Question about adoption from an Animal Shelter

[Magalex]

This thread is really hitting home. For the past month or so my DH and I have been talking about adopting a dog. We have a 5 yr old DS. We LEARNED alot. I have been telling family members it would be like adopting a baby. We have been approved by shelters and rescue homes. I do past up the places that want to come to my home or want to call my husband's supervisor. I wouldn't want the supervisor to be bother by a puppy adoption. We do give two other references. We also have two listings of vets. But I was so surprise that one lady didn't choose us because we didn't have a recent vet. My DH and I never needed one this is our first family pet. I thought we were smart not to have a pet until we had our own home and our child was old enough. We never had a pedatrician prior to our DS. He survived We haven't adopted a dog yet and I think we wait until maybe next year. But we did decide which shelters/rescues we trust and admire.

 

[AllyandJack]

When I adopted my cats, I had to have 3 references, prove I owned my home and had a steady job. They asked how many pets I had before and what happened to them.

I actually saw a family get rejected when trying to get a dog. They're more strict with dogs and having someone home to care for them. Both parents worked and they said a puppy can't be left alone 6 hours a day and denied the application.

It was pretty intense, just for the cats and they seem to be more intense for dogs. Cats are more self-sufficient, I guess, so it's OK if they're left alone during the day.

It really is a difficult process. You "apply" to adopt a particular animal and then that application has to be approved. I felt like I was interviewing for a job.

 

[russtwinsmom]

Great question, OP!As a Katrina rescuer and a volunteer for a no kill shelter in the south, I have done a complete about face on scrutinizing applicants. At first I was completely against it, and now I am the first in line to screen and be screened. Some applicants have been known to:

1. Train their dogs to be in dog fights
2. Use dogs as bait (don't ask what this is) in dogfights .
3. Sell them to research facilities where they are abused for the rest of their lives. (Please adopt beagles as they are the most desired breed in research facilities).
4. Adopt as a whim without thinking about the medical costs, home requirements, etc.

I hope that many of you are considering opening your hearts and homes to Katrina dogs and cats. We witnessed so many sweet, emaciated dogs and cats needing homes being brought out ot New Orleans and Gulfport. We just brought back a rescued dog from Waveland, MS which was the most devastated city in Katrina. We are very proud of our little survivor!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We adopted our 2 cats from a shelter, our 2 kittens and 1 dog from recue places showing at Petsmart. The dog rescue and the shelter had policies that they would do home checks, but neither did. I think that they trust their gut, especially the rescue people. The shelter might have called our vet to find out what kind of per owners we were, which I think is a better idea. Some animals might need to go to very specific homes and in that case a home check is a good idea (a jumping dog to a home with a high fence, etc).