The virus rules make life easier for rescue pets, says sanctuary

Assisi Animal Sanctuary in Newtownards put a stop to drop-in visitors and moved much of its adoption process online to protect staff and volunteers because of the coronavirus.

But the switch has proved to be a boon for dogs and cats, who are better behaved and easier to rehome, Assisi Chief Executive Officer, Nigel Mason said.

Assisi now looks at a potential adoptees’ application, matches them with an animal they think would suit their home, and invites them to a one-on-one appointment.

Mr Mason said: “We’re starting to be able to home significant numbers of animals, while keeping staff safe – and the side effect is the dogs are less stressed.

“The proof of the pudding at the end is we’re able to rehome at least as many, possibly more, animals as we were in the past.”

The ‘bespoke’ system has also helped find homes for pets who had been overlooked before and Mr Mason added: “What we’ve found is a number of our longer term, older cats that had been here for many months – a couple of them over a year – have been rehomed successfully with this system.”

Dylan Paton, dog unit manager, said the new system had created a “more settled environment” and made the animals calmer – and therefore more rehomable.

He added: “We’re trying to do everything as remotely as possible so once we do the matchmaking, once they come up, it’s for the dog that’s potentially the match for them.

“It decreases it (the average stay at Assisi) a whole lot more and that’s the ultimate goal.

“We want to be as effective and efficient at rehoming as we can with the right homes, but keep that time as low as possible.”

Assisi Animal Sanctuary rehomes over 2,000 cats, dogs and rabbits each year. Rehoming contact form available on website https://www.assisi-ni.org/adoption-application

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