Adopting a pet - how long for approval?

[diswedwish]

So my roommate finally agreed that we could have a cat and that is my Christmas present!!!!!

She didn't want to get one since I'll be getting married in 6/10 and she doesn't want to get too attached, etc.

So yesterday I went to the shelter. Last time I adopted was with my mom 10 years ago and it was much different - we picked Benny and Joon up the next day and my parents still have them.

The lady said that the approval process takes several days - can anyone give any insight on how many days is several? I love Isis, the Siamese I found, and I want to bring her home asap . And I always worry about everything, so even though she will be only indoors, I won't declaw her, the entire form was filled out, we are allowed to have pets, there are no reasons I'd give her up, etc, I'm still worried I won't get her...

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I wouldn't think it would take long at all. I volunteer for a shelter and once the paperwork is filled out and they call the rental office, if a person rents, and gets an ok from them, they are good to go. They do adoption events at pet stores, etc, and sometimes the cat can go with the person that day if everything checks out quickly. Maybe call them back tomorrow afternoon and ask if there's any other information they need, if you haven't heard back from them. One thing to consider...if it's a small shelter and they rely on volunteers, it could be a matter of waiting until an adoption counselor has the chance to review the paperwork and make any necessary calls. Good luck!

 

[Hercules10]

Depends. If the animal was brought in a week ago and nobody has come to claim it then it's usually pretty quick since they want the space for other animals.

Typically shelters want to wait for a period of time to allow owners the oppurtunity to find a lost pet. Usually 7 days but it varies from shelter to shelter.

When I tried to adopt from a rescue society the foster parents had grown too attached to the dog and after 4 weeks of stone-walling finally came clean. My latest addition took 5 days.

Thanks for adopting!!!

 

[diswedwish]

Thanks for the responses!

Right now I am so frustrated!!!!!!

I went in on Wed. and filled out the paperwork. She said "several days". So on Friday I called and asked politely what "several days" was and if I could bring my fiance in on Sunday to meet her. I was told that a lot of the applications are processed on Sunday and Monday and that mine was the only application on Isis. It wouldn't be a problem to visit her again. No problems there.

Today DF called to ask some questions. Turns out the shelter is having a ringworm problem. None of the cats will be available until the end of next week. Frustrating, but understandable. But then he was told that there are 4 other applications on the same cat, so now it's not even certain that I'll get her . And definitely not what I was told before.

I wish they would at least process the applications sooner. And I wish I wouldn't have fallen in love with her. Our thoughts are to go and visit tomorrow (and even if DF can't touch Isis, he could see her) and ask in person - although last time the woman who helped me was a little, unfocused, I guess would be the word. She pretty much ignored me - she did take a look at the application to make sure I had all the spaces filled in, but other than that nothing. I think that's who DF talked to on the phone. And it wasn't busy when I was there either. Blech....

My other thought is to adopt from another shelter near my parents - there you do go in and out on the same day or the next; you have to sign agreements, etc, but no lengthy application. I also feel more comfortable at that one - it just seems better organized. I would still have to wait until I was home for the holidays, but at least it wouldn't be this run around...

Believe me, I understand that they want to check to make sure their animals are well cared for, but you'd think they'd want them out of the shelter and in homes sooner rather than later!

Any other thoughts to get Isis or am I stuck? And is my situation unusual/shelter crummy or am I just expecting way too much?

 

[JR6ooo4]

OUr fisrt dog... we visited and picked one, filled out the paperwork and they delivered Q the next day.

with fred, DW saw him on the website and called. I picked him up on the way home from work, the same day. Heheheheee

Mikeeee

 

[momrek06]

Jamie, thank you for adopting a pet!!! Please keep us updated as you go through this process to get Isis!!!



Please visit my thread and post all your pictures!!!



http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2031353

 

[sunnyday123]

with my first shelter cat, it was about 3 days. They called they vet for references ( who I am sure told them about the addition they were putting on due to my frequent visits!)

With my calico, I walked in and DD wanted to hold her. She curled up on her arm and went to sleep and I turned around and the woman said, "Oh I have your information on file still!" We were out in about 10 minutes and $80 later.

 

[Planogirl]

With our shelters, you usually take them home the same day. The only exceptions are if the animal needs treatment or if you pay for neutering (some shelters won't neuter until someone adopts) and then you have to wait until this process is done. I've never heard of one animal having several applications.

Now, the rescue people can be another matter. You often have to jump through hoops for them.

I hope that you get Isis!

 

[TnTsParty]

When I adopted my cat from the local humane society shelter I saw him first online and went the next day to get him. They had so many cats they were offering a 2 for 1 deal and tried to get me to take home his cage mate but I didn't. I had another cat at home - I couldn't bring 2 home at the same time.

Good luck with Isis

 

[HelenePA]

Of the 2 shelters I'm aware of you get them the same day. I've never adopted from one.. nor have I ever bought a pet. Usually I get them word of mouth from people who need to get rid of a pet before they wind up at a shelter.

 

[MAKmom]

Thanks for the responses!

Right now I am so frustrated!!!!!!

I went in on Wed. and filled out the paperwork. She said "several days". So on Friday I called and asked politely what "several days" was and if I could bring my fiance in on Sunday to meet her. I was told that a lot of the applications are processed on Sunday and Monday and that mine was the only application on Isis. It wouldn't be a problem to visit her again. No problems there.

Today DF called to ask some questions. Turns out the shelter is having a ringworm problem. None of the cats will be available until the end of next week. Frustrating, but understandable. But then he was told that there are 4 other applications on the same cat, so now it's not even certain that I'll get her . And definitely not what I was told before.

I wish they would at least process the applications sooner. And I wish I wouldn't have fallen in love with her. Our thoughts are to go and visit tomorrow (and even if DF can't touch Isis, he could see her) and ask in person - although last time the woman who helped me was a little, unfocused, I guess would be the word. She pretty much ignored me - she did take a look at the application to make sure I had all the spaces filled in, but other than that nothing. I think that's who DF talked to on the phone. And it wasn't busy when I was there either. Blech....

My other thought is to adopt from another shelter near my parents - there you do go in and out on the same day or the next; you have to sign agreements, etc, but no lengthy application. I also feel more comfortable at that one - it just seems better organized. I would still have to wait until I was home for the holidays, but at least it wouldn't be this run around...

Believe me, I understand that they want to check to make sure their animals are well cared for, but you'd think they'd want them out of the shelter and in homes sooner rather than later!

Any other thoughts to get Isis or am I stuck? And is my situation unusual/shelter crummy or am I just expecting way too much?

I hope you are not dealing with the Media SPCA. They are crazy. They have a over 50 cats & want to do a criminal back ground check on you

They told me my dog needed a shot that is voluntary & they were not going to let me adopt without it. I saw so many families turned down it was crazy.

We went to a pet store in De & adopted a rescue kitten

 

[diswedwish]

Thanks for the responses so far! It is good to vent here - I think my DF and parents are a teensy bit tired of hearing about it. They live in NE PA - which is where I will probably end up getting a cat (or kitten).

The shelter I am attempting to get Isis from is called SAVE and is in Princeton, NJ - I live in Plainsboro, NJ. They are supposedly a non-profit, but as my friend pointed out, it is a bit strange that they are charging $140 for a breed, versus $100 for a regular cat. Are they allowed to do that? Who gets the extra $40? Anyway... In PA it is $55 by-the-way...

Oh, and no criminal background check - that's crazy!

 

[sunnyday123]

With our shelters, you usually take them home the same day. The only exceptions are if the animal needs treatment or if you pay for neutering (some shelters won't neuter until someone adopts) and then you have to wait until this process is done. I've never heard of one animal having several applications.

Now, the rescue people can be another matter. You often have to jump through hoops for them.

I hope that you get Isis!

I have come to the conclusion that alot ofrescue peopleare crazy. I emailed twice about a dog recently and finally called. Their explanation? I couldn't have the dog because I was a single family income and what if the dog needed to go to the vet?
They refused to even call my vet for a reference, who would've gladly explained to them the years I have been going there and the amount of money I have spent there, mainly on my dog. Sometimes I think they are one step away from hoarders. She went on and one about the good she was doing and how wonderful and self-sacrificing she was to do this, but wouldn't release her clutch on this dog.
And the dog has no known health issues. She just might have. Someday.


Good luck.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Our first two rescues were cats. We saw them at the Pet Store and turned in paperwork to adopt them. I think it was about 10 days before we actually got them. The rescue agency called our vet and made a home visit before they would let us get the cats. Since then, we have adopted a dog (they held her for us while we went on vacation and she was being fostered) and another cat (that one took about three days just to get a good time to get together).

I know it sometimes seems to hard to get a pet through a rescue agency but they just want to make sure the pet doesn't suffer the same problem with the new family. Our dog had been adopted once and returned to the shelter for a second time. She was minutes away from being euthanized when the rescue agency got her out. She was only about a year old when we got her, so she had been through some trauma before we got her.

So many people who really don't want a pet get one as a holiday present. Boyfriend gives girlfriend a kitten or puppy. Girlfriend's parents don't really want any animals in the house. Kitten or puppy winds up in a shelter somewhere.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have adopted a cat a few years ago from the Siamese Rescue Society. I had to get references from my vet and two other people, fill out a long form, and then an interview of over 30 minutes on the phone.

Within the last 3½ months I have lost both my cats, the 17½ year old Ocicat to stomach cancer and the 14 year old Siamese to total kidney failure. It is the first time in over 20 years I have been catless.

I am thinking of adopting a pair of cats that have bonded, again from Siamese Rescue. They currently have two bonded pairs available, one set in the 4 year old range and the other in the 8 year old range. But I will probably wait until after the first of the year.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I am thinking of adopting a pair of cats that have bonded, again from Siamese Rescue. They currently have two bonded pairs available, one set in the 4 year old range and the other in the 8 year old range. But I will probably wait until after the first of the year.

Our first two rescue cats were buddies from the shelter. One was brought with his mom and brothers and sisters and he was the last family member left. He was about 11 months old. His best friend had been brought in when he was found wandering. He was a little over a year old. The two boys just stayed together in the same compartment together so we couldn't bear to break them up. So we adopted both of them.

 

[Judy Judy Judy]

I have not read the whole thread so if something simular has been posted please forgive me : I was just going to say, you had better be patience...

My trying to adopt from a sheltor became a small nightmare, we had seen a corgi on petfinders and fell in love, we had just lost our beloved beagle of 11 years and wanted..aka...needed something to love asap....we contacted the sheltor, took two days for them to respond to us, took two more days to set up a time to see the pup, who was already 11 weeks old, took another week to be able to see him, after we seen him, we wanted to grab him up and run, but we had to fill out paper work again, home inspection etc...

I went home and started preparing for our new pup, another 9 days passed, we still heard nothing, so we began emailing again, after two days they got back with us," the doctors office we always took our beagle to couldn't remember us because after a pet passes away in surgery they throw away the paper work ", so I called our vet, in a panick, the vet did remember us and said she "would get back with the adoption person"...after three days we emailed again the sheltor and they emailed back they received our vets paperwork and would review it.... twenty five days had passed since first wanting our new baby, finally we said, enough...we looked in the paper and found the closest thing to us, a cockapoo for sale and went and bought it.... we had never even heard of a cockapoo, we just wanted something to love so bad, this is why more dogs aren't adopted, I beleive....my doggie is two years old now and is much loved, the sheltor never did email, me back. I seen the corgi still advertised for months after that and it broke my heart.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Our first pet was an adult cat rescue. It took about three days after we turned in our application. The director told me she was weary because we were young and newly married (in our early thirties and married close to two years!)

Seven years later we applied to adopt a dog from the same shelter, but was denied because we had children. They did allow us to adopt another adult cat, but the whole process took over two weeks.

Our cats are now 15 and 8 and we decided we were ready for a dog. We have moved from NC to WA. We made the mistake of looking at an area pet store and fell in love with a puppy. We had decided to adopt an adult dog, but this puppy had all of us wanting a baby. I didn't want to buy the dog because I'm against puppy mills, but I see how tempting those darlings are.

This weekend I went to the humane society to look over some dogs that were on Petfinders. On my way to the adult pens I noticed a tiny chihuahua puppy. She was so sweet and cuddly, not shy at all. A volunteer came over and started to talk with me. I told her we would love to adopt her, but with five kiddos I knew we wouldn't be approved. I found out she had just become available 20 minutes before I arrived. The volunteer told me to fill out an application anyway. I turned it in and was told to wait. Five minutes later the director comes over and tells me I have a new puppy! I'm shocked. I ask how many days/weeks until I can pick her up. The director tells me she has to come with me now. The shelter has a no hold policy. Take it now or lose it. My husband and children are at a Christmas party. I'm supposed to be Christmas shopping, but decided to leave the crowds and look at dogs instead. lol Now I have to make a quick decision, on my own.

I took her! Luckily everyone was very happy I did. She is a doll baby. I've never had such a small dog. My cats are four times larger. They don't know what to make of her, but I see them getting along. My cats are such cuddlebugs.

The difference in Humane Society policies was amazing. We can't believe they gave out the dogs and cats so quickly here.

Send some pixiedust my way. Luna (our puppy) is crying in her crate as I type. It breaks my heart, but I don't want to reward bad habits. I can't believe I'm trying to housebreak a dog with a bladder the size of a thimble.

She already is a big part of our family, even after only three days!

 

[hellokitty86]

Halloweenqueen, I would love to see a picture of Luna..She sounds adorable!!! Good luck with her.

 

[MAKmom]

Thanks for the responses so far! It is good to vent here - I think my DF and parents are a teensy bit tired of hearing about it. They live in NE PA - which is where I will probably end up getting a cat (or kitten).

The shelter I am attempting to get Isis from is called SAVE and is in Princeton, NJ - I live in Plainsboro, NJ. They are supposedly a non-profit, but as my friend pointed out, it is a bit strange that they are charging $140 for a breed, versus $100 for a regular cat. Are they allowed to do that? Who gets the extra $40? Anyway... In PA it is $55 by-the-way...

Oh, and no criminal background check - that's crazy!

I was being sarcastic about the criminal background check. They investigate you by calling you vet & wanting proof of home ownership etc.