Response from HSUS Re: New dog reality show
Crosposted Response from HSUS
** PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST **
Information about the Animal Planet show, "Who Gets the Dog,"
"we talk openly with Animal Planet about the fact that their
primary mission is to entertain, which can sometimes be in conflict
with advocacy or education."
.......
Hi. I wanted to provide some information about the Animal Planet
show,"Who Gets the Dog," that might be helpful and which, I hope,
will allay some of the concerns about the show. (Forgive this for
being kinda long, but I really want to give you as much info as I
can.)
The HSUS has worked closely with Animal Planet and with their
production company on the concept for the show, and on the pilot
episode. After reviewing the pilot, we're working with them on the
series. I, and my co-workers here, have all worked at shelters, so we
can appreciate concerns about stress on the dogs and the sincerity of
the applicants.
Please let me tell you what we all have put in place to make this the
best possible experience for all concerned. We helped develop an
application questionnaire for potential adopters that was modeled on
several very good shelter pre-adoption screening applications. We
provided Animal Planet and the production company with guidelines on
red flags that should be considered on initial interviews, but staff
at The HSUS review each and every application for milies/individuals
being considered for the show.
If we have questions, the people are reinterviewed and we're given
the updated information. So far, only a couple of the potential
adopters that made it as far as our review have been rejected by us,
so the production company is doing a good job of pre-screening
applicants and doing home visits. (It might be good to note that many
of the applicants are previous shelter adopters, or are already
looking at shelter/rescue dogs to adopt.)
Similarly, we provided Animal Planet and the production company with
guidelines on dog selection, and we also review each dog selected,
not just on his/her own merits, but also in the context of the
families who are being considered for that particular dog. The same
stuff a shelter/rescue group would do--for example, if there are kids
in the family, is this particular dog appropriate for the age,
activity level, etc.
A really critical part of selecting a dog who will be on the show is
for the shelter or rescue group to select a dog who will NOT be
unduly stressed by commotion, meeting a lot of people, having cameras
around, etc. The dog who was selected for the pilot (and that's the
only completed show I've seen so far)was a happy-go-lucky guy who
thought the whole process was one big play date.
I know from working at the shelter, when I would take dogs to appear
on tv, that there are dogs you can be pretty sure will react
positively to the whole event. It's the same with every shelter who
takes adoptable animals to events or adoption days--you don't take
the dog who's stressed everytime someone new walks by.
We trust the shelters/rescue groups to know their animals. The dogs
also stay with a foster person during the process so there's
continuity for the dog. If the right dog is selected, we don't think
he/she will be stressed from hanging out with a couple of different
families over a couple of days. The key is to have a confident,
friendly, easy-going dog.
And one of the most important things in the concept of the show is
that certain people make a connection with certain animals. That's
one of the things you could see clearly in the pilot show--the dog
really bonded with one over another. And that's what the panel of
experts is looking for--does the DOG have a preference for one of the
families. Because that's a big part of the decision. I should say
that the experts were also all approved by The HSUS, and we checked
with local groups as well, and include a trainer, vet (who works
with a local rescue groups as well), and a person who has worked with
a number of groups, knows dogs, and knows about adoptions.
I've said this before and I'll say it again--we talk openly with
Animal Planet about the fact that their primary mission is to
entertain, which can sometimes be in conflict with advocacy or
education. But we hope our involvement, and the involvement of a
broad
spectrum of shelters/rescue groups (all of whom, as you've pointed
out, have a choice about whether to participate) will help make this
a show that promotes the concept of adoption and carries important
messages about shelters/rescue groups.
When you consider that fewer than 20% of owned pets are adopted, it's
clearly important to bring a higher profile to the benefits of
adopting from a shelter/rescue group. If Who Gets The Dog makes it
trendy to go to a shelter instead of a pet store, we should all heave
a sigh of relief!
Through meeting the potential adopters and dogs, there will also be
opportunities in the show to discuss exactly the kinds of things you
suggest--why one family might make a better home for the particular
dog than another, the needs of the dog, etc. So...I hope this helps,
but if you have other questions or concerns, please feel free to
email me.
You may post this to any lists you're on if you think it's helpful,
and anyone can email me. Thanks for the opportunity to respond.
Kathy Bauch
Senior Director, Promotions and Advertising
The Humane Society of the United States
301-258-3060
fax 301-258-3074
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