Homeward Bound Pet Rescue and Referral

PetCo has opened its doors to Homeward Bound Pet Rescue! We bring some of our dogs available for adoption to meet the public now the first Sunday of the month from 11am - 1pm See Upcoming Events for our current schedule.

We are always very grateful for all the wonderful donations, monetary and otherwise, that we receive. Thank you! Please continue to think about us and our significant vet bills. Remember, no matter what it takes to get these kid s healthy and ready for their new lives, the adoption fee remains the same and affordable.Click here to go to our donations page.

Who We Are

Homeward Bound Pet Rescue & Referral, Inc. has grown into an Alaska non-profit and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which educates the public, saves some dogs that are in danger of being killed at the shelter, takes many private owner releases, and above all, makes a great effort to match these thrown away or displaced dogs in homes where they will be properly cared for and loved for the rest of their days.

Dogs abandoned in shelters are not always there as a result of something 'they' did. A shelter is not doggie jail or punishment for doing something wrong. Sometimes people become unable to care for their companion. Illness in the family, moving, the dog's hair doesn't match the carpet or furniture, having a new human baby, and the death of the caretaker often are reasons a dog needs a new home. Please consider these factors when considering adopting. A companion is a companion for life.

Adopting a friend

Once you find a companion that you would like to meet, please email or call us at 322-7888 to make arrangements. That is the beginning of the adoption process.

We ask that you review the Adoption Application and Sample Adoption Agreement before meeting the dog so that you are aware of the questions that we ask and what we require of adoptive homes. Since neither the Application nor Agreement are negotiable, this will save you and the foster home considerable time should you take issue with the Application or Agreement. The adoption fee is $250.00. This is a non-profit organization, and the adoption fee is the only way we can pay for the veterinary care of these animals.

Once you meet the dog and have decided that you would like to continue with the adoption process you will be asked to submit the Adoption Application for processing. If you cannot fill out the Adoption Application and submit it online, you may submit a signed original to the home fostering the dog or mail it to HBPRR. (You may, of course, submit the completed Adoption Application prior to meeting the dog, although it will not be processed until you have met the dog and have expressed an interest in completing the process.)

References will then be checked, the Application reviewed, and you will be called for a convenient time to do a home visit. All residents of your home (animal, reptile, etc., and human) must be present for this visit. We bring the dog to your home to see how it gets along in your home and to observe how family members interact with the dog as well as other present residents.

This process may or may not be a short one. Depending upon the number of prospective adoptive parents applying for this one dog, the process may take a week or better - to complete all application reviews and all home checks.

Remember! The purpose in all of this is to assure, to the best of our ability, that this dog will go to a home that best fits that particular dog. Not being chosen to adopt a particular dog does NOT mean that you are not an appropriate adoptive family; it simply means that there was another home that more properly fit this particular dog.

Home visits are absolutely NOT about what material possessions you have or don't have; how you keep house or how comfortable your house is. It IS all about how we perceive the dog feels about your home and whether your home is the right match for this dog.

Once our home visits are complete, we discuss each adoptive family and make a decision. We then notify each family of our decision. Arrangements are then made to deliver the dog to his/her forever home where the Adoption Agreement is signed and the adoption fee is collected.

This entire process is not objective. Please do not misunderstand. It is entirely a subjective process for the benefit of the dog. It is our duty to assure, to the best of our ability, that the dog is placed in a home that best fits him/her so that it will indeed be a forever home.

Once the match is made and you and your new companion are together, you will expect follow-up telephone calls and possible visits to see how the placement is coming along. You are expected to notify us of problems so that we can help you work through issues and help you towards the smoothest transition possible - for you and your companion.

Please direct any questions regarding the adoption process to Linda Cook.

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