QUALITY CARE ~ QUALITY PLACEMENT

Austin Dog Rescue is foster home-based rescue organization and is ran strictly by an all volunteer staff. All of our dogs live in homes with a family. Because of the number of inquiries we receive each day, you must submit an application and be preliminarily approved before meeting our dogs.

We cannot guarantee that the dog you are interested in adopting or will submit an application to adopt will be available upon completion and approval of your application. We process applications on a first come first served basis but we do NOT place our dogs based on this system. The dog you applied for may have multiple applications and our primary goal is to make the best match for you and for our dogs. Placement is at our discretion.

Brief Description of the Application Process:

  1. Submit the Adoption Application.
  2. You will receive confirmation your application was received, normally within 24 hours. (Please remember we are all volunteers)
  3. Veterinarian reference check is performed if you currently have or have had pets in the past.
  4. If you lease your home, a letter or email from the owner/management is required.
  5. The Adoption Coordinator will review your application again to determine all is in order.

NOTE: If you are a full-time student, or you are not able to provide financially for a pet, we cannot approve your application.

  1. Your application is then forwarded to the foster caregiver for review.
  2. If they believe your family is a potential match, an email will be sent to you and the foster to arrange for you to meet the dog. If they do not, the Adoption Coordinator may recommend other dogs.

ADOPTION DONATION

Our minimum adoption donation is $190, or $220 for puppies estimated to be 4 months and younger. Read more about what the adoption donation covers.

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

  • If you lease your residence, a letter or email from the owner/management is required stating you are allowed to have a dog. If you currently or have previous had a dog as an adult (not while living with your parents), regardless how many years it has been, we will call your vet and you must include correct name of the clinic and phone number.
  • We verify ALL pets, past and present are neutered, current on vaccinations (DHPP and Rabies), and you purchase heartworm preventative on a regular bases. Once this step are done, we will email you with the results of our findings, if information is missing, or we are unable to confirm this information we will ask which other vet we may contact to verify.
  • If all is satisfactory at this time you will be put in contact with the foster caregiver and a time will be arranged for your home visit and for you to meet the dog(s) you are interested in adopting.

SUPPORT & MATCHING YOU WITH THE RIGHT DOG

Each dog is special and unique and we look at the whole picture when matching our dogs with their new family. We look for homes where our dogs will be treated as a member of the family. That includes guiding them to be successful in their new home by providing love, leadership, daily human interaction, exercise and possible training. This also means the dog will not be left outside during the day or for long periods of time even when you are home. Most every dog we have rescued was a dog left outdoors and they jumped the fence, dug their way out, or found some other way to escape their yard. So as not to risk our dogs being picked up by animal control or worse, running the streets and potentially hit and killed by a car, we adopt to only inside homes.

Our team works closely and carefully with each applicant to do our best to make the best match possible for you and your family. If you apply to adopt a specific dog and we believe strongly that the particular dog is not the right match for you, we will always give you our feedback and reason. We have been very successful in making great matches and rely on our team of foster caregivers to help us.

Not every dog is meant for every situation and home. Some dogs will do well living in an apartment while others, even though we do not adopt to outside only homes, need a yard to run and play in with their family. Some dogs may require a 6' fence while others will do fine with a 4' fence. We do not adopt to home with "invisible" fences. There are usually other extenuating circumstances that play in to our decision and we will always discuss those with you.

We love adopting to families with children but we know that some dogs are not suited to live with small children and we try to take special care when placing dogs and puppies in a home with small children. Please rely on the foster caregiver of the dog you are interested in adopting because they will be your greatest resource for the best match and we support our foster caregivers in their accessment of the home their foster dog goes to.

The dog will require crating until they have settled in and earn the privilege of having freedom in your home. Some may take months to earn that freedom. Some may come with a requirement that you and your new dog attend obedience lessons, especially if you are a first time dog guardian. All we ask is that you take our recommendations to heart so that we can set you and your new dog up for success!

The foster caregiver will always be your best resource if questions arise but every member of our Team is available by email or phone call should you ever have questions after your dog has gone home.

WHAT YOU AGREE TO BY ADOPTING AN ADR DOG

  • Have a crate and use it; adult dogs, a minimum of 60 days, and for puppies less than 12 months, until adulthood/maturity is reached.
  • Not leave the dog outdoors unsupervised for at least 60 days. The dog will live as an indoor dog.
  • Have the dog examined by a licensed veterinarian within 30 days of adoption.
  • Have control of the dogs under any and all situations and contact a professional dog trainer that uses only positive reinforcement methods should any training or behavior issues arise.
  • Never leave the dog unattended with a child.Keep the dog's micro chip contact information current with the pet recovery service and ADR at all times.
  • The dog will be kept on monthly preventives and receive vaccinations and an annual exam by a veterinarian.
  • Provide an identification tag with your current phone number which the dog will wear at all times.
  • Provide the dog with quality food, clean water, grooming, exercise, positive human interaction, and humane treatment.
  • Not allow the dog to be chained or tied outdoors at any time without supervision.
  • Not allow the dog to roam unsupervised in unfenced areas.
  • Not allow the dog to ride in the bed of a truck except inside a crate that has been securely attached to the truck.
  • Not give away or transfer ownership or possession of the dog to anyone.
  • Understand that failure to abide by any of the terms and conditions of the contract will automatically give ADR the legal right to repossess and immediately regain ownership of the dog.
  • Read and abide by the recommendations contained in the Austin Dog Rescue Contract and any information verbally or in writing that is provided by an ADR Representative.

ADOPTION APPLICATION

We cannot guarantee that the dog you are interested in adopting or will submit an application to adopt will be available upon completion and approval of your application. Our primary goal is to make the best match for you and for our dogs. We process applications on a first come first served basis but we do NOT place our dogs based on this system. We reserve the right to deny any application at our discretion.