Writing your foster dog's bio and getting good pictures

Getting your foster ready for adoption!

Now its time to get your dog adopted. The more you put in the faster you dog will find their perfect family!

Right around day 7 is when your foster dog will go live and active online. Here we have tips on things you can do to get them adopted, how to write their bio and some great tips for photographing your foster dog! 

Tag us when your post your dog on social media @pipsrescue 

This is also the time to notify us if you are going to “foster fail (adopt your foster dog ) or have friends or family that want to adopt.

Once you have their bio and pictures, email the foster team packleader@pipsrescue.org

Photography:

• Go someplace with good lighting

• Get treats and squeaky toys to get their attention

• Put them on something so they don't run away (safely please)

• Get some good head shots, full body shots and interactive shots (playing, sleeping, walking etc)

• Need some more tips, check out these from our good friends at Five Freedoms Photography

• Tips For Choosing The Best Light For Rescue Photography https://www.fivefreedomsphotography.com/blog/lighting-tips-for-rescue-photography

• Avoid These Mistakes When Working With Dogs For A Photoshoot  https://www.fivefreedomsphotography.com/blog/avoid-these-common-mistakes-when-photographing-dogs

• 10 Simple Tips To Improve Your Pet Photography Today https://www.fivefreedomsphotography.com/blog/10-simple-tips-to-improve-your-pet-photography

• Tips For Photographing Blind / Deaf Dogs As A Pet Photographer https://www.fivefreedomsphotography.com/blog/tips-for-photographing-blind-deaf-dogs

WRITING YOUR FOSTER DOG’S BIO!

Need even more help, check out this AI to help write your bio: https://chat.openai.com/

Make a Connection: We need to engage by highlighting why this pet will make a great addition to their life. An easy way to make readers feel connected: picture the ideal owner for a pet and write about them! “Would be a great companion for someone who _______” (Loves to stay active, enjoys a cozy night with a good book, likes to stick to a routine). Or, “if you enjoy ______, you’ll love Charlie!”

Highlight the Positive: An animal’s health or behavioral issues should never be the main focus of their bio. Our goal is to draw in the right adopters by describing their best qualities, what kind of home they will thrive in, and what kind of adopters will connect best with them. A frank and detailed conversation about their needs and limits will take place with staff during the adoption process: our job is to get them in the door! A good rule of thumb: every bio should list twice as many positives as negatives.

Pay Attention to Tone and Language: The tone we use in a bio can make or break the interest an animal receives. Focusing on an animal’s positive traits doesn’t mean skipping over their issues entirely, but it does mean choosing your words very carefully when addressing them. When writing about a restriction or requirement, try to sound warm, playful, and encouraging toward the reader – people should smile when they read it! – otherwise, while trying to ward off unqualified applicants, you might scare away a qualified one by sounding unfriendly or unnecessarily intimidating. 

Remember: there’s no such thing as too many positive adjectives!

Smart • Laid Back • Confident • Outgoing • Social • Curious • Loving • Friendly • Affectionate  Gentle • Happy • Chatty • Goofy • Athletic • Scamp • Knucklehead • Handsome • Fun-Loving Spunky • Beautiful • Volunteer Favorite • Good Listener • Social Butterfly 

Negative words to avoid entirely:

Hates • Dislikes • Won’t • Can’t • Doesn’t • Shouldn’t • Fearful • Defensive • Scared • Standoffish • Pushy • Aggressive

Instead, convey the same message using positive words! See next page for examples and must-haves!

“Won’t be a good fit with other animals” -–> “will thrive in a home where he can shine as an only pet”

“Shouldn’t/can’t live with small kids —–> “can join a home with adults or older teens”

“Isn’t good with small dogs” —–> “does best with dogs his size or larger”

“Doesn’t like to be left alone” —-> “is happiest when he’s with his people”

*Be careful with “needs” and “should”: these words may not be negative, but repeatedly saying what an adopter “should do” or what an animal “needs to have”, can come off as bossy and make an animal sound high maintenance.

BASIC OUTLINE / MUST-HAVES!

1. A positive and engaging introductory statement about the animal to draw people in, even if it’s a generic one. Think of it as their “headline” (“This social boy is fabulous,” “Gorgeous Lily would love to be your new friend!”).

2. At least 2 more positive descriptions to draw adopters in, help them feel a connection to the pet, and learn about their personality. Are they playful or a couch potato? Do they have a favorite toy or an endearing habit? Imagine the ideal adopter or home for an animal and describe it.

• Some basic questions to answer: How does this pet show affection and connect with people? What seems to make them happy/excited? What’s something cute or endearing about them that makes you smile? What would their ideal day consist of?

• Remember to include commands or tricks that they know. If we feel confident that they’re housebroken, now is the time to brag about it (if we don’t know or if they’re still working on it, don’t mention it - or you can put stuff like "almost" and so close to being…

3. For our Pip-Abled add a brief description of what makes them special / Pip-Abled. "Charlie has _____, which just means he’ll need ______ (a special diet, a daily medication, some extra monitoring at the vet, etc.) Avoid overly technical language and be brief (ideally no more than two sentences total). This is not the time to go over an animal’s entire medical history and treatment!

4. A brief description of special behavior or training needs that adopters should be aware of. Are they still learning important training basics or working on socialization? Will they need a lot of play or exercise? Do they need a more experienced dog owner? Encouraging, casual language is critical for this section! Remember to stay positive and avoid those negative terms! EX: "this bouncy guy will flourish with an experienced owner who can give him structure”, “this friendly boy is working on his manners,” “this wonderful girl will be happiest as the only pet!”, “he’d love to continue working on his training with you!".

5. Whether they get along with/can live with kids and other animals. Remember to talk about the kind of home they can join, rather than the type of home they can’t join!

• “No kids” makes a dog sound like it eats kids for breakfast; even people who don’t have kids of their own won’t want a pet that sounds like it will hurt a child. Mention why this restriction exists without making it sound like one: “he’ll be happiest in a home with adults who can be sensitive to his age” or “he can join a home with kids over 12 who have experience with big goofy dogs.”

• For animals with a lot of restrictions (no other animals, no kids), try to work as many of them as possible into one sentence to keep it from feeling like a list of issues. Instead of “He is not a good candidate for a home with children. He is dominant with other dogs and chases cats, so he needs to be the only pet,” try, “He’ll do best in an adult home where he can shine as the only pet.”

• If they get along with other dogs, pets, and kids - TALK THAT UP!

6. End with a positive closing statement with a call to action. As with our opening statement, this can be generic:

• “He can’t wait to meet you, so fill out an application today!” “Come and meet this wonderful girl: we know you’ll fall in love!”

7. Use PIPs language!

• Fosters: PIP’s Pack Leaders #pipspackleader

• Volunteers: PIP’s Rescue Ninjas #pipsrescueninja

• Parents of PIPs: PIP’s Alum #pipsalumn

• Adult Dogs: Pip’s Squad #pipsquad

• Pups: PipSqueaks #pipsqueak