WATERVILLE — Earlier this month, two bonded Shih Tzus were brought to the Humane Society Waterville Area for adoption. The staff knew that finding a new home for them would be difficult, so four days after the dogs were on the adoption floor, they put a call out for prospective families on the shelter’s Facebook page.
The response was instantaneous.
The next day, at least three people were in the lobby jockeying for the chance to get the pair of little dogs, shelter director Lisa Smith said. People called from as far away as Blue Hill and Portland to ask whether the shelter could hold the Shih Tzus for them.
“People were almost fighting for these dogs,” Smith said.
It’s an example of the power of social media, particularly Facebook, a tool local animal shelters are turning to increasingly to find new homes for animals, connect lost pets with their owners, raise donations and stay in touch with their community.
People have responded, filling the shelters’ Facebook pages with likes, comments and shares, building a robust social media presence driven by multiple posts a day and plenty of photos and video of adoptable pets, adorable pet moments and popular animal-themed memes floating around the Internet.
Social media seems to connect with people better than other forms of outreach, said Kelsey Cler, the website and volunteer coordinator for the Franklin County Animal Shelter on Industry Road in Farmington.
“It’s so easy for people to share on Facebook. It’s more passive than searchable websites. That’s something active. This is something that might just come across your news feed,” Cler said.
The shelter has attracted about 8,500 likes, and it typically posts three or four times a day. More frequently, people are coming in looking to adopt a dog they saw on a Facebook post rather than through other sources, Cler said.
After pets have been adopted, the shelter posts updates about the pets’ new lives.
“Even coming from my own experience, I try to follow positive pages,” Cler said. “With animals, you just want feel-good stories.”
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.