Adoption Process
Requirements For Adoption
Out-of-State Adoptions:
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Our primary area of adoption is within the state of Virginia, but we do adopt out-of-state.
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The adopter would be expected to travel to us to meet the dog.
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We will not ship a dog and do not offer delivery services for adoption.
Adopting a Puppy:
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If you adopt a puppy less than six months old, the puppy will not be spayed or neutered.
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You will be required to spay/neuter your puppy at six months of age.
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If you adopt a puppy less than four months old, you will be required to continue puppy shots in addition to spaying/neutering at six months of age.
Adopter’s Minimum Age:
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You must be 18 or older to submit our adoption application and adopt one of our dogs.
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If you have a Co-Adopter, he/she also needs to be 18 or older.
Current/Past pet care requirements
The below requirements will be checked for current dogs and cats, or for any in the past 3 years if the applicant has no current dogs or cats.
Canine:
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Required - Spay/Neuter*
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Required - Vaccines against Rabies (required by law)
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Required - Annual Heartworm testing
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Required - DHPP/DHLPP/DH2PP (Parvo, Distemper, Hepatitis)*
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Required - Preventatives for Heartworm and fleas/ticks
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Recommended - Annual well visit
Feline
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Required - Spay/Neuter*
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Required - Vaccines against Rabies (required by law)
NOTE:
* - Unless advised against by a veterinarian
Adoption Fees:
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There is a non-refundable application fee of $20.
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Our adoption fee is $325 for dogs aged 6 and under.
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Our adoption fee is $250 for dogs 7 and up.
Special Notes:
Our volume is extremely high. If you apply for approval to adopt from SSR, here are some helpful hints:
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Please make sure you've contacted your vet. They need your permission to speak to us. PLEASE VERIFY that ALL your records are present and up to date for vaccines, heartworm testing and preventatives -- this is by far the item that causes delays and issues with moving forward to approval.
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Please add apps@shenandoahrescue.org to your email address book to help keep our messages from going to the spam folder. If you have a question about your app status, that's the place to email to find out. We appreciate your patience, we are all volunteers, so we are working as quickly as we can.
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Please be on the lookout for calls/texts/emails from unknown numbers (and check spam for unknown senders). Especially in the beginning, we communicate heavily through these methods and volunteers can have telephone numbers from all over.
There are six steps in our adoption process.
STEP 1: Submit an Application
Pay a $20 Application fee (all of which goes to the dogs) and then complete our Adoption Application.
The application form works best on a desktop computer and is not fully compatible with mobile devices. If you must use a smart phone and have issues, please email us at apps@shenandoahrescue.org for resolution.
The Adoption Application will let us know a little bit about you, your home, your lifestyle, and what you are looking for in a canine companion. The application will ask for several kinds of references. Please let your veterinarian and/or landlord know that we will be calling and they have your permission to speak with us.
Please note:
- The vet check is for any current dogs or cats (or deceased within the past three years if you have no current dog or cat)
- Vet check applies to any dog or cat
for which you have had personal ownership or responsibility (includes outdoor cats)
- Application processing time can shortened by emailing your vet records to apps@shenandoahrescue.org
- There are no guarantees you will adopt the dog for which you submitted an application.
- There may be multiple applications for that dog and the dog may have been adopted by the time your application is approved. Or, that dog may not be a good fit for your family situation, e.g., the dog may not be good with children or other dogs, not handle houses with stairs, or one of many other situations. We want each dog to go to a home best suited to that particular dog to assure a lifetime, loving home that is trouble free.
- The approval process can take up to a month
- We are
all volunteers working around our schedules. The approval process can take up to a month to complete and there may be periods of time you do not hear from us. Please be patient while we are working to process your application.
You can apply online through the following link:
Adoption Application (https://www.shenandoahrescue.org/adoption-application)
STEP 2: Initial Screening
Once you have submitted your application, an SSR representative will review your application and, based on provided information, may reach out to you to gather additional information for clarity. Additionally, if you don't own your residence, your landlord will be contacted during this step to clarify any restrictions they may have regarding dogs, weight, etc.
STEP 3: Vet Check*
The next step in the process is the vet check. This
is for any current dogs or cats (
or deceased
within the past three years
if you have no current
dog or cat)
for which you have had personal ownership or responsibility. If you have multiple veterinary sources, such as a mobile vaccine clinic or the like, please provide these records to your primary vet.
*If you have no current dogs or cats, and you have not had personal ownership or responsibility for a dog or cat in the last three years, then this step does not apply to you and you will be sent directly from Step 2 to Step 4.
STEP 4: Conduct a Home Visit
Following the initial screen and vet check (if applicable), an SSR volunteer will come to your home to perform a home visit. During this visit, the volunteer will need to meet all members of your household and walk through your home and yard. We will discuss the adoption process with you and answer any questions you may have.
Please note: The volunteer performing your home visit will have limited familiarity with the available dogs. The volunteer may be able to look something up from their phones during the visit, but it isn't an expected activity during this step.
After the home visit is completed, the volunteer will submit a Home Visit Report to SSR. At that time, a decision will be made to either accept or deny your application. If approved, your approval will be good for two years, and you are also able to assist with fostering when pleas are sent out to the community.
STEP 5: Find the Right Dog
Once you have been approved as an adopter, we assign a caseworker to you to assist throughout the remainder of the adoption process. Having a caseworker is optional, but it is often helpful to have someone available to answer any questions that may arise and help put you in touch with foster parents to arrange meetings with compatible dogs.
IMPORTANT! Foster parents reserve the right to choose a family best suited for their foster dogs.
Once you've identified which dog(s) you'd like to meet, the next step is to connect with the foster parent(s). You can reach out to them directly or with the assistance of your caseworker to set up a meet and greet. Meet and greets are typically held at the foster's home and approved adopters
are expected to drive to meet the dog. That could result in you bringing the dog home the same day, but is not a guarantee. It is also possible that you will need to drive to meet the dog more than once if required by the foster. A
great way to meet more than one dog is to attend a local adoption event.
Please note:
- If you move after being approved and before adopting from SSR, please notify us to perform an updated Home Visit
- If you adopt a pet from another organization after submitting an application, please notify us so that the vet check can be updated or a note can be made in your file for fosters (ex. brought home a bunny)
STEP 6: Introduce the Dog in Your Home
We understand that you may not be sure how a dog will work out to fit your family’s needs without bringing it home first. We offer a one-week trial period to make sure the dog is a suitable family member. If you have traveled to obtain your dog, it is expected that you will return your dog in the event that it does not work out. We will hold your adoption payment for one week, to ensure everything is going well. Our goal is to place the right dog in the right home, so there is no pressure if it isn’t a match.
The foster parent of your dog will contact you to find out how things are going.
If you have any questions about our process, please contact us.
