Placing a BHLPR dog is akin to finding its “match” –the right environment that takes into account the energy level of the dog and new family, the presence of other animals or children in the home, the drive of the dog, the age of dog, the special needs it may have and the particular characteristics of each predominant breed and each individual dog. We take matching our pets and families very seriously and prefer to understand what type of pet you desire and what type of lifestyle this pet will fit into when considering your preferences for placement.
Each applicant will need to submit a fully completed application, including all contact information for references, in order to be considered. Upon receipt of a complete application, you will be contacted by a volunteer to ask any additional questions and schedule a homevisit. A homevisit, where a volunteer comes to your home to understand your home environment and talk to your entire family about the prospect of new pet, is required for adoption – there will be NO exceptions. BHLPR does not adopt dogs as gifts or surprises, so if you intend to adopt a dog for someone else do not fill out an application. Every member of the family that resides in the home must be present for the homevisit, so please consider this when scheduling the homevisit with our volunteer. As we are all volunteers with jobs, families and our own pets, it may take up to two weeks to schedule your homevisit.
Following a homevisit, the board will consider your application and home visit report. Once approved, one of our volunteers will work with you to find the right dog for your home and lifestyle. This part of the process could take just a few days or even months. Finding the RIGHT dog is much more important than finding a dog fast. We fully understand that people have breed, size and sex preferences (hey, we do too!), but we also believe that finding the right TEMPERAMENT is much more important than finding the right LOOK, so we will work with you to find the perfect combination of all attributes.
While we primarily place dogs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Delaware, BHLPR will place dogs throughout the country, but the homevisit requirement still holds and you must be able to physically come get the dog from us in Pennsylvania. We will NOT ship dogs. Any dog being flown to its home must be able to fit under the seat in the cabin accompanied by its new owner:, we will not allow any of our dogs to be flown in cargo. Driving to adopt your dog is a more likely scenario.
If you would like to complete an adoption application, please go to our primary website - www.bigheartslittlepaws.org - and click on "Adoption Information". You can downlaod the application and submit via return email or regular mail.We do not have a physical location: we are a network of foster homes. So visiting our rescued dogs isn't an option. Once you are an approved adopter, we will work with you to select the appropriate dog to consider for placement and you will have opportunities to meet any dog you are considering.
Please do visit our website at www.bigheartslittlepaws.org for more infomation on events, ways you can help BHLP rescue, our sponsorship program and interesting links.
