Bias in Adopting

I have experienced adoption experiences where people who were great adopters were turned down because of insignificant reasons. For example, my in-laws wanted to adopt a dog, but they denied it on several attempts because they were over 70 hears old and did not have a fenced-in yard and the dog would not be in the house 100% of the time. They live in the middle of a 550 acres farm. They have a private road to their house. After several failed attempts at adoption, I found them a puppy. Her name is Gracie - She is absolutely the most loved and cared-for dog. She is spayed, vaccinated, and has had a small tumor removed. She has had a cruciate knee repair and is now 10 years old. The rescues that denied my in-laws' adoption definitely had a bias. Adoption is not a one-size-fits-all approach. I often think our adoption criteria are too strict. There are many good homes for dogs and cats that might not fit the exact box. We have a cat rescue in our area that will only adopt cats to inside-only homes. I disagree with this 100%. There are many happy cats living inside and outside. I almost think it would be cruel to keep a cat inside 100% of the time. I like your idea of discussing with the staff potential adoptions. I do think it is important to realize that not every family adopting is going to check every box. Sometimes, getting a dog or cat out of the shelter should be the primary goal. If an adopter goes to the trouble to complete the application process and come to an interview they must be serious about adopting. Today Gracie is loved, and spoiled and has filled a void in her family's life. I often look at that dog - who is treated better than anyone else in the family and think - Wow - they were turned down for adoption multiple times. Gracie is one lucky dog!