"Why I am not a Fan of Mega Adoption/Clear the Shelters Events"
- Lynn
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 13
“It’s Easier To Buy a Used Car Than to Adopt in Some Places”
by Ed Jamison, Animal Services Director, City of Dallas
I saw this stunning line and my head almost popped off. Let me be clear,
it should be easier to buy a used car than to adopt…anywhere! Dogs are not cars and are not comparable OR ARE THEY….
Have you noticed the latest dog shuffle tactics? They are called things like:
Clear the Shelter Events and Mega Adoption Events and they are the product or may be responsible for policies at rescues and shelters. These are policies like:
NO BARRIERS to ADOPTION and ADOPTER FRIENDLY that describe an emphasis on: cutting back on the paperwork, eliminating discrimination and eliminating restrictive adoption policies.
Okay, I am taking a breath here. There is a reason why these things became good talking points for the policies and events described. There are adoption rules that are restrictive and individuals who go too far in assessing potential adopters and adoption fees may be too expensive for some.
It is a frustrating world for sure. For those who have spent any time around shelters and adopted from them, you understand how heartbreaking and provoking it is to see what our fellow man will do to animals. You know the goodwill, dedication and love that is the basis of the dirty work of saving animals. Volunteers make up the majority of those in the trenches helping the dogs through the traumas life has dealt them until they arrive at their forever home. The need is never ending and the cost of rescue and shelter is enormous.
And here is where dogs, emotional beings who chose to live with our kind, become the same as cars. They are a commodity that is just another part of an industry. Even though they are mission driven NFP organizations, the largest are run like corporations. They have the largest voice and set the narrative and standards that smaller operations get sucked into following. Sadly, it will always come down to the bottom line… and the numbers. The number of dogs that leave a facility becomes the benchmark of success. Keeping dogs in the shelter is a lot more expensive than getting them out the door and that is just a fact.
And so, be it Mega Adoption or Clear the Shelters, for admission of 10.00 to 35.00 and a current ID you too can walk out with the dog of your choice. If you want first choice, then pay extra fee to be first in the door. Just come on down and kick the tires. Maybe things will just work out fine.
At risk is this, a dog, who is not a car, who, on the day of the Mega Whatever event, is on display for up to 7 hours. An event that is completely alien to them and trauma inducing just becomes another day in their history of many traumas.
But never mind, a bunch of dogs left because the process was streamlined! No pesky questions like, do you live in an apartment or house, that is discriminatory. Don’t ask about the household make up, kids or no kids - none of your business. Don’t deny a frail elderly couple a young lab, that is ageist.
In all of these talking points I don’t hear the obvious common sense question,
“What is the right thing for the dog?”
First on the priority list should be to set the dog up for success and that means finding an appropriate home for the breed and that individual dog! Anything else demonstrates an indifference to the very things you purport to rescue animals from. Getting it right may slow down the process of getting dogs out the door, but it is a far better outcome for the dog and their adopter.
The source of the Policy talking points and the quote above come from: The association for Animal Welfare Advancement.
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