Monadnock Humane Society

Finding a home for a pet varies from shelter to shelter

With countless dogs and cats surrendered each day, the staff at animal shelters have the challenge of ensuring the animals in their care are placed into loving, responsible and permanent homes.

In New Hampshire, animal shelters and rescues aren’t subject to any written guidelines dictating how potential adopters are screened because state laws only cover the upkeep of the facilities themselves.

“We only license the shelters as far as their living conditions and care of the animals,” said Cynthia Heisler, a program assistant with the state Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Industry. “But there are certain requirements: Animals available for adoption must have a health certificate.”

As for the adoption process, the criteria are mostly open to each facility’s interpretation.

“That’s all up to them and their board of directors,” Heisler said.

With emphasis on finding lifelong homes for as many pets as possible, some shelters have gotten creative when it comes to screening their potential adopters.

At the Monadnock Humane Society, which has adoption facilities in Swanzey and Peterborough, staff members have been using the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program for the past several years, with much success.

According to adoption coordinator Nicole Guetti, the shelter typically receives about five adoption applications each day and has completed more than 1,800 pet adoptions over the past year.

Each of those adoptions began with a Meet Your Match form, according to Guetti, with potential pet owners asked a variety of questions about their lifestyles, experience owning pets, age of household members, hobbies and interests, and the amount of time they spend at home on an average day.

Since the shelter began using Meet Your Match, staff members have noticed fewer animals being returned to the shelter after adoption.

“The idea is to match up a dog or cat with the best possible owner,” Guetti said. “Usually, we sit down with the interested adopter and have this conversation with them, much like during a job interview.”

Carol Armer, chief executive officer for Monadnock Humane Society, said the new process has had great results.

Upon entering the shelter, each cat or dog is assessed for its personality and behavior traits and is color-coded before being placed for adoption.

Christy's Blog: Monadnock Humane Society

Right now the Monadnock Humane Society (MHS) has too many cats and it would be nice if you could either if your giving away a cat try to find people that will take it, and if your looking to buy/ adopt a cat you should go to the Monadnock Humane Society and get your cat there instead of getting it at the pet store. You can come to MHS to adopt more than just cats. They also have dogs, bunnies, hamsters,and gerbils.

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