Advice on "no kids" logo...

[Richard Crowe]

As with Doodle rescue Collective, Inc.; the American Maltese Rescue does not adopt to families with kids under a certain age living in the home. 

When we place a Maltese on petfinder, we have been selecting the "no kids" icon.  However I just realized that might be selling our rescues short.  The first thing that a person would think of when seeing the "no kids" icon displayed with a dog is that the dog snaps at kids, not that the "no kids" regulation is for the dog's protection. 

I suspect that grandparents who occasionally have their grandkids visit them, might be reluctant to adopt a dog with a "no kids" logo displayed because thay would be fearful that the dog might bite the grandkids.

I think that it would give the dogs a better chance of adoption to explain in the narrative that we do not.adopt our dogs to homes in which children below a certain age live rather than to place the "no kids" logo on petfinder.

We would still place the "no kids" logo on dogs who have a history of being unfriendly towards kids...

What do you think?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not sure I understand what you mean. Homes without children are still homes, and the "home friendly" dogs are getting homes. And if they are "looked over" by families with children, that's okay, because those families are not eligible to adopt them anyway.

Perhaps you are not familiar with Petfinder ads. The available doodle listings at the bottom of the main page are Petfinder listings. Petfinder is the largest website for rescues and shelters to post available dogs for adoption.

Richard's Maltese rescue has age restrictions, and their listings have been utilizing the Petfinder "no kids" logo. His question is if perhaps grandparents who would be eligible to adopt because they do not have children living in their homes might see the "no kids" logo and think that the dog is dangerous to kids, when in fact it simply means that the rescue will not allow the dog to go to a home with kids for the dogs' sake. The rescues do have the option not to use the logo, and  I think the responses here indicate that the rescue should stop using the logo.

[Jennett Pulley]

I didn't say ALL homes, I said *many*.  I am friends with many couple who choose not to have children but have nieces, nephews, neighbors with children, etc.  I am positive that many of them would not take a dog that is not child friendly out of fear and because it's my *opinion* to err on the side of caution.

I am very familiar with petfinder.  That's where I went for months searching for a pup before we found the breeder we chose to go with. 

I apologize to you if you took my post personally.  It certainly wasn't meant to imply that people without children are not "homes". 

Sigh.  I really think I will stick to reading this forum over posting.  I've never been on a forum where I feel so apprehensive about posting and actually have to think twice before I push that "add reply" button.  I'm going to go back to my happy place of quietness now.  :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I agree, Richard. People wanting to adopt a dog are less likely to think the dog is being protected and more likely to think the dog is aggressive without any explanations.