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Our Adoption Process And Why We Do It This Way PLEASE take a few moments to read the following explanation of our adoption policies and the steps that make up the process. You may be surprised to find that adopting an animal is a more involved process than you expected, or that it means you can’t have immediate access to an animal you are interested in. Therefore, it’s important to understand two things: 1) the process is the same for everyone, and 2) it’s not our intent to frustrate you. Rather, everything we do is for the best interests of the animals in our care, and is aimed at giving them the best possible chance of finding a permanent home. HERE ARE THE STEPS YOU’LL GO THROUGH IN THE ADOPTION PROCESS: _ Before you can see (that is, pet, cuddle, walk, and get to know) any animal you’ve seen on our website and are considering adopting, we’ll ask you to complete our adoption application. This paperwork must be completed first in order to minimize stress for you and the animals. Our process includes asking questions, asking to see proof of identity and, frequently, asking for veterinary references, particularly when you have other animals at home. This is simply to protect the health of adoption candidates and the pets you already have. _ Once all the paperwork has been satisfactorily completed, you may handle and visit the animal you’re interested in. You can ask your Animal Control Officer any questions about spaying or neutering, housetraining, obedience training, scratching (in cats), veterinary care, how to deal with fleas and ticks, and anything else you can think of. _ You will be asked to sign an adoption contract and pay an adoption fee. PLEASE NOTE: As a general rule, we cannot hold animals for anyone. Unfortunately, because of the tremendous demands on our kennel space, all adoptions must be done on a first-come, first-served basis, and the first good, properly-qualified prospective home will get the pet. LET US REPEAT: We don’t ever mean to be frustrating to or evasive with you. We want you to understand that it’s stressful and upsetting—in fact, downright devastating—for the animals, for our staff, and most importantly, for you when adoptions don’t work out and pets have to come back to us. And a bad adoption experience can sour some people on dogs or cats—or on shelter animals—for life. So try to bear with us and be patient. And understand that going through the process the way we do really is the best policy—for all of us. THANK YOU.