Adoption Process

So You Want To Adopt

Your New Best Friend

Fishy's Friends Rescue will consider adoptive families who meet all of our requirements. Please read over our adoption requirements carefully prior to filling out your application. Our goal is to make the best rescue match taking into consideration the dog's background and your family's needs. Every dog is different: personality, temperament, energy, comfort with kids and other animals, medical needs and more. We take all these factors into consideration when making a furever-home match. We are very careful about the placements we make. We do our best to match the right dog with the right adoptive home because we want this to be the pet's permanent home.

If you are willing to wait for the right animal to be matched to you, you are an ideal candidate for Fishy's Friends Rescue. As our success rate proves, these precious dogs are well worth the wait.

Read our Adoption Requirements Carefully

1. A verifiable history of responsible pet ownership is required if you’ve ever owned a pet. This verifiable history will include but is not limited to spaying and/or neutering your animals, annual vaccinations, annual check-ups by a veterinarian, a consistent history of all preventatives: Flea/Tick/Heartworm. 2. A securely fenced yard. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis for: Apartments, Condos, Rural Acreage. 3. All requirements must be met before you complete an adoption application. Contact us if you have any questions.

1. Apply

We appreciate you wanting to bring a dog into your home. In order for us to find the right pet for you, we need you to submit an adoption application.

2. Review

Once your application has been received, it will be processed through our screening process which includes personal checks, reference and vet checks, and a phone interview. The application decision will be emailed to the primary email address you provided on the adoption application. This process usually takes 7-10 days. (We understand and appreciate your eagerness, please have patience – we are a 100% volunteer organization.)
We will contact your personal references. It is critical they return our calls in a timely manner, or we will not be able to proceed with your application. Let them know we will be calling. We will make two attempts to contact by phone and send 1 email after the calls. Please ensure they are aware of us making contact.
Please notify your veterinarian that will be calling them and please authorize them to release information to us.

3. Home Visit

Once your application review is complete, a Fishy's Friends Rescue agent will contact you to schedule a home visit to meet in person and discuss all-things pet. During the home visit, we look for potential hazards for the dog that the adopter may not have considered. All household members must be present during the home visit. This includes all pets.

4. Finding Your Pet

Once approved to adopt, the search for your dog begins if you haven't already found your perfect companion. Agents will begin to evaluate pets currently in our foster care program who may be a good fit for you and your family. We would also be open to discussing dogs in our care that you are specifically interested in.

5. Meet & Greet and Adoption Contract

Once approved and your companion is chosen we will set up a "Meet and Greet". All members of the household must be present including other pets. If all goes well and it is decided by both parties that the dog will be a great match then we move to the next steps of finalizing the adoption. We will verbally review the contract with you and you will be emailed the contract to review and sign, pay associated adoption fees and we will send you your rescue adoption certificate and all documents and veterinary records. Our adoption contracts are legal binding contracts.

Additional

Information

We will not discuss adoption details regarding any particular dog if you have not yet applied to adopt.
Fishy's Friends Rescue is a 100% volunteer, non-profit organization. We will make every effort to schedule your home visit in a timely manner. Please be patient with us…the dogs need our time too.
All dogs are spayed/neutered, microchipped and up to date on all shots prior to adoption.
Adoption fee is $300, or varied based on the age and health of each individual animal. If we have a senior/hospice/special needs dog that is when the price varies upon board decision.

Ready to Adopt?

Apply to Adopt: Dog