Frequently Asked Questions

How do I contact your organization?

Please visit our Contact Us page

Phone: 610-731-1086

How do I adopt one of your animals?

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. You will need to provide a vet reference and multiple personal references. 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.

Our adoption application can be found at the Adopt page.

Once approved, we will be in touch via email to set up an appointment for you to meet and hopefully adopt your new furry family member. Please note, we cannot guarantee the availability of a specific animal during your application process.

I am already approved from All 4 Paws (or adopted previously from All 4 Paws), how do I go about adopting a dog you just posted?

If you have been approved to adopt from All 4 Paws within the last year, please respond to your approval email. If it has been longer than a year, you will need to fill out the previous adopter application on our website.

Where is your shelter located?

We are a foster based rescue with no physical shelter or kennel. Our animals are housed in volunteer foster homes. All of our adoptions take place at our main office in Malvern, PA.

Where can I visit the dogs if there is no shelter?

We hold Meet & Greet events almost every week where several of our animals are available for you to meet and interact with. The schedule and locations for these events can be found on our Events page.

If you are interested in one specific animal, once your adoption application is approved, we will set up an appointment for you to meet/adopt at our office in Malvern.

What kind of opportunities are there for me to volunteer?

We need help with everything from manning Meet and Greet Events, transporting animals, processing adoption applications, helping fund-raise, event planning, selling merchandise, and much more!

If interested in volunteering fill out an application on our Volunteers page.

What do you expect of your fosters?

When you open your home to a foster animal, you are literally helping to save a life! All 4 Paws Rescue will cover all rescue fees and veterinary care for your foster pet, and can provide you with any supplies you might need. As a foster home, you are responsible for the daily needs of the pet (food, water, lots of love and attention). You will need to be able to transport the animal to/from any vet appointments and adoption appointments, and should be available to attend some of our Meet & Greet events in order to exponentially increase the likelihood for a speedy adoption.

If interested in fostering with us please fill out an application on our Fosters page.

I can’t adopt the pet I want for a week or two, can you hold him/her for me?

Unfortunately, no. Holding an animal in a foster home would mean we'd have less space available for animals that are in life or death situations and need our help. If you are interested in a specific animal that is ready for adoption, you must be prepared to adopt right away.

I love that dog but I live across the country, can you ship him/her to us?

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.

I am interested in adopting a dog from you but I am under 21, can I fill out the
application?

We do NOT adopt to anyone under 21 years old. If you are under 21 and currently live with your parents, your parents would need to submit an adoption application themselves.

What is your fee to adopt a dog/puppy and what does it cover?

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 and 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.

Why do you charge “so much” for a rescue pet? Why not just place him/her 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.

What is your fee to adopt a cat and what does it cover?

Our adoption fees for cats and kittens is $150 (plus tax). Our cats/kittens have received all age appropriate vaccines; spay/neuter surgery, FIV/FELV testing, worming, microchip and registration and flea/tick treatment.

Why do you spay/neuter puppies/kittens so young? Is that healthy?

Obviously, pet overpopulation is a tremendous problem! With so many dogs/cats not being spayed/neutered, we see countless “unwanted” litters and stray animals being turned into shelters. In an effort to prevent further pet overpopulation problems, it's become a common practice to spay/neuter animals as young as safely possible. Although dogs/cats have traditionally been altered at six months, many veterinarians now practice early-age or juvenile spay/neuter surgery, which they perform as young as six to eight weeks. Doctors who practice this technique report that the surgery is significantly easier and quicker to perform; owners who have had pediatric spay/neuter performed on their pets report fewer medical problems than those who have older pets altered; and spaying or neutering homeless animals before adopting them out remains the best way to prevent unwanted births.

I am not in the position to adopt a dog at this time but would still like to help out. What options are available?

Obviously, the rescue fees, transport fees, vet expenses and daily care for our rescued animals adds up. A small amount can truly go a long way for our pets. If a particular pet catches your eye, consider sponsoring their adoption fee as a way to help them find their forever home!

For more information please visit the Support page.

We also have a continually growing wish list through amazon of items we are in need of: Amazon Wish List

Is my donation tax deductible?

Your donation may be tax deductible, please contact your local tax authority to confirm. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

I am no longer able to keep my pet, do you take in owner surrenders?

While the majority of our animals come from shelters and commercial breeding facilities, we try to help private owners when we have the space and capacity to do so. If you are looking to surrender a pet, please visit our Owner Surrender Form to submit information on the pet. PLEASE NOTE - we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate your pet. Submitting a request does not in any way mean that your pet will be accepted into All 4 Paws Rescue. Your surrender request will be reviewed and if there is any way we can help, we will let you know as soon as possible.