Improving Rehoming Success: Adopter Screening

Data and facts about how adopter screening affects rehoming success.

Jump to: Overview | Shelter Practices

Highlights


Overview


Shelter Practices

Jump to: Overview of Shelter Practices

Overview of Shelter Practices

External link: 
Griffin KE, John E, Pike T and Mills DS (2020) Can This Dog Be Rehomed to You? A Qualitative Analysis and Assessment of the Scientific Quality of the Potential Adopter Screening Policies and Procedures of Rehoming Organisations. Front. Vet. Sci. 7:617525. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.617525 https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.617525

Scoring and Assessment Methods

  • Scoring Systems:
    • 48.78% of respondents used a pass/fail scoring system. 42.68% of respondents did not use one. 
    • 65.33% of respondents had specific criteria they required or highly valued.
  • Holistic Assessment:
    • 20% of respondents focused on matching adopters to specific dogs based on individual needs.
    • 14.67% of respondents collectively assessed all information to gain an overall picture of the adopter.

Screening Methods

  • Home Visits:
    • 99% of respondents always or sometimes used home visits.
    • 40% of home visits were conducted by volunteers.
    • 28% of home visits were conducted by trained home checkers (staff or volunteers).
  • Interviews:
    • 84% of respondents used interviews.
    • 65% of interviews were conducted by staff.
    • 25% of interviews were conducted by volunteers.
  • Self-Administered Questionnaires:
    • 95.52% of questionnaires were completely standardized.

Standardization and Subjectivity

  • Home Visits:
    • 46.88% of standardized home visits required subjective judgments about adopter suitability.
  • Interviews:
    • 18.84% of interviews were completely standardized.
    • 42.03% of interviews were partially standardized.

Research Summary | Back to Top