Merlin

At ALIVE Rescue, we take placing animals in their forever homes very seriously. Our goal is to take the steps to ensure each animal/family pairing is an ideal match so the animal can live in harmony with his/her forever home. For this reason, our adoption application process is completed in three steps: Application: Complete the adoption application. Pre-Screening: One of our adoption coordinators will be assigned to your application. They will check your references and conduct a phone interview with you about the animal. Home Visit: If your application and references meet our requirements, we will schedule a home visit. One of our home visit coordinators will bring the animal to your home so you can meet the animal and we can observe how your family and the animal interact with one another. We will also check your home for safety issues. Home visits typically last about one hour, and we leave with the animal to allow you time to make the decision of whether or not to add this new family member. We ask for your decision the following day, at which time, if you have been approved to adopt from us, we will schedule a time to finalize the adoption! In order to qualify for ALIVE’s adoption program all of the following steps must be met: You must be at least 24 years of age and be able to provide ALIVE with proof of age. Any current pets must be up to date on vaccinations, and be spayed/neutered. Exceptions to this will only be considered if proof of a medical explanation is provided. If you currently rent, you must provide a landlord’s phone number and a copy of your executed lease. All members of the family living in the home where the animal will be placed must be interviewed. Applicant must live within 50 miles of Chicago if interested in adopting and within 10 miles of Chicago if interested in fostering. Allow an ALIVE representative into your home for a visit to insure that your home is safe for the potential new dog or cat. Be able and willing to spend the time and money necessary to provide training, medical treatment and proper care for a pet. Currently, the requested donation to adopt a dog over 6 months of age is $300.00, a dog under 6 months of age is $375.00, a dog over the age of 7 is $150.00, rabbits are $100.00 and a cat is $150.00. If you are adopting a bonded pair, the adoption donation will be as reflected above, but as a buy one, get one free. We require an additional $75.00 training deposit at the time of adoption. You will be required to enroll and complete a training class with your new dog at one of our approved training facilities. Once ALIVE Rescue receives proof of the completed class, this $75.00 deposit will be refunded.