With the Covid-19 pandemic, animal shelters have found themselves in a difficult situation, without potential adopters or volunteers being able to come and care for and/or adopt abandoned animals best family pets.
Faced with this situation, innovative techniques have been implemented in animal protection entities, such as virtual adoptions, to ensure that there continues to be an outlet for the animals that have not stopped arriving at the centers.
5 tips to be able to carry out adoptions taking advantage of technology
Here are 5 tips to carry out adoptions taking advantage of technology and taking into account social distancing.
- Promote shelters:
No one knows their foster animal better than their foster family.
So, ask your host families to take lots of attractive photographs to show the animal’s true personality.
It is also good if you write a few sentences about what the foster animal likes and doesn’t like, what makes it unique, and what type of house would be the best fit for him or her.
It can be very effective to encourage host families to post on their social networks.
And now foster families can do all this more easily, since they are at home sharing much more time with the animals they care for.
- Be strategic with the promotion of adoption:
All animals have their own personalities and quirks, so think carefully about which promotional tools would best highlight a dog or cat.
Virtual adoption events: The idea is to try to make up for the lack of local fairs and adoption parades in public spaces with virtual events.
Several animals can be shown at the same time by creating an event on social networks.
It’s about being creative and coming up with an interesting theme that allows several animals to be grouped together in a fun way.
For example, you can create a virtual event with animals that have names from Disney movies, red-haired animals, etc.
For those animals that, due to their characteristics, are difficult to adopt, you must be sure to highlight them especially on the entity’s website and social networks.
Include all the information and content provided by the host families on the shelter’s social networks.
- Create virtual meetings to “greet and meet”
Through the use of online video conferencing platforms, virtual meeting meetings can be created with potential adopters to see which dog or cat fits into their life.
You have to be sure, if it is an animal that is in a foster home, that the foster family is prepared for the call, and ask them to prioritize being open, honest and transparent about the animal.
Additionally, ask them to include the animal’s fantastic features, including details for the animal’s transition to the new home, and any habits that might be beneficial for a potential adopter to know.
It must be facilitated that a representative of the protective entity prepared to advise on adoptions is also present on that call.
And if they are animals that are in the shelter, the process of interviewing the potential adopter and presenting possible animals that fit him or her can also be carried out with these video conferences, always keeping in mind that you must have available the necessary technical means to be able to show the center’s animals and this is as simple as having a Smartphone and coverage for the video call.
- Make your processes quick and easy
Virtual adoptions can be somewhat more complex than typical in-person adoptions, so try to make the adoption process as easy as possible, taking into account points like these, which can help:
Put the link to the adoption form very clearly in all publications of any of the center’s animals, in any promotion on social networks or in virtual adoption events.
Always have the adoption contract ready and use a digital signature tool like DocuSign.
Send a copy of the adoption contract to the new family by email and offer different online payment methods.
Be aware of the limitations imposed by confinement and offer to transport the new family member (dog or cat) using a paid transport service, adapted and prepared to carry pets.
- Tracking
Be that as it may, whether the adopting family saw the animal face to face before adopting it or not, there are many obstacles to overcome in the transition phase until the animal fully adapts to its new home.
It is recommended to do an intensive follow-up to prevent future problems (an interview or call after 2 weeks, a month and 3 months, for example).
This way, you can help with the adopter’s doubts or concerns about their new pet. Additionally, the adopter can be asked for photos and videos to share with the foster home (if she was in one), to make the foster families feel useful and rewarded for their efforts.
And, if the adopting family allows it, these images can be spread on social networks to explain that virtual adoptions are also successful.