Paxton (Foster-to-Adopt)

I AM DOG RESCUE’s goal is to place homeless dogs into loving homes and families. We take special care to match the right home with the right dog, striving for a lifetime of love for both the pet and the adopter. To ensure the best matches are made, we have a proven effective process that helps determine the best homes for our animals. Our adoption process may seem time consuming or unnecessarily complicated, but please understand that we have our dogs’ best interests at heart. We strive to find the best homes possible for our dogs, as well as find the right dog for you and your lifestyle. We thank you for your time and patience throughout our adoption process. Step 1 – Fill out a Pre-Adoption Application Our application will tell us about you and your lifestyle, training beliefs and background with animals. Step 2 – Application Preliminary Review Our application review volunteers will initially screen your application to determine if all necessary information was provided. If not, you will be contacted to provide additional information. Step 3 – Veterinary References Contacted Our volunteers will contact the veterinary reference(s) you provided to determine if all your current pets are spayed/neutered and up to date on vaccinations. If you don’t have any current pets, we will ask about the veterinary care that your previous pets received. If you have never owned a pet, this step is skipped. Step 4 – Landlord Approval Verified (where applicable) If you rent your home, your landlord will be contacted to make sure you have approval to have a dog in your home. We also ask about any breed or size limitations. If your landlord does not allow for a dog in your home, your application will be denied at this point in the process. Step 5 – Meeting between Approved Applicant & Dog(s) of Interest Our organization does not have a shelter where the dogs can be visited. Our dogs are in foster homes. We do NOT arrange meetings between interested individuals and our fosters until an applicant has been approved via our adoption process. Once you have been approved, a volunteer (usually the foster) will contact you about scheduling a time for you to meet the dog(s) you are interested in. This meeting may occur at the foster’s residence or your home. Just because you are determined to be an approved adopter, you are NOT guaranteed a particular dog. For some dogs we receive many applications so we may allow multiple applicants to have a meeting with the dog before we choose the home that we feel will be the best fit for the dog. Also, if the volunteer involved in the meeting with you and the dog, does not feel you are a good fit for the dog, you may be denied adoption of that particular dog but you may be a better fit for another dog. Step 6 – Home Visit and Applicant Interview Our organization requires home visits to determine that the dog will be living in a safe environment. This is an informal chance for us to get to know you, your lifestyle, home environment and determine which dog(s) in our program might be the best fit. The home visit volunteer will do a short walk-through of your home and yard to ensure its safety and to advise on any areas of concern. All household members must be present for the home visit. If our home visit volunteers have any major concerns about your home environment, or if you refuse a home visit, your application will be denied at this point in the process. Distance is a factor in whether or not the required home visit can be completed. We are a 100% volunteer run organization. Although we do have volunteer contacts in many areas, some areas may be difficult for us to locate a volunteer to conduct the home visit. We will let you know ASAP if your application needs to be denied due to our inability to find a volunteer to conduct the home visit. Step 8 – Adoption If you have decided upon a dog that you would like to adopt you are required to sign an adoption contract and to provide payment of the adoption donation fee. We have a two-week trial period- meaning if you decide the dog is not a good fit for your family and you return him/her within the two week refund period we will return your adoption donation to you. The adoption fee will be deposited upon receipt and refunded only if the adopted dog is returned within the two-week refund period (or any prior agreed upon extension of the refund period). Step 9 – Optional Post Adoption Follow-up Visit Our adoption contract contains a clause that allows one of our volunteers or a representative the ability to perform a follow-up visit. We may require such a visit if we feel that the terms of the adoption contract are not being met. I AM DOG RESCUE is committed to the life, health and wellbeing of every dog we place for the remainder of that dog’s life. Should the adoption not work out or you need to re-home the dog, we require, by contract, that the dog be returned to us.