Looking for a new career? Here's one that dog trainers Liz Maslow and Meg Boscov dreamed up that is easily replicable: mutt matchmaker. As in pairing the potential dog owner with the perfect shelter dog. It's a great idea.
The premise is simple enough. Maslow and Boscov meet with the owners-to-be who want to adopt a shelter dog and explain their criteria: not too big, good with children, must not jump, easy to walk, etc. List in hand, Maslow and Boscov comb the local shelters and test potential dogs, using props such as a large doll to resemble a small child.
According to Mychelle Blake, a spokeswoman for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the concept is a great one. "Having a trainer go with you [to select a dog] is invaluable," she noted. "That border collie may be cute, but it's going to herd your children around, and it's going to drive you crazy because it needs mental stimulation."
An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer details the intense scrutiny with which Maslow and Boscov size up potential picks. Dogs in the running for a family with small children had to pass among other hurdles, the food test, in which the dog is touched by a fake hand on a stick--so that the trainers don't lose a real one--while eating and then has its food taken away mid-meal. The trainers check out a dog's temperament by playing with it, examining its ears, paws, tails and observing how it reacts to other people and dogs.
Some dogs are easily rattled and skittish--not a good match for a family with small children. Others are shy and retiring, also not a great fit. The trainers are relentless in their pursuit and are willing to travel distances to shelters that the adoptive family might not even consider.
So far, Mutt Match has placed six dogs within its eight month existence. They ask the adoptive family to make a $200 donation to the shelter from which their pooch is rescued. The fee also includes a training session for the adopted pet and its new family and the trainers offer a discount on future training sessions.
Sounds like a replicable model to me and one that would certainly ensure that rescued pets remain in their forever homes.
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