The Adoption Process
We do our best to keep the adoption process straight-forward and simple in an effort to get our available pets into a permanent, stable and loving home in a timely manner. You will be asked to fill out an adoption application giving All 4 Paws Rescue information about yourself, your family and your experience with pets. We will ask for your vet (if you have/had a pet) and landlord/property manager information (if applicable), along with 3 personal references. Be sure to include what you are looking for in your new pet as it helps us with the matchmaking process! It generally takes our team about 3-5 days to complete an application. This timing may vary based on how quickly and easily your references are reached and how many applications are pending at that time. Please give all of your references a heads up to help us speed things along. Our goal is to find our animals the best possible home and if multiple applications are received, All 4 Paws Rescue will make the decision as to which home would be best for that particular pet.
When an adoption does not work out, it is an unpleasant experience for the pet and the adoptive family and can make placing the returned animal more difficult in the future. For this reason, we reserve the right to refuse any adoption that we feel is not in the best interest of the animal and/or the adoptive family. A refusal is not a judgement of the applicant, but instead represents our assessment that a particular pet might not do well in the environment offered based on our years of experience arranging successful adoptions. It is our goal to make the best possible placement for every animal and adopter.
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RULES & REQUIREMENTS
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We DO require that ALL dogs and cats in your household are spayed or neutered, kept up-to-date on vaccines and that they are seen annually for a check-up.
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We do NOT require a fenced in yard unless otherwise noted for a specific pet.
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We do NOT allow our cats to be declawed before or after adopting.
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We do NOT have restrictions regarding children in an adoptive household unless otherwise noted for a specific pet.
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We do NOT SHIP animals. If you are interested in adopting one of our pets and live outside of our area, you will be required to come meet and adopt the animal in person if your application is approved.
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We do NOT hold animals.
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We do NOT adopt to anyone under 21 years old.
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ALL APPLICANTS MUST GO THROUGH OUR ENTIRE ADOPTION APPLICATION PROCESS - WE DO NOT MAKE EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.
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DOG ADOPTION FEES
Our adoption fee for dogs is $450 (plus tax)- that includes a wellness exam, all age appropriate vaccines, spay/neuter surgery, heartworm testing when age appropriate, heartworm treatment if necessary, worming, microchip and registration, flea/tick treatment, PLEASE NOTE - we do offer discounted adoption fees to families adopting more than one dog, senior dogs and dogs with special needs when possible.
Regarding our adoption fee: We are often asked, "Why do you charge "so much" for a rescue pet? Why not just place it in a "good home"?" The answer is because we need adopters who are willing to support ALL of our rescued animals, not just the one they are adopting. A young, healthy dog might cost us $250-$400 in (discounted) vet care to prepare it for adoption, and many people will want to adopt that dog. An older dog or a special needs dog or a dog with health issues can easily cost us $500-$2,000 in veterinary expenses, and it may require months of foster care to prepare such a dog for adoption. Yet for a senior dog or a special needs dog, we can only ask a minimal adoption fee, and it may be a long time until anyone comes forward to adopt it. Fees from the younger, more adoptable dogs help offset the cost of caring for the others who need us. Most of our dogs have a sad story to tell, and some have suffered through years of neglect or abuse. We hope that you are willing to help us offer a better life to ALL of our animals by supporting them through our adoption fees. Without these adoption fees, we would not be able to save the lives that we save.
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CAT ADOPTION FEES
Our adoption fees for cats and kittens is $150 (plus tax) per cat/kitten. Our cats/kittens have received all age appropriate vaccines; spay/neuter surgery, FIV/FELV testing, worming, microchip and registration, and flea/tick treatment.