Adoption Process
Ready to Adopt?
Getting a puppy or a new dog is an exciting moment in a person's life. Dogs become part of our daily life and our family and PAWS is dedicated to helping pets stay in their forever homes.
Commitment
Getting a dog means giving them unconditional love, and fulfilling all of their needs for the rest of their lives. The basics include love, food, water and shelter - but there is so much more. What will you do with your pet when you go on vacation? Veterinary costs include your annual checkup and vaccinations, but it is likely that at some point your pet will need to see the doctor for illness or injury - some of which can be an emergency. Training is needed for all dogs regardless of age. Training is the best way to build a relationship and to learn how to communicate with your dog regardless of the distractions around you. Regular maintenance will include your toys, beds, leashes, collars, bowls, food and all other day to day items your pet will require to live comfortably. Then there will be the extras such as doggy daycare, boarding, grooming and any other things that occur every so often.
Pets are dependent on the people they live with. Adopting means you are willing to make sacrifices in your own life in order to give your pet whatever it needs for the rest of its life.
The Adoption Process
Thank you for considering adopting from PAWS for Life Foundation. Once your application for adoption reaches us, the adoption process begins. The adoption process is not too long, but we do want to make sure that our Rescues are going to great homes.
The process is not complicated but can take 7-14 days depending on how many applicants there are and the availability of help from our volunteers. We will always try to be as prompt as possible, and will keep you as up to date as we can.
Getting to Know You
After receiving your application, an Adoption Coordinator will contact you on the phone to discuss your application and understand your needs so that we can find the right PAWS pet for your environment. Because PAWS for Life Foundation rescues pets with a variety of temperaments, we handle each application individually. This means our application process can vary for each animal. Our volunteers invest a lot of time in getting to know and understand each of our pets, and we want to ensure we are making the most suitable matches possible. In some situations, an application may come in for one of our pets, but we feel we have a better suited pet for your home, or the pet you have applied on may not be one that can fit into your home environment.
Once your application has been approved, we arrange to meet with you and any other members of the family (including other pets) before proceeding with the final adoption contract.
Finding Your Best Friend
Sometimes locating the right pet for your family takes days and sometimes months. When PAWS rescues a pet, we book them into the vet for a checkup, vaccinations, and tattoo/microchip. If there are any health or temperament issues, the pet will not be available for adoption until it is healthy and temperamentally sound. We being working with the animals immediately, getting to know their personalities.
If the dog is not spayed or neutered, that must be accomplished prior to going to the new home.
Forms and Fee
Once an application has been approved and the meeting has proven successful, we move to the final step with the adoption contract. This agreement sets out our minimum standards for keeping this pet and states that if for any reason you are unable to keep this pet, the pet must be returned to PAWS for Life Foundation.
We are a non-profit organization. However, there is a minimum adoption donation that is used to fund medical bills, food, and many other necessities our Rescues have will in our care. The minimum donation for dogs/puppies is $300.00, for cats is $200.00, and for kittens is $250.00. Adoption Application Form
The Adoption Agreement
The application is available in Adobe Acrobat format. If you do not currently have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC, you may download a free copy by clicking on the logo Get Adobe Reader