Doing Referral Placements

Thoughts About How to do Referral Placements

by Pam Green, © 2009 and 2010

Most of the time when owners contact me about putting their dog up for adoption, they intend to surrender the dog to me for foster care and placement. However sometimes the owner is willing and able to keep the dog for a substantial period and wants to be the one to make the decision as to which adopter gets the dog and hopes to maintain some contact with the adopter afterwards. In that case, I can help by referring adopters I have already screened to the owner. My role would be that of a middle-man. I call this "referral placement" but others may use different names for it. The Southern California BDF Club calls this "direct placement", as the dog is going directly from the surrendering owner to the adopter.

Before discussing the issue of surrender to Rescue versus getting adopter referral help, ideally I want to explore whether there is any way the owner might be willing and able to keep the dog permanently. In particular is there some behavior issue that the owner has been frustrated about which is motivating the desire to place the dog; and if that issue could be solved, would the owner want to keep the dog and offer it a good quality of life and companionship ?

I probably should add that I tend to be less optinistic about the results of this sort of relationship repair counseling than I used to be. Unless the owner is very attached to the dog and very willing to take responsibility and willing to make changes in their own behavior , the outlook for long term solution is not very good. Too often an attempt to repair a shaky relationship merely post-pones the decision to surrender, by which point the dog may have further deteriorated in attitude and behavior and thus require more rehabilitation. So unless the owner is very committed and only seeking training/behavior help, I'd just as soon get the surrender of the dog into my hands done now rather than later and avoid the risk that a frustrated owner will "snap" and either dump the dog into the nearest pound or demand that their own vet kill the dog right now..

My main concerns about doing referral placement are as follows :

• I MUST verify that the dog is spayed or neutered. This is absolutely imperative, as I do not want to risk the dog going to a backyard breeder. I don't want to risk an accidental litter in the adoptor's home should the adopter delay getting the dog altered. Under California law (the Hayden Act of 2000) all rescues and all shelters are requird to S/N prior to turning possession of a dog or cat to an adopter. (Good law ! Every state should do likewise. Merely charging a S/N deposit that is way lower than actual cost of S/N is doomed to fail more often than it succeeds : historically compliance rates are less than 40%; but even a 90% compliance would still mean enough new litters that the shelter intake numbers will never decrease.) While I could accept a spay / neuter certificate as proof, it would be better to actually meet the dog in person.
• I need to have at least a fair idea of the dog's temperament and behavior. At minimum I want to know that I am not helping to place a difficult or dangerous dog into a home that is not fully informed and prepared to cope adequately. The best way to do this is to meet the dog in person or to have someone , a rescue buddy, whose opinion I trust do so and report back. That's also an opportunity to verify that there is a spay scar or an absence of testes while I see if the dog is willing to lie down and let me stroke her/his belly lovingly. I also want a fair idea of the dog's health. Ideally I want the vet to send me full records or speak to me on the phone. Again this is another chance to verify spay/neuter status.
  Often an extended phone conversation with the owner will indicate where the problems might be. Just encourage the owner to talk at length and usually some truth comes out. If the owner seems to be reluctant to disclose information about the dog, then suspicion is warranted. At that point I'd insist on meeting the dog in person. Or if the dog lives at a distance, I can ask that the owner have the dog evaluated professionally (at owner's expense) by a trainer or behaviorist whose opinion I trust.
  Note : it's important to remember that owners often believe the dog's behavior is much worse than it really is. This is usually due to ignorance about canine behavior. I've had people describe a dog as "crazy" or "hyperactive" when the reality is that this poor dog simply wants to live inside the house and be part of the family/pack.
  However , on rare occasions, an owner has concealed bad information that they had to know I needed to have, ie the information that the dog has bitten someone. Now it is NOT true that "a bite is a bite is a bite" , but it IS true that I want and need to have the full story , including the version of the bitten person, before making a decision abut whether I am capable of attempting rehabilitation without getting myself shredded. I tend to tell owners, including surrendering ones, that if a problem is revealed quite often it can be ameliorated or cured, but a problem concealed can be a time bomb. If I am at all suspicious I may add that an adopter who gets bitten because of an unrevealed problem is likely to have the dog killed that same day and is even more likely to sue the previous owner (as well as the unfortunate Rescue).
• I need to feel sure that the owner genuinely cares about the dog's welfare and that the owner is willing and able to keep the dog long enough for us to find a really good adopter. Also the owner has to have good enough judgement about whether a given adopter is a good match for the dog.
  Owners whose main priority to to get the dog off their hands are too likely to give the dog to anyone, suitable or not, or to misinform applicants about the dog's behavior, health, and other qualities.
  At the other end of the spectrum , some owners are so ambivalent about parting from the dog that they will procrastinate about making a decision, will make the process unduly difficult for the adopter, will pass up very appropriate adopters, etc. I've learned to inquire whether or not the owner is completely committed to placing the dog if I send them a good home. If the owner is still vacillating, I can suggest that they board the dog out at a boarding kennel in order to learn if life without the dog is really better than life with the dog. "Think of it as a trial separation."

  (Note : I caution rescuers against offering to be the boarding place. If you do so, it is imperative that your contract specifies that if owner does not take dog back by a specified date, Decision Day or DDay, the dog is thereby surrendered to you irrevocably ; attach a copy of your normal Surrender contract that is signed and dated as DDay. Also charge them enough board per day that they don't ask for an unreasonable amount of time to make this decision, and have them pre-pay your normal surrender fee in a separate check which can be dated DDay. The board contract should also make clear that the owner remains responsible for all vet expenses and any other expenses and remains liable for any damages the dog might do to any person, animal , or property while in your care.)

The ADVANTAGES of a referral placement for the owner and the dog are :

• The owner will get to see adopter interact with the dog, will get to make a judgement about this adopter, and probably will be able to maintain some form of contact with the adopter and dog after the adoption. The owner should thus feel pretty secure that a good match has been made.
• The owner will have the satisfaction of having acted responsibly. And having acted responsibly now, will be more aware of responsibility issues in the future and to act more responsibly in the future. (Most people want to believe they are responsible, even when they are flagrantly otherwise.).
• The owner remains in control. Should the owner have a change of mind about giving the dog up prior to the actual adoption, there is still the ability to do so. (Though as mentioned above, I tell them that if they are still ambivalent, it's better to resolve that before having me refer adopters to them.) I do make clear to owners that once the adoption has taken place, it is grossly grossly unfair to ask for the dog back and that legally they have no ability to re-claim the dog. (I also make clear to my adopters that they need to get a written irrevocable transfer of ownership of the dog before they actually take the dog into their custody. I can provide them with such a contract if needed.)
• The dog will remain in the familiar environment until it is time to go to the adopter's home. (Of course I am assuming that the dog has been having a decent lifestyle in that home.) I can also advise the owner to begin a recommended training and/or behavior modification program to make the dog more adoptable, though I would not be over-optimistic that they will actually go to the effort of doing so.

The DISADVANTAGES of referral placement for the owner or the dog are :

• It can be emotionally hard for some owners, especially those who are ambivalent. I've had to do a lot of hand-holding with some of them, but I've also had to do that with some who have made a surrender to me or another rescue person.
• The owner may lack the skills of evaluating the dog, evaluating the adopter, and making a good match. The dog may thus suffer a poor match.
• The owner may not be positioned to do follow-up advice and support. Of course the adopter whom I have referred is or should be well aware that I am available for such follow-up.

The ADVANTAGES of referral placement for the rescue organization are :

• One less foster home needed, perhaps at a time when foster homes are in short supply relative to available adopters.
• Dog might be one difficult to foster , eg does not get along with other dogs. (Almost all foster homes have dogs of their own.)
• Owner contnues to be responsible for all expenses.
• The process may provide oppertunity for educating the owner as to responsibilities of ownership and to gently (diplomatically) educate the owner about mistakes owner had made with this dog earlier in the relationship. Some owners should be counseled away from ever having another dog as their personality and lifestyle simply are not suitable. Others may well become truely responsible dog owners or other type of pet owners in the future.

The DISADVANTAGES of referral placement for the rescue organization are :

• Rescue personel do not get to evaluate the dog , thus are much less able to do rational match-making. (If a rescue person does get to meet the dog, that allows a briefer evaluation, much less extensive and less reliable than could be had if the dog were fostered for a few weeks.) Not being able to see adopter interact with dog is also a handicap to judging a match. In those cases where the adopter is a "repeat customer" or where the adopter has a long history of good dog-keeping and is very dog-savvy, this is not much of a concern.
• There is still some potential for legal libility or at least for becoming defendant in a lawsuit. Thus it is very important to emphasize to the adopters and the surrendering owners that you are merely acting as someone who introduces them to one another. You are not making any representations about the dog or the suitability of dog and adopter to one another.
• Doing referrals can be very hard work and very frustrating. You have to have good people skills and the patience to spend a lot of time on phone and/or in e-mail. Dealing with vacillating owners can be a pain in the gluteals. And if the owner is rude to an adopter, the blame could fall on you. (Do warn adopters if the owner is ambivalent, ignorant, or a flake. But if owner is more than mildly so, that's a good reason to push for the owner to surrender the dog to Rescue.)
• The dog might wind up with an adopter you don't consider good enough. (Yes, that could happen even if you foster the dog yourself, interview the adopter yourself, do a home visit yourself, etc. But it's far less likely. Still, I've had it happen to me once through a bad judgement on my part, and the dog later came back to me considerably damaged behaviorally.)

Fees, please.

Is it appropriate to charge a fee for doing a referral ? Damn right it is !

Ideally the surrendering owner would make a significant donation to the Rescue and the adopter would make a donation in amount similar to the Rescue's usual adoption fee. If so, then this works very well for the Rescue financially and the added gain can subsidize the many other dogs whose expenses result in red ink for the Rescue.

Unfortunately unless you insist on a fee being paid up front, you will be relying on the owner's and adopter's sense of obligation or honor, which may prove to be very slight or non-existant.. If you do charge a fee up front, then your potential for legal liability for a bad placement resulting in injury to someone could be higher than if you simply encourage a donation afterwards.

My own policy has been to ask for donations and say that as to amount "let your conscience be your guide", with the adopter being reminded of the organization's usual adoption fee or at least being reminded of the local shelter's fee. I tend to take the economic circumstances of the parties into consideration, especially right now (end of 2009) when so many people are in lessened circumstances. (Example : one of my very responsible surrendering owners lost her job mid-way through the process. She says she would like to donate but can't right now ; I've assured her that a donation at a later time or a series of small donations over a range of time would still be very welcome.)

Note : I may have to re-evaluate and change this policy as so far it has not been as productive of donations as I'd hoped. Maybe it's just too damn easy for surrendering owners to decide they can't afford a donation because there is something else (such as a new 96" wide flat screen TV) that they want for themselves and they'd rather spend their money on that.

Alternatively one could require the owner seeking referral to pay a small fee before the process starts , say $25 to $50, and a larger amount , say bringing the total to $100 to $200, when an adoption is actually accomplished. Paying some money "up front" tends to make those who are still ambivalent stop and think and come down on one side of the fence or the other. It also makes them recognize that you are doing some hard work on their behalf, fulfilling a portion of the responsibility rightly theirs. Because for Bouviers, the number of potential adopters is usually greater at any given time than the number of Bouvs needing new homes, I think it is perfectly fair to require a non-refundable up-front partial fee since , unless the dog has serious problems, I can be sure of being able to make a placement. Alternatively, one could require the entire fee to be paid up-front , with a partial refund to be given if a placement cannot be found (and either no refund or smaller partial refund to be made if the owner changes their mind and decides to keep the dog after all; you will have earned that fee by causing the owner to gain a new appreciation for and commitment to their dog).

To surrendering owners reluctant to commit to any fee for referral services, one could point out that the referral fee you charge is lower than the surrender fee you will charge if they later decide to turn the dog over to you and let you carry the entire burden. The referral fee would of course apply as part payment to a later surrender fee. Point out that every well run shelter that claims to be "No Kill" (a term which can have a variety of meanings) will charge some kind of evaluation fee (with no guarantee the dog will be accepted) or charge some kind of surrender fee. (They have to do so if they want to survive.) The public shelters which are legally forced to accept every surrendered pet often charge some kind of surrender fee (and for owner requested killings they also charge a euthanasia fee) .While the public shelter fee is lower than yours, if the dog is evaluated as not adoptable (for any reason, and it could be a very trivial and easily remedied reason) and not taken in by a recognized rescue, the dog will be killed, and those dogs which are evaluated as adoptable but who do not get adopted within a time frame the shelter is able to handle (shorter and shorter time period as shelter budgets get slashed) the dog will be killed anyway.

Note : this is the point at which you should make clear whether or not you have an "absolute no kill" (will keep for rest of life any dog not adopted) policy versus a sorrowful and reluctant willingness to euthanize dogs for severe and/or irremediable medical or for severe and/or dangerous behavioral reasons (eg those likely to bite severely in the future). It's also a good time to discuss the fact that every rescue runs deep in red ink due to the dogs who have serious medical needs or who have to be fostered for extended periods. Also a good time to make clear whether or not you also take into foster care dogs from shelters or only from surrendering owners or some other policy such as giving one category priority over the other. Also a good time to discuss the rather high risks of illness and behavior deterioration for dogs during a stay in a shelter.

As for fees from the adopters, I'd suggest that you let them know what the Rescue's normal fee is for dogs being fostered in Rescue. Pause for their reaction. They may very well say that they are totally comfortable with that, or perhaps that they are comfortable with that but need to divide it into two installments. If so, do not discourage payment of the full fee. But if you don't see them happy to pay the full fee, you can then say that since the rescue , while putting a lot of work (yours) into this match-making, has had less actual expense than for the typical fostered rescue, and therefore a lesser amount of $XXX payable at time of adoption is appropriate. This is also a good time to mention that over the course of any year Rescue is always in the red because of those dogs needing extra medical care. Also remind them if your Rescue is a 501c3 non-profit that their donation to Rescue is tax deductible.

Alternatively, some Rescues charge every adopter applicant an up-front small fee, say $25, for making an application to adopt (perhaps refunded if that application is deemed unacceptable). That fee does NOT guarrantee the adopter a dog, but only goes to pay some of the phone bills and other expenses that Rescue will have in trying to make a match. If a dog is adopted from Rescue or through Rescue referral, there is an additional and more substantial adoption fee/donation that will be required. (Again, the fee for referral adoption might be the same as or lower than the fee for a fostered dog.)

Alternatively, you can use the "let your conscience be your guide" method described above. Do be sure to let them know why Rescue really needs and appreciates donations. It can help to have a specific dog's story on hand with vet cost figures included.

To reiterate, I feel that both the surrendering owner and the adopter ought to make meaningful donations or pay meaningful fees for a referral placement. The same is true of a surrender-to-foster-care situation, where the fees should equal or higher than those for a referral placement, due to the greater costs and work involved and the greater services to both parties. But in every situation the over-riding priority is the need of the dog to be in a safe place while awaiting adoption and then to be adopted into a responsible, knowledgeable, and loving home. If that means letting someone get a break financially, as long as your Rescue can afford to do it, then do what you have to do.

May Doggess Above bless all rescuers, all foster homes, and all adopters !!!

• Owner Surrender (direct to Rescue) compared to Rescue from Shelter : the advantages of accepting a dog directly from the surrendering owner rather than letting owner surrender to a pound and you bailing the dog from that pound.