Report on IFA Meeting, 4/18/18

We had our first ever Work Group meeting yesterday, for the IFA (Intake/Foster/Adoption) group, and IMHO it went quite well.  Eight people showed up, and we had a good discussion about what dogs to accept, where to accept them from, and what criteria to use to decide which dogs to take.  We also talked about how we’d like to handle fosters and adoptions.  I thought I should share some of the decisions the Group made, since they will affect everyone.

  • For now, we will take dogs from shelters and rescues
    • Our mission is to make a home for dogs who can’t find one elsewhere. If they can get adopted quickly from a shelter, that is the best outcome for them.  If not, we will take them.
    • Shelter dogs have already received preliminary medical care, which can be expensive
  • We will NOT accept owner surrenders
  • We will accept dogs from anywhere in the KC area
  • The dogs we take must get along well with other dogs
    • Our dogs will be free to move about the house as they wish. That is only possible if they can live peacefully with the other dogs.
  • Factors that will determine which dogs we take are:
    • age
    • disposition
    • duration of stay in the shelter
    • medical condition
    • residence in a kill shelter
    • Adoptability is NOT a factor.
  • Decisions on which dogs to take will be made by an appointed committee, with members from IFA, Management, and Dog Care
  • We want to actively promote Foster and Adoption, to help as many dogs as possible. But it is not our overriding goal.
  • We will require home visits for both Foster and Adoption applicants.
  • We will require Meet & Greets for both Foster and Adoption applicants.
  • Foster and Adoption visits will be by appointment only.

We discussed a number of other related issues as well, but those are the main points.

Our next meeting will focus on creating the various forms we will need:  to gather information on prospective dogs, applications for foster and adoption, and so on.  It is tentatively scheduled for May 16.

Thanks to those who showed up, and to Gina Carnahan for taking notes.