Taking it to the Street

For years, the Valley Animal Shelter had an animal shelter in conjunction with their Middleton office. And for years the neighbours and the local inn ( which ironically is now closed as well) complained to the town council until the shelter closed its doors. That wasn't a unique situation.... animal shelters wind up being located off the beaten track to avoid that type of problem.
All around the province, the shelters aren't hard to find.....if you know where they are. And that's fine.... for those who already know that the groups exist and how to find the shelters. People who have already discovered the joys of pet adoption will happily travel any distance for their new best friend.
Which is of course, a bit like preaching to the choir. What about all the good folks who DON'T know about the rescues and shelters.....the kind hearted animal lovers who would happily adopt their next best friend? I get a lot of feedback on the homeless pet site from folks who had no idea there were so many rescues and shelters in NS .... even the ones in their own community.
There is a reason that businesses sink or swim on the location they choose. They have learned never to underrate the value of being in the public eye.
Its natural to be protective of the animals in ones' care. As the guardian of four cats and three dogs, I would be capable of doing real damage to anyone who harmed any of my pets. So its understandable that some folks in rescue might be hesitant to 'drag' their adoptables around like sacks of potatoes looking for a buyer. Believe me, I would be the last person to suggest the adoptable get peddled at 'market' without a proper adoption screening.
Yet... if the animals aren't out in the public eye they will take longer to get adopted, if at all. We will never get to No Kill Nova Scotia until No Kill shelters can be open admission. Until then, they are just safe sanctuaries that have to pick and choose who they can save.
Our neighbours to the south have had a lot of success with mobile adoption vans and Pet Adoption storefronts in busy malls. There are a lot of good arguments for the van, because it could do double or even triple duty for disaster relief and large cruelty seizures. And of course the vans themselves sport easily visible logos and so are advertising on wheels wherever they go.
Pet adoption centers in busy malls elevate public awareness of pet adoption options. The reason businesses locate in busy malls in spite of the high rent and service fees is to take advantage of the foot traffic. In most cases, the pets are not housed at the center but are either brought in for the day by either one or several rescue groups.
One doesn't have to be a financial wizard to understand that this is going to be a tough year for everyone. Mobile adoption vans and storefronts might have to sit on the back burner until the tide turns around.
That does not mean there is no way of getting the animals out there in the public eye. There are still a host of other options to be explored:

• Rescues and shelters could arrange 'special guest appearances of a few of their adoptables for a couple of hours at local businesses. People love animals and businesses generally like anything that draws people in.
• Posters of adoptables, with little 'take home cards' listing the contact info for the rescue or shelter, could be posted in local vet offices and feed stores. There are great free online templates for doing printable posters
• Rescues with dogs could arrange for a regular 'Sunday Stroll" with some of their adoptables wearing 'adopt me' scarves. Volunteers could be waiting at the end of the stroll with thermos' of hot chocolate or lemonade to encourage interested folks to stay and talk. And of course pamphlets on the rescue, or even just calling cards with their address and url could be available too.
• Organize a demonstration obedience training class at the local dog park to help get the word out there,
• And of course there is that suggestion I keep plugging... the NS Week for the Animals which could really be a positive way of getting pet adoption out in the public eye with everything from coloring contests to workshops to demonstration dog sports.... a week that positively brims with fundraising opportunities as well, and last but not least...
• Never underestimate the value of special promotions. Judging by the site updates I had to do, both the November Adopt a Senior Pet Month at Metro and SHAID, and SHAID's Home for the Holidays program have yielded good results. Get the word out there with posters in local stores.

At the end of the day, nobody wants any rescued animal to be bartered off like an old sock. But neither does anyone want the animals to stay in the shelters. If old dogs can learn new tricks... then its time that we people do too.