Emotional decisions

When people go looking for a pet, they’re making an emotional decision.
 
They’re looking for companionship, empathy, friendship, and love. They want to feel good about saving a life.
 
Rescue says “we can’t have people making emotional decisions – emotional decisions are bad decisions”. But if emotions didn’t drive pet acquisition, then we’d be happy with a stuffed cocker spaniel or wouldn’t need a pet at all – why would we?

 

Humans don’t make rational decisions; they make emotional ones.

But it doesn’t mean we’re doomed – in reality we need people to have emotion behind their decision. It’s imperative that they bond with their new pet as when they don’t behaviours that could be overcome, become a reason for relinquishment.

 

There is reasonable evidence that strong owner attachment to pet dogs increases canine retention, but also increases an owner satisfaction with their dog’s behaviour.

 

and 

Many adopted shelter dogs are returned during the first month after adoption and the primary reason given for this is that the dogs are displaying  behavioural problems. A recent study has demonstrated that increased positive physical contact can foster the rapid development of the dog’s preference for their new owner and other studies have established that post-adoptive participation in obedience classes increases the probability of an adopted shelter dog being retained.

Post-Adoptive Training: The effect on the first month after adopting a shelter dog.

 

It’s futile to try and remove emotion from your adopters’ decision – you have to accept it and then work to use it to get the best result.

Build programs that benefit pet and owner by taking their initial enthusiasm and build bonds with training. Take the great experience your adopter had dealing with you and use it to develop your relationship and turn them into a supporter.

Emotion is part of being human. We’d be foolish not to harness it for good.