“A cat-sized hole in my heart”: Public perceptions of companion animal adoption in the USA

Abstract

The companion animal adoption process differs among public shelter, non-profit all-breed shelter, non-profit all-breed rescue and non-profit breed-specific rescue organizations. While some require an application and fee, others insist on telephone interviews, vet interviews and home visits. Little research examines the difference in organizational process and its impact on the potential adopter. This chapter provides the results from a survey of respondents linked through The Bark magazine and 36 in-depth interviews. This research indicates that organizational adoption policy influences the action of potential adopters and may impact the adoption rates of sheltering organizations. While previous adopters cited economic advantage as a motivation for adopting from a sheltering organization, the current study found that adopters viewed the adoption of companion animals as an ethical or moral obligation. Furthermore, the adopters reported that the act of rescuing shelter companions was internalized and the majority reported their attitudes as central to personal identity. The chapter details examples and narratives from adopters and ties them to the potential paradigm shift from “companion animal as object” to “companion animal as subject,” tracing through to institutional policy. While many adopters and organizations indicate a paradigm shift from viewing companion animals as object to subject, the shift is not complete and problematic areas are discussed within.