Relinquishing a dog can be a challenging thing for owners to do and is often full of mixed emotions. Any information provided to us maybe of varied use due to: fear of judgment; concern about what will happen to the dog post relinquishment, particularly in the case of previous aggressive behaviours and worries over the rescue refusing to take the dog if behaviour problems are present. Peer reviewed studies relating to gaining information from owners are limited. In 2007 Stephen and Ledger looked at an owner’s ability to predict information in a new home. The questionnaire-based study compared reports from previous and new owners. Post adoption questionnaire were completed. The study found there were moderate correlations between both households for: signs of anxiety when at the vets or left alone; sexual mounting and stealing food and aggression towards unfamiliar people and dogs. Although these correlations are only moderate this highlights the importance of gaining information from owners. There is a variety of ways we can support staff and adopters in a way to facilitate open discussion.
Marder (2015) wrote about the importance of offering scheduled intake appointments whenever possible, holding the appointments in private and quiet places. Setting up an area of the centre where these appointments can be carried out, and trying to make them comfortable can help owners feel at ease and welcomed rather than ashamed or under pressure.
The Uk Charity, Woodgreen Pets Charity, the animal’s charity, do a great job of demonstrating this, which can be seen on Channel 4s the doghouse. The area ideally should be away from the main reception area, so people feel confident that conversations won’t be overheard or people are not watching them if they become distressed. We should consider the furniture we use, comfy seats, placed close together or a sofa can allow couples or friends to draw strength from the closeness as well as giving the impression that people can take their time when passing on information, having open space or a small coffee table between you, rather than a big desk can give the impression of openness and active listening rather than feeling like a formal interview or closing you off. Proving tissues that can be easily seen and access if required, as well as offering warm drinks can provide a caring atmosphere that again helps detract from the feeling of judgment.
Staff who have been well trained should be on hand to go through any forms with the owners, to further question information, particularly if owner answers lack detail or are unclear (Miller and Zawisowski, 2015). Questions should be a mixture of open and closed questions and where possible not include leading phrases. Owners should be asked to say what they see and provide examples where possible. For example, rather than asking has your dog ever shown aggression towards the food bowl, we may ask, can you describe how your dog act when you feed them? Staff should practice active listening following the “three As: Attitude, Attention and adjustment”
We should approach intake interviews with a constructive Attitude, a positive attitude can pave the way for openness, try an limit negative thoughts before and during the conversation, taking care to particularly avoid facial expressions or body language that may come across judgmental.
Showing the person that you are paying attention can help information continue to flow, using your body to communicate interest through leaning in, making eye contact, mimicking and maintaining an open body position can all be powerful non-verbal tools. Asking follow up questions or even repeating what has been said to you and asking for conformation are great verbal tools that you can also utilise.
And lastly adjusting your behaviour and responses to the situation, avoid interrupting or quickly moving on to the next question, staying focused on the task at hand and not looking out of the window, or at your watch and practicing active listening with colleagues are all important adjustments we can make. It is also important that this information is recorded appropriately in line with GDPR and a way that can be discussed with potential adopters.
Getting intake information correct can make the next steps of the rescue journey easier for that dog, information about likes, dislikes and previous experiences can help us when initially setting up a kennel, offering the dog choice and predictability based of what they are used too. The information can help us to target are assessments to gain even better information, match dogs more appropriately and be able to work on any problem behaviours and allows us to set both the dog and new owners up for success.