Why Rescue is Like Harvard

Well, I'm ashamed to say that a large puppy mill has been busted in my home state. Why, oh why, do puppy mills still exist? Remember my earlier posting about pet shop puppies? I still wonder why consumers continue to purchase puppies from pet shops. Now, I'm wondering if maybe ignorant B-list celebrities are contributing to the trend...

To me this resurgence in pet store puppies (remember the good 'ol days when celebrities were hot about rescue dogs...some still are but the Paris Hiltons garner the most attention) means that rescue needs to focus on marketing.

I hate to say it but we have to think like our animals are products. What makes our "used" animals better than the competition? I can think of many reasons off the top of my head: adoption fees cover the cost of extensive veterinary care, most animals are already housetrained, the glut of adult dogs means not having to deal with puppy phase, etc.

And as part of marketing I was thinking about how this could relate to how our strict guidelines are perceived. And that got me thinking about Harvard.

Harvard also has strict guidelines. Many applicants apply and few get in (for the most part, I know this is simplified). The same could be said for some of the pets we offer for adoption. But J.Q. Public is more accepting of Harvard's strict admittance guidelines than those of their local rescue group.

(Granted, Harvard's admittance policies have been under intense debate but not to the level of vitiol that's often directed at rescue groups.)

So maybe there's a way our strict adoption guidelines could be marketable. Use this as an opportunity to show that your animals have value and prestige, like a Harvard education.

Your animals may already be house-trained, socialized, etc, unlike those puppy mill pets at the local strip shopping center pet store. And because you've invested your time, money, and heart, these animals will not go to just any home. Just like not every high school senior can get into Harvard.

Now, granted, I am of the opinion a good enough home is better than a perfect home. And I can see the argument that strict adoption policies drive adopters away, to pet stores even. But, going back to my Harvard analogy, the school does occasionally accept rather mediocre (by Harvard standards, anyway) students from time to time. So even though your group generally doesn't adopt to families with children younger than ten, you may run into a family that is an exception.

I guess to sum up my point, we should view rescue pets as having more value than store-bought puppy mill genetic time bombs. In fact, having a rescue pet is more prestigious than a Harvard education, after all...