If you have dogs/puppies or cats/kitties for adoption and you are looking for their perfect homes, we’ve put together some good screening questions to ask interested adopters to make sure they are a good fit. If you’re hoping to adopt a pet from us or any other rescue organization, asking yourself these questions may also help you determine if you are ready to adopt, and how you can better prepare to welcome home a new member of the family.
• Ask the potential adopter about where they live. Do they own or rent their house? If renting, does the landlord allow pets? Do they have a fenced in yard? If the yard isn’t fenced, ask how he plans to keep the dog/cat from leaving his property.
• How many other people share the same household with them? Are they family members or roommates? Are there any children living in the household? If so, how many and how old are they? How many children can make a huge difference depending on the animal’s personality. If your animal isn’t comfortable with kids, say so up front.
• What are their daily activities, schedule, and hobbies? This is important to gauge how long the animal may be alone in the house, and if they will be provided with enough exercise, play time and socialization.
• Does the interested adopter currently have dogs or other pets? How many? What kind? What are their personalities like? Obviously, if the animal isn’t good with cats or other animals and your applicant has them, the adoption’s not going to work. Be up front. It’s better to turn people away now than have to take the dog back later.
• If the potential adopter does not currently have any dogs or cats, ask if they have ever had any dogs or cats before. If yes, where are they now? These are very important questions! How they treated the pets they’ve had in the past will tell you how they might treat your dog/cat they are interested in adopting. Ask them to send pictures of their current animals to evaluate how they’ve been cared for and if they look to be in good health and treated well.
• Where will the dog/cat be kept during the day? At night? Where will they be kept when unsupervised? How will the potential adopter provide for the dog if they have to go out of town?
• Why do they think this is the right time in their lives to adopt a dog/cat? Why are they interested in this dog/cat in particular? Did they like the look of the dog/cat? The description on the flyer or ad? The personality of the dog/cat? These kinds of questions can help give you insight into their motivations for adopting, and assure that it is for the right reasons.
• Ask if they agree to a castration and vaccine commitment, if the pet being adopted has not been fixed or had all of their essential shots yet. It is good practice to require this from all adopters, and the best way to do this is to meet them at the vet the day you deliver the dog/cat and have them prepay and/or schedule the castration and vaccines. Have the vet evaluate the animal in front of you and the adopter to confirm that the pet is healthy at the time of adoption.
Once you have decided that the interested adopter is the right fit for the pet you are adopting, there are some things you’ll need to explain to the new family before they take your dog home:
• The dog or cat will go through an adjustment period as he gets to know his new people, learns new rules and adjusts to a new environment. Most dogs and cats adjust within a few days, but others may take longer.
• During this time, they should avoid forcing the dog to do anything stressful like taking a bath, obedience training classes, meeting too many strangers and/or dogs at once, etc.
• Suggest that they take things easy at first and give the dog or cat time to bond with them. Keep the home environment calm and quiet for the first couple of weeks. Some animals might not eat for the first day or two. Not to worry – he’ll eat when he’s ready.
• Some dogs temporarily forget their training. A well-housebroken dog may have an accident during the first day in his new home. This isn’t unusual and rarely happens more than once.
• They may think about investing in a crate (if not provided) so that their new dog/cat has a safe place to go when unsupervised and/or when he starts to feel anxious.
Here are some pictures of happy families and their new rescues! ❤ We have been working so hard to make sure that whoever our animals are going to, are the best families possible. We couldn’t have been luckier to connect with these amazing new adopters and wish these dear puppies the happiest and healthiest lives possible. Thank you!
