Dog Adoption

How long does the process of dog adoption take? I have seen one i like, but waiting to go down and see him. I actually thought the day you saw the dog you liked you could take him/her with you. Any feed back on this would be great.

Hi,

Firstly, its great that you are choosing to give a rescue dog a home

As to how long the process takes, it varies from rescue to rescue and depends on how thorough they are.

Ideally, the rescue should arrange for a homecheck which would be done as soon as mutually possible, [ might be a day, might be two, might be a week, might be more, depending on yours and the homecheckers availability but the rescue will be able to guide you on that and for the dogs in the rescues sooner is better than later of course ], then the homechecker would report back to the rescue who will make sure everything is ok [ ie safe enclosed garden, working hours, children if applicable, previous experience, etc etc ].

Its not usually the homechecker who makes the decision incidentally, their input is considered to a degree but they can`t usually tell you yes or no or make arrangements for the potential adopter to collect the dog.

A good rescue would prefer all members of the family to be present for the homecheck and possibly when going to visit the dog to make sure everyone is comfortable with the prefered dog but more importantly that the dog is happy with the prospective family, as its a family a dog will be living with, not just the one person approaching the rescue [ unless single and with no kids of course ].

A good rescue would also prefer to have vet references [ so they`ll know preparations for the dogs health are in place from day one ], but if a first time owner, while awaiting a homecheck is a good time to check out a few vets in advance.
For example, when I adopted my two newest rescues, I had a vet for my other crew already of course, so as soon as I knew I`d been approved for my new doglets I registered them ready for the date they were coming home.
If I had not had other crew already, I would have done the checking out of vets in advance so that it was all in place.

Many rescues adoption contracts state a dog should be registered with a vet within so many weeks of adoption, but as a hint from an experienced homechecker, while its not usually necessary to do that in advance, its good preparation for a new dog, [ if a first time owner especially ], as its peace of mind for the adopter to take some time, [ while awaiting the homecheck ], to make sure they feel happy with the vet/practise before an emergency might occur rather than just register with one without the advance opportunity to get a feel for those entrusted with the future medical care of the dog

The more thorough a rescue is in placing the dogs in their care, the more likely they are to be the sort to offer advice and help to the adopter, [ should it be needed for any reason ], for the lifetime of the dog.

If it might take a few days to arrange homecheck, its nice if the potentail adopter can visit the dog in the meantime, including walking him or her at the rescue centre when possible, depending on the centres set-up and preferences.
I remember someone wanting to adop a dog from Dogstrust a few years ago [ when it was called NCDL ], and they walked the dog every day until he was able to go home with them. It did help the family be more and more confident that they had picked the right dog and that the dog himself [ the most important factor ] was very happy with them.

A `cooling off` period while awaiting homecheck is very useful for all and really does help weed out the `whim` adopters from the ready, willing, committed, and usually besotted variety

If the rescue involved is along the lines outlined above, its absolutely well worth waiting a few days or so for the homecheck etc because you`ll know they really care about getting the right home for each dog and can have confidence that it will likely be a happy forever home for all concerned but mostly for the dog whose future is in their hands.

HTH :smt001

Depends on the rescue in question but any good rescue will not allow you go on one day and take a dog home, they will want you to meet the dog and have a homecheck which may depend on if they have a volunteer available, the dog to meet any animals already in the home and all the family involve.

Your best bet would be to contact the rescue in question and ask them their rehoming policy.

Why did it take me reams to write what you condensed perfectly well in one paragraph

Just of interest. What has made you adopt so soon after rehoming Jade & Sky?

Thank you very much for all that information. It is very helpful. However i did have a dog in mind, but the kennel's have something going around and they said that no one is allowed to visit until it is sorted out, and that they are not adopting out any dogs until after xmas now. Which is a shame. They werent keen on my husband being in the army either. Which i can understand as some people wont pay for what the dog needs when leaving and entering a country. It almost felt like there was something against me as well though just because my husband is in the army. Not all people are like that, and i am moving in 2007...so i did want the dog before xmas just to make sure that the dog and us were comfortable together, and to get a passport sorted out. However i feel that there wont be enough settling down time before we move if i wait until after xmas. So now im going to wait until i have moved and then look for a dog.

Perhaps it's for the best as you said yourself last month after having to rehome your last two dogs:
And you mention in your profile how bad things are finacially, hoping to clear debts in two years time.
Good luck with the move.

Jules, the reason i rehomed Jade&Sky was because they destroyed one thing after the other and i couldnt get them to stop. They destroyed my mother inlaws kitchen floor, which is going to cost me £1000 to replace. They destroyed my sofa too which i had to replace, and because i didnt have much money i had to buy a second hand one. Which my sofa was brand new. They ate absolutly everything and they had food, treats, toys, bones. I was home all the time and they did all of this while i was sleeping. They even ate my clothes!
I love dogs, but i will never get a lab again. I thought an older dog would be better as they are usually passed that stuff, and will play with their own stuff.
I had a siberian husky and she was lovely, i had her ready to come over from canada when we moved, but my friend decided after a month she didnt want to watch her anymore, no one would have her for me and i couldnt go back to make other arrangements..she threatened to send my dog to the RSPCA, and i didnt want that...so i phoned the breeder and asked her to take her for me. She found her a lovely home, and is doing really well. I dont want to go and see her though because it still upsets me that my friend promised to look after her and said she wouldnt change her mind. My best friend phoned me and said my husky was running loose around the village, and no one bothered to get her. I bought two labs thinking they would play with eachother and not destroy everything, plus it took my mind off my husky. I was nieve. I loved those two labs but they cost me a lot of money...where do you draw the line?? if i ignored the sofa and kitchen floor, what was next?? they ate their muzzles, and chewed the plastic ends of the metal dog gate too.
They ate everything and i have no idea why. They got walked often for long walks, and played with. Yet when i went to bed they destroyed everything, as one of them knew how to open the living room door.
An older dog should be out of that habbit, and more calm and relaxed. I would like to home a dog that needs a home.

I found a large crate for £50.00
I will just have to pay for the rabies blood test again for the 3rd time. But it isnt too expencive.
(I spoke to my husband on the phone a few minutes ago, and he has said to wait 6 months on the other side, and we will have a look at what are options are with a dog.)
I did research a breed i like, and my aunt has owned them her whole life (rottweiler) however the ban of tail docking is out april 2007, and its already banned in Germany. So we will wait and see.

This sounds like a good idea to me.

As for rottweiler, I would doubt they are a breed for the inexperianced. If you had difficulty with lab pups chewing perhaps a rotty isn't the way to go. I'm not sure how the docking ban affects things for you.... but I'm not very up on all that stuff tbh.