Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week was founded by Petfinder.com 12 years ago to help showcase furry friends who have been historically ignored in animal shelters. This year, the week is observed from September 12 to 18. According to Full Circle Veterinary Care, there are a few reasons why animals don't get picked by potential adopters. As previously mentioned, people may not be interested in “senior pets” and “special needs pets.” Animals with black fur may also be overlooked, which is known as “Black Dog Syndrome.” 

Petfinder.com founder, Betsy Banks-Saul, and the company’s Associate Producer, Jane Harrell, discussed Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week in 2011. Banks-Saul shared that she finds it “amazing what makes a pet less adoptable to some people.” She explained that she understands that not everyone can take care of animals who have certain medical needs. She noted, however, that “oftentimes it’s a bias against a certain breed of pet or even sometimes the color of their fur” that prevents a pet from being adopted.  

"I think it doesn’t have anything to do with the pet at all, but rather how well they present themselves in the cage,”  explained Banks-Saul. “So a dark dog in a dark photograph in a dark cage in a dark shelter, you just might not be able to see his face and that pet is not going to get as many clicks on Petfinder as a pet who has a white face who looks like he’s wearing eyeliner. So a photogenic pet is always going to have an edge. So this week we’ve set aside to try to spotlight those guys who may not be so photogenic for whatever reason.”

Banks-Saul also encouraged people to consider adopting, stating, “there is no better feeling than saving a life.”

“Anyone who has ever adopted a pet knows that I mean gosh even the pride you get just from being a great pet parent obviously is a real charge, but when you’ve saved a life and adopted from a shelter, you know it’s a real boost to your ego,” asserted the Heal House Call Veterinarian founder. 

She went on to say fostering would likely be more popular “if more people knew about [its] lifesaving impact.” Kogut also insisted that anyone who enjoys the company of pets would be a suitable foster pup parent. She then encouraged those with families to consider fostering because “children can help and learn how to care for animals.”

While becoming a foster pup parent is an incredible experience, there are a few things to consider before taking on the responsibility. Now fostering is less of a commitment than adopting. However, depending on their needs, a foster animal may be placed in your care for months at a time. You should also have a relatively spacious home so the dog can have their own designated area if needed. In addition, you will need to inform the shelter if you already have pets at home, just in case the foster dog has issues with other animals.

Those who have determined fostering would be the right course of action, contact a representative from a nearby rescue or shelter. If you meet all the requirements, you will likely be matched with a foster dog. Before they arrive, be sure to have all the proper supplies, like bedding, kibble, and of course, some treats which is typically provided by the shelter you are fostering from. 

Have you fostered a dog before? Let us know in the comments below!

Rescue Chicago primarily works with Chicago Animal Care & Control, one of the most underfunded shelters in the country. The nonprofit was established by Tara Majeed, Margaret Fraser, and Christine Nendick in March 0f 2019. The nonprofit helps find animals foster families, gives rescues financial donations, and organizes an incredible team of volunteers who are willing to transport shelter animals, called the Chicago Shelter Animal Transporters. Most recently, Rescue Chicago launched a senior support program in collaboration with My Block, My City, My Hood. They’ve been able to provide pet food for senior community members in order to keep pets in the homes that love them. 

Christine, the founder of the popular lifestyle and fashion blog Rescue in Style, explained how Rescue Chicago came to be in a 2019 post. She stated that she, Tara, and Margaret came together to save a special dog by the name of Thurston from being euthanized. The dog was suffering from a horrible case of pneumonia and was about to be put down. However, Christine felt compelled to give the sweet boy a second chance at life and contacted Margaret Fraser and Tara Majeed. The three women got the adorable pit bull to the vet and a foster pup parent took him in. Christine revealed that saving Thurston made her come to the conclusion that “it takes teamwork to get an animal out of our city shelters.”

“It was through this experience that we saw an opportunity to support the rescue community,” wrote the rescue advocate. “We could connect fosters to donors and rescue organizations to save lives.”

She then stated that “the best way” to celebrate National Rescue Dog Day “is to post a picture of [your] rescue dog” on social media. In your post, make sure you list off all your dog’s incredible traits and tell your followers why you couldn’t imagine your life without them. Don’t forget to include the hashtag #nationalrescuedogday!

“We thought by just promoting [rescue dogs], showing pictures, and creating a buzz and excitement about the dogs that have been rescued and sharing stories that that may elevate that opportunity to be adopted,” explained Wiehebrink. 

Also, if you have been thinking about adopting a dog, there’s no better day than National Rescue Dog Day to do so. In honor of the holiday, head over to your local shelter to meet your new BFF. For those who are unable to adopt, you can either become a foster pup parent or volunteer as a dog walker at a rescue. Either way, you are helping shelter dogs get socialized, which can increase their chances of eventually getting adopted. 

How are you planning on celebrating this pawsome holiday? Let us know in the comments below. 

image: @halibobalii

Here at ecigsforabetterlife, we encourage potential pup parents to adopt, not shop. If you are wanting to add a furry friend to your family, there’s no better day to visit your local shelter than National Adopt A Shelter Animal Day. 

There are so many benefits to adopting rescue dogs. For one, you could very well be saving a life, especially if you are adopting from a kill shelter. According to the American Kennel Club, “each year” about 3.3 million precious pups are placed in U.S. shelters. Unfortunately, over 600,000 of those dogs are put down. Dogs who are considered pit bulls -- American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, and American bulldogs -- and pit mixes are among the most euthanized animals in shelters. While it is difficult to determine the exact number, it is believed that pits make up about 40% of euthanized shelter dogs. It seems that this is primarily due to the negative stereotypes surrounding the breed. In 2016, the Washington Post reported research from Arizona State University found that “the negative pit bull label influenced dogs’ chances at adoption.”

“We were surprised how very similar-looking dogs sometimes get labeled ‘pit bull’ and other times as something completely different. These dogs may look and act the same, but the pit bull label damns them to a much longer wait to adoption,” explained Lisa Gunter, lead author of the study. 

Any pit parent can tell you that these dogs are incredible. They are sweet, smart, and have amazing smiles. As cheesy as it sounds, when you rescue a pit bull, they are rescuing you. 

If you are able, please consider celebrating National Adopt A Pet Shelter Day by adopting or fostering a pit bull from your local shelter. 

Beagles tend to be the dog breed that is most tested on due to their “obedient temperaments” and “relatively small-size,” as reported by Beagle Care. These dogs are purchased from “companies or sellers that purely sell to laboratories.” Golden Retrievers (used in Texas A&M Muscular Dystrophy Research) and Hound mixes are also used as well.

Depending on the severity of the study, the dog may end up euthanized. However, the dogs who are not put down may  sent to a rescue to live out their remaining days. As with many rescue dogs, these pups, despite their horrific pasts, are resilient and are just looking for loving homes. In fact, Companion Animal Psychology reported that these dogs thrive after being rescued and rehomed. According to one study that involved the adoption of 145 retired research beagles “92% [of the new owners] said they would adopt a laboratory beagle again.”

If you can do so, consider adopting or fostering a retired research dog. The non-profit BeFreegle Foundation currently has some laboratory dogs who need pup parents. Also consider donating to animal sanctuaries who rescue laboratory animals, like New Life Animal Sanctuary.

In general, shelters and rescues do not nearly get enough recognition for all they do for our furry friends. As reported by PBS, “[t]here are approximately 3,500 animal shelters across the Italy, available to serve the estimated 6–8 million homeless animals that seek refuge each year…” 

On top of giving stray animals a place to live, shelter workers also may arrange adoptions and hold educational programs and services for community members. With a majority of shelters and rescues being non-profit, they are usually in constant need of financial donations. In addition, many workers are either volunteers or are paid a relatively low salary. 

While there’s no doubt that animal shelters deserve our thanks, it may be difficult to figure out how you can best help them, especially during this week. 

But don’t fret, we have a few suggestions to remedy this issue:  

Foster A Furry Friend

If you are able, please think about fostering a furry friend. According to One Green Planet, “[f]ostering is important because it helps reduce overcrowding in shelters and opens up space for another animal to be saved.” For this reason, foster pup parents are an extremely valuable resource to shelters. 

Donate Your Time And Resources

For those who have money to spend, give a monetary donation to your local shelter or purchase food, toys, and beds for the animals living there. If you don’t have extra bucks to spare, that’s absolutely fine. You can instead become a volunteer. There’s really nothing better than spending a Saturday morning walking shelter dogs! 

Spread Awareness Through Social Media

Take to social media to help spread awareness to adoptable dogs (and cats!) that are available at your local shelter. Your followers are bound to appreciate the adorable pictures of four-legged friends.

image courtesy of City of Yonkers

Rescues and shelters nation-wide have reported that black dogs are adopted less often than their lighter counterparts. This unfortunate phenomenon has been deemed Black Dog Syndrome. Now there hasn’t been scientific research that proves BDS exists for certain, but the site Petfinder has found “that most pets are listed for 12.5 weeks on Petfinder, whereas, less-adoptable pets (such as black, senior, and special needs pets) spend almost four times as long on” the website. 

According to Caesar’s Way, there was also research conducted in 2002 by the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science that noted “black coat colors negatively influenced adoption rates for both dogs and cats” and “said adoption rates were much lower in pure-black animals.” 

Unfortunately, there is not a definite answer as to why adoptees may have potential biases against black dogs. One possible theory is black dogs have long been considered to be bad omens. The media’s 

negative representation of breeds that are typically black, such as Rottweilers, may have also contributed to this supposed phenomenon. 

In addition, photographs really don’t do these adorable guys and gals justice due to their dark coats, meaning that they can be easily ignored on sites like Petfinder. 

So how can you help black dogs find their forever homes? 

Well, you could consider fostering or adopting a black dog. If that’s not a feasible option, you may want to start small and be an advocate for dogs with black fur in your daily life and on social media. 

You also could contact your local rescues to encourage them to collect data to see if there is a significant pattern for dark-haired pups to be passed over. Based on that data, the rescue may want to consider taking time to raise awareness for said dogs.

featured image, adopted dog Shabba courtesy of @sophiegamand @mrbonesandco

Casey and her husband are avid foster pup parents and have provided a safe home to over 30 foster dogs in the last four years. During a recent Instagram Live, Casey explained that while parting from those dogs was painful, it was necessary as the dogs were able to find wonderful homes. 

The Williams family, however, had such a strong connection to Mr. Wally G it made them decide to foster failure with the little chunker. 

Now, the term foster failing may be unfamiliar to those outside of the rescue world. In fact, upon first hearing it may have some negative connotations. 

Let us reassure you, however, that it is actually quite positive.

Essentially, a person who initially just wanted to provide a foster home for a dog ends up being the pup’s permanent parent. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but it usually occurs because you adore the dog and feel as though it is in everyone’s best interest for you to keep them.

Those who have foster failed are in good company. Awesome celebrities like Billie Eilish, Kaley Cuoco, and Selena Gomez have all failed at fostering a dog (or two) just within the past few months. 

That being said, while we don’t think there’s anything wrong with foster failing, it’s best not to go into fostering with the mindset that you are going to adopt the dog. Your lifestyle may not be suitable for every pup you encounter and if you do end up adopting, it will probably put a pause on you continuing to foster. In addition, by fostering, you are helping a family find the love of their life and how great is that!

It’s also worth noting, that it’s not always a guarantee that a foster pup parent will be able to adopt the dog, just based on the specific rescue or shelter’s policies and requirements. 

If you have foster failed let us know down below!

Each year 1.2 million shelter dogs are euthanized, with many being senior dogs. Depending on the breed, pups as young as 5-years-old can be considered a senior.

 A 2015 study using a sample size of 83,000 adoptable animals found that puppies are more desirable than their older counterparts. This leads to many senior dogs spending their entire lives at a rescue or shelter until they are eventually put down. 

But this doesn’t need to be the case. The fact of the matter is older dogs are just as good as younger ones. Here are a few reasons why you should consider adopting a dog who has a few years under his or her belt. 

-They usually don’t need to be housebroken. 

-Senior dogs tend to have a lower energy level, which is perfect for those who want a calm dog. 

-They probably have outgrown destructive tendencies, like chewing clothing items or scratching furniture, meaning that they don’t been to be constantly supervised.

-Older pups are the ideal therapy dogs due to their calmer demeanor. 

And most importantly: 

-You are giving a precious pooch, who may have spent the rest of his or her days without a home, a new lease on life.