Writing pet descriptions that appeal to adopters

Writing pet descriptions can be a bit like Goldilocks... You want them to be not too long, not too sad, but just right for your pets and audience. Online adopters generally do not read more than a few sentences, so choosing what to say is an art form! Below are some expert tips to help you write succinct, compelling pet stories to make that connection between your pets and potential adopters.

 

Guest author Joy Austin has decades of experience finding homes for hard-to-adopt pets. Joy is the director of Healing Hearts Animal Rescue, focusing on cats and dogs with special needs. Joy contacted us about an article she wrote with some excellent advice for writing online pet profiles, and allowed us to share it here with you:

 

“Before writing your hard-to-adopt pet’s profile, take a moment to pause and imagine that you are this pet’s perfect adopter. Imagine that you love everything good about this pet and that you are willing to overlook the pet’s faults. Now try to write the profile from that perspective.

First, describe everything positive. Does they have a fluffy or soft coat? Are they house-trained or litter-trained? For a dog, do they walk well on a leash? Are they comfortable with children, cats or dogs? Playful with toys?

Next, consider the animal’s challenges and ways to present them positively. For example, rather than say a dog is a “nuisance barker”, you can say that he is a “good protector who barks at strangers.” Instead of saying that a cat is “shy”, you can say, “she prefers the company of other cats to people.”

It is important to be completely clear with potential adopters about all of your pet’s good points and "bad" points before the adoption is finalized, but the focus of the pet profile should be to get the adopter excited about what a wonderful animal you have. Once they have decided how much they want your pet, they can discuss the details with you as to whether it would actually work out or not.

If your pet has a highly desirable trait such as being good with children or being snuggly, then highlight this in a visible location like the name line. Healing Hearts Animal Rescue was flooded with emails when we listed Serenity as “Serenity loves kids” and ultimately found the perfect forever home because she was listed on pet adoption websites with that headline, even though she is not fully housetrained."

Thank you Joy, for sharing these tips with us!
(The original article's website no longer exists.)