Why do animal shelters, like Anti-Cruelty, hold adoption promotions with discounted fees? The answer is simple: to help more animals!
The purpose of Anti-Cruelty's adoption program is twofold: to move animals from temporary shelter into permanent homes and to celebrate the human-animal bond by building families. Anti-Cruelty has been realizing this vision for over 125 years by bringing pets and people together through open door programming. With a legacy of providing best care for pets and people, Anti-Cruelty has a proven track record of providing services to thousands of animals each year through our shelter and medical services. None of that would be possible without a robust adoption program. Taking a strategic, thoughtful approach to our adoption programming ensures that, no matter the disposition of the animals who come through our doors, we can proactively partner with the community to help as many animals as possible across Chicagoland.
Fee-waived adoption events make a positive impact by:
- Shortening the length of time animals await adoption. Fee-waived adoption events draw in large crowds of prospective adopters, which decreases how long an animal has to live in a shelter environment. A shorter "length of stay," as is termed in the field, is proven to enhance both short-term and long-term quality of life for animals.
- Celebrating the human-animal bond. Anti-Cruelty believes that the human-animal bond has the power to transform and enhance the lives of pets and people alike. We believe the joy that comes from having a pet should be accessible to all members of our community. That’s why we are committed to uplifting the human-animal bond – providing opportunities for individuals who don’t yet have a companion animal to obtain one from our full-service shelter.
- Providing an outlet for placement in times of population surges. Adoption events provide a unique opportunity to gather the community together to help find animals homes during times of elevated shelter population. As an open-door shelter, it is crucial for us to stay responsive to the ebbs and flows of animal admission rates and hosting fee-waived adoption events is one tool in our toolbox to do just that.
- Increasing public awareness for adoption. While making adoption a first option seems intuitive for many people, it is not the most prominent way in which people acquire pets. A recent survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association published in 2022 found that only 40% of cats and 38% of dogs were acquired from shelters. With increased competition from online puppy brokers and breeders, it's more important than ever that shelters like Anti-Cruelty dedicate time and resources to build awareness and attract more adopters, and one of the most effective ways to do this is through fee-waived events.
- Encouraging community participation so we can help more animals. The high-profile nature of these events attracts adopters from all walks of life, engaging with people from across the community, leading to increased adopter, donor, and volunteer support. It also encourages enhanced connectivity to media outlets, businesses, and corporations who are looking to give back to their communities. These added opportunities to work hand in hand with both individuals and influential stakeholders across Chicago helps us increase overall impact as we pursue our mission of helping pets and people thrive together.
Fee-Waived Adoption Myths
- Myth: Animal shelters just give animals away at adoption events indiscriminately, putting animals at risk.
- Truth: Anti-Cruelty utilizes the same adoption process at high-volume events as we do on non-event days. Just because fees are waived doesn't mean our adoption processes are too! We have a dedicated team of expert adoption counselors who work one-on-one with individuals to help them choose an animal that is the best match for their household and lifestyle. We take time, even during large-scale events, to sit down with each person or family to review medical history, behavior and training needs, and all the fine details in between to ensure the adopter is well equipped to care for their new pet. We stay connected with adopters post-adoption to ensure both the pet and person have the resources needed to thrive together. As Chicago's oldest and largest private humane society dedicated to both preventing and addressing animal cruelty, we would never compromise the safety of the pets and people we serve.
- Myth: People who come in for fee-waived events are simply looking for a deal and won't effectively care for or bond with the animal.
- Truth: There is no evidence that shows a negative correlation between how much someone pays to acquire a pet and the animal's future quality of life and care. A study published by the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science examined the human-animal bond developed between cats and adopters acquired without an adoption fee and found no significant difference in emotional attachment levels when compared to those who did pay a fee. Plus – when a family or individual adopts at a fee-waived event – that gives them more fun money to spoil their new pet!
- Myth: Animal abusers and people who have ill intentions seek out fee-waived events to acquire animals.
- Truth: Individuals who are looking to acquire a pet for the purposes of harming them are not sourcing them from shelters. Animal shelters, like Anti-Cruelty, have requirements in place to prevent pets from becoming victims of abuse or neglect. In the event a concern for an animal's safety is flagged post-adoption, our state licensed humane investigators can facilitate a wellness check, if warranted.
- Myth: Fee-waived events result in high adoption numbers day-of, but most of the animals end up getting returned later.
- Truth: While some animals may be returned following a high-volume adoption event, the overall return rates are not significantly higher than those seen when fees are present. This is not only true for Anti-Cruelty but also other shelters who host fee-waived adoption events and promotions as found in a Maddie's Fund study. In addition, it's important to note that a returned pet is not viewed as a "failed adoption" by our team. We aim to make the adoption return process shame-free as we know adoption matchmaking is an art, not a science, and that, in certain instances, a pet may need to be returned to the shelter.