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rescue dogs

September 21 by Bonnie 4 Comments

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Dog?

Interested in adopting a dog? You are not alone.  As people learn about the horrors of puppy mills, dog adoptions are becoming the preferred method of getting a dog.   This is good news to the more than 127,000 dogs currently looking for a home on Petfinder.com. But even as more people choose to adopt, they often don’t know the cost to adopt a dog prior to starting the process. With this in mind we decided to sort through the adoption posts on petfinder.com to answer the question ‘What does it cost to adopt a dog?’

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Dog? - Face of a light brown puppy
Henry – Orlando Fl – Petfinder.com

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Dog?

The cost to adopt a dog varies based on a few factors. The age, geographic location, interest in the dog and the organization type can all have an effect on the cost. The cost to adopt a puppy ranged from $61 and $1,750 with typical costs falling between $200 and $500. The cost to adopt an adult dog ranged from $50 to $1,200 with typical costs falling between $100 and $350. Across the board puppies fetched a higher price than adult dogs. Senior dogs and special needs dogs were at the lower end of costs.

Meet Malcolm. Malcolm is a 2 month old Labrador Retriever mix located in Wakefield, RI. Malcolm’s adoption fee is $585

How Do These Factors Affect The Cost?

Age

The age of the dog has a big impact on the cost to adopt that dog. Puppies have always been in high demand and many people are willing to pay a higher price to get one. People often believe that it is easier to train and bond with a dog if you get them as a puppy. What they might overlook is that you need to know how to train a puppy in order to bond with them. At the very least they need to have the time to take them to a training class. The lack of experience and time often results in older puppies or young dogs being surrendered to shelters due to behavioral problems. This brings me to the other reason puppies are more expensive to adopt. There are fewer puppies available to adopt compared to older dogs.

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Dog? Three golden retriever puppies

These Golden Retriever puppies are in Bath, Ohio for $500 each.

Geographic Location

Where the dog is located can also have an effect on the adoption fees. Locations with a higher cost of living tend to have higher adoption costs. This is partially due to the higher cost for medical care, dog food, and housing. Another contributing factor is that populations in high cost areas tend to have more disposable income to spend on the dog they want.

Meet Harry. Harry is a purebred Golden Retriever located in Westchester County, NY. He is estimated to be between 1 to 2 years old. Harry’s adoption fee is $1,200.

The same is true for locations with a lower cost of living. These areas will generally have lower adoption costs due to the lower cost of care and have less people willing to pay a premium for a dog. However there are exceptions to this. It has become a common practice to transport dogs from lower cost areas in the south to higher cost areas in the north. In these cases the adoption costs may also reflect the cost of transport.

Golden retriever and Rottweiler mix in how much does it cost to adopt a dog.

Meet Ross. Ross is a Golden Retriever and Rottweiler mix in Rogers, Arkansas. At the time of writing he was being held by the City of Rogers – Animal Services. Ross’s adoption fee is just $61.

Interest

Although most government run shelters and some rescues charge a flat fee based on age others will base the adoption cost on the anticipated demand for a particular dog. Dogs with high demand tend to be purebred or mixed breed “designer” dogs. The justification for charging a higher cost is that the extra fees will help pay for the medical expenses of another dog in need or the general expenses for less adoptable dogs. In at least one dog adoption post we came across it was stated that the reason for the higher cost was to prevent someone from reselling the dog at a higher price.

How much does it cost to adopt a dog?

Pur is a 5 month old Aussiedoodle in Elk Grove, CA. Her adoption fee is $1,000

Non-designer mixed-bred dogs tend to have lower adoption fees.

Earl Grey is believed to be a Labrador Retriever and White Shepherd Mix in Berea, Kentucky. He is up to date on his vaccinations and is neutered. His adoption fee is $200

Organization type

If you have read some of my other posts on adoption you know that we once adopted a purebred Golden Retriever from a local shelter. I can’t remember the exact cost to adopt him but it was fairly low. The low cost was contributed to a couple of things. First we adopted him about 20 years ago and secondly he came from a city shelter. You can still adopt dogs from local government shelters but you may be competing with local rescue groups. This is because rescue groups may take these dogs in before anyone else has a chance to adopt them. Before you get upset about this let me tell you why rescue groups are doing us all a favor.

Shelly appears to be a goldendoodle puppy.How much does it cost to adopt a dog?

Shelly appears to be a goldendoodle puppy, but the ad states they do not know what her breeding is. She was being held at the Fort Wayne Animal Control in Fort Wayne, In. Her adoption cost is $125.

Rescue Groups

Every time a rescue group takes a dog from a shelter they are opening up space for another dog. Unlike rescue groups, government run shelters have a limited amount of space to work with. No space means a dog is put down. Rescue groups on the other hand will hold on to a dog until they find them a home.

As more people chose to adopt rather than buy the demand for rescue dogs has increased. This allows rescue groups to be selective when finding homes for their dogs. Having gone through the process already we provide you with the tips and tricks you need to get a rescue dog in Rescue Dogs: Tips on How to Get One

Rescue groups serve another purpose. They will often vet the dogs before putting them up for adoption. Since rescue groups use foster homes to house their dogs, the host gets a chance to see what the dog is really like to live with. Medical and behavioral issues are generally taken care of by the rescue before becoming available for adoption.

Ember was rescued from a kill shelter in Texas. She was brought to a foster in Virginia to hopefully be adopted. She is listed as a German Shepherd Puppy. Embers adoption fee is $325

Our Story

When we adopted Charlie the only thing we knew about him was that he originally brought into the shelter as a stray and was returned by the previous adopter because he was “too big”. Now Charlie was a large dog but they would have known that before adopting him. What we found out about Charlie after bringing him home was that he liked to roam and that he had behavioral issues. As experienced dog owners we were able to work through the issues, but I understand why the other adopters chose to return him. Rescue groups are more vested in the process so they want to make sure a dog is not returned.

Meet Cash. Cash’s mom was abandoned and had her puppies under a barn. Cash and his siblings needed to be bottle fed by their foster mom. Cash is located in Nahunta, Ga. The adoption fees at this rescue ranges between $100 to $200.

What is included in the Adoption fee?

Adoption fees are often a bargain once you realize what is covered by the fee. What is covered can vary, but most cover: 

  • Medical check-up
  • All required age appropriate shoots
  • Heartworm testing, prevention and treatment when necessary
  • Deworming for puppiesSpay or neuter
  • Cost to board or foster the dog.
    • This includes items like food, treats, pee pads, toys etc.
  • Microchip

Brady is a Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle mix in Tampa, Fl. His is approximately 4 years old and was rescued from a local shelter. He needed to be shaved down due to the extensive matting and comes with free training. His adoption fee is $250.

Some places also include in their fees:

  • Dog License
  • Collars
  • Identification tags
  • Flea and Tick Prevention
  • Dental Checkup
  • Training Classes
  • Grooming

Dog Adoption – These days there are so many places where you can go to adopt a dog. Which one should you choose? We look at the pros and cons of each and touch on where you should not go for your dog adoption in Dog Adoption – Finding Your Perfect Pup

Additional Fees

Application fees

In addition to the cost of the adoption fee some rescue groups require that you pay a non-refundable application fee in order to have your application processed. This fee is used to pay for the processing of the application. Fees typically ranged between $10 and $25 per application.

Transportation costs

Some rescue groups will ship the dog to you for an additional cost. The cost is based on the location of the rescue, length of the trip and how they are transported. The transportation costs we saw ranged from $50 to $500 for ground transportation.  If the rescue routinely transports dogs to a certain area they may include the cost to the adoption fee rather than charge it separately.

How much does it cost to adopt a dog?

This beautiful boy is Landon. His mom was a town stray in Reform, Alabama. He is offered for adoption in Connecticut but will reside in Alabama until he has found a home. Landon’s adoption fee is $499 which includes the cost of transportation to Connecticut.

Spay or Neuter Deposits

It is becoming more common for rescues to allow puppies to be adopted prior to having them spayed or neutered. But they still want all dogs to be fixed so rescues and shelters are now requiring a deposit at the time of adoption that is refundable once the dogs are fixed. The deposit request we saw ranged between $75 and $250 dollars.

What is a Benefactor Dog?

A benefactor dog is generally a purebred or designer dog that people are willing to pay a higher adoption fee to get. The idea behind benefactor dogs is that the high fees help support dogs that need medical attention or for the care of dogs that are harder to place.  The adoption fees vary for benefactor dogs but are always higher than the standard fees for the rescue.

How much does it cost to adopt a dog?  French bull dog puppy

Dutch Lucky is a French Bulldog puppy in Indiana. His adoption fee is $1,750. It is noted in his profile that his adoption fee “will be used to cover veterinarian expenses of other dogs in need “

How We Determined the Typical Cost to Adopt a Dog

To find the typical cost to adopt a dog we took a sampling of the thousands of dogs that were available across the US on petfinder.com at the time of writing. Since rescue groups and shelters are free to charge what they want, the “typical” cost may change.  In order to make the comparisons between the different regions, ages, health and organization type we concentrated on a few breed types. This included mixed breed dogs and the 5 most popular dog breeds; the German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, French Bull Dog, Poodle and Poodle mix.   

Beyond the Initial Cost to Adopt a Dog

So far we have focused on the cost to adopt a dog from a rescue. But the cost of dog ownership doesn’t end there. There are basic items you will need in order to take care of your new dog. Things like food bowls, food, collar, leash and toys to name a few. Annual visits to the veterinarian will be needed to ensure your pup is healthy and up to date with all their vaccines. Taking care of your pup will be an ongoing expense, so make sure you know what the costs are before you adopt and that you have the means to cover them.

If you are a new dog parent you may be wondering what you need to take care of a puppy. In What You Need for a New Puppy we go over the essential items you must get for any dog.

A Word About the Dogs

All the dogs shown in this post were available for adoption on petfinder.com at the time of writing. Most of them will hopefully be adopted by the time you read this, but there are many more just like these who are looking for a home. Please consider opening your heart and your home to one of them

Filed Under: Adoption Tagged With: cost to adopt a dog, How much does it cost to adopt a dog, rescue dogs

May 1 by Bonnie 6 Comments

Dog Adoption – Finding Your Perfect Pup

Dog Adoption - Finding Your Perfect Pup White dog named Bumble @ Petfinder.com

Updated – May 1, 2019

Dog Adoption – Where is the best place to find your perfect match? Now a days there are many places where you can go for dog adoptions. With so many options it is sometimes hard to decide. We will look at the pros and cons of each and touch on where you should not go for your dog adoption.

Where not to go for dog adoptions

Hopefully everyone knows that buying a puppy from a puppy store or a website that has many different breeds for sale means you are probably buying from a puppy mill. But did you know that “adopting” a dog from a puppy store can also mean you are buying from a puppy mill.

To get around laws aimed at stopping puppy mills, pet store owners are now offering dogs for adoption. But some of these dogs are actually bought from puppy mills.

Chicago Tribune Investigation

During a Chicago Tribune investigation they found that a loophole in the city ordinance allowed three Chicago pet stores to sell puppies supplied by rescues that are closely linked to longtime commercial dealers. Read more at the Chicago Tribune on line – Designer and purebred puppies from other states sold as rescue dogs in Chicago, outsmarting city ordinance

Where to go for dog adoptions

Rescue Groups vs Shelters

It is important to understand that a dog rescue group and a dog shelter are not the same.  Although they are in the same business, placing dogs into homes, how they go about it is different.   Rescues are independent and can choose which dogs they have available to adopt, where your county shelter will generally take in local street dogs or owner surrenders.  If you are looking for a specific type of dog, either a purebred or designer dog you will have better luck with a rescue that specializes in that particular type of dog.  

Another difference is that animal shelters typically keep their animals in kennels while dog rescues generally use foster homes.  There is also a difference in costs.  A true local animal shelter generally has a lower adoption fee.  Rescue Groups tend to have higher fees associated with their adoptions. 

Shelters

Dog Adoption - Where to Find Your Perfect Pup
Petfinder.com

If you would prefer the satisfying feeling of rescuing a dog in need and don’t mind the mystery of a mixed breed then a shelter may be the right place for you.   

Shelter Dogs have a lot going for them.  I can’t really explain it but shelter dogs tend to be more grateful.  They typically know what a hard life is and are more appreciative when they are given a good life.  Also since shelter dogs tend to be mixed breed (though you can find a purebred on occasion), the combination of two or more dog breeds can balance out their personalities, physical characteristics and health concerns.

Just remember that if you select a mixed breed puppy from a shelter there is no way of knowing exactly which breeds make up the mix, how your puppy will look or what health problems they may end up with. 

How to Find a Shelter

Finding a local shelter is fairly easy.  Just look on Petfinder.com or do a google search for local shelters.

Finding a dog that fits exactly what you are looking for at a local shelter is not.  We had a really hard time finding the right one. Read: Shelter Dogs – The Realities of Finding One to hear about some of our experiences in the search to find a dog.

Rescue Groups

Dog Adoption - Where to Find Your Perfect Pup

Within the realm of Rescue
Groups there are at least two categories.  The first are the rescues that do it for the love of dogs. Often they tend to be breed specific and have been around for a while.  They are generally founded by people who love and understand the breed, sometimes they are breeders themselves. It is a labor of love and not done for the money.   Then you have a new trend that has been labeled Retail Rescue. These Rescue Groups are in it for the money.  

If you look on Petfinder.com you will find a large assortment of rescues.    It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a rescue who only wants to save the lives of dogs and the one that does it primarily for the money.  I might even argue that as long as a dog is being saved it doesn’t matter.  Right?

Sometimes it does matter

At its best retail rescues have beautiful dogs that are handpicked to be adopted quickly and the only downside is higher fees. 

At its worst retail rescues are a scam. Some will foster or kennel dogs out of state until they have a buyer. Then you must pay the non-refundable adoption fee before you can meet the dog.   You see the dog for the first time on the day you pick them up to bring them home.  It is not uncommon for the adopters of these dogs to be stuck with sick and dying dogs.   It had gotten so bad that the state of Connecticut created laws against the practice.

A word on Petfinder. com – We used petfinder.com to find our most recent pup. It is a pretty easy way to search for all the available dogs (and cats) in your area. Petfinder.com requires that all parties wishing to use their site go through an application and screening process prior to posting. They must also provide a letter of reference from their primary veterinarian.

Watch Out for Scams

To protect yourself use a reputable dog adoption website like Petfinder.com, Petfinder.com has a screening process in place to ensure only reputable rescues can advertise on their site. Then do your homework.  Do extensive research on any rescue you have an interest in before submitting an application. 

Research should include but not be limited to:

  • A general online search for good or bad reviews
  • Ask questions
    • How did the dog end up at the rescue?
    • Where did they come from?
    • Ask for proof of origin.
    • Find out as much as possible about the dogs background as you can.
    • Ask for the medical records and get the vets name so you can verify the information.
  • Check the IRS website to make sure they have a 501(c)(3) charity status – Tax Exempt Organization Search
  • Check to see if there is any feedback on the Rescue Group at these charity watch sites
    • Charity Navigator
    • Guide Star
    • ProPublica’s Non-profit Explorer


To learn more about adopting a dog check out this posts:

  • Really Ready for a Dog? How to Decide
  • What is the Right Dog for Me?
  • Adopting vs Buying a Dog: Which is Best?
  • Dog Adoption – Tips on Finding One

Filed Under: Adoption Tagged With: Dog Rescues, Dog Shelters, rescue dogs, Rescues

March 13 by Bonnie 3 Comments

Rescue Dogs: Tips on How to Get One

Rescue Dogs: Tips on How to Get One. Picture of a white fluffy dog with a Adopt Me sign.

Surprisingly adopting a rescue dog from either a local shelter or rescue group is not that easy. As more people are choosing to adopt rescue dogs over buying from breeders, the demand for rescue dogs has gone up. This has allowed shelter and rescue groups to become more selective when finding adopters for the dogs in their care. This is especially true for the more popular dog breeds. Having gone through this experience ourselves, we will provide you with the tips and tricks that helped us get the rescue dog we were looking for.

Our Story

Years ago when we adopted our first dog, Charlie, we simply went to our local shelter and asked to see the available dogs.  They asked us a few questions about the type of dog we were looking for, where we lived and if we had a big yard. Next we were shown a beautiful 5 year old purebred Golden Retriever. Since we really didn’t know much about selecting a dog from a shelter we asked a few basic questions and decided to adopt him. After filling out the required paperwork which included personal references, we paid a small fee and left. A couple of hours later, after they checked our referernces, they gave us a call to come get Charlie. The process was very quick and very easy.

This was not our experience when we were recently looking for our newest rescue. It took us over four months and a lot of rejections before we were able to find a dog we could adopt.

Rescue Dogs

Purebred dogs don’t often find themselves at local shelters anymore. Typically, breed specific rescue groups will “rescue” these dogs from a shelter to prevent the dog from being put down. Since rescue groups tend to use foster homes to house the dogs they are able to rescue more dogs then a county run shelter could. Also since the overall cost to foster a dog is lower than keeping a dog in a shelter they can hold on to the dogs for a longer period of time.

Thanks to a lower cost to take care of the dogs and the higher demand rescues can be very selective about prospective adopters. It also means they have some leeway in how much they charge for the adoption.

Why Are Rescue Groups So Selective?

  • Dog Safety – There was a time when people would adopt animals from shelters only to resell them to research companies for experiments. Also there have been cases where adopted dogs were used as bait in dog fights. You may never think to harm an animal but there are some that would. For those reasons, rescue groups go to great lengths to ensure the dogs go to a good home.
  • They don’t want the dog returned. You will find that almost every dog rescue group and shelter requires that if you cannot keep the dog for any reason, you must return it to them. This is to ensure the animal does not end up in harm’s way. Although the dog might be returned for no fault of their own, most people are leery of dogs that have been returned making it harder to find a new home. For this reason the rescue group wants to make sure they find the right person for the dog.

How to Increase Your Chance of Being Selected By a Rescue Group:

How to Increase Your Chance of Being Selected for a Rescue Dog. Gray puppy sitting

Be Flexible

The more flexible you are with the type of dog you are looking for, the easier it will be to find a dog. Here are some ways to compromise on the dog you want:

  • Get an older dog instead of a puppy – People tend to want a puppy but older dogs are generally better behaved from the start and have the benefit of being previously trained.
  • Be open to different genders or colors
  • Purebreds are hard to come by – Consider getting a mixed breed dog that is part your desired breed

At this point you might be asking What is the right dog for me? Only you can answer this question. But we can help. We have laid out a series of questions to help you decide which type of dog best fits your lifestyle in What is the Right Dog for Me?

Research Local Shelters/Rescues

Adoption Process

Do your research on the dog shelters/rescues in your area to find out how the adoption process works. You should find out if:

  • They take multiple applications on a dog and then decide which applicant best meets the dog’s needs?
  • There is a strict first come first serve policy?
  • Personal references are required?
  • Veterinarian references are required?
  • You need to bring your dog to meet the rescue dog?
  • Your kids need to meet the dog?

Tip: You should do these last two points even if the dog rescue group does not require them.

Dog Adoption – Where is the best place to find your perfect match? These days there are so many places where you can go to find a rescue dog. With so many options it is sometimes hard to decide. We will look at the pros and cons of each and touch on where you should not go for your dog adoption in Dog Adoption – Finding Your Perfect Pup

Know their Requirements

Find out what the dog rescue/shelter requirements are. You should find out if:

  • There are age restrictions for children?
  • Living in a house a requirement?
  • They require a fenced in yard?
  • You are required to have an older dog in the home to teach the new dog manners?
  • They require you to be an experienced dog owner?
  • Home checks are required?
  • You need to reside within a certain distance from them?
  • They require follow-up home visits?
  • The dogs are spayed or neutered before leaving the rescue?
  • They require that the dog have a microchip.

Narrowing Down the Search

Now that you have done your research on local rescue groups you should narrow the number of rescues you want to follow. Here are tips on how to decide which rescue groups best fit what you are looking for:

  1. Look at the rescue group’s past adoptions to see what types of dogs they tend to offer. Many times rescues chose to specialize in certain types; like Golden Retriever Rescue or Shaggy Dog Rescue.
  2. Make sure you fit their requirements. When I first started looking at rescues I searched all rescues within a 4 hour driving radius. I was turned down several times because I lived too far away to do a house check.
  3. Ask around for references. Chances are if they are a local group someone you know may have had a previous experience with them.
  4. Check on line to see if there are any complaints about the group. Local Facebook groups can be helpful. Be very caution if you see people complaining about the rescue group online

Once you have found a hand full of rescues/shelters that fit what you are looking for and you fit their requirements, concentrate looking at just those shelters.

Finding a Rescue Dog to Adopt

Now that you have your preferred groups in order, it’s time to get down to finding an adoptable dog. To increase your chances of finding a dog and being selected you should do the following:

  • Fill out an application at the shelter or rescue that you are interested in. Most places will keep the application on file for 6 months.  This will allow them to check your references ahead of time and speed up your approval process. With rescue dogs in high demand you have to be quick.
  • Check the pet rescue sites at night and/or first thing in the morning to see what was added. For groups that use the first come first served method of selection being the early bird will get you the worm, or in this case dog.
  • Set up email alerts on pet rescue websites. Petfinder.com allows you to fine tune your search down to the type of dog and your preferred location.
  • Follow your preferred rescue/shelters on Facebook. Rescues tend to send out notifications on new available dogs before they show up on the big rescue sites.
  • Join Facebook groups that specialize in re-homing the type of dog you are looking for. Many dogs never even make it to the big rescue sites like Petfinder.com.
White and brown dog in park

Be Patient

It is very important that you be patient. You will find the right dog for you but it may take some time.

The process might seem a bit overwhelming to you at first, but with a little work and a lot of patience you will soon find your furry BFF.

Have any tips to share you would like to share on how to adopt a rescue dog?  Please let us know in the comments.

Filed Under: Adoption Tagged With: Dog Shelters, How to adopt a shelter dog, Rescue, rescue dogs, shelter dogs

April 10 by Bonnie 1 Comment

Shelter Dog – The Realities of Finding One

Shelter Dog - The Realities of Finding One

“Why buy while those in shelters die?” is a pretty common mantra these days.  But is it really that simple to adopt a shelter dog?

In my previous post Meeting Katie I spoke about our first failed attempt to adopt a shelter puppy.  Since then we have been searching pet rescue sites diligently twice a day for the last 2 ½ months looking for a dog that would fit into our family.

According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year.  You would think with that many dogs in need of a home finding one that fits in with our family would be easy.  But we are finding that it is actually quite difficult.   Part of the reason is that we are searching for a particular type of dog that would best fit our family’s lifestyle.

Although we have found dogs that closely match what we are looking for on places like Pet Finder, Adopt-Me or Adopt-A-Pet we often don’t meet the requirements to adopt due to things like our children are too young (my kids are 11 and 9), we don’t have a fenced in yard or we live too far away to do a home check.   If we do qualify, we don’t seem to find the dogs quick enough to be first on the list.

Here is a look at some of our disappointments.

Lacey

Shelter Dog - The Realities of Finding One
Lacey the Shelter Dog

Lacey was a sweet 3 year old girl. Although she was smaller and older than what we were looking for, she fit most of our criteria and she was nearby.

As soon as we saw her on Pet Finder we completed an online application, with all of the necessary information including our veterinarian’s contacts and three personal non-family references.  The next morning we heard back from the rescue.  It was an automated response telling us that our application was being processed and requesting that we inform our veterinarian to expect a call.  Once we notified our veterinarian we had to let the rescue know it was ok to make the call. The email also stated that if someone was able to get through the application process quicker than us, they would be granted the option to adopt her ahead of us. This meant it was not just a race to get your application in first, but to have it approved first.   The email gave us some hope but by the early afternoon she was marked as adopted on their website.

Aurelia

Shelter Dog - The Realities of Finding One
Aurelia the Shelter Dog

After that, there was Aurelia. Aurelia was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix puppy located at our county’s regional animal shelter which happens to be in our town.    They did not have an online application. Instead you filled out a word document that you could download from their site. It only asked for one reference and the name of your veterinarian.  We filled out the application and brought it with us the next day.   MY husband and I arrived at the shelter 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled opening time to find two people standing outside waiting.   Both were there to adopt Aurelia.   After waiting 40 minutes to have a chance to meet her only to find out that the first person in line had adopted her on the spot.

Maple

Shelter Dog - The Realities of Finding One
Maple the Shelter Dog

Our next attempt was Maple, a miniature schnauzer/golden retriever mix puppy.  She was located in state about an hour and twenty minutes away from us.  We were more than willing to make the trip.   After filing out the application we heard back from the rescue.  We lived outside of their 1 hour driving limit to do a home check.

So far our experience has not been good.  But I am learning what it takes to find a shelter dog.

This post is part of a series on Shelter Dogs

  • Meeting Katie

Filed Under: Dog Search Tagged With: How to adopt a shelter dog, Rescue, rescue dogs, shelter dogs, What to expect when looking for a shelter dog

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We publish dog stories, dog news, tips and product buying advice for dog parents.

Happy Oodles is owned and operated by two dog lovers and one cute pup named Bella, a poodle mix we rescued from a shelter.

 

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