The placement rep job is toughest of all volunteer jobs. Foster parents have it tough, because giving up a dog they have nurtured is very emotional, even when they love the home and new owners the dog will have. The placement reps get a lot of rewards and satisfaction, but they are the ones that get all the grief. Everything goes great when a dog is placed in a good loving home and becomes a member of a family. Even better when the placement rep has a new friend and the dog becomes a new “missionary”. The placement rep is often the one that suffers when a dog “bounces”. While not always, most “bounces” are due to the shortcomings of the adoptive family and/or our ability to help solve a problem with the dog. This can cause the rep to question their judgment and the value of their participation which can overshadow the good they have done. The very worst is when a dog that you placed in a home, is killed by a car or their veterinarian. You may question if there was something you neglected to tell the family that inadvertently caused this grief? What could you have done differently to prevent this situation?
Overall, this is one of the most enjoyable, rewarding and important roles a volunteer can play for the group. Most placement reps enjoy their jobs immensely and are highly motivated to carry on their good work by their love of animals in general and greyhounds in particular.
This manual will cover the role of a placement rep in the context of how they fit our program’s goals. We’ll try and cover everything from receipt of the application to the final contact with the new family. This will include the telephone interview and questions that may be asked; the home visit and questions that need to answered, what information should be given to the prospective owners, and what to look for; we will also cover the follow-up responsibilities of the placement rep.