Sometimes, for whatever reason, an animal is returned after being adopted. Your data management system can track this return through the Adoptions feature.

Watch a helpful video!

Manage returning an animal

We recommend the following process when an animal is returned to your organization.

1. Change the status of the Animal record.
2. If your team uses the Adoptions feature, change the status of the Adoption record itself. 
3. If your team uses the Adoptions feature, consider deleting the Journal Entry stating the animal was adopted. This journal entry was automatically added when the Adoption record was completed. If you do not want this journal entry to show up on the Kennel Card report, you may want to delete this entry from the animal's record. This is an optional step to prevent confusion of potential adopters if your team uses the Kennel Card report with Journal Entries.

Why change the adoption record status instead of deleting it? 

When an animal is returned after an adoption, rather than deleting the adoption, you can keep a record of all adoptions an animal has had simply by changing the animal's status. There is no need to delete the adoption. When the animal is adopted again, the new adopter information will replace the old adopter information on the animal. If you delete the adoption, your team can lose important point-in-time information about this animal and the specifics about when your care was provided to them, 

Deleting an adoption

If you must do it, you can delete the adoption from the animal's record. From Animals > Adoptions, scroll to the adoption you want to delete and click the red "minus" symbol. However, deleting an adoption prevents you from tracking the adoptions an animal might have over time.

Change the Animal record status

Update the Status field on the Animal record to Available or another appropriate animal status:

1. Go to Animals > Animal List.
2. Scroll to the animal which was returned.
3. Click the Edit icon.
4. Use the drop-down menu to select a new status.
   
   
   
5. Click Save.
   
   
   

6. A message displays at the top of the screen stating your changes were saved.

   

Change the Adoption record status

In order for you to track the return, change the Status of the Adoption to Return by one of several methods listed below.

From the Adoptions Data Table

1. Go to Animals > Animal List.
2. Scroll to the animal which was returned.
3. Click  the Edit icon.
   
   
4. Change status to Return. 
   
5. Click Save Adoption.

This process saves the original adoption information and allows you to adopt out the animal again while tracking previous adoptions.

Using Search Site to Locate the Animal and Edit the Adoption Record

1. Enter the animal id, microchip or name in the Search Site box on the left.
2. Click Go!
   
3. Click the Name of the animal. In this example, we click Lola.
   
4. On the next screen, you see links at the top of the animal record.
5. Click the link Adoptions (1). That number indicates there is one adoption for Lola; we will be changing the status of the Adoption record from success to return.
   
6. Click the Edit icon. 
   
7. Change the status of the adoption to Return.
8. Click Save.
   
   

A message displays notifying you that the adoption was saved. The Status of the Adoption record is now Return.