Post-Adoption Follow-Up: Tips, Scripts & Email Templates

Following up with adopters after they bring an animal home can help build relationships, identify challenges early and support successful adoptions. Use these practical tips, follow-up questions, phone survey and email templates to create a post-adoption follow-up plan for your organization.

Key Takeaways

• Set a consistent timeline for post-adoption follow-up.
• Keep conversations short, friendly and focused on how the adopter and animal are doing.
• Be prepared to provide resources for common behavior and medical concerns.
• Establish a plan for addressing concerns that need additional support.
• Track follow-up attempts, concerns and recommendations.

Create a Post-Adoption Follow-Up Plan

Set a consistent schedule for checking in with adopters after they bring an animal home. Regular follow-up can help you identify challenges early, connect adopters with helpful resources and strengthen relationships with your shelter.

Consider using a combination of phone calls, emails or text messages based on your organization's capacity and adopters' preferences. Often, automations can be set up in your animal management software with standardized messaging and links to resources. 

Keep Follow-Up Conversations Brief & Friendly

The goal of post-adoption follow-up is to learn how the adopter and animal are doing and identify opportunities to offer support. Keep conversations friendly, brief and focused on open-ended questions.

Consider asking:

• How is your new pet doing?
• How are things going at home?
• Are you having any challenges with your new pet?
• What do you enjoy most about your new pet?
• Is there anything we can help you with?

Listen for concerns that may require additional resources or follow-up.

Be Ready to Support Common Concerns

Adopters may have questions or concerns as their new pet adjusts to their home. Be prepared to provide resources or referrals for common behavior and medical concerns.

These may include:

• House-soiling
• Separation anxiety
• Fear or anxiety
• Reactivity or aggression
• Other behavior challenges
• Medical concerns that require veterinary care

Providing helpful information early may help adopters feel more confident and address challenges before they become more serious.

Know When to Provide Additional Support

Create clear guidelines for when an adopter's concern requires additional follow-up. Identify the staff members or other resources available to help with behavior, medical or other adoption-related concerns. Check out the ASPCA Pet Care library for support resources. 

Make sure staff conducting follow-up know when to handle a concern themselves, when to provide a resource and when to involve someone with additional expertise.

Track Follow-Up

Keep a record of follow-up attempts and any concerns or support provided. Tracking this information can help your team identify animals or adopters who may need additional outreach and can help your organization understand common post-adoption challenges.

Consider tracking:

• Date and type of contact
• Whether the adopter was reached
• Questions or concerns raised
• Resources or referrals provided
• Additional follow-up needed

Post-Adoption Follow-Up Tools

Use these sample resources to help your shelter create or strengthen its own post-adoption follow-up process.

Post-Adoption Follow-Up Phone Survey
Use these questions to guide a follow-up conversation and learn how the adopter and animal are doing.

Post-Adoption Email Template for Dogs
Adapt this sample email to check in with adopters and provide helpful resources after a dog goes home.

Post-Adoption Email Template for Cats
Adapt this sample email to check in with adopters and provide helpful resources after a cat goes home.