dog before applying, such as finances, time, family circumstances,
accommodation status, is everyone in the household fully committed, resilience
and ability to deal with unforeseen issues.”
Post-Adoption
Most organisations perform post-adoption check-ups and are available as
required when adopters have queries, concerns or need advice. According to
responses, there is not enough support, awareness, and education about animal
welfare in Ireland and advises that the government needs to change its approach
and attitude to animal welfare; it needs to be considered in all policies, be part of
education curriculum, and the authorities need to be tougher on enforcement of
existing laws.
Lastly, when asked what factors make long-term pet adoption successful or
unsuccessful, they responded: “Adopters who have really considered the
commitment involved and are physically, mentally and financially able to deal with
any changes in circumstances that could affect the adoption.”
Chapter 2: Research
Conclusion
Following the literature review and survey results, a prominent challenge
surrounding pet adoption consists of behavioural issues or concerns in shelter
animals. Many animal welfare organisations may not have the time, funding,
or necessary staff to train the rescued animals at their facilities. As for new pet
adopters, they may not have enough experience with new pets or certain breeds
and have not considered the time and effort it takes to house-train a new pet,
especially one from a shelter. Another challenge that individuals may not prepare
for is dealing with possible fear, anxiety, or aggression in their pet. This issue
leads to many animals being surrendered back to shelters, or not adopted at all.
The survey results, from both pet owners and animal organisations, also show
behavioural issues being the main deterrent to adopt and one of the main reasons
for pet owners to return their pets. A considerable direction for this project may
focus more on the aspects of pet training rather than the adoption process itself.
As stated by CEO of the ISPCA, Dr Cyril Sullivan, if shelters could guarantee
that behaviour was not an issue and training was provided to pets, people would
be more inclined to adopt. This objective could benefit both the pet owners and
all animal welfare organisations across Ireland as a pet training application can
be used from both ends. If this project resorts to a training application, further
research will need to be made around animal training necessities, as well as
understanding what types of training is required for different breeds and types
of animals. The goal remains to encourage pet adoption by improving the whole
experience. One way this could be done is by creating an interactive application
that helps shelters properly train their rescue animals, as well as helping pet
owners become more knowledgeable about their pet’s needs, which will ultimately
help their pet become more bonded to them and settle better into their new homes.