Adoption Radius
We have noticed there are some pretty strong and/or negative opinions regarding our 40 mile radius for adoptions. While it disheartens us to hear such negativity, we think this is a great opportunity to share with everyone as to why we have this policy.
We want to start off by simply stating this is our – Adore-A-Bull Rescue’s – policy, and if you do not agree, we respect your opinion and encourage you to rescue from a shelter local to you, or seek other rescues for your next family member. There are many animals in need all over the US where you have the opportunity to save a life regardless of your location. However, because we are an organization run on 100% volunteer time, we do have to place some guidelines as to where we spend our time in the most valuable way; this is just a fact. We would like to be clear that our policies and procedures are always put in place with our dogs as our first and foremost consideration. Based on our years of successful and failed adoptions, working closely with shelters, trainers, and the public, we have gained some very good experience in determining what our dogs and organization needs to survive and continue our work.
One of the parameters we have had to set for our adoption application protocol is a reasonable distance we can travel to facilitate an adoption. With a group of 4-6 adoption coordinators working together we have collectively determined that a 40 mile radius is a good range for our volunteers to travel. And of course the expense (gas and wear and tear of vehicles) of said travel is generously donated by our volunteers. So when deciding on our distance, we consider our volunteer commitment and expectations and feel that this is a very reasonable distance for all who dedicate their time and energies to finding homes for our dogs.
A little insight into our process: one adoption typically requires a minimum of 2 and upwards of 4 home-visits. For a single volunteer, they may drive the 40 mile radius up to 2-4 round trips for a total of 160-320 miles, and around 2 ½-5 ½ hours of travel time alone for one adoption. In addition, a typical adoption coordinator will be working on anywhere from 3-6 adoptions at any given time. We know that some may find that even conducting 2-4 home visits and meet and greets, in order to find the right fit for our dogs and future adopters, overkill. But it is of the utmost importance that we are thorough in our work and approval process since we are adopting pit bulls which require us to go above and beyond. In addition, we are very proud of the training to which we require our adoption coordinators to commit. And they do it with a smile, but this, too, takes time and a lot of work. So when deciding on our distance, we consider the time it takes in evaluating and finding homes that are the right match for our dogs.
Many of our critics express frustration because they or someone they know could provide a “good” home for a dog but live outside of our radius. However, it is our firm belief in order to achieve a well-balanced happy home for a pit bull, it requires more commitment than most understand and goes beyond just being a good home. A truly happy and balanced home for our dogs require love, exceptional health care, understanding of the breed, willingness to create structure, and an appropriate environment for a pit bull to succeed. Because of the nature of the dog we rescue, we must be a constant resource for our adopters to help provide training guidance, answer questions that may arise, function as a supportive group post-adoption, and facilitate the best transition of our dogs into their new homes. Simply put, we need to have the ability to have hands-on access with our adopters in order to ensure forever placement of our dogs. We can do this by adhering to the protocol we have established, which was developed after several years of experience. So when deciding on our distance, we consider how we can provide life-long assistance for our dogs since Adore-A-Bull commits to them for their entire life.
The work we do at AABR has been well thought out and developed through trial and error, sweat and tears, and reflection and growth as a group. While we believe in respectful disagreement, we do not apologize for our guidelines, protocols, and procedures. Adore-A-Bull Rescue is rooted in our mission to make a difference for the pit bull, save lives, and build happy loving homes with a pittie in them. Everything we do is based on our mission and we can solidly stand behind that.
Our mission to save pit bulls begins with rescue of the neglected, abused, and misunderstood. Through our caring fosters we nurture and rehabilitate. Through our voice we educate and change minds. Through our work we match companions to families. Our mission will never end.
