Celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month With These Veterinary Practice Tips

The American Humane Society introduced Adopt a Shelter Dog Month over four decades ago. It continues to be a vital opportunity to help homeless dogs find a forever home. 

People who work with animals regularly have a responsibility to make people aware of this important October event. Your veterinary clinic can play a key role. Take advantage of the promotional tools you may already be using to reach out to your clients.

The Importance of Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

Millions of dogs end up in animal shelters throughout the year, and adoption events keep these animals at the forefront of people’s minds.

• Raising awareness: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates shelters euthanize almost 400,000 dogs a year. Events raising awareness of this situation are invaluable. 
• Impact on shelters: When animal shelters accept homeless dogs, they incur expenses for care and need space to house and exercise the dogs. Overcrowding is a common issue. Regular adoption events can eliminate some of these problems for shelters.
• Community involvement: Adoption events only work when people know about them. Veterinary practices can play a key role in alerting people to events like this. Their clients already have pets and may be willing to adopt animal shelter dogs.

These events help reduce the number of adoptable pets euthanized. The ASPCA estimates that the number of lost dogs and cats euthanized each year is now almost one-third of what it was in 2011.

How Veterinary Practices Can Support Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

Veterinary practices can have a big impact on adoption events. They have built-in lists of clients who love pets and may be willing to rescue a dog from a life on the streets. Your clinic can take a few steps to enhance the success of these events.

Hosting Adoption Events

During the month, veterinary clinics could offer to host or take part in adoption events. Specific examples of work vet clinics have done to help with adoption events include:

• Offering immediate basic health checkups and medical care for puppies at the event.
• Providing an adopting family with discounts on future services like vaccinations.
• Bringing dogs up for adoption to the veterinary clinic and introducing families to their new best friends.
• Providing advice to people looking to adopt a dog for the first time about the care required for dogs.

Promoting the Cause Online

Social media is the perfect way to celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Videos of adorable dogs waiting for adoption can motivate animal lovers to participate. Some of your clients may want to become foster parents or volunteer to help find forever homes.

As a veterinary clinic, you can promote the event to your social media followers. If you put out a monthly newsletter, promote the event there, too. Your followers and clients will see that you are willing to help with causes like shelter dog adoption. They may appreciate your actions to help the animals and community, improving brand loyalty.

Weave offers email marketing tools that you can use for your clinic. Beyond promoting an event, you can deliver tips for new dog owners. You might invite people who have adopted dogs in the past and who use your clinic. Highlight their success stories on social media and in your newsletter.

Educating Clients on the Benefits of Adoption

As a veterinary clinic, your employees are especially good sources of information. Your people know dog care and health. Provide in-person advice during the adoption event. Let employees leverage your website, social media channels, and newsletter to give tips on caring for adopted shelter dogs.

Weave’s Role in Supporting Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

Weave’s digital tools play a key role in helping you promote the event with a local shelter. Our tools simplify the process of spreading the word.

Enhancing Client Communication

Use Weave’s communications tools to promote a special adoption event. Your clients may already receive messages from you about upcoming appointments. It’s a natural extension to use these tools for promoting events. Weave’s tools to enhance communications include:

• Phone messages
• Text messages
• Email messages

Facilitating Smooth Adoptions

Use Weave’s online scheduling, payment processing, and digital forms to streamline the event. You can also use this information to bring these new pet owners from the event into your clinic. Weave’s tools help with setting up the initial consultation and ongoing care appointments.

Promoting What Matters With Weave

Weave’s tools can enhance the work of your veterinary practice. Create a more successful Adopt a Shelter Dog Month event with our tools. Weave can help you year-round with other aspects of operating your practice.

Get a demo to see how Weave can transform your practice’s communication and client engagement strategies. We help make this month a success for shelter dogs. Call (833) 572-2139 to learn more.

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