I hate using the word “Marketing” when we are talking about our special canine companions. They are not products, houses or cars for re-sale. But for the lack of a better word, let me just use “Marketing” here. I want to talk about how to expose our foster dogs to their potential adopters and get their initial attention in order to get their initial inquires. Once we get their “foot in the door”, we can do our magic to “sell” our dogs and filter the applicants in order to find the best possible match. It is kind of like job interviews. But isn’t getting the first interview the hardest part in scoring the permanent job? Same goes for the foster dogs.
I get this a lot. “You always foster beautiful dogs” First of all, beauty is subjective. I think my own Border Collie is THE most beautiful creature in the whole entire Universe, even with the grey on her face. But it doesn’t mean her look is what others prefer. I love pointy ears, but you might think airplane ears are the coolest. Many people choose dogs based only on the personalities. Some people with the biggest hearts choose dogs because nobody want them. All my fosters have different looks and different personalities. One thing I know is that I make sure people see the best in them through photographs, journals and most importantly on videos. I like to record everything on videos and photos and use them to “market” my foster dogs. You will always find me with a recorder when dogs are around.
Dog adoption is not just about picking a dog in person from a local shelter anymore. With online networking, out-of-state adoptions are more common than it used to be. You can find your dream dog on Petfinder.com and on Adoptapet.com. Many of my adopters found my fosters on facebook. Because of the distance, people will look for dogs with more detailed bio and good photos that show their personalities. If I ever find a dog for me in another state, I would not make the drive to meet him until I see a few videos. I know my videos and journals had really helped my previous adopters making the decisions. Most of them never met my fosters until they finalize the adoption. I always include positives and negatives in my journals so that the adopters know what kind of dog they are getting. My #1 objective is to find a permanent family that is aware of the good & bad but is willing to work through their issues. We should know that no dog will ever be perfect but unfortunately there are still some people who expect way too much from dogs. It is our job to educate, inform and help the adopters making the right choices…kick the ones who deserve a stuffed animal instead.
Take a look at some of the photos below. All are my previous fosters. I usually delete bad pictures but I found some I could use for the comparisons. You don’t need to have an expensive camera. Some are taken by a cheap snap camera.
Here are some pointers.
- Before taking the photos, work with your dog so that he knows short sit-stay. If not, have someone hold the leash or tether your dog.
- If your foster is camera shy, do some targeting exercises. You might also want to hold the camera on a tri-pod or against your chest.
- Find the noises he responds to. If he has pointy ears, showing alert ears on the photos is a big plus. Pointy ear lovers REALLY love to see the alert look. I know this, because I’m one of them. Even floppy eared dogs can have the alert look when they lift the base of the ears. You can whistle, meow, click with your mouth etc to get the alert look. Some dogs will even tilt their heads. Who doesn’t love a tilted head?
- To get the body shot, sprinkle some kibbles on the grass. This way he will not keep following you.
- Use the photos that showcase the dog’s personality. If the dog is high energy, use action photos. If the dog is a therapy dog potential, include some legs of children in the photo.
- Play with him for a short period of time prior to photographing. As you can see below, dogs look much happier when their tongues are sticking out.
- Get at least a head shot, full body shot, action shot and a shot with other dogs. People unconsciously notice the friendliness when they see a dog with other animals.
- NO iPhone photos. NO blurry photos. NO evil glowing eyes. Take the photos outside with enough light. Don’t use flash.
- If you can, show before and after (or in progress). People will see the progress the dog made while he was in foster care. It will reassure the adopters and encourage them to continue working with whatever issues the dog is having – health, behaviors, or training.
Which dog would you be more drawn to?
The relaxed open mouth and eyes make him look happier and friendlier.
If the dog has cool ears, show them off. 
Again, ears, mouth and eyes make huge differences.
Better angle, ears, eyes. Show off his unique coat and eyes.
“Action” photo. In this case, right photo is showing that she can be a lap dog.
He looks worried on the left because there is no reflection on the eyes and his neck is stiff. On the right, He’s showing off his fun side. Even though it was not the best photo, I chose this for his bio photo because of his smile.
Tapioca’s adoption video:
Bordernerd 