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Adopting a pet is a SERIOUS COMMITMENT. We strongly encourage anyone thinking about adding a fuzzy member to their family to do their research and be ready for this commitment. Take a moment to read through this short but helpful Are You Ready to Adopt? page. And please carefully consider the financial obligation you will take on when adopting a new family member. It is important to be sure you can properly care for your pet now and in the future. We will also be happy to work with you to figure out what kind of pet is best for you. If you want to have a pet in your home but aren’t sure you can make the 10-20 year commitment, consider fostering pets. Homeward Trails Animal Rescue will work directly with you, the prospective adopter, providing individualized attention and support in order to help you find the perfect pet for your family. We also suggest you take the time to read through the many resource documents on our website to prepare yourself for the many things that adoption will bring! We provide as much information on each animal’s history, disposition and health as we can gather. We strongly believe that honesty is the best policy. We want each of our animals to find the RIGHT home, not just ANY home. Likewise, we want you to find the pet who best matches your lifestyle and interests. Pet Adoption Questionnaire and Interview You will first be required to complete our Adoption Questionnaire through our ShlelterLuv system. Once received, an HT rep will contact you via phone or e-mail. If it seems you are a good fit for each other based on the info you provided, a phone interview will follow. If you are renting, we require proof that you are allowed to have a pet as well as any breed or size restrictions that may exist. If you have pets or did previously, we require your vet information and we will call them to verify that your pets are in good health, current on vaccines and spayed/neutered. We require that all pets in the home be spayed/neutered unless there are health reasons that can be verified with the vet. Pet Adoption Agreement In our Adoption Agreement, we require that every animal be spayed/neutered (if not prior to adoption) by a specific date. This is VERY important as the overpopulation of dogs and cats in our country is a sad result of too many unplanned litters! If for any reason the match is not as perfect as we all had hoped, the dog or cat must be returned to Homeward Trails, not given away or turned in to a shelter. Serious fines apply to violators of the Homeward Trails Agreement to Adopt. So be clear about what you are signing and be prepared to abide by the contract. It is legally binding and we take it very seriously. Note: Homeward Trails requires adopters to be at least 21 years of age. We will require proof of age to finalize any adoption. Pet Adoption Fee Homeward Trails’ adoption fees range depending on type of animal, the originating shelter and the vetting the animal has received. Our adoption fees are set to allow us to cover our expenses as well as to help other animals in our program that require additional care. Our fees cover vetting costs, shelter fees, fuel for transport, copying and printing of contracts and paperwork, our website presence, food, boarding, behavioral training and additional medical care. It is important to note that while the animal you adopt may not require all of these things, many other animals in our system do. Thus, any “extra” money from adoption fees goes to help those animals who may require additional care. By adopting from Homeward Trails, you are not saving just one life, you are helping to save others as well. Benefits for HT Adopters Every adopted Homeward Trails animal comes with 30 days of free pet health insurance. We are proud to partner with the following veterinarians who offer a free first exam for your animal, exclusively for HT adopters: Caring Hands Animal Hospital, Palisades Veterinary Clinic, Sunshine Animal Hospital and Clarendon Animal Care and all VCA Animal Hospitals. Additionally, any VCA hospital will cover illnesses up to $250 at no cost to any Homeward Trails adopter. We also provide a 30-minute phone consult with a professional dog trainer at Fur-Get Me Not within the first 30 days of adopting - just for HT adopters in the Arlington/Alexandria area. Start your new dog out on the right foot with this valuable, expert advice and guidance FREE! Our Foster Program Help us save more lives by becoming a foster! Fosters are like way stations between under resourced shelters and forever homes. We need fosters so that we can save dogs and cats before they are euthanized at the shelters. If you are interested in becoming a foster, please check out our information about fostering by visiting http://www.homewardtrails.org/foster-a-pet/dog-and-cat-foster-program/