What should I expect when adopting from a rescue organization instead of a shelter?
Specific breed and all-breed rescue organizations are usually independently owned.
Often, each rescue organization is operated by 1 to 2 people, with a network of
volunteers helping in all aspects, from performing home visits to fostering and
fund raising.
There are no steadfast rules for rescue organizations; however, most follow the
same basic principles. There will always be one bad apple in the bunch who often
gives all rescue organizations a bad name. To help you decide if you are working
with a reputable rescue organization, here is a list of tips you should look for
when adopting a displaced pet and questions you should ask yourself when adopting.
- Is the rescue organization returning your calls or e-mails? They should be returning
your inquiries promptly and should be friendly.
- Do they require an application to be filled out? The application will ask questions
about yourself, your family, your residence, other pets in the home, and whether
you rent a home or apartment. If you do, does your landlord allow you to have a
pet?
- The rescue will require a home visit. This is where one of the volunteers goes to
meet you and all of your family members. They will discuss the breed you are looking
to adopt, pros and cons of that breed. They will tour your home to make sure it
is secure and safe for a pet. They will check your fence, gate, the latch on the
gate, if you have a pool and is it fenced to keep a dog out of trouble. They aren’t
there to make sure your home is spotless. Every home with pets isn’t always spotless,
but it shouldn’t be a dump either. In other words is it a safe, happy home for a
pet.
- The pets in rescue should at least have had a veterinary exam to make sure the pet
is in good shape and to note problems you should be aware of. They should be current
on their vaccinations. The rabies vaccine should be given for both cats and dogs.
For dogs, a distemper/parvo vaccine. For cats, a distemper/upper respiratory vaccine,
as well as been tested for Feline Leukemia.
- Every pet should be micro chipped prior to adoption.
- Heartworm preventative for dogs and flea/tick preventative for both dogs and cats
should have been started. They should be clean and flea/tick free.
- To let you be aware of any problems you may be dealing with, any medical issues
regarding the pet should be discussed up front. Behavioral issues should be discussed
too.
- Every pet in rescue is NOT “perfect” when first adopted. Many of the pets that come
into rescue are there due to behavioral issues or medical problems the original
owner couldn’t take care of. These pets just need a little more love and understanding
from their new owner, but there is always some work to be done with a rescued pet.
- Usually a pet is not sent to an adoption home until it has gone through an evaluation
period with the rescue. This is usually done by the foster family for that pet,
who takes them in, lets them live in their home, building a bond with the pet, learning
the dogs personality, whether it is high energy, a couch potato, scared, outgoing,
eating habits, all aspects. A good rescue will match the dog/cat to the family,
not the family to whichever dog/cat is available.
- Adoption fees are usually required by a rescue. This money is used to help defray
costs of the pet being adopted and to help others coming into rescue. The amount
of the adoption fee will vary greatly between rescues; however it should not be
of such an amount that you literally have to “ask for a loan”. The usual adoption
fees vary from $200 - $400 per pet. There are exceptions, if the pet had to have
major surgery and the rescue needs to recoup some of that cost. Some rescues charge
more for a puppy than an adult dog, because the cost of caring for a puppy is more.
Some rescues charge the same amount, no matter the age or care that was given. It
just depends.
- If you feel pressured to adopt something you are not sure of, if you are not allowed
to meet the pet prior to adoption, if you notice a pet is acting aggressively and
no one has pointed this out to you, you may want to think about working with a different
rescue organization.
This list is not a complete list; it is to be used as guidelines to help you choose
a rescue group to work with.
While these are just guidelines, we can't think of everything you should look for.
If you have a bad feeling about the organization, you should just go to another
organization.
Thank you for wanting to give a pet a second chance.
Vicki Combs
Arizona Cactus Corgi Rescue
