We require that anyone interested in our rescue dogs are 25 years, or older to adopt.
The first step for potential adopters to take is to complete an application. Once the application has been filled out in its entirety, we will review and assess it thoroughly. You will be contacted to discuss your application, if we determine that is a potential match. Only IF your application has been approved, will you be contacted. Filling out an application is not binding NOR does it guarantee adoption. The application is the first crucial step to our adoption process, and MUST be completed before we proceed. The application can be found on the right hand side our website. It needs to be printed off and completed by hand, as it is not an on-line form.
OCPoundhounds Small Breed Rescue reserves the right to refuse adoption for any reason either during the application process or ten (10) day in-home adoption trial.
Our adoption process works as follows:
- Download and complete an application for adoption that can be found by clicking the link;
- Submit the application by scanning and e-mailing to us;
- Your application will be reviewed carefully. If we feel there is a potential match a telephone interview will be conducted as the next step in the process. After the telephone conversation has taken place and there continues to appear to be a good match veterinary, personal and grooming (if applicable) references will be checked. If the references are acceptable we will then call you back and advise you of the next step;
- A personal Meet & Greet with all members of the family (and other dogs) at a neutral location will be arranged as the next step in the process. This is when the dogs can run around and get to know one another to determine if there is a good match between them;
- If the Meet & Greet is successful, a 10-day in-home adoption trial is then coordinated. We highly recommend these start on a Friday evening to give you the whole weekend to have your new dog start adjusting to your family and their new schedule;
- After 10 days the adoption is evaluated by both the Adopter and the rescue organization. If successful, and a “Aunt / Uncle” relationship is able to be successfully maintained by the rescue with the Adopter, the adoption is then finalized, by cashing the adoption cheque. The adoption is not finalized until the cheque has been cashed. At this time all veterinary (vaccination and other) information we have on the dog while in our care, is transferred.
Each of our dogs have different adoption donation fee requests. This is a tax deductible donation that can be written off your taxes at the end of the year as a charitable deduction. This donation covers some of the veterinary / medical costs for the dogs, housing, food, board, flea prevention, micro-chipping and transportation, just to mention a few things.
We are an all-volunteer run organization with full-time, regular employment. We run the rescue in the hours left over in our day. We do not conduct individual dog previews unless we have an approved application. If your application has been approved we will arrange a private Meet & Greet to the best of our abilities, in conjunction with the foster parent’s schedule. If you do not wish to complete an application for pre-qualification, please check our website for our Meet & Greets dates and locations.
Our dogs are not adopted out from Meet & Greets, and we do not place on a First Come, First Served basis.
We adopt out on the principle of what home is the best home for that dog, from what we determine by knowing the dog, his/her personality and learning about the lifestyle of the family interested in adopting .
We rarely place dogs with someone who is renting their residence. Our adoption restrictions have been carefully developed over time, and are a result of many years of working in the rescue world. We’re contacted regularly by people who desperately want to surrender their dogs to us because they rent and either their Landlord no longer wants pets on the premises, or they are moving and do not want take their dog with them to their new residence. Hundreds of dogs are euthanized weekly in California shelters due to similar circumstances.
Please Note: We do not adopt out our small breed dogs to families with children under the age of 14 years, unless noted next to the dogs profile on our Available NOW for Adoption page.
