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Steps in the
Adoption Process |
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 The dogs
we have for adoption have already had their lives turned upside
down at least once.
To help us make sure
that their next home will be their FOREVER home,
we have high standards and expectations of our adoptive families.
Please be patient with our efforts to
ensure these dogs are going to excellent homes.
We cannot guarantee that a specific dog
will still be available once your application is approved.
We do not hold dogs. |
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Before You Adopt:
Consider the
following...
- Learn about the breed
to find out if the German Shepherd Dog is the right dog for you.
Some info is here...
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Can you commit to sharing your life with the
dog for its lifetime? Please consider
your future and how the dog fits in it. What happens if you and
your partner part ways? If you move, will the dog go with you,
no excuses? What about children? If you plan to have
children, get a kid-safe dog even if you don't have children
currently. Other dogs in your future? If you plan to
get another dog, pick one that gets along with other dogs!
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Do you have time to provide the appropriate
amount of physical and
mental stimulation? Do you have time in your life for
walks, training, playing with, and caring for the dog? What happens if your work or
other time commitments change?
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Significant daily
activity with the family. Are you prepared to have the
dog be a part of the family EVERY day, not just on weekends?
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Social Interaction
inside and outside of the home.
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Fair, Calm, and
Confident Leadership.
Are you ready to be a good leader? If you aren't sure what
all it takes or how, are you willing to attend training sessions
with your dog? (Note: With some dogs, we may require it
as part of the adoption contract.)
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Financial Means
to provide adequate health care, including routine and emergency
veterinary care.
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Application: (application
link at bottom of page...please read this info first!)
- Your
application will help us determine which, if any, of our German Shepherd
Dogs is the right dog for you. Be
sure to be as detailed as possible in your answers.
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After
we receive your application, you will be notified via email that it has been
received. The number of applications we are currently processing will
determine the time frame within which you will hear from us. Under normal circumstances, it
will be within 24 hours.
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RENTERS,
click here for an addendum to our
requirements. (If
you rent a house or apartment, own a Condo regulated by a Condo
board, live in a Duplex, or live in any other multi-family
housing, this applies to you!)
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Vet Reference Check:
PLEASE do not apply if the below can not be verified by your
VETERINARIAN.
Your
application will be denied if any of the below requirements are not met.
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Your
vet VERIFIES that ALL dogs have
been CONSISTENTLY on HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVE the entire time
they have been in your care (unless there is a verifiable medical reason for
ceasing heartworm preventative).
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Your
vet VERIFIES ALL pets are ALTERED (unless there is a medical or
other acceptable reason for ownership of a non-altered pet).
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Your vet VERIFIES ALL PETS have A HISTORY of
being kept CURRENT on all recommended immunizations, vaccinations, medications,
and health checks/screenings. If you have worked out
a "pet-specific" immunization/vaccination/medication schedule with your
veterinarian that may be somewhat different from AVMA or TVMA
recommendations, TELL us about it, and we'll be happy to consider it as
we review your application.
LIST THE
VETS THAT HAVE THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION ON YOUR APPLICATION.
If you have additional information to share regarding the health of your pet(s), please
note it in the "comments" section of your application.
You
MUST call the vet you listed
on your application upon submitting your application and give them your permission to
release your information to us. We try our best to call them the
day or next of receiving your application! |
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Personal Reference Check:
Upon
approval of the vet reference check, we may contact one or both of your
personal references. It's important that you provide us with
references that know you well. If you have pets, PLEASE make sure
you choose references who know you, your pets, AND how you care
for those pets. We do not accept family members as
references. |
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Home Visit:
Upon
approval of the vet reference check, you will be contacted and a home visit will be arranged.
Due
to size and breed restrictions, if you live in an apartment, we do require that
you receive written permission from the management company. Written
permission must be on the management letterhead and received by AGSDR prior to us
approving your application.
No adoptions
will be approved without a home visit. |
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Final Approval:
Upon
completion of your vet reference check and home visit inspection, an adoption
coordinator will contact you. If we have further questions or
concerns, those can be discussed at that time. If the vet reference check and
home visit prompt no further questions and the adoption
coordinator is confident that you would provide an excellent home
for one of our dogs, you will be sent an approval notice. At that
point, you may start visiting with dogs.
Due
to AGSDR being a 100% volunteer organization, please
allow one to three weeks
to process, review, and approve your application. In MOST cases you are approved
or denied within 5-10 days. |
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Finding
the Right Dog:
Once you are approved to
adopt, the adoptions coordinator
will be happy to discuss the dogs you are interested in visiting,
and may have suggestions for dogs who might thrive best in your
particular home environment. You may
request to meet as many dogs as you like.
When you decide which dog you would like to
meet, your adoption coordinator will discuss your family situation
with the foster of that dog. If there is some reason that the
foster home feels your family and this dog are not a good match,
the adoption coordinator or the foster home will discuss why with
you. This can be because of other pets in the house; how the dog
gets along with particular people such as children, men, or women;
or other factors. These circumstances not the usual case up front,
and you will most likely be able to meet whatever dogs you have
selected to meet as long as they are still available.
You can meet an individual dogs as many times
as you like, as long as the foster home feels comfortable that you
are a good potential match for a dog. Depending on circumstances,
you may have additional meetings to have your current pets meet
the dog on neutral turf or in your home. These options are
available at the discretion of the foster home, and you will
generally meet the dog at it's foster home.
Each of our
dogs live with a foster family where they are treated as an important part of
the family. They are given love, attention, boundaries, and, in most cases,
a home and life better than they've ever known. Most of these dogs have
been abandoned and neglected, and we do everything within our
power to make sure the home they go to is truly a "forever home"
where they will be not only be loved, but well cared for
physically and emotionally.
Each of our foster families
take their responsibility to their foster dog very seriously and
will always consider the needs of the dog above those of the
potential adopter. We work tirelessly to set the dog up for
SUCCESS in their new home, and this is why we rely on the
knowledge and insight the foster family has for their foster dog.
We believe a dog's foster family knows that dog's temperament and personality
best. They will be your greatest asset (and ours) in helping to determine if
their foster dog will be a good match for your family.
The foster's
assessment of the dog/adopter interaction and interview with the potential adopter will be taken into
serious consideration in any determination of approving a specific adoption. The AGSDR Board of Directors has final approval of all
adoptions.
Also, depending
on the dog you adopt and the foster's input, you may be required to attend an introduction training
session, at your expense, usually with one of our recommended trainers. Other
requirements such as obedience lessons may also be required.
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The Adoption Agreement and
Release:
Once an adoption is approved, the
adopter and an AGSDR representative (usually the foster home or
adoption coordinator) will complete and sign the Adoption
Agreement and Release.
The
MINIMUM adoption donation is $250.
If the particular dog being adopted costs us more than that to rescue or
rehabilitate, we ask that adopters who are financially able pay the $250 minimum
PLUS whatever portion they can afford of the entire documented cost we
incurred to rescue their dog.
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After the Adoption:
Adopters
should expect that their new GSD will need some time to adjust to its new
family, home, and surroundings. See below on "Adjustment Period."
We are committed to
our dogs and their new family. Should the adoption not work out, we require, by contract, that
the dog be returned to AGSDR. BUT- we have the expectation that
anyone that adopts one of our GSD's is willing to work through the usual
training issues that may arise from being in a different home and under new
"leadership," as well as the normal transitions that are expected when
a dog goes in to a new home. We are always
here to assist and support you through the transition. To
us they are family and our help and support is always available to you
for the life of the dog.
You may contact your dog's foster
caretaker, your adoption coordinator, or email
jazz@austingermanshepherdrescue.org
with any questions or concerns.
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Out of State Adoptions:
We do out
of state adoptions only as our volunteer time allows. In
addition, we
may be unable to place a dog in your home due to our inability to perform a home
visit if you live outside of the Central Texas Area.
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Adjustment
Period:
There
will be an adjustment period when you first bring your dog home. You
will receive more information about this in a packet we provide our approved
applicants. Adjustment varies from dog to dog, and depends on the situation they
may have come from and how long they have been in their
foster home. There are too many variables to put on one general page, but
once you are approved and begin visiting the dogs, please discuss how long it
took the dog to adjust in the foster home. This will give you a good
indication of how long it will take them to adjust in your home.
The
adjustment period can range from
hours, days, weeks, or up to a few months. In most cases, these dogs have been abandoned, ignored by their previous owners,
or turned in to a shelter, having little interaction with someone who cares about
them. Others, we are amazed that no one came to look for them in the shelter! Most are extremely receptive to attention, but new situations are stressful, and
this is why we suggest you always take it easy the first week...always allow the dog
to come to YOU and don't push the dog into accepting you
immediately. This can make a huge difference in the dog's perception and can
greatly reduce their anxiety and stress level (and yours!). Our fosters
work hard in gaining the trust of these magnificent dogs, preparing them to
"re-enter" a world where they will be loved and accepted. Any of
the AGSDR volunteers are never more than a phone call or email away to assist
you should you need us. In most case you won't! But if the need
arises, you can be assured of our life long commitment to these precious dogs.
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