There are a lot of dogs out there in need of a house and plenty of people with homes to offer them. Due to this surplus, most animal shelters have a policy that you have to be at least 21 years old, own your home which can’t be foreclosed on or even with an eviction notice, and provide proof that the yard is not “dog hostile” due to size/location/number of fences. Shelters also put time limits on how long dogs can stay until they need to make room for others coming in–this is because more dogs will always come looking for new spots if adoption rates remain low.
– Dogs wait months before getting adopted (usually around 4) and we want them all happy;
– We have to make sure you are prepared to care for the dog;
– For their own protection.
If shelters let everyone adopts all dogs, then what would happen? Shelters would be overcrowded with dogs that wouldn’t get any attention. Dogs are more prone to getting sick if they’re in a crowded space with other dogs. They’d also be spending all their time with the kennel workers, not getting out to walk or being able to play. This is because the majority of people who are looking to adopt are just shopping around at different places instead of actually wanting a dog for themselves–we want them all happy!
– We have to make sure you are prepared to care for the dog.
We have kept in mind all of the reasons above when making rules, but mostly it’s because we want you to be able to provide a good home for the dog you’re adopting! It’s not fair that they just get passed around from place to place with no one being sure if they’ll ever have a real home.
– For their own protection.
Our hope is that you do your research on dogs before coming to adopt one because it’s better for them and the people who want to take care of them! We also encourage you to visit other shelters in your area, not just ours because we won’t always have the perfect dog for you. Always look out for their best interest!
– Adopting a dog shouldn’t be easy. It should be hard to get one because you’ll know you deserve it more.