The Venn of dog adoption

I've had a hand-sketched Venn diagram sitting on my desk for a long time.  I had a thought quite some time ago and wrote it on a post-it note.  It's been sitting around long enough to have gathered quite a bit of dust, although that doesn't take too long in my office.

The idea was generated by thinking about what makes a good adopter.  I had shepherds in mind when I drew it, but it really applies to any dog adoption.  The idea came to mind again today when someone with VGSR sent an email saying that so-and-so had grown frustrated with the process and were going to get a dog elsewhere.  (That means they are going to buy a dog from a breeder.)

The Venn diagram above illustrates my thinking about potential adopters.  It seems that there are three things that need to come together for a successful adoption:  (1) a good person, (2) wanting a dog, (3) who is smarter than the dog.

A good person will be someone who wants to help a dog in need.  It will be someone who recognizes that dogs are living beings, not machines.  Dogs, like people, are not perfect.  Dogs, like people, do not come with guarantees.  A good person won't dump a dog who chews something, takes a shit on the rug, or develops a medical problem.

Obviously a dog adoption requires a person who is wanting to adopt a dog.  Sometimes people don't know they want one and that's why we do adoption events, trolling dogs in the front of weekend shoppers who came to a particular shopping center looking for shoes, groceries, or a cup of coffee.

One of the biggest obstacles is the mass of people who are not smarter than the dog they want to adopt.  That's particularly a problem with shepherd adoptions.  You must be smarter than the dog to adopt the dog.  That excludes a lot of folks.  You hate to be the one to tell them, but someone has to.

Trooper and Maya are far from perfect but are perfect for me.
Neither is a "starter shepherd." 

A lot of first-time adopters fall into the "nice, but clueless" category at the intersection of "good people" and "people who want dogs."  When you have a nice person who wants a dog but doesn't have the first idea of what dog ownership requires, you have an opportunity but that sort of person will require a lot of care and handling.  I once had an applicant ask me what a particular dog would do while she was giving a dinner party.  That pretty much ended my interaction with that person.  You can put an easy dog with someone like that, but very few German Shepherds can be considered "easy."

Public adoption events often attract great people who know what it means to have a dog (check off the "good" and "smart" boxes).  They are obviously good, responsible owners, but they have all the dogs they need at the moment.  You talk to those folks anyway, it's a pleasant respite from talking to stupid people, and someday they will need a dog and you hope they will adopt.  This is where you hear: "Oh, I wish I had a farm, I'd take them all"  or "I'd love to have a dog but I live in a small apartment," "I work long hours" or something along those lines.  It's good that people know their limitations, but if you aren't looking to adopt I'm not going to waste a lot of time talking about your hopes and dreams for the future.  I have my own.

The most frustrating group, infuriating really because they should know better, are those that are smart enough and do want a dog, but are holding out for the "perfect dog."  News flash, that dog doesn't exist.  The closest thing is stone garden sculpture of a dog who won't get sick, won't grow old, won't growl at, bark at, or bite your children, neighborhood kids, in-laws, or babysitter.  These folks have a list of attributes that they require, good with kids, cats, housetrained, won't chew or bark.  The dog must be no more than 2  years old, and be certified to be free of hip/elbow dysplasia and all other ailments, known or unknown.  Lacking the "good" element, these are people who will return a dog saying that it didn't live up to their expectations.

It's only that small subset of people with all three attributes that make really good adopters, particularly for dogs who are known to be less than "perfect."  Dogs that land in those homes have hit the jackpot and when we spot adopters like that, those are the people I'll pursue.