The Chasm Between Belief & Reality
Ever find yourself thinking one way but behaving another? If you answered “no,” my question then is: how do you know? I think of myself as a healthy eater – so when my doc asked me recently to keep a log of everything I ate for one week, I was pretty shocked. And my shock turned to dismay as she took my list of foods and analyzed the sugar, carb and fat content. Then my dismay started verging on horror when I started thinking that if I was so sure I ate a good diet and I’ve been living this delusion…what of my other “truths” are false?
At least I can take some comfort in knowing that I’m not alone in my delusional thinking. When beliefs and behavior don’t mesh…our beliefs often win out. Take, for example, the fact that a majority of Americans are concerned about the environment, but fail to act in ways that will protect and preserve the environment. The environmental movement has been battling with this disconnect – coined the “value-action gap” – for some time, and one thing they’ve discovered is the importance of identifying and eliminating the barriers to acting pro-environment.
Perhaps we’re facing a similar disconnect when it comes to pet adoption. In the recently released Hartz Pet Trend Report, we learn that 60% of respondents said they’d prefer to adopt their next pet from a rescue society. But according to the latest American Pet Products Association (APPA) research, corroborated by the 2009 Pet Smart Charities survey, only about 24% of owned pets are actually acquired through adoption.
Determined to find the bright side here, maybe the Hartz data is an indicator that we’re making headway on making adoption both a known option and a socially acceptable one. If that’s the case, perhaps we would do well to learn from our friends in the trenches for the environment and begin identifying and tearing down the perceived barriers to adoption. In other words, maybe we need to make it easier for people to behave the way they believe when it comes to acquiring new pets.
I have some ideas on what those barriers are, but since my recent diet analysis…I’m experiencing a healthy lack of faith in my “beliefs.” So you tell me: What have you identified as barriers to adopting at your agency? And what are you doing about it?
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C’mon, PEOPLE!
Barriers and Pit (bull) falls
Tags: Shelter Management
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Amber Luttrell Says:
I volunteer with several rescues, each of which have a different adoption process. In general though, I think one thing hits every adoption group I work with. Availability! Most people want what they want when they want it, whether that’s a purebreed puppy (seen in rescue, but not available all the time) or a siamese kitten in the middle of winter (not even close to kitten season). Another barrier is a sense of value – taking the free kitten from the wal-mart parking lot versus paying for the completely vetted one from the shelter, getting the free dog from craigslist versus shucking out funds for the vetted one from a rescue. A future cost doesn’t necessarily register as an initial cost of the animal so people feel like the free animal is a better value.
Rosemary Says:
I wonder if there’s scope for portraying the kitten season as a positive (or at least expected) thing?
Otherwise well-educated people are often surprised to be told cats are seasonal breeders; maybe there would be scope for some advertising in late winter/early spring explaining that kittens will soon be available in shelters.
Bert Troughton Says:
Amber – not only do I agree with you on the availability issue (and sadly must confess that I’m like most people – completely spoiled by online shopping and accustomed to getting what I want, when I want it)…but according to the PetSmart Charities survey – “didn’t have the type of dog/cat I was looking for” was the NUMBER ONE reason people gave for not adopting. http://www.petsmartcharities.org/resources/resources-documents/PetSmartCharities_Research_AUBarriers.pdf
And the value barrier is another real issue. The late Victoria Wellens who pioneered so many things in this field realized this years ago when her organization first tried fee-waived adoptions for cats…people can easily acquire cats for free – in pure business terms (which the public understands better than animal welfare terms), we may in fact be discouraging people from “buying” from us by charging a fee for cats. There are a bunch of agencies participating in the Fresh Steps Fee-Waived Cat Promotion this month – and so far reports look extremely positive and successful. yay!
Thanks for raising two important points re: barriers!
Bert
Bert Troughton Says:
Rosemary – I like it…getting ahead of the curve to let people know….”Coming soon…”
Bert
Susan F Says:
I guess the key barrier that I see from time-to-time in my own community is that shelter peeps believe they want what’s best for the animals. They’ve defined that as having lots of rules about who can and can’t adopt each specific animal. So as you suggested, the behavior doesn’t match the belief.
From my perspective, what’s best for the animals is getting them out of the shelter (where they often get ill due to the stress level or are at risk of euthanasia) and into a loving home. That loving home may not hike with their dog like I do or may not own a home like I do, but I feel confident that they will bond with their pet just like I do. And as we know, that bond enables us to give our pets a good quality of life. For some, that bond is deeper a bond than they have with other humans.
Che Green Says:
Bert, thanks so much for the insightful post! The “value-action” gap is something we encounter often at the Humane Research Council. It’s closely related to cognitive dissonance, which is the discomfort or agitation created by holding conflicting ideas and/or behaving in a way that is inconsistent with one’s beliefs.
In our most recent Animal Tracker survey of U.S. adults (March 2011), we found that 11% of respondents had adopted an animal in the past year. By comparison, 9% had purchased an animal in the past year. When asked if they had “ever” adopted an animal out of concern for animals, 25% said “yes,” which is consistent with the PetSmart Charities study mentioned above.
Results from the Animal Tracker are free for animal advocates. To get the results, please visit the following page:
http://www.humanespot.org/content/animal-tracker-wave-4-march-2011
Note: Registration is required for access, but the application is quick and access is entirely free.
Bert Troughton Says:
Susan – wow, yes – the big dilemma of what’s best for the animals. The conundrum you reference is what Dr. Emily Weiss refers to as “shelterer vs rehomer”. http://www.aspcapro.org/blog/2011/05/pleased-to-meet-you%e2%80%a6or-maybe-not/
I think it’s a tall order we put on ourselves to have to hold the big picture simultaneously with the individual picture…but that is probably the best way to get to a big-picture level solution sooner.