Family Furry

Michael DeCicco

Sometimes love is not enough. Animal lovers seeking to become pet owners should know that.

Renee Dumont, shelter manager for the Animal Rescue League, d.b.a.Faxon Animal Care & Adoption Center of Fall River, at 474 Durfee Street, said there’s a lot more to pet ownership than the desire to do it.

The League takes in unwanted animals and totally vets them in both senses of the word. The shelter workers clean the animals of dirt and disease, check for rabies, de-flea them, even note their emotional temperament. Only then will these new shelter tenants be available for adoptions through the Pet Finder app, the League’s Facebook page, and walk-ins.

That’s when it’s time to vet the potential adopters in the other sense of the word – as in making sure the pet and the pet owner are a good match.

Pet adoption candidates must fill out an application and the League will conduct background checks. The League will want to know who the adopter’s veterinarian is if they are already a pet owner. The League will talk to the animal control officer in the area, as well as the tax assessor if they are a homeowner, or the landlord if they are a renter.

Then the family comes in together to meet their selected pet. The animal has to get along with everyone in the family. If there’s another pet in the family, that pet should go “dog-to-dog”’ with the new one.

“We will tell them everything we know about the animal,” Dumont said. “And they must pass a meet-and-greet test.”

Here is when they get crucial answers. Will the animal get along with the family? Is it good with children? Will it chew the furniture or bite its owner?

“We can’t and we won’t put our staff or our pet owners in danger,” Dumont said emphatically.

Potential pet owners should also know there will be adoption fees, and it will not be a first-come, first served process, she said. “We adopt out based on the best fit.”

A crucial vetting question is whether a new pet owner will have the time necessary to dedicate to their new furry friend. If you work 12 hours a day, some dogs will become bored and destructive because they are not getting what they need from their owner.

“Listen to the people at the shelter,” she advised. “Some will say ‘I want a pet that’s a challenge.’ We love those people. But adopting a challenge is not for everybody.”

The League’s executive director, John Panaeses, said right now the shelter at its busiest times handles one to 200 calls a day. The shelter currently holds around 30 cats but no dogs.

That’s partly due to what its staff can handle. Prior to the COVID pandemic, there were 26 employees, including one full-time vet, one full-time customer service person, and two full-time vet techs in the clinic. Now no vets are part of the full-time staff as the clinic is closed, and there are only seven daily personnel.

Panarese added that the reason why there are so few dogs specifically is that spay and neuter programs have been so successful that there are less strays out there locally. “There are shortages of dogs in the Northeast thanks to this,” he said. “As a result, it is common for shelters and rescues to transport puppies/dogs from other parts of the country and even overseas. Potential adopting pet owners should know that some available pets have been shipped from outside of the local area.”

For that reason alone, Dumont said, it is never a good idea to adopt from an online source, sight unseen. It’s another example of how important it is to meet the animal from any shelter or adoption place or pet store in person before you take it home, she said.

The above advice is a natural outgrowth of the Fall River shelter’s goal, which Panarese said is “to take care of the health needs of its animals and work tirelessly to find a new forever home for each of them.

“Pet owners typically want the companionship of a pet,” Panases said, “and these animals become family members. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is rescuing who: the pet or the owner. But the end result is good either way.”

For more information or to donate call 508-676-1061 or visit arlfr.com.