The MPHQ Diary: Social Media

Social media can be a wonderful thing. It is fantastic as a platform to promote pet adoptions, rescue organisations, and lost and found animals. Social networks such as Facebook and Instagram bring together many netizens with common interests, and many thousands of rescue pets have found new homes through pet rescue pages.

Many not-for-profit organisations, such as Moving Paws Inc, have embraced this relatively new media format to do a lot of good for animals. Our Facebook page has helped us to promote adoptions and find homes for many needy dogs. Where else could we advertise an unlimited number of adoptable pets at no cost? This means that we can use our limited financial resources for the good of the dogs. We also use social media to get the word out that we can save lives by taking on pets that have nowhere else to go.

Rescue organisations also use social media as an important educational tool. We can share information about pet health, diet, and behavioural issues, and how to improve these. Vast amounts of information can be found in seconds, which is a big advantage over traditional media such as books and magazines. We hope that we have helped pet owners to keep their dogs happy and healthy.

But social media can have a negative side. We love the fact that many users are passionate about animal welfare; but well-meaning supporters sometimes post detrimental comments without a full understanding of the situation. Whether it’s someone asking for takers to rehome a pet, or adopters reaching the conclusion that things aren’t working out and returning a pet to us – these scenarios can attract some negative responses. It’s important to remember that there are often many complex reasons behind this decision. For more on this topic, see our previous blog on surrendering pets http://mphqdiary.blogspot.com.au/p/surrende.html.

It’s often not possible for us to go into the full reasons behind a particular situation, and we ask our supporters to understand this.

We realise that not every home is suitable for every pet. This is why we (and other responsible organisations) offer a trial period, during which the dog can be returned. It’s important to remember that this is 100% for the benefit of the dog. We do offer full support to all of our adopters during and after the trial period to ensure that they are set up for success wherever possible. With love and dedication (and work), many problems can be overcome. But, occasionally - despite everyone’s best efforts - it would be detrimental for the dog to remain in an unsuitable home and he or she is far better off returning to foster care so that a more appropriate home can be found. When this happens, the rescue agency has the benefit of more information about the pet’s behaviour and individual needs that will help ensure that the perfect home can be found.

It is far preferable for a pet to be returned to the same rescue organisation than it is for him or her to end up at a pound, or having to start from scratch with a different rescue group. We ask our online supporters to understand this and avoid making negative statements about adopters or surrendering owners. The last thing that we want is to put people off approaching us to either adopt or surrender a pet. We prefer to operate in a judgement-free environment where the pets’ wellbeing is the primary focus.

We really do appreciate all of our online friends - and with your help, we can make the world a better place for animals. We at Moving Paws are ordinary people doing our best to make the world a better place, and so are all of our adopters. Healthy discussion is welcome – ill-informed criticism is not. It can hurt, and it forces us to spend more of our limited time moderating comments instead of helping dogs.

People who ‘adopt – don’t shop’ are always helping animals, even if some adoptions don’t work out the first time. Returning a dog during the trial period may be the only mature solution, and the best outcome for the dog – and that is what’s important! Judgemental comments are usually based on limited information. Please understand that one day, you may find yourself in a difficult unforeseen situation, and ask how you would feel if you read these comments made about you?