Sharing the Love | Adoption Programs & Bundles

What Are Adoption Bundle Programs?

1. Astro has been working with our Brand Manufacturer Partners to design special programs to help welcome new pets (Dog, Cat, Bird, Small Animal, Horse, etc) and their pet parents to your store. These Programs reward Free Goods that will help to get your new or current customer started on the right path in caring for their new pet. And we're not talking samples here, we're talking full-size products! So far we have a nice list of takers and it keeps growing!
   
2. These items are added to Pet Adoption Programs on Astro, which will be grouped under their own section with your Offers menu.
   
3. Each Brand Manufacturer will have their own program for the Item Type (Kibble, Raw, Litter, Treat, Toy, Supplement) that they are giving away and the Species (Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Chinchilla, Gerbil, Rat, Mouse, Guinea Pig) that they are giving that item to. 
   
4. As a Retailer, you will be able to enroll in the programs that interest you.
5. When a new Pet Parent arrives at your store, you will be able to hook them up with full-size Manufacturer Sponsored Free Goods to help them get started on their pet parenting journey. And because you will most likely have at least the Food and Treats covered as Free Goods in your Pet Adoption Bundle, you can help them out with the other necessary and fun accessories like Collars, Leashes, Harnesses, Food/Water Bowls, ID Tags, Beds, Crates, Toys, etc., etc.! 
6. The best thing that we can do for these New Pet Parents is to give them the support they need to ensure their pets are happy and healthy in the years to come, and what better people to help ensure this than those in the Indy Pet Community! We believe that not only will you gain new customers for life, but you will gain a stronger bond with the members of your community by Sharing the Love.
   

Who Qualifies as a New Pet Owner, and what counts as an Adopted Pet?

When a New Pet Adoption Reward is redeemed, it will save the date the reward was redeemed on. This will be recorded as the Adoption Date. If the date the customer adopted their pet is different from today's date, then add the date of adoption to the Additional Notes. We will go over this in greater detail in the How to Redeem article. 

1. 501(c)(3) Rescue Agency
   
2. Animal Shelter
   
3. Private Party Re-home
   
4. Stray (Legal Stray Hold Fulfilled)
   
5. In-Store (Small Animal Only)

501(c)(3) Rescue Agency Adoption

 Animal rescue organization shall mean any not-for-profit organization which has tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, whose mission and practice is, in whole or in significant part, the rescue of animals and the placement of those animals in permanent homes, and which does not obtain dogs or cats from a breeder or broker for payment or compensation.

Animal Shelter Adoption

An Animal Shelter is a faculty that keeps, provides a shelter for or legally impounds stray, homeless, abandoned or unwanted animals and possessed a shelter license from their department of agriculture. An animal shelter can be county run, or private- such as the SPCA or the Humane Society. 

If a Foster Parent wants to partake in this program, the best way they can do so is by referring the person who adopts their foster pet to your store so they can redeem their New Pet Adoption Reward. If the Foster Parent becomes The Parent due to a Foster-Fail, then they can redeem the reward themselves.

Private Party Re-Home Adoption

The Private Party Re-home option was added by Astro in order to provide some guidance and leniency when it comes to special and unique circumstances so as to be more inclusive rather than exclusive. In order to best explain what is considered a Private Party Re-home we need to address what it could be, and what it is NOT. 

A Private Party Re-home could be:

1. A pet owner passes away and leaves their pet to a friend or family member. No money/payment exchanges hands.
   
2. A pet owner has to move or has issues with a landlord and can no longer keep their pet, and rather than surrendering that pet to a shelter they decide to give that pet to a friend or family member, or put that pet up for a private adoption. No money/payment exchanges hands.
   
3. In short, this could be any unfortunate circumstance that causes a pet to have to move from one home to another, the important factor being that no money/payment exchanges hands.

A Private Party Re-home is NOT:

1. A professional breeder selling a dog or cat to person.
   
2. A backyard breeder selling a dog or cat to a person.
   
3. A pet store that is functioning as a profitable business who acquires dogs or cats from a breeder and then sells those animals to a person. 

Stray (Legal Stray Hold Fulfilled) Adoption

We primarily added this option because of the "cat distribution system" - if you know, you know. 

A Stray is a dog or cat that was found by a person. Then that person fulfills all legally required attempts to find that pet's owner. Then if no owner is found within the legally required timeframe, that person can decide to keep that animal as a pet. (NOTE: If the finder brings the stray animal to their local shelter and ends up adopting that pet from the shelter, that would be considered a Shelter Adoption, not a Stray Adoption.)

Some steps that a person could take to find the original pet owner include, but are not limited to:

1. Bring the pet to a vet or shelter to be scanned for a microchip
2. Post a picture and details about that found pet to the "Found Pet" section of a page like PetFinder
   
3. Post "Found Pet" flyers in their community
   
4. Bring the pet to a shelter so the shelter can perform the legal hold 

These laws vary by state, and if a person doesn't abide by them they could be charged with theft if the animal ends up being a lost pet rather than a homeless pet, so check out this resource or contact your local shelter to learn more. 

In-Store (Small Animal Only)

Hamster, Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Chinchilla, Mouse, Rat. 

And yes, we are very familiar with the small animal 501(c)(3) rescues that exist all over the USA and Canada, several of which exist within retail locations - and of course, if a rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, chinchilla, mouse or rat is adopted from a 501(c)(3) rescue agency - whether inside of a pet store or outside of one, then that would be considered a 501(c)(3) Adoption, not an In-Store Adoption.

Dog or Cat

What if a pet owner comes into my store with a unique situation that is not outlined above?

We aim to keep 'Sharing The Love' as flexible as possible to assist you in supporting and caring for your customers and their pets according to your preferences. However, with this flexibility comes responsibility. Both Astro and our collective brand partners trust you to maintain the programs intended design by rewarding those who chose to adopt a pet in need. 

'Sharing The Love' is a charitable program provided to our members at no cost, with participating brands driven by their commitment to supporting homeless pet adoption in your community. 

While you may choose to make occasional exceptions regarding what qualifies as a New Pet Owner and an Adopted Pet at your store, any deviations from the standard guidelines are at your discretion. Just like bending any rule, you assume the associated risks. 

Please bear in mind that Astro reserves the right to restrict or limit access to this free and charitable platform if we or our brand partners, detect any misuse or exploitation. Additionally, our brand partners retail the right to withhold credit reimbursement from any retailer found to be blatantly disregarding the program's guidelines. 

The only rule that is enforced by the programming in Astro is that a New Pet Owner cannot redeem more than one New Pet Adoption Bundle for the Same Species within 365 days.

1. If a New Pet Owner adopts ( 2 ) dogs within the same year, they will only be able to receive ( 1 ) New Pet Dog Adoption Bundle at your store.
   
2. But if a New Pet Owner adopts ( 1 ) dog and ( 1 ) cat within the same year, they will be able to redeem ( 1 ) New Pet Dog Adoption Bundle and ( 1 ) New Pet Cat Adoption Bundle. 
   
3. Once a year has passed between a specific species' adoption, they will once again qualify to redeem a New Pet Adoption Bundle for that species. 
   

What is a Pet Adoption Bundle?

At my store, we used to make New Puppy and New Kitten Bundles to help new pet owners cover both the essentials and the fun stuff in one purchase. I had so much fun putting these baskets of goodies together! They used to include food and treat samples along with some toys that the customer would purchase. But now you can go one step further, and rather than just stuffing New Pet Bundles/Baskets with samples, you can include Full-Size Products! 

1. Pet Adoption Programs are categorized according to Category:
   -Kibble
   -Cans/Wet Diets
   -Freeze-Dried/Raw Diets/Dehydrated
   -Hay
   -Treats
   -Toys
   -Supplies
   -Supplement
2. Species: (Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Chinchilla, Gerbil, Rat, Mouse, Guinea Pig).
   
3. When you enroll in a Pet Adoption Program, it will tell you what Category/Species it falls under. For example, "Kibble - Dog," "Treat - Cat," "Rabbit - Supplies," and so on. 
   
4. When a New Pet Owner is eligible to redeem a Pet Adoption Reward, they will be able to choose one free good from each Category/Species combo.
   
1. For instance, if you enrolled in two different Dog Kibble Pet Adoption Programs, one for Monster Naturals and the other for Best Friend Dinners, then your customer will need to choose between the two brands, and most likely, they will need to choose a specific formula within their chosen brand. So they would end up with something like Monster Naturals Grain Free Beef rather than a bag of both Monster Naturals and Best Friend Dinners. 
   
2. If you are enrolled in a Dog Kibble, Dog Treat, and Dog Toy Program, then the customer can choose to redeem an Adoption Bundle that consists of ( 1 ) Free Dog Kibble Item, ( 1 ) Free Dog Treat Item, and ( 1 ) Free Dog Toy Item.
   
1. They also have the option to redeem for only ( 1 ) Free Dog Treat Item and ( 1 ) Free Dog Toy Item if they decide they do not want to partake in the free bag of food. 

Bounce Back Coupons

A customer will not be able to redeem both the Adoption Program and the Bounce Back Coupon in the same transaction, they are going to have to come back to your store in order to redeem the Coupon. A Bounce Back Coupon earned at your store can only be redeemed at your store. 

Example of How a Bounce Back Coupon Works

1. You have enrolled in a Monster Naturals Adoption Program for Dog Kibble at your store.
   
2. In the Description of that Adoption Program, there is mention of a Bounce Back Coupon.
   
3. You have a customer come in who tells you they adopted a new dog and need supplies. You tell them about the Adoption Bundles, and they choose the Monster Naturals Dog Kibble.
   
4. When you redeem the Adoption Bundle, you are asked to enter the customer's email address.
   
5. Once you have finished the transaction, the customer will receive an email from Astro that includes info about the Bounce Back Coupon. The customer will be told that in order to redeem this coupon, they must return to your store. 
   
6. When the customer returns to your store, and you look up their Astro Pet Owner Account, you will see their pending coupon waiting for them.
   
7. The Coupon will not become redeemable until you scan the item they are required to purchase. It works just like redeeming an MFG Sponsored Coupon. 
   
8. If the item promoted in the Coupon is part of a Frequent Buyer Program, then they will also get a new punch (purchase credit) on their Frequent Buyer card.
   
9. Now they are off and running and earning rewards at your store! Oh, happy day!
   

Still, have questions? Check out our FAQ Section Here.

Restricted Accounts will not be able to participate in the Adoption Bundles unless it is for the brand the account is restricted to. If you would like to activate your account to be able to participate in other Frequent Buyer brands and Adoption bundles, check out this article: Activating Your Astro Account

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