PLEASE take a few moments to read the following explanation of our adoption policies and the steps that make up the process. You may be surprised to find that adopting an animal is a more involved process than you expected, or that it means you can’t have immediate access to an animal you are interested in. Therefore, it’s important to understand two things: 1) the process is the same for every-one, and 2) it’s not our intent to frustrate you. Rather, everything we do is for the best interests of the animals in our care, and is aimed at giving them the best possible chance of finding a permanent home. Our website is not meant to be viewed as a catalog. Yes, you may like the look of a particular dog, but that does not necessarily mean that the dog’s personality is a match for your family or lifestyle. Our adoption success rate is quite high and we are quite proud of our program and its standards. This is because our main concern is finding happy endings for the dogs in our program. HERE ARE THE STEPS YOU’LL GO THROUGH IN THE ADOPTION PROCESS: Before you can adopt any animal, we ask you to complete an adoption application. Our process includes asking questions, asking to see proof of identity and, frequently, asking for veterinary references, particularly when you have other animals at home. This is simply to protect the health of adoption candidates and the pets you already have. Once all the application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by one of our volunteers. We will contact you to clarify any questions we may have and assist in setting up an appointment at a volunteer’s home or be invited to an adoption event where a knowledgeable member of our volunteer staff will be available to answer questions about behavior, training, veterinary care, how to deal with introductions to current pets, and anything else you can think of. You will be asked to sign an adoption contract and pay an adoption fee. This fee covers spaying or neutering (if old enough), veterinary care, deworming, vaccines, food, and other items your pet has received while in our care. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot hold animals for anyone. Unfortunately, because of the tremendous demands on our foster homes, all adoptions must be done on a first-come, first-served basis, and the first good, properly-qualified prospective home will get the pet. LET US REPEAT: We don’t ever mean to be frustrating to or evasive with you. We want you to understand that it’s stressful and upsetting-in fact, downright devastating – for the animals, for our volunteers, and most importantly, for you when adoptions don’t work out and pets have to come back to us. And a bad adoption experience can sour some people on shelter animals — for life. So try to bear with us and be patient. Understand that going through the process the way we do really is the best policy – for all of us.