Pawsitive Pooches
Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a
person or animal is at stake.  ~ Dr. Martin Luther King
  • Home
  • How to Help
    • So You Want to Adopt
    • Fostering, Sponsoring and Volunteering
    • Improving the Life of a Neighbor’s Dog
    • Getting a Dog Out of a Bad Situation
  • A Good Home
  • Home Checklist
  • Resources
    • Generic Forms
    • Emergency Clinics and Spay/Neuter Services
    • Dog Day Care Locations
    • Dog Behavior Trainers
    • Abuse, Legislation, and Law Enforcement
  • Happy Tails
  • About Us
  • Contact
More Adoptathon Topics Coming Soon!!

Defining your goals 
Getting organizations involved Setting a budget 
Selecting a location 
Building the core team 
Recruiting volunteers 
Promoting the event 
Rules and regulations 
Getting the dogs ready 

Planning for the event 
Running the event 
Resources


Adoptathon Planning

Picture
The goal of this website is to help dogs and cats find loving homes. And one of the ways to do this is by passing on what we have  learned about organizing large scale adoptathons. Every year hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are saved by thousands of no kill and slow kill shelters and rescue groups across the United States. All of these shelters face a common problem – how to adopt out the dogs and cats to good homes. While there is a growing awareness of the availability of rescue dogs and cats, and a growing support for adopting these animals, shelters still face challenges: the shelters tend to be in out of the way places, typically far from residential areas with suitable homes; because of budget constraints the shelters tend to have limited hours of operation; and the shelters usually lack the budget and expertise to market themselves and the available animals. The animal shelters in St. Louis face this same challenge - they are bursting at the seams with dogs and cats. 

Beginning in 2001, a group of volunteers began organizing the largest adoptathons in the USA. From A-Z, covering every base possible, 9 events were held during the course of 7 years, successfully placing thousands of deserving dogs and cats, coming from as many as 28 different shelters and rescue groups, into loving homes. The adoptathons offered a unique approach. Because they were one-time events, and not permanent facilities, they could be held in more upscale, residential neighborhoods with a much larger supply of suitable homes nearby. Because they were actual events that were able to generate a significant amount of publicity and attendance and a sense of urgency on the part of potential adopters. And the adoptathons were able to tap into the awareness and volunteer base of all of the participating shelters, creating a much larger volunteer base and generating significant word of mouth interest and cooperation in the rescue community. 

After a break of a few years, we are back to work. A portion of this website will be to pass on the knowledge, organizational tools, forms, pitfalls, etc., to help others host adoptathons. Our hope is that people can take this knowledge as a starting point for organizing and hosting regular large scale adoptathons in their areas. Regular adoptathons have a chance to help place hundreds and even thousands of dogs and cats in good homes and relieve some of the overcrowding that challenge many shelters.  

We are starting to collect the names of people that would be interested in hosting adoptathons in their areas.  If you are interested, please send  your info using the contact page and we will add you to our mailing list so you can receive updates on new material.


Picture


“Humanity's true moral test, its fundamental test…consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals.”
~ Milan Kundera


“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” 
~ Margaret Mead

Picture


Website created by Amy Cate. Last updated July 14, 2013.