Saturday, November 24, 2012

New Study Urges Shift in How Adoptable Animals are Portrayed

Please join PetSmart Charities on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 11 a.m. PST for a webinar on the results of a recent study that identifies the most persistent misconceptions that people have about adoptable pets. Experts from PetSmart Charities will discuss how to overcome these barriers and reveal further insights from the study.

WHAT: campaigns that show homeless pets in depressing conditions appear to strengthen the reluctance of some Americans to adopt a pet, according to new research from PetSmart Charities. The study also identifies the most persistent misconceptions that people have about adoptable pets – that shelters don’t have the type of dog/cat wanted; purebred pets aren't available; and you never know what you are going to get with a shelter pet.

In the webinar, experts from PetSmart Charities will discuss how to overcome these barriers and reveal further insights from the study about:
  • Americans’ awareness and understanding of pet adoption and spay/neuter issues 
  • Drivers and barriers for pet adoption and using spay/neuter services 
  • The animal welfare industry’s challenges in reducing the barriers to adoptions and spay/neuter 
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 11 a.m. Pacific Standard Time

WHERE: To register for the webinar, please visit http://petsmartcharities.webex.com.

WHO: Presented by Kelly Campbell, senior manager of knowledge & research, PetSmart Charities

WHY: In 2009, PetSmart Charities undertook a national survey, administered by Ipsos Marketing, to better understand the public’s attitudes and understanding about pet adoption and spay/neuter. After re-administering the survey in 2011, PetSmart Charities identified the need for the animal-welfare community to shift their portrayal of adoptable pets in order to close the awareness gap between the benefits of pet adoption and spay/neuter, and the current pet homelessness and euthanasia epidemic.

About PetSmart Charities: Established in 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animal welfare issues and promote healthy relationships between people and pets. The largest funder of animal-welfare efforts in North America, PetSmart Charities has provided more than $165 million in grants and programs benefiting animal-welfare organizations and has helped save the lives of more than 5 million pets through its in-store adoption program. To learn more about how PetSmart Charities is working toward its vision of a lifelong, loving home for every pet, visit petsmartcharities.org or call 1-800-423-PETS (7387).

5 comments:

  1. I am a sucker for a sad story. I asked a lady at an adoption event at a Petsmart if the feistier, more outgoing dogs get adopted more often than the quiet, sad looking dogs. She said yes, but there are those who love a sob story, too. But generally, people gravitate to the playful, energetic dogs.
    Not me. I look for the sad, pleading, soul searching eyes or the ones that look they have given up on life.

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  2. Yeah, I'm a sucker for a sob story myself! Thanks for the info and good luck on the 27th!

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  3. I'm afraid I ruined it for shelter cats. TW's BFF says she'll never adopt a shelter cat because of how I am. We tried to tell her most are fostered and are lap cats. I wasn't fostered.

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  4. Adopted pets are awesome :)
    Cotton

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