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Please Read Entire Adoption Application Guidelines
Prior To Completing The Adoption Application! |
Our guidelines are based on years of rescue experience. We have made a commitment to find a safe and loving forever home for each foster in our rescue. If we make a mistake on our selection of a forever home, it could cost the dog his/her life. Many rescuers, who have little or no adoption guidelines, have seen disastrous results such as the adopted dog dumped in a kill shelter within weeks of adoption, where he/she can be destroyed within 3 days. Sometimes the adopted dog was given away to a friend or family member of the adopted parent, and the dog was later dumped. We dearly love our fosters and are solely responsible for their future happiness and health. We will not allow this to happen to our fosters. For this reason, we require a signed adoption application, contract and notarized agreement all stating that "if the adopted parent cannot keep the dog for any reason, he/she agrees to notify Peke A Tzu Rescue and to return the dog upon request. If the dog is not returned, we have permission to enter the home and remove the adopted dog." If you are not willing to agree to these terms, do not complete an adoption application. Our other adoption guidelines are explained below. We support the spay/neuter program. We will not place any of our dogs in a home where pets are not altered. We are a small breed dog rescue. The majority of our dogs weigh 15 pounds or less. Though we understand most large breed dogs are gentle in nature even a playful nip can injure a small dog. We will not place any of our dogs in a home where the current owner's dogs weigh in excess of 30 pounds. We cannot count the calls from families where they have had a dog since it was a puppy, children arrive on the scene and the dog is no longer important. The children become the priority, not the dog who has been faithful and true to them for his/her entire life. Then there are the calls where the dog has bitten the child and the owner is considering euthanization. In 100% of the cases, the dog was trying to protect itself from unsupervised and poorly disciplined children. So their answer is to dump the dog in a shelter or rescue and then immediately buy another puppy as a toy for the children. Although they thought they had taught their children how to handle a small dog, this cycle repeats. We also feel that toy breed dogs are not a good match for young children. Small children are clumsy and may injure or accidentally kill a small dog. In many cases, parental supervision has been non-existent and the child may even be bitten by the dog. Therefore, in order to protect your children and our foster dogs, we will not adopt to homes with children under the age of 10 years. We also will not adopt to homes where an adult is planning to have children in the next few years. We feel it necessary because of the background of many of our dogs, that they are placed in a home where the pet owner is experienced and accustomed to supplying necessary veterinarian care. If a potential adopter cannot supply a veterinarian reference, we have no assurance that proper vetting will be given to the adopted dog. Therefore, we will not adopt to homes that have no previous dog ownership. There have been many instances where a pet owner has let their dog off leash without the protection of a fully fenced area. The dog escapes, is hit by a car or lost forever. Thus, our requirement for a fenced area. Although the adopted parent intends to walk the adopted dog several times a day, once bad weather arrives, they will let the dog potty outside quickly off leash. Without a fence, the dog is not protected from animals or running off to chase a squirrel or cat. Therefore, we require a fenced yard or fenced area for 95% of the foster dogs in our rescue. We have received dogs into rescue that have been in homes with an invisible fence. As a result, he is very sensitive around his neck and head area, which results in biting issues and difficulty in grooming. With an invisible fence, there is no protection for him if another dog runs into the yard and attacks him. We also feel that he is prey for other animals who attack small pets and children/teens who would harass him. Anyone can walk into the yard and steal him. In addition, we do not approve of the shock sensation that the collar gives him. Many of our foster babies have been abused, neglected and treated inhumanely and this type of training would do permanent emotional damage. Therefore, we will not place our dogs in a home with an invisible fence. *****We will not adopt a dog younger than 8 years old to an adult 70 years or older.***** We have accepted many dogs into our rescue when a pet has outlived his elderly owner. We have seen many dogs dumped in shelters and rescue that were owned by elderly parents whose adult children had sworn to care for their parent's dog. However, once the elderly parent entered a nursing home or died, the adult child immediately dumped the dog or had the dog put down. Elderly parents, whose health is declining, are unable to care for a young and active dog. Many times the grooming and vetting of the dog is neglected due to the failing health of the elderly parent. For these reasons, we may require an adult relative (care giver of the elderly applicant) to complete the application process and sign the adoption contract with the elderly applicant. The adult relative will be responsible for the care of the adopted dog, once the elderly applicant is no longer able to care for the dog. Therefore, the adult relative needs to live in the same area as the elderly applicant. We have found that young adults, although their intention is good, do not have the financial security, time or patience that our rescue dogs require. Therefore, we will not adopt to adults under the age of 25 years. Many times dogs are dumped in shelters or rescue because the owners could no longer afford to feed or vet the dog. During the adoption application process, we have occasionally received a complaint about the adoption fee. We feel that this is a red flag. People who can not afford an adoption fee on a fully vetted dog, can not afford to have the dog groomed, feed the dog an appropriate diet or maintain proper vetting of the dog for years to come. Annual grooming can cost over $400 a year and veterinarian care can cost over $500 a year. The Shih Tzu and Pekingese breed often have eye issues and need frequent dentals. Most adult toy breeds have a dental every year or two. Veterinarian Ophthalmologist bills can be expensive. We use your veterinarian reference to prove your financial commitment to your current pets. Please consider your financial budget when applying to adopt a dog. Due to leasing and rental restrictions there have been times where the pet owner has been required to give up their pet due to changes in policies or complaints of excessive barking. We have seen many dogs dumped in shelters and rescues for these reasons. In addition there is no fenced yard available in leasing and rental communities. Therefore, we will not adopt to anyone living in a rental apartment. In order for us to place a dog in a secure environment we must know the applicant. We do this through reference checks and home visits. The Fosters And Our Rescue Our volunteer’s time is very precious. They give up time with family and friends to process our applications. There will be no response to phone calls or emails until an application is submitted. Because Peke A Tzu Rescue is NOT a shelter and all dogs are within loving foster homes, we do not have a location available for you to visit the foster dog. Once your application has been approved for adoption we will then make arrangements for you to meet the dog you are interested in. We accept dogs into our rescue that come from animal shelters, animal control facilities, prior owners, breeders, those that are abandoned and strays. All vetting needs are addressed upon arrival which include spay/neuter, dentals, tumor removals, blood work, required vaccinations, heartworm tests and all other health issues. We continue to care for each dog with the appropriate follow up visits. All dogs are given heartworm and flea preventative on a monthly basis and are groomed on a regular basis to meet the needs of each breed. Many of our dogs have issues to work through. You will be advised of those issues prior to adoption. These dogs are often frightened, have never known gentleness nor a tender touch so some can take years to finally know that they are truly safe and loved. They have so much love to give and will crawl deep within your heart. We do not transport our foster dogs to their adopted home. The dog goes through too much stress being passed from one transporter to another. There have been cases where the dog has escaped while in the transporter's care and also occasional deaths have been recorded. We require that the qualified adopter drive to Trufant, Michigan to pick up their baby. This gives the adopter time to interact with their dog in his environment where he feels happy and safe. This transition is stress free, which makes the early days in the new adopted home much happier. The Adoption Fee is non negotiable. Many times vetting for one dog is in excess of $1000. We receive no funding from city, county, state or federal governments. We depend on the Adoption Fees and personal donations to continue to care for the dogs. If you are searching for a “bargain”, go elsewhere. If you are searching for a companion that will fill your life with joy, please continue. If you have any questions regarding the Adoption Fee, please read Adoption Fee. OUR GOAL and ONLY consideration is the SAFETY and HAPPINESS of our dogs. Please understand, rescuing a dog from our organization is not for everyone. We are very selective when it comes to finding the right home for each and every dog we save. Just because you are interested in a particular dog doesn't mean that he/she is a good match for you. Many of our volunteers have been matching people and dogs for a long time and are very good at it. We are dedicated to the pupsters and work very hard to find a special forever home for each dog in our rescue. Application Requirements: The Adoption Application link is below: Adoption Application |
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