Adopting a New Family Member
In Search of Caring Families
The Sanctuary does not do same day adoptions. We follow a four-step adoption approach:
1. Application (Available at the end of this page) It can be emailed or mailed in.
2. Interview based on the Application to ask follow-up questions and see what questions you have about the pet.
3. Home visit by a volunteer who will point out hazards you may not see.
4. Sign a Contract and pay the adoption fee. The fee is refundable if the animal is returned within two weeks, but not after that. The contract states that the animal MUST be returned to The Sanctuary for any reason at any time if the adoption does not work out. We retain the right to refuse adoption to anyone for any reason.
Boy, that sounds harsh, doesn't it? Your first thought
is probably "who do these people think they are and how do they think
they are going to find homes with that attitude?"Well,
you have to look at the situation from our viewpoint -- or rather from
the viewpoint of our animals. The majority of them have already lost one
family. They were promised a happy, safe, forever home and they did not
get it. We use applications, interviews and home checks to try our best
to ensure that this doesn't happen again.
You might fall in love with Fluffy, but based on the information you
give us we can tell that Fluffy would have a problem in your home either
immediately or down the road. Maybe you have small kids and Fluffy is a
herding dog. Cute as he is, his instinct is going to be to round up your
kids like they were sheep. He might knock them over accidentally or push
them with his nose to move them along. If you said you wanted a quiet
dog who would sit calmly by your children, we know that Fluffy is not
going to be the dog for you. Please don't be offended. Some people think
we ask a lot of personal questions. Am I moving soon? How many children
do I have? What business is that of anyone's, right? Again, our goal is
to find our animals a happy, forever home where they won't have to worry
about getting sent back to the refuge. We really do hope that you
will fall in love with one of our animals, that your personalities and
lifestyles will match, and that you will be able to provide a happy,
forever home. We just want you to be very sure about it before
you adopt.
Adoption Application | Adoption Contract