Community Service Paper: Volunteer Hours, Donations, and Pet Adoption Fees
Topic: Volunteered at Second Chance Animal Sanctuary, relate to classism
Thesis: The pet adoption process differs greatly from shelter to shelter but the idea of classism persists across them all due to the potentially intrusive interview questions and adoption fees that may be remedied through an increase in volunteer hours.
Review of Literature
The Consensus on Animal Adoption
When asked their opinion on the adoption of animals as pets, most would provide a very positive outlook, especially when the subject is compared to the practice of buying from a breeder. While buying from a breeder may cost upwards of five hundred dollars, adopting a pet from a shelter or sanctuary usually costs significantly less. One must consider that even though adopting is usually cheaper, it still provides an economic barrier for a lot of families. Even with this economic obstacle, the reasons for adopting must be considered when speaking about the subject. It has been found that most people that choose to adopt do so from a more moral perspective as opposed to as a financial need. Many families that adopt from shelters would likely be able to afford to purchase a low end animal from a breeder of similar age and shape. It is only that the practice of buying from a breeder is seen as less ethical that turns a majority towards a sheltered adoption. It was also found that this same group of individuals found the fact that they adopted from a shelter as an aspect of their personal identity (Sinski, 1970). When citing the moral obligations involved in adoption, it was found that communities that actively supported local animal rights groups who helped educate the community and their shelters regarding proper processes and etiquette (Weiss, 2013).
Adoption Fees
The practice of charging individuals money to adopt a pet started and remains as a way for the shelter to maintain itself while also providing for the community. The fee at the local animal shelter, Second Chance Animal Sanctuary, is $140 for pets older than six months and $170 for animals younger than that. These may seem like viable prices for the services provided but to the average lower class family they are astronomical. As someone that comes from a low income home, most do not have $140 laying around to adopt a pet. The idea of waiving adoption fees for families has been discussed across the country with some moral issues at the center. Many worried that the value and treatment of potential pets would diminish if people did not have to pay for them in the first place. This theory came from the idea that the value put in would be the value given. One study, following cats that were adopted at a free adoption event found that there were no significant differences between how these cats were treated when compared to cats that were actually paid for (Weiss, 2009). Another similar study, conducted by a group from the University of Florida, followed pets adopted from a very similar event in Tampa Bay. The results came back the same with no real differences in treatment or return rates (MacArthur, 2011). The waving of adoption fees would almost certainly lead to more pet adoptions but the economic costs held by the shelters must be considered as well. It would not take long for free adoptions to catch up to the shelters and force them to go under (Lord, 2013).
The Interview Process
Second Chance Animal Sanctuary had potential pet owners fill out a non-intrusive survey before adopting just to insure a proper home for the pet in question. This has become a widely known practice in most animal shelters but it could be inherently classist thus feeding the issues faced by those hoping to adopt. Some pet shelters have been caught asking questions regarding income, housing situations, and future plans when one comes in to adopt a pet. One may argue that these questions are directly related to the process but they could be perceived as ways to disregard those that come from a lesser status. Individuals with higher incomes are undoubtedly more likely to be accepted and allowed to adopt a pet of their own while some lower income families could be left in the dust. It has already been proven that income and the use of this kind of adoption process does nothing to affect the treatment of adopted animals. Some families that have expressed interest in adopting a pet have cited these kinds of interviews as reasons that they have steered away from the proposal (Scientific Research Publishing, 2014).
Research Question: Is the pet adoption process inherently classist and is there anyway to correct it?
Method
When volunteering at the Second Chance Animal Sanctuary, you are first made to fill out a waiver that states that you are eighteen years of age and that you could be charged or held responsible for any broken items or machinery deemed to be caused by you. It also acts as acknowledgement that the shelter is not responsible for any harm that may come your way. You are allowed to volunteer from eight in the morning to nine at night as long as you are not doing court mandated service as those that are have set hours that they may come in. Only five people may be volunteering at the same time and the staff has the right to ask you to leave at any time. There is a notebook by the front desk where you can record any time that you have spent there if you need it for a scholarship or anything of the sort. Once in, you may be asked to perform many tasks which include, but are not limited to, cleaning the outside dog housing, cleaning the lobby, bathing dogs, playing with cats, and walking dogs around the facility. You are free to leave whenever you please but you are encouraged to let a staff member know once you do.
Critical Reflection and Theory
When reflecting on my volunteer work done at Second Chance, one could discuss the ideas presented by the Systems Theory that is very popular in the world of social work. The theory basically states that even basic individual struggles are resolved through a system of relationships with society and the individual’s family. The relationships here are all maintained and serve to satisfy one’s needs (Leeman). This relates as I had a need, to complete twenty hours of service to my community, and this local entity was able to provide me with a place to do so. My family would drive me there and drop me off thus showing myself leaning on my family to resolve this issue. The shelter itself can be viewed as an entity capitalizing on this theory as it relies on people to donate and volunteer to stay afloat. Without the community, and its complex relationship with the community, Second Chance would not be able to persist. This also includes the payments made when adopting an animal by community members.
As stated previously, Second Chance has some of the lower adoption fees in the nation but they still provide an economic barrier for low income families. This fact, many would argue, smells of classism. They would likely claim that these fees are necessary for the business to stay afloat and to continue offering the same services that they already provide but I would draw that into question. Hundreds of people volunteer at their location every month yet their adoption fees have not changed in years for better or for worse. Their levels of donations during the holiday season alone should provide at least a little break on their adoption price but they don’t. You would think that the fact that people choose to volunteer there at such high volumes would have some impact on their adoption fees but it doesn’t. I believe that if they were to make the correct calculations, they could potentially lower their adoption fees by twenty to thirty percent, thus allowing more lower income families to be able to adopt. This could coincide with a proposed social movement that would act to encourage more volunteerism all around. This practice could be expanded across the country and I guarantee that it would have an overwhelmingly positive outcome. Any sense of classism in our society should be eliminated, especially when it simply isn’t warranted at all. That dog you are about to adopt doesn’t care where you came from economically, only that it will be loved.
References
Leeman, D. (n.d.). Theories Used in Social Work Practice & Practice Models. Retrieved from https://socialwork.simmons.edu/theories-used-social-work-practice/
Lord, E., Widmar, N. O., & Litster, A. (2013, December 17). Economic impacts of adoption and fundraising strategies in animal shelters. Retrieved April 4, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167587713003711
MacArthur, S. (2011, June). Outcome of Pets Adopted During a Waived-Fee Adoption Event: Maddie’s Matchmaker Adoptathon. Retrieved April 4, 2020, from http://maddieslifesavingacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Free-Pet-Adoption-Analysis.pdf
Scientific Research Publishing. (2014, September 11). Do Policy Based Adoptions Increase the Care a Pet Receives? An Exploration of a Shift to Conversation Based Adoptions at One Shelter. Retrieved from https://www.scirp.org/html/14-1400269_50847.htm
Sinski, J. (1970, January 1). “A Cat-Sized Hole in My Heart”: Public Perceptions of Companion Animal Adoption in the USA. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-59572-0_6
Weiss, E. (2009). A Comparison of Attachment Levels of Adopters of Cats: Fee-Based Adoptions Versus Free Adoptions. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888700903163674
Weiss, E. (2013, June). Community Partnering as a Tool for Improving Live Release Rate in Animal Shelters in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888705.2013.803816
Appendix A
Attached is the official logo for the Second Chance Animal Sanctuary in Norman, Oklahoma as no photos were taken of myself performing my volunteer hours. This image was taken directly from their website.
