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Adoption Policies and Requirements At Homeward Bound, our animals come first. Each animal is housed in home by one of our amazing foster families. We do not have a facility. Because the animals live in our homes, we can make a better assessment as to what homes fit each animal. We do not have blanket policies but instead make requirements for pets based on that individual pet’s needs. Please be sure to read each bio on the animal you are interested in thoroughly to see if you/your lifestyle/home/family are a good fit. All animals adopted from Homeward Bound are required to be indoor pets. We do not adopt our pets to outdoor homes. We reserve the right to deny an application at any time, for any reason. Spay/Neuter All animals in our care are/will be spayed or neutered as part of the adoption process. Most of our animals are fixed prior to adoption, but in some cases, due to vet availability, a pet may be adopted with the requirement that the adopter MUST get the pet to one of our participating vet clinics by a certain date (which will be listed on the adoption contract). This appointment will be coordinated between our director and the adopter. Other animals within an applicant’s home are expected to be altered as well. As a rescue, our job is to do our part to help control the pet overpopulation problem, and that begins with responsible spay/neuter practices. In the rare instance where a pet is deemed medically unable to be altered, we may make an exception. Vet Care All animals within our care will be current on their age-appropriate vaccines as well as monthly flea/tick/heartworm preventative. Adult dogs will be tested (& if necessary, treated) for heartworm/tick borne illnesses as part of the adoption process. All animals in our care will receive a microchip which will be linked to us as secondary contact (the adopter can register their pet as the primary contact following adoption). An applicant’s current pets must be current and up-to-date on their vaccinations, and a vet reference must be provided on the adoption application. Renters If you rent your home, you must provide the contact information for your landlord during the application process. Home Visit In certain cases, we may require a home visit. References Two NON-FAMILY references are required for our adoption applications, as well as a vet reference. A non-family reference would be someone who knows you well enough to know how you care for your pets and is not related to you. Please note: while we wish we had the manpower to call all adopters and references directly, we are a small, volunteer run rescue (we all have full time jobs, families, and pets), so email contacts are required for all references. Return Policy As part of the adoption process, our adoption contract states that if you adopt a dog from Homeward Bound and are at any time unable to care for that pet, you must first contact us. Please be aware that because we are a foster based rescue, it may take us time to locate an open foster home for a return. In certain cases, where an animal is deemed a danger to people or other animals, we may not be able to accept the animal back. In the rare instance that this occurs, we will work directly with the adopter to find a solution.