adopting??

[sooby707]

i would really like to adopt a puppy from my community shelter but im not sure how to. what do you exactly have to do? im lost thanx sooby707!!

[Karen]

I moved this to Dog General, where it belongs. Today's Dog is just for discussion of today's featured Dog of the Day!

As per your question, visit your shelter and ask them! Each shelter has its own policies.

[buttercup132]

I agree with Karen only your shelter knows

[lute]

that's awesome you want to adopt from your local shelter! there are so many animals needing homes. i agree with Karen.

[sooby707]

thanks for the info, lute do u know if it usually costs anything to adopt, i know it may sound stupid but i'v never adopted b4

[Karen]

Yes, it always costs something, after all, they need to pay for the shelter's rent, heat, food and vet care for the animals ...

[sooby707]

ok thanx guys

[luvofallhorses]

go to http://www.petfinder.com and go to shelter & rescue groups and click your area and you will probably find some info like some pages have "who we are" and their goal..but I think it'd be easier if you go yourself and ask about how adopting works there. here at the shelter where I volunteer it's $50 for a dog and if they aren't spayed & neutered (which I think a lot of them are) you have to pay for that. we have you make a vet appt. to schedule the spay or neuter BEFORE you can adopt from us. we also give you a free general exam and offer microchipping (it's a permanent identification and doesn't hurt the dog at all. it's the size of a grain of rice and goes in between the shoulders..if your dog were ever to get lost and go to the shelter we have a scanner to see if they are microchipped and if they are, we call the company and find the vet and track down the owner of the dog) we have you leave with an i.d. tag, too that we make for free. I hope I didn't confuse you too much! but the adoption fees do vary depending on the shelter or rescue you adopt from.

[sooby707]

thank you so much luvofallhorses you were very helpfull, im going to call my shelter tomarrow when they open. thank you again

[K9karen]

Lots of luck, cause you'll want to take them all! My local shelter will bring the dog to meet you. There is a fee that varies. My SPCA charged $35 which included a rabies vaccine and all paperwork. They also called my vet for a reference to my character. You'll know which dog is right for you, plus the workers are so knowledgeable.

[Lady's Human]

When you go to the shelter, go with an open mind. When I went to Dog Orphans (local shelter in MA) to look for a dog, I didn't pick one. She picked me from the moment they let her out of her cage. (Okay, so I have a thing for black+white mutts anyway, but)

You never know which dog will crawl into your pocket for the ride home! (or try to, anyway)

[luvofallhorses]

thank you so much luvofallhorses you were very helpfull, im going to call my shelter tomarrow when they open. thank you again

I am glad I could help.

you're very welcome!

[pitc9]

I'm glad to hear you are looking to adopt!!!

When I adopted Sierra from a Rescue Organization, they charged $100.
Buddy came from a shelter and was $40.

Good Luck!!

[GreyhoundGirl]

At ours they spay/neuter before you get them. Dogs are 160 $$ ( CDN ) and cats I think are, like 20 $. My towns shelter has WAY TOO MANY CATS !!!!!

On the brighter side, my local OSPCA just got a free ad in the biggest paper around here. The whole front page, in colour. In the middle it said UNLOVED,UNWANTED.

The shelter doesn't have enough money or volenteers or potential adopters. We live in a small town wit lots of animals. So on the front page all around UNLOVED, UNWANTED was the photo,age, breed, and gender of over 30 cats and 5 dogs ( plus 2 bunnys ). Plus a plea for donations .

I LOVE MY NEWSPAPER !!!!

[Dot]

About why shelters charge for their dogs, besides helping to pay for their care and expenses, there is another important reason. If they were to just give the dogs away, a percentage of them would soon wind up back on the streets, or worse, be used for dog-fighting bait.

Anyone who cares enough to pay to adopt a dog is not likely to abandon it again, but will make every effort to give it a good home.

Anytime I see an ad for a dog being offered "free to good home", it saddens me because I know the chances for a happy life for that dog are not very good. Anything free is usually not valued very highly.

Dottie