If they only knew..

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If they only knew..
Information Behavior of Individuals Adopting
Shelter Animals Susan Jenkins, David Junius,
Karen Messo, Mary Ross Everyday Life I-Group
D LIS 510
Prediction of Adoption Versus Euthanasia Among
Dogs and Cats in a California Animal Shelter by
Lepper, Kass, Hart
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Formal Sources-Susan
Staff Education-Karen
IG Elements-David
Browsing and Serendipity-Mary
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Shelter Locations
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How many of you own a pet?
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69 Million Households Own 356 Million Pets
GREENWICH, CT, April 27, 2005 Its reigning
cats and dogs and all other pets in this country
according to the latest statistics from the
American Pet Products Manufacturers Association
(APPMA).
139 Million
9 Million
11 Million
73 Million
90 Million
16 Million
18 Million
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Questions to ask before you get a pet.
Why do you want a pet? Do you want an animal to
cuddle or keep you company? Do you want to teach
a bird to talk? Or watch fish swim? How much
space do you need for the pet you want? What
kind of shelter should it live in? Does the
animal like to be held or left alone? What kind
of food is best for the animal? How often and
how much food does it eat? How much does the
food cost? What kind of exercise should the pet
get? How often? What kind of grooming does the
animal need? Is there a veterinarian nearby to
meet your pet's health needs? Will this care be
expensive? Are you or is anyone in your family
allergic to any animals?
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Types of Formal Resources

• Veterinarians, Other Animal Experts
• Web Sites
• http//www.orphanpet.com/ (CA)
  
• http//www.petfinder.org/shelters/UT28.html
  (UT)
• http//www.seattlehumane.org/ (WA)
• http//www.kitsaphumane.org/ (WA)
• Print Resources (books, magazines, newspapers,
  newsletters)
• Phone Hot Lines
• TV Programs (Animal Planet, Animal Rescue, Dogs
  with Jobs)
• Training Videos

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Davids Survey Findings

• Before your visit to the shelter, did you consult
  any of the following sources to find information
  about adopting a pet?
• Friends or family
• 6 Yes / 2 No
• Veterinarian 1 Yes / 7 No
• Animal shelter print sources (brochures, etc.)
• 1 Yes / 7 No
• Animal shelter Web site
  6 Yes / 2 No
• Animal shelter staff 0 Yes / 8 No
• Other print sources (books, magazines, etc.)
  3 Yes / 5 No

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Marys Survey Findings
Before your visit to the shelter, did you consult
any of the following sources to find information
about adopting a pet?
Veterinarian
0/6 Animal shelter print
sources (brochures, etc.) 0/6 Animal shelter
Web site
2/6 Other Web resources
1/6 Other print sources
(books, magazines, etc.) 0/6 Other
sources (public access TV)
1/6
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On to Staff Education.