UPDATE: So no one wants to adopt my foster dog

[Logical]

I’ve posted about her before…she has separation anxiety.

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I’ve now had her since February and still no takers. She has greatly improved in the anxiety department. As in can be left alone for 3 hours before panicking. Is just this amazingly sweet dog but no one wants her!

She knows basic obedience, is house-broken, healthy, playful, gets along with dogs and cat, and a total love bug. She gets nervous around kids and tries to hide hence the no kids icon. She needs a forever home (like yesterday). While I love her I don’t love her. She just isn’t “my” dog so to speak and I do have a foster failure so it’s not because she is a foster.

What else can I do to help her become more adoptable?

Update post #25. She was adopted!!

[Halt_Near_X]

Is she Suzy?

[In1]

I’m going to assume it is Suzy because she is a female with no-kids. The boxerX female also has the no kids icon but the description says she is wonderful with kids.

If it IS SUZY -
a) New pictures. There isn’t really a picture of her whole body. Two of the pictures show me the same thing - her head in a car. I’d like to see one of her standing or walking so I can get a size approximation too.
b) Get rid of the boot video - and the boot sentence in her description paragraph. The only thing it tells me is that she is destructive - and that she hasn’t been taught that footwear is off-limits. I do like including a video - it gives the opportunity to see some personality - but that one is not doing the dog any favors.
c) Clarify her description. It says no children but then says “…(she) would do well in a family environment.” Do you mean a family environment with teenager children? Children over the age of 10? An adults-only family?

My limited experience with hound rescues informed me that hounds can be difficult to place - especially in VA/NC where the supply exceeds the demand.

Standard suggestions:
-Increase her online presence - get her posted everywhere you can. Consider cross-posting or referral pages with other rescues - especially ones that attract a hound-positive audience.
-Contact local news station and see if they are willing to do a “pet of the week” special or something similar.
-Considering buying a super-wide “Adopt me!” flat-buckle collar for use at the dog park or when out walking.

[Logical]

It is Suzy.

We originally thought she would be okay with kids as she was okay with my daughter solo. When kids came over to play she got nervous and went to hide. I took the warning sign at face value and now put her in another room and close the door when kids are over. I am not in control of editing the description and I think the person that is just left. But I definitely inquire about getting it edited.

At the time her profile went up ever single picture I had of her look like she had been beaten. I did just send in some awesome pictures of her yesterday of her in the butt in the air ready to play and happy looking shots. And she is a shoe lover. It has gotten tons better though. I will get a video of her playing with her purple monkey squeaker instead.

And she is shared out quite a bit on FB but I will definitely increase that after getting her profile updated.

Thank you.

[JBD]

Does your rescue group have adoption events? Nothing beats face to face but what you’re doing to make her profile more appealing should be helpful.

[bits619]

If you can get the volunteer in charge of the bios to actually remove her listing and then post it again with new pictures (and the other changes mentioned), there’s a chance she might show up in more people’s alert emails (Petfinder can save searches for particular breeds in their area, and new listings are sent via email). If the volunteer has a lot to update they may not be thrilled with this idea (I do a lot of my group’s listings and petfinder is a time suck) but it’s an idea at least.
Her first photo needs to be the best one, of her face, as it is the thumbnail that shows before you click on the link. If you have pictures showing her looking to be the happiest dog in the world or particularly regal, those are nice. Outdoor photos almost always look nicer than indoors.
And all that said about the photos, describe her beautiful red coat and expressive hound dog eyes in the description. Even though people can see the pics, when reading about her gorgeous copper color they’ll scroll back up and look at her picture again.
Also, a pet peeve of mine with petfinder and the other listings is that they don’t outright list their size range limits. Put her weight in the bio so people know, and say (for example) “a nice size for lovers of big dogs, but small enough to share the couch/bed with” or whatever.
Sometimes the ‘notes from the foster home’ format catches my attention well. Something like “Suzy does so well in the house and is perfectly house trained. She loves to curl up on the sofa at the end of the day/relax near us with her favorite toy/etc. She is smart and likes to show off her commands in return for a cookie!” something to make it a little more personal and to give the reader an idea of the perks of life with Suzy.

[Halt_Near_X]

I was going to say pretty much what In_ did.

The rescue also needs to be more selective about the images it uses for the thumbnail shots. Compare Suzy’s thumbnail to Saul’s – which one would you click on, if you were a potential adopted with a long list of search results to go through? I’m sure Petfinder generates them automatically, but the rescue needs to figure out the area Petfinder crops to and evaluate the photos they have to make sure the crop turns out better than it is.

But if you have no control over that, one thing you can do is buy a collar/kerchief/something to go over her back with “Adopt Me!” in bright letters, and put it on her every time you take her out. Carry around some flyers that have basic information about her and the rescue’s contact info, especially if you are going places like the dog park. The collar might spark interest in her, and then you can give them info they can take home and read.

[vacation1]

The best part of the video is when she interacts with you - she seems sweet and friendly. The rest of it - a big hound chewing a boot in a messy, somewhat bare room which is somewhat ambiguous (not to be nasty, just saying that with the single, constricted angle and limited objects, it’s not clear if the room is an uncluttered living room or an enclosed porch) - is not very attractive. A video showing her interacting with people nicely, relaxing in a tidy room which is very clearly a major part of a home, moving into the kitchen, etc. People tend to see large hounds as outdoor dogs, so show her living in the house.

Otherwise, more specifics in the description would be nice. Virtually all dogs listed for adoption are listed as if the writer was hellbent on using every positive adjective in the language. Sweet, awesome, smart, great, wonderful, etc. Instead of that, try asking them to use your actual stories of living with her. The one about why she’s listed as “No Kids” is a good example. That’s great info to include - she hasn’t shown aggression, but she really tries to remove herself from the presence of children. That tells you a lot more than simply “awesome dog” can. It also, btw, adds up to “awesome dog” in my book - she knows she doesn’t enjoy kids and instead of being a jerk about it, acknowledges the kids’ greater rights and leaves the area. Nice dog.

You might also ask the rescue about reducing the adoption fee for her.

[LauraKY]

Has the rescue thought about trying a behaviorist for her anxiety? Or meds? A friend’s dog is on Anxitane, which has helped tremendously.

Doggie day care might help too.

One of the rescues I worked with had a very difficult to adopt out dog, we ended up pulling her bio, changing her name (it was Prissy, which was an awful name), taking new photos and writing a more positive and informative bio. She was adopted in 2 months. Worth a try.

[scruffy_the_cat]

100% new pictures. There was a seizure of 130+ collies in Tomball, TX a couple of weeks ago and people are clamoring for those dogs. I’m sure in part because people feel bad, but also because every single one of the pictures that Houston Collie Rescue puts up are of playing collies or collies wanting to interact with humans.

Every single one of your pictures has your foster looking reluctant to interact with a human- looking away or down or looking shy. Get the camera in close to her face to capture her eye, and show her loving up a human and you’ll get better results.

[Nezzy]

take her to pet stores with a bandana that says ADOPT ME.

[Marshfield]

Honestly, there’s going to be a pretty limited selection of adoptive homes with a retiree or somebody who works from home so that her ability to only be left for three hours at a time isn’t an issue.

[arapaloosa_lady]

I’d definitely explain in the description that she’s scared of kids & just wants a quiet environment where she doesn’t have to hide from commotion. I don’t have kids and I still avoided ads that were labelled “no kids” because I wanted a tolerant dog. Running & hiding is fine with me, growling & nipping is not, and it’s not clear which she is from her ad.

Also, focus on her being able to stay alone for longer periods of time. The jump from 3 hours to 8 hours shouldn’t be a big one mentally, because by 3 hours they’re kind of used to the idea you’re not coming home immediately. It is impossible for most people to keep their dog with them 21/7.

And the “adopt me” bandana/leash is a smart idea. There’s a few people in my neighborhood who use them regularly with fosters & they can really help if she’s good on the leash or playing in the park. People look at them and go “aw, how cute is that dog?” and then realize that dog is available for them to bring that adorable dog home themselves.

[Countrywood]

Her being shy or scared of kids is different from her being bad with kids. Is it possible for foster folks to exchange dogs…such as sending her to a home with a child or kids so she can get accustomed to them, and you take a dog they are fostering? Locking her up away from kids is not going to change anything. If you have the patience and a neighborhood kid to help out, they can drop treats on the ground, let her get used to them, then graduate to playing or petting.

All good suggestions in other posts…it is very kind of you to take on a foster and discouraging so hard to find a home.

[Countrywood]

Saying “no kids” is going to scare even single folks away in case they have a grandchild visit , for example. Take that out, just explain that she is shy and not used to kids.

[french_fry]

[QUOTE=Countrywood;7761026]
Saying “no kids” is going to scare even single folks away in case they have a grandchild visit , for example. Take that out, just explain that she is shy and not used to kids.[/QUOTE]

This! I don’t have kids and am almost never around kids but I’d still shy away from a dog that had a firm “NO KIDS” in the ad. I would explain the circumstances (shy around kids, not aggressive) and say she would be best in a home with older kids.

[Logical]

Rescue does have adoption events in VA sadly I am located in NC. With Suzy’s anxiety we decided to not uproot her and send her to another foster (I’m #2) in VA. She is on Trazadone (cheap and the most effective for her). We did doggy day care for awhile but had to end due to money. So now my dad keeps her during the day for me. And since pulling her from daycare the constant small infections stopped.

As for the kids: she is fine with my daughter and the girl down the street but not the boy next door. She has barked at him. Not run up and bark but a stand your ground at a safe distance and bark. This boy is fearful of all dogs but his and in the past has claimed to be bitten by my other dog (who wasn’t even at the house at the time of the event!). When he is over, I lock her up unless I am able to directly supervise them. She is still nervous around the other kid but will leave the area. In fact, my daughter taught her a dance routine! But I am not comfortable letting her go to a home with young children. I am working on a new description for her and am taking your suggestions seriously. I wish I could link from my phone her new picture album showing her with a playful and happy face. The pictures up now are from when we first got her and she was very shy. Now, not so much. I will link to the pictures tomorrow and see which ones y’all think are best. Again thank you for all the suggestions. This dog to date has been the hardest to place.

ETA: for those on Facebook, look up Carla’s Fosters. Suzy pictures in there. And I will link tomorrow.

ETA: Link for pictures: https://www.facebook.com/groups/636651349719826/?fref=nf

[ElisLove]

I personally wouldn’t show pictures/video of her being destructive (chewing up shoes/bedding), or show picture/videos of her with chewed up stuff. This isn’t something that will entice people to want to enquire about her. You can tell them when they meet her that she is still working on not chewing on things but hopefully by then they have a positive attitude towards her after seeing her personality that some destructive behaviours may be overlooked.
Our doberman eats beds, and it is very annoying. He’s too bony (being a doberman) to not have anything semi soft to lie in, but he destroys anything soft. Which makes a mess then we need to go out and buy a new bed, which gets expensive. It took a long while to figure out/find things that he won’t destroy (one of those 'indestructible beds ’ which he doesn’t love but will use, a massive blanket from mexico I think that just has small tears despite a fair amount of use, and for some reason a ‘normal’ dog bed a work that he randomly rarely chews). So seeing video of a potential dog being destructive would turn me away a bit for sure.

[Logical]

Would this description be better? Or does it need more tweaking? And thank you again everyone for the feedback I’m hoping this helps her find that right home quickly but she is of course welcome to stay.

Suzy, a gorgeous red tick coon hound, is looking for her forever home. She knows basic obedience and is house broken. She is up to date on all her shots and is already spayed. She loves going for walks and car rides and chilling on the couch with you. She gets along with other dogs of all sizes and even cats. Small kids make her nervous and she leaves the area where they are but bigger and quieter children are okay with her. In fact, her foster’s daughter taught Suzy a dance routine! Her big brown hound eyes are impressive and communicate her love of playing and snuggling with you. What more could you want in the perfect package?

And I personally like this photo for her thumbnail: http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b421/Logical24/Suzy/Suzy/10460377_10204312310144337_3375885462788431305_n.jpg

All her good pictures for those not on FB: http://s1042.photobucket.com/user/Logical24/library/Suzy/Suzy

[french_fry]

I would ideally like to see some “conformation” shots of the dog outside in a pleasant setting - a grassy yard, whatever - along with the indoor pics. Out of the (adorable) batch you posted I think the photo of her in the play pose on the bed is the best because it shows her cute personality and is a full body shot. For a headshot thumbnail I’d pick this one because she looks sweet and friendly. Her puppy dog eyes look a little too sad for a thumbnail in the photo you posted.

Please forgive me for editing your listing (and slightly changing her name!) It’s the copy editor in me. :eek:

Suzy-Q, a gorgeous red tick coon hound, is looking for her forever home. She knows basic obedience and is fully house broken. She is up to date on all her shots and has been spayed. Suzy-Q loves going for walks and car rides but she’s happiest just hanging out on the couch with you! Good-natured Suzy gets along with cats and dogs of all sizes. Small kids make her nervous and she prefers to get up and leave the room but bigger and quieter children are okay with her. In fact, her foster’s daughter taught Suzy a dance routine! You will find it hard to refuse her big brown hound eyes when she wants to play or snuggle with you. What more could you want in this perfect package?

I follow a couple of very successful rescue groups on Facebook and a real win for them has been getting videos of the foster family putting the dog through its’ basic obedience paces. Maybe you could take a clear, unedited video of your daughter having Suzy sit, stay, lie down, walk on a leash, shake, whatever it is she does?