Standard Operating Procedure - Meet & Greets

This SOP will be used for new volunteers who would like to be involved in Meet and Greets (M&G/M&G’s) to get an understanding of how they can become an ‘approved volunteer’ for Meet and Greets and, one day, lead a meet and greet of their own.

Steps for Approval to Run Meet and Greets

1. Complete the Love-A-Bull Volunteer Sign Up Form which includes all necessary waivers.
2. Join the Meet and Greet Group Me https://groupme.com/join_group/65622421/evWiNxPS. This is where all Meet and Greet volunteer opportunities will be posted.
3. Attend three meet and greet opportunities to shadow. Two of the three must be multi-dog meets. Respond to any opportunity posted in the Meet & Greet GroupMe that you would like to attend!
4. Lead two multi-dog meet and greets with two different leads observing. If the opportunity to lead a multi-dog meet and greet does not present itself, you can lead a single dog meet and greet and be approved for single meets while waiting for the opportunity to lead multi-dog meets. Once you know you have attended the meets required in Step 3, respond to an opportunity posted in the Meet & Greet GroupMe that you would like to practice as a Lead!
5. After the above steps (including your 3 shadows & 2 practice meets) are completed, please complete the following form AND ask your two shadowers to provide feedback for you here to initiate the review & approval process.

1. Both leads must be comfortable with your ability to lead the meetings and to read dog body language. If they are not, they must inform you and the board with what their concerns are within 24 hours via written communication (text message/GroupMe/email). Another multi-dog meet and greet must be successfully completed with an approved lead.

**Please note, meets for your own dog(s) do not count towards your shadowing or practice meets.**

Procedure for Running Meet and Greets

Once you have volunteered to lead a meet, the Adoption Coordinator (AC) will send you a text with the following information:

• Range of dates and times (should be the same as what’s posted in the GroupMe thread).
• Potential Adopter’s (PA) name, address, phone number, and if they have any pets so that the lead can request an assist.
• Foster’s name and phone number.
• Any additional information like other pets that will need to be part of the meet and any supplies they may know the PA needs to borrow. They may include transport information if they know it.

After you have received the above information, confirm the meet date and time with the PA, assist (if needed), transport (if needed) and foster. Confirm with everyone the day before the meet. For multi-dog meets, request that the PA pickup any toys, food, etc before arrival.

Procedures for the actual meet:

1. Let the potential adopter/foster know that you have arrived via text or call.
2. Have the humans come outside and meet the dog.

For multi-dogs:

Explain to them that you will begin the meet with a parallel walk with the dogs, and that you have a can of Pet Corrector, which is compressed air, and will be used to deter any dangerous behavior between dogs if needed (we rarely use the Pet Corrector). Inform them that the dogs will not initially meet nose to nose on this walk, and should be kept at a safe distance until we feel comfortable to close the gap.

NOTE: If there is more than one resident dog, have the Adopt-A-Bull follow steps 2-4 with each separately. If that is all a success, begin step 3 with all resident dogs and continue the process!

Have them come outside with the resident dog and begin the parallel walk. Do not stand directly in front of the home and let the resident dog/family lead the way around the block. This walk is used to get excessive excited energy out. Sometimes these walks are 5 minutes, sometimes they can be closer to 10-15 minutes.

1. As the dogs settle down, have the dog in the back come in for a butt sniff of the dog in the front. The front dog should continue to move forward and should not be allowed to whip back at the rear dog. Keep leashes LOOSE!
2. Reverse directions so the foster dog is in the front and allow for the resident dog to come in for a butt sniff. Keep leashes LOOSE!

3. When the dogs are calmed down and if it looks like it is going well, move to the backyard.. Make sure to allow one dog in through the entry way at a time. The first dog should be fully cleared before the second enters. If there is no backyard, you can do an on-leash meet in an open outdoor area.. Both dogs should be on LOOSE leashes when entering the backyard. Look out for anything in the backyard that should be called out as a potential safety hazard (just as notes, not reasons to end a meet), this could be:

1. Fences that are jumpable
2. Holes in fences
3. Neighbor dogs/fence reaction
4. Toys (pick up immediately)
5. Water bowls

As the dogs get comfortable, drop the leash of whichever dog seems most calm. If both dogs are comfortable, both leashes can be dropped. If things between the two dogs are going well and progressing, ask to move into the home. Note: some dogs may want to play with each other, some may just want to sniff around the yard. Whatever the situation, make sure that each dog is seemingly relaxed and comfortable.

4. Before entering the home, first ensure that food bowls, treats and anything of high-value is picked up out of view of the dogs. Make sure to allow one dog in through the entry way at a time. The first dog should be fully cleared before the second enters. Both leashes will be held initially, and dropped one by one as the dogs get comfortable.

When in the home, let the dogs safely explore the environment while in your view, if the potential family is ok with it, drop the leashes. Allow the dog to approach the potential adopters/fosters on their own and encourage the humans to be relaxed. If there are any things in the home that may need special discussion, such as stairs, trash cans out, etc, bring those to the human's attention. When inside, keep an eye on any tight spaces (entry ways, narrow hallways, etc) that could make a dog feel trapped or cornered by the other. 

For cats: know where the cat is before entering the home. Keep the dog on a LOOSE leash and introduce them to the cat from a distance first.

6. Good signs:

1. Dog is not hyper-fixed on the cat.
2. Dog can be easily distracted from the cat.
3. Dog is indifferent to the cat.
4. Dog is interested in the cat, but remains calm.

7. Bad signs:

1. Dog cannot be distracted and is fixated on the cat.
2. Dog is growling and lunging at cat upon coming into view.

5. If everything is going well, ask the family if they’d like to proceed with starting a three day adoption trial. Remember to leave a can of pet corrector if there are resident pets in the home.

6. If a trial is agreed upon, go over the following trial rules with the family:

1. Do not introduce the dog to any other animals while on the trial.
2. Treat the dog like a flight risk. Make sure that the dog does not have the opportunity to dart out of the front/back door.
3. The dog must remain supervised at all times. When the dog is not able to have human eyes on it, it should be crated. This includes when showering, sleeping, or when leaving the home.
4. Advise them of the 3-3-3 Rule. 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn their new routine, 3 months to start to feel at home.
5. For multi-dog: Keep BOTH dogs on a drag leash for the duration of the trial and extend into the first few weeks of adoption if necessary. If you need to pull a dog away, redirect, or if the dogs get into a scuffle, you can safely intervene by grabbing the drag leash or using pet corrector spray.
6. Send this reminder graphic

1. to the PA if they agree to enter the adoption trial Adoption Trial Reminders
2. to the foster if they agree to keep the foster dog Foster Policy Reminders

7. Ask the family if they are ok taking a family photo that we will share on social media if they decide to adopt the dog. Please ask the family to contact the adoption coordinator throughout the trial for any questions or concerns. The adoption coordinator will reach out to them after the 3 day trial to check in if they’d like to make the adoption official.

8. Share the photo and the information with the Trials and Adoptions group in GroupMe, and include if any equipment was left with the family in your post. This includes: Collar, leash, crate, etc.

Meet and Greet Checklist One-Pager

Once you’ve read the SOP and done the required meets to be a lead on your own, here’s a one-pager for reference. The adoption coordinator (AC) will make a post in the GroupMe stating the dog, location, and availability of a Potential Adopter (PA). If you are available to lead please respond to their post. The AC will then give you the PA’s information for you to coordinate a specific time, requesting an assistant from LAB if necessary, and transport if necessary.