What I learned about dog adoption in 5 years.

I get this question a lot, “How do I find a home for this puppy I rescued?” It’s a difficult task, but there are a few tricks I have picked…

I get this question a lot, “How do I find a home for this puppy I rescued?” It’s a difficult task, but there are a few tricks I have picked up over the years, and I am sharing them with you today:

Take high-quality photos of the doggo.

You will need clear, well lit, and in-focus pictures of the dog. You should get several kinds of pictures (a shot of the dog looking at the camera, of them interacting with a human, of them playing with other dogs, with a bow in their hair, etc). People should feel like they get to know the dog’s personality!

(Fancy camera not required! Just a steady hand, some patience, and creativity!)

Good:

Shot outdoors, in focus, puppy is looking forward
In focus, eye catching, puppy is interacting with a person

Bad:

Puppy isn’t looking at the camera, bad background
Puppy is out of focus, bad lighting, not looking at the camera

The second two pictures aren’t taken by bad photographers…they just needed to set up their shot! Be patient, it takes time to get the “right image”. Just keep clicking!

Ask your circle one-on-one to share the dogs pictures with information.

Give them something they can copy-paste to facebook, messenger, or email with the high quality photos. You want to make it easy to share! Be sure to include:

  1. Name
  2. Age
  3. Gender
  4. Background and Personality of the dog
  5. Your contact information (preferably phone and email both)
  6. Location of the dog

Send it to as many as possible, but make sure you are not spamming (as in, personalize the message a little). No one likes a spammer.

Cross-post on adoption groups.

These groups can help you spread the dogs picture outside of your circle. Location-specific groups are great, because people are most likely to adopt from their own area. Here are some groups to join for all-India:

  1. Adopt a Pet
  2. Adopt Rescue Love
  3. Adopt a Homeless Animal
  4. Indian Animal Forum

You can ask animal rescue pages to cross-post as well — and some of them might do it— but keep in mind these organizations usually have MANY dogs they are trying to place already, and cannot prioritize yours. The main thing to remember is to be polite, and be gracious if they say no.

Put up adoption posters in your local area.

Sometimes it’s love at first sight! People might just love those puppy eyes and decide to come meet your dog. Make sure to include all of the information listed above ^ .

Take your dog to local adoption events.

Not every city has them, but the major ones do! You can ask in adoption groups like the ones listed above if they know of any adoption events. Make sure that you ASK FIRST before taking your dog there! Not every event is open to individuals bringing dogs for adoption, so you must confirm that you are allowed to before you show up.


That’s it! The key to the whole process is persistence. Don’t give up if you haven’t found a home with one post! Explore all your options and keep asking people you know for help.

Do you have any tips or tricks to add? Let us know in a comment!