ADOPTION QUESTIONNAIRE
In order to adopt an animal from our shelter you must be at least 19 years of age or older. There is an application process in which you will have an adoption questionnaire to fill out. Depending on your answers there are follow up questions and it requires 2 people on staff to approve the application. If you are renting you will need a copy of your lease showing pets are allowed or a direct call to your landlord to confirm that you are allowed pets. Depending on your past ownership we may also require a reference from your Veterinarian.
Once you pass this first phase you will then be required to visit the animal on site to determine if the animal you are interested in is compatible with you, any children residing in the household or who will have regular contact with the animal, and an introduction to any other dog also residing in the household. Since our goal is to find the best possible home for our animals we need to meet with you in person since expectations or perceptions may not be entirely accurate by seeing the picture of an animal on our site. Each animal is different and their reactions to you as a potential adopter is important to assure a good fit, not only for you, but for the animal. As many of the animals that come into our care are strays we do not know with 100% accuracy how they will behave with certain people, children or other animals. Some animals may also have specific behavior issues that, while correctable, may pose certain challenges. We do our best to screen each and every animal but in the end the animal itself will choose their new owner.
Finally, the final process allows us to answer your questions more thoroughly, give you proper advice for dealing with issues and to quite honestly determine how committed you are to make the necessary sacrifices to ensure that the animal will be given a fair chance to make the appropriate adjustments to its new home.
Please note that the Animal Shelter Bathurst SPCA reserves all rights to decide which homes we feel will best meet the needs of the animals in our care. Our primary goal is to match the right animal with the right owner. While you may not be approved for a particular animal, this does not mean you would not be suitable for another animal. We feel every animal is a unique individual and each animal that come into our care have their own history and particular issues that, while correctable, may require more time and attention than you are prepared to give. We strive to find forever homes and each time an animal is returned it makes it that much harder to adopt them and creates more issues and stress on the animal.
HOW TO GET A QUESTIONNAIRE
Adoption questionnaires can be obtained by coming into the animal shelter and requesting a paper copy of the application form, or you can fill out the application form online by going to “Looking For A Specific Form” located at the top of the page . Only completed and approved applications are considered for adoptions. While your application may have been sent in you will be notified by email or phone on your approval and where you are in relation to the animal you have chosen. Applications are then ordered and numbered. We encourage you to send an application even though an animal may have an approved applicant ahead of you. If someone changes their mind we proceed to the following person approved for that animal until a successful adoption has been achieved.
ONCE YOU ADOPT
Once you have been successful in adopting your new animal companion you will have 30 days to trial the adoption. If you have made an honest effort and given the animal a reasonable chance at adjusting to its new home but things still don’t turn out you may return the animal within this period. At this time we will evaluate your situation and make a decision to either refund your fee or we will allow you to try another animal, or we will accept the animal with no refund. Please note that Veterinary fees are not refundable for any reason.
Refund amounts
- Dog-$125
- Lonely Heart dog-$80
- cat -$75
- Lonely Heart cat-$30
If the trial period is successful, you must then proceed to getting your animal spayed or neutered within 60 days of the date of adoption for adult animals or by the age of 6 months for puppies and kittens. Once this process has been completed within the time limits, you must bring us the proof of the procedure in order to get your refund. IF you fail to complete the procedure in the prescribed time you are still obliged to get the animal done but you will forfeit your deposit. If there are issues in getting the procedure down in time you must contact a shelter representative to ask for an extension before your deadline is up.
Part of the adoption package includes a 30 day pet health insurance compliments of Pet Health which covers any diseases the animal may have incurred while in our care including ingestion of a foreign body and vehicular incident as new animals are at risk of getting out on you. All other Vet fees are the responsibility of the owner and are not refundable.
All licenses requirement under municipal or provincial laws are not refundable or transferable to other pets. After 30 days adoption fees are not refundable, however, under your contract agreement with the shelter you cannot give the animal away without our express permission or the animal must be returned to us.
ADOPTION FEES
- Large breed dogs – $275
- Puppies/Small dogs – $400
- Non Spayed/Neutered Dogs – $150 + $75 Refundable Spay/Neuter Deposit
- Spayed/Neutered Cats – $130
- Spayed/Neutered Kittens – $160
- Non Spayed/Neutered Cats – $80 + $50 Refundable Spay/Neuter Deposit
- Non Spayed/Neutered Cats – $110 + $50 Refundable Spay/Neuter Deposit
- Puppies – $300 + $100 Refundable Spay/Neuter Deposit
- Lonely Heart cats- $50
- Lonely Heart dogs-$130
- Adopting more than one animal at once-20% off adoption price
PLEASE NOTE
It is part of our mandate to reduce the pet overpopulation and all animals from the shelter must be spayed or neutered.
An animal adopted from our shelter will still reflect a significant savings in veterinary fees should you take the time to check out the various prices in our region. Depending on the species, size and sex of the animal you will be saving from anywhere from 50 to 70 % in vet fees for surgery, deworming, vaccines and check up.
Please remember that the adoption fee does not even cover the cost we put into each animal from our shelter let alone the one getting adopted. Those fees go back into the resources to help the next animal coming in so look at this fee as you helping to save two lives: the one adopted and the one that will replace it.
Reduce, reuse and recycle. Our aim is to try and find a home for all adoptable healthy pets within our resources. Thousands of otherwise healthy young animals are euthanized in shelters across Canada every year. However, the answer is not to keep building more and more shelters. If considering a pet consider rescue as your first option. Do not contribute to overpopulation by breeding unnecessarily and spay/neuter your pets to prevent accidental litters.
And remember owning a pet is a long life time commitment.
0 Comments