The Adoption Process

A New Start on Life Canine Rescue has an adoption process that is similar to other rescue groups in how our dogs are adopted. Below is an explanation of each step in this process, and why each step is important.

Once you see the pet you are interested in, you fill out an application, which is forwarded to an application processor, often the foster home itself. After reviewing the application, a veterinarian check is done, followed by a phone interview with you, the applicant. Finally, a home check is done, followed by

Delivery of the pet and the signing of a contract and the submitting of an adoption donation.

•  Why do I need to fill out an application? The application gives you the opportunity to tell us about yourself, your family, and your home.
•  Why is a vet check done? Vaccinations, yearly check ups, heartworm prevention, all of these are important to the good health of your dog. A vet check tells us that you care about the continued good health of your furry friend. (ANSOL does not automatically turn down applicants who have not had a pet before.)
•  Why is a phone interview necessary? The application is your chance to begin telling us about yourself. The phone interview is our opportunity for us to tell you about ourselves, the ANSOL organization, and more importantly, for us to tell you about the dog you are interested in. Through this conversation, you’ll find out if the dog likes kids, has any quirky behaviors (like sitting on the side of the bathtub while you take your shower), any medical problems the dog may have, what you can expect from the dog, if the dog has any baggage from the puppy mills where he or she came from. This is the most important part of the adoption process. This is your opportunity to ask questions that you feel are important both about the ANSOL organization and the dogs. When going through the adoption process, we match the needs of the dog up with the home, which can best meet those needs. If a dog has some separation anxiety, the dog is best placed in a home with someone who stays home all day. If the dog needs someone who understands that specific breed, a home with experience in that breed is what we look for.
•  Why does my home need checking? It’s not that we don’t trust you-we simply want to verify that you do indeed live in the home with the fenced yard that your application says you do, and not a cardboard box in an alley, or to make sure that your home is appropriate for the dog you want to adopt. Adopting a Great Dane to a person who lives in an efficiency apartment is not the best match. We aren’t doing a home check to see if you dusted on top of the dressers, just that the dog will have a safe, secure home.

If everything goes well with the vet check, phone interview and the home check, you will be told that you are approved to adopt the dog you applied for. When you are ready to take the dog home, you will be asked to sign a contract. This contract is standard with rescue groups. The contract is for the safety and welfare of the dog, as well as for you. Our concern for the dog continues long after it has been adopted and if something happens once the dog is home, we want to help out. If you can no longer keep the dog, please contact us and we will take the dog back. We have rescued these dogs from terrible conditions. We do not want them to go back to those, or worse, to be put down when there are members of our organization who will take the dog back in and foster it until another good home is found.

The adoption donations for the dogs vary, but a general guideline is: