Dog Orphans | Adoption Process

Dog Orphans Inc | Humane Shelter | Douglas, MA

Adoption Process

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 a dog is a more involved process than you expected, or that it means you can’t have immediate access to a dog that you are interested in.

Therefore, it’s important to understand two things:

The process is the same for everyone;
It’s not our intent to frustrate you.

Rather, everything we do is for the best interest of the dogs in our care, and is aimed at giving them the best possible chance of finding a permanent home.

STEPS TOWARD ADOPTION

Here are the steps you’ll go through in the dog adoption process:

After you have viewed the dogs in our kennel and have selected one for adoption, we will introduce the dog to your family to determine if the pet is suitable for your family.
Once you have selected a dog for adoption. we will ask you to complete our adoption application. This process is done to determine the best homes for our dogs. At this time, you may ask our staff any questions you may have concerning the dog of your choice including: spaying/neutering, feeding, exercise requirements, housetraining, obedience training, veterinary care and any other questions.
You will then go home and review the cover sheet of the application we give you and make the important decision to go forward or not with adoption. We will await your call after 24 hours with your decision. We ask you to please leave a voice mail if no one is able to answer and we will return your call within 24 hours.
Next, Dog Orphans will review your application. It takes 2-4 days to review your application. We will contact your vet (if you have or have recently had a pet) and also speak to your landlord if you rent. We reserve the right to accept or reject any application without detailed explanation. Should we consider your application, Dog Orphans may request a home visit.

There are NO same-day adoptions. While you may want to give a dog as a gift and have it be a surprise for your children or loved one, please understand that the decision to adopt a dog should not be taken lightly. Everyone living in the household must meet the dog before we make a decision. It is not fair to the dog to have the attitude “Well, if he doesn’t fit, we’ll just bring him back.” That is really traumatizing to the dog and causes them unnecessary stress. Choosing the right dog for your family will be rewarding for years to come.

Let Us Repeat... We don’t ever mean to be frustrating or evasive with you. We want you to understand that it’s stressful and upsetting— in fact, downright devastating — for the animals, for our staff, and most importantly for you when adoptions don’t work out and dogs have to come back to us. A bad adoption experience can sour some people on the shelter — or dogs — for life. So try to bear with us, be patient and understand that going through the process the way we do really is the best policy for all of us.

ADOPTION FEES

If your application is approved, you will be asked to sign an adoption contract and pay an adoption fee. This fee covers de-worming, vaccinations, medical testing, possible spaying and neutering, and any other care your pet has received at the shelter.

THANK YOU!

Please feel free to email us at Info@DogOrphans.com with any further questions.

A non-profit, no-kill shelter dedicated to saving dogs from pain and suffering.

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