Turbocharging Pet Adoptions

Bonney BrownExecutive DirectorNevada Humane Society

Synopsis written by M. McKenzie

When I met Bonney Brown for the first time, I had no idea that the woman who I was having dinner with was one of the most successful people in animal welfare. In 2007, the Nevada Humane Society, an open admission shelter, had a 50% save rate. Bonney implemented The No Kill programs and within 3-6 months the adoption rate doubled, and just over one year later the save rate was greater than 90%. In 2010, the save rate for dogs is 91% and cats is 91%, while the national average sits at 58%.Bonney spoke about the policies she created that has optimised her adoption rate. Some ideas may appear common sense, but with all the ideas combined, Bonney has turbocharged the adoption rate. The Nevada Humane Society (NHS) always address' adoption goals. This is done by a board in the foyer that graphs their current adoptions and adoption goals for the month. It gives staff a visual understanding of what they are trying to achieve. Ever time an animal is adopted, the staff, new owner or child rings the foyer bell. Everyone is excited and the staff and new owner experience a sense of achievement and happiness.When Bonney started working at NHS, the staff were wearing scrubs. It made the place look too clinical like a hospital. All staff member now have t-shirts with one colour representing staff and another colour representing volunteers. The are made to be easily identified by visitors. NHS staff and volunteers are trained in good customer service and how to effectively communicate with visitors. They have a welcoming 'meet and greet policy' that focuses on gaining an understanding of the visitors needs and to make them feel good about their visit to the shelter. The staff and volunteers are taught how to find reasons for the adoption to work. They encourage the public to visit even if they are not planning to adopt. This is good for the animals as they get even more interaction and attention which decreases the animals stress levels, and it provides a good word of mouth advertisement. NHS have designed the layout of the shelter that has encouraged interaction with people and animals. Bonney talked about the importance of people interacting with the animals when they are interested in adopting. She said it will decrease the adoption rate if someone is expected to bond with a cat that is housed in a cage. NHS provide benches, rooms and toys for the bonding. She told us that a man came in one

day with a rug. He wanted to go and sit in the middle of the room that housed a colony of cats. He said the first cat to approach him on his rug would be adopted.The shelter has emphasised the use of decorations. Keep the shelter clean, use decorations and create a home like environment. A local painter volunteers four times a year to paint a seasonal portrait on the window of the cat colony room. Bonney asks the citizens to donate their festive decorations, which has over loaded them with beautiful decorations that they can rotate.NHS are open at a convenient time for the public. They are open 11am-6:30pm, 7 days a week. They are closed two days of the year. NHS use to close on New Years Day, but one year they opened to see how many adoptions were achieved. They had more than double the amount of adoptions on that day, so consequently they are open on New Years Day. Bonney said shelter Directors have to think like a retail store and make the shelter hours convenient for the public.Bonney talked about increasing the shelters expose to the public because there are poor statistics that show a low percentage of people buy their pets from shelters. This was achieved by off-site adoptions, using pet supply store cages and taking advantage of shopping centres that had temporarily vacant shops. Quite often the centre will offer NHS a low rental rate and they will put up a pop-up adoption store in a high volume shopping centre. They host super adoption events and adopt-a-thon festivals where the shelter is open 36 hours straight! Bonney said these events were a huge hit and the media loved them. They also have a special off-site adoption program called “Pets On Tour” where all the specially trained volunteers are Roadies.So many people talk about impulses being negative, like going to the shop to buy some milk and coming home with a cat. Bonney talks about positive impulses. NHS screening service is extremely detailed and is backed up by their help desk. But if someone comes in to adopt an animal, whether it be on a whim or not, why not guide this person to their perfect match. Its a win-win situation for the person and the animal.It is important to facilitate bonds between a person and an animal. Bonney talks about understanding the how humans behave and its imperative that they touch the animals. Bonney explained this is why the used car dealer gets us to test drive and this is why the Congress man shakes our hand. The dogs and cats also need a 'test drive' and it decreases their stress levels if they get to go for a walk or spend some time in a room with this person, playing or receiving pats. It will also accelerate the adoption rather than having a dog that barks at the front of the cage or one that sits frightened at the back of the cage.Bonney explained that simply re-designing the location of their cat cages and colonies had increased their cat adoption rate. In the entrance hallway has a few rows of cat cages that are at head height, to enable easy viewing. They also have cat colony rooms with cat scratching posts, climbing posts and beds. The cats are free to roam and have a greatly reduced stress level.In Australia, there has been controversy over adoption fee's. So I ask you to keep an open mind and remember the mission is to adopt pets to good homes. Bonney explains that sometimes it is better to reduce the adoption fee and ask for a donation. Page 2

It is good PR, it broadens the adoption possibilities and it helps so many animals find good homes. She will always tell the person that the animal has cost $240 before they make a decision about their payment. Sometimes it works in reverse, one day a person payed $1000 for a cat. If the payment was always set, this generosity may never happen. NHS has a Seniors For Seniors program that waives the adoption fee for people over 50 years of age that adopt an animal greater than 6 years of age. I think this is a marvellous idea given the need for companionship of an elderly person and their usual lack of funds. NHS also waive the adoption fee for special needs animals to make sure they have a greater chance of finding a good home.Bonney highlights the need for shelters to eliminate obstacles and make it easy for people to adopt. Too often it seems that shelters do not trust people and it retards their life saving abilities. NHS is predominantly made up of volunteers that have been trained and educated to deal with situations, people and animals. Why is this not extended to people that are looking to adopt and would love to do something special? With education, training and a help desk back up, adopters take home animals one day post-op and foster carers take kittens and bottle feed them every two hours, until they are old enough and strong enough to cope with desexing, and then adoption.NHS optimise their adoption process in their application and interview policy. Every person who wants to adopt has to fill out the application form. They are then interviewed face to face. Bonney said there are three key elements that they look for; a bond between the animal and person, an understanding of the reasonable expectations of the adjustment period and a basic knowledge of animal behaviour. After the adoption, they are given follow up calls by the help desk. The help desk team are trained to spot problems and address them immediately.

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A large factor in NHS success is their ability to be innovative and aggressive with their promotion. They take advantage of all the holidays, art shows, races, gambling events, popular TV shows, regional interests, even 'pick your price' adoption events, most of which include business partnerships with companies. Bonney said sometimes her staff come up with crazy ideas that even she thinks will not create interest, but the visitors love the Wheel of FURtune that sits in their entrance! NHS have many YouTube videos that educate, send a message, create awareness and are fun like the viral video called The Adoption Dance. They are great for PR and extending the shelter into the community and to the rest of the world.Here are some creative ideas that the NHS team have used to increase their adoption rate:. Singles That Love Animals - single people that meet at the shelter.. Arbour Day - teamed up with a local nursery and had an offsite adoption, with every animal adopted you were given a free tree.. Hot August nights - teamed up with local vintage car enthusiasts. Pawspective - teamed up with the regional Art Show. The WOOFstock event. Casino partnership - offstie adoption at a poker tournament. Petzilla PR program – adopt a crabby cat. Double The Love – adopt two kittens. I love this one - “Certified Pre-owned Cat” PR program. Home 4 Holidays – a program that gets as many homes for pets prior to Christmas

Above is the Pit Bull promotion, adopt a duck and help homeless pets PR and a program to adopt black cats.

Bonney Brown and her team at the Nevada Humane Society always view the glass half full. Their trust in people, their innovative ideas, their persistence in forming partnerships with the media and business' have enabled them to be one of the most remarkable shelters in the United States. But, even more remarkable is their ability to succeed and have longevity even in the face of Reno's poor economic status. Their adoption rates and their ability to sustain a no kill shelter reflects their team work and their wild innovation! Opportunities will always multiply as they are seized, and the NHS have certainly multiplied theirs. Page 4