For years, animal shelters were known as a place to drop off animals: unwanted dogs, cats whose owners had died or moved away, strays.
The Animal Protective Association (APA) of Missouri wants to change that. Instead of a place to leave a pet behind, Executive Director Steve Kaufmann wants animal shelters to become a place where people pick up a new four-legged family member.
“There is a big misconception out there that there is something wrong with shelter pets,” Kaufmann tells SLM, adding that people assume the animals are old, sick or poorly behaved. “That’s really not the case. You’re really getting such a high-quality pet.”
About one quarter of families nationwide get their pets from shelters. In an effort to increase that percentage, the APA of Missouri is attempting to transform the experience around pet adoption, starting with the first impression—the animal’s photo.
See also: Dog Fight: Stray Rescue’s Randy Grim and the City Crack Down on Animal Cruelty
“Most people are shopping for their pet online just like they’d shop for a lot of things,” says Libby Davidson of the Purina Pet Welfare Team. Last year, Purina partnered with the APA of Missouri to teach staff how to take high-quality photos of animals. “If we can make that positive impression, a really great photo can help them walk through the APA [of Missouri]’s doors.”
Thanks in part to the photography equipment and skills Purina provided, the online pet adoption site Petfinder.com saw a 27 percent increase in web traffic in St. Louis.
“Overall, our adoptions are way up from last year,” Kaufmann says.
This year, Purina and the APA of Missouri are taking their efforts a few steps further. An adoption event this weekend in Soulard promises to match hundreds of shelter pets with families.
The adoption fair runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, in Soulard Park, near the Soulard Market. Fifteen local animal shelters will bring more than 200 adoptable cats and dogs, with more on standby in case the fair runs out.
Families who come to the adoption fair don’t need to bring anything except an open mind, Davidson says.
“They should be prepared to have their heart connected with a pet and go home with a pet,” she tells SLM.
via Purina
But the campaign doesn’t stop there. Purina also re-launched its “Meet the Real Me” campaign this year with a multimedia advertisements, including billboards in the St. Louis area, that challenge people’s misperceptions about shelter pets. Each billboard features a pet who is in or was recently adopted from a local shelter.
“Shy, not skittish,” reads one billboard featuring Dune, a cat up for adoption at Animal House.
“Wise, not withered,” reads another featuring Walrus, a dog at the Humane Society of Missouri.
Kaufmann says he hopes the campaign will change people’s minds about what kinds of animals end up at shelters. He points to the statistic that a third of all dogs in shelters are purebreds while the stereotypical shelter dog is portrayed as a mutt.
“We need people to come in the door and give it a shot,” Kaufmann says.
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
