How to Organize a Pet Adoption Event

By MacDonald

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Crates and cages
Water bowls
Animals needing homes
Table and chairs
Adoption paperwork and contracts
Extra bags of food
Business cards and brochures
Volunteers

Step 1:
Find a place to hold an adoption event. This may take a little networking but the possibilities are endless. Call pet stores in your area. Many pet stores work with rescues; it's good for their business to have pets for adoption in their stores. Look for local fairs, community events and even mall shows and contact the organizers. Showcasing pets for adoption builds goodwill and attracts customers. This is something many event organizers will be happy to host and if you are a recognized non-profit, chances are you can get the space fees reduced or waived.
Step 2:
Make sure there is shade and shelter from the elements. Any animals you bring with you need to have a comfortable place to spend the day. It will be stressful for them as it is, so do everything you can to ensure their comfort and the comfort of all attendees.
Step 3:
Give your animals as much space as practical. Cats can do well in large wire crates, with enough room for food, water and a small litter box. Small dogs and puppies can be put in a pen. Larger, friendly dogs can be kept on leash to meet and greet the public. Even the most social animal can be stressed or overstimulated by too much contact with crowds of people so make sure the animals are not handled too much and have some down time.
Step 4:
Put as much information about each adoptable animal on the cages, and have as many knowledgable volunteers as possible to help answer questions about your friendly animals. Highlight that each animal has been wormed, vetted, spayed or neutered and whatever other care they have received. Make sure people understand that the adoption fee covers the cost of all care up to this point, and will most likely be cheaper than if they were to get an unvetted animal and pay all the vet fees themselves.
Step 5:
Pass out any promotional literature you have, even if it's only simple business cards. Of course you want to see as many animals as possible go to their forever homes, but quite often people are in the "just looking" stage of deciding on a pet. Make sure they can contact you later.
Step 6:
Have all paperwork ready to go if someone wants to take a pet. You will need an adoption contract, and if the animal is too young to have been neutered, a spay-neuter contract. Double check the information given with a drivers license or some other valid form of ID, and get phone numbers as well. If your rescue protocols include a follow-up home visit, try to arrange that at the time of adoption. Give the new adopter a bag of whichever food the animal has been eating while in your care to go home with.
Step 7:
Consider selling raffle tickets, or goodie bags of treats and toys, or anything else you think will be an effective fundraiser for your rescue. Even if people don't adopt, many are sympathetic to the rescue cause and will willingly donate money, so make it easy for them to do so!

Tips & Warnings

Bring plenty of water and clean up supplies as well, since when animals are concerned you have to be prepared for anything.
Read any contract you sign for a vendor space carefully and make sure the event organizers understand you will have live animals with you.

Resources

Information about the cost of adoption

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