The Adoption Process
So you want to adopt a senior sighthound? As advocates for our golden oldies, we try very hard to find the very BEST family for our seniors. We try to provide as much information on their description page as we receive about their situation before coming into the Sanctuary. And we highly believe in FULL DISCLOSURE. To the best of our ability, we will provide you with all the information that we know about the dog BEFORE you adopt. BUT please remember that when you have a senior dog, anything can pop up at any time. If you feel that you're not quite ready to pay for a sudden medical condition, we ask that you reconsider adoption & maybe consider sponsorship for one of our "long haulers" as we call our more medically challenged dogs.
We like to get a good sense from the dog about what their perfect family looks like before that family even comes along. You see, we work for the dogs & not the adopter. Some might think that sounds odd but we care about these gems of the sighthound world as if every one of them were our very own. If we have multiple applications for the same dog, we will choose the family that meets that dog's qualifications the best.
Step One- Applying
The first step of adopting from the Sanctuary is to fill out our application found below. This form is fillable & at the bottom you will see a button to submit it. We'll let you know once we receive the application, but please remember that we're a 100% volunteer organization with our own dogs & in most cases, full time jobs as well.
Step Two- Review of Application
If after reviewing your application we feel that you may be a good fit for that dog or another one of our seniors or special needs dogs, we'll send the application on to a volunteer who will be in contact with you for additional information.
Step Three- A Final Discussion
The volunteer who processed your application will contact the Director who will review the application to make a final approval. You're then contacted by the Director with the final decision. If approved, you'll have the opportunity to discuss any questions that you may have & to discuss any particular needs your potential new dog may have with the Director.
Step Four- Reserving Your Dog & Making Travel Arrangements
If you're reserving a dog from overseas, the Sanctuary asks for a non-refundable deposit of $500 that goes toward your adoption fee to help cover the cost of the flight. If you're adopting a dog within the US or Canada, we will have to determine if travel would be too stressful on that particular dog. For example, let's say we have a senior with a heart condition that would preclude that dog from traveling for long distances. If you live in CA & the dog is in VA, that definitely wouldn't be a good situation for the dog.
Step Five- Completing the Adoption
The adoption fee to adopt a dog domestically within the US & Canada is $500. To adopt a dog originating from overseas, the cost is $700 for dogs 10 & over & $850 for dogs under 10.