The Adoption Process
Thank you for your interest in our rescue. Our goal is to adopt Miniature Schnauzers, Schnoodles, terrier mixes, Cocker Spaniels, older and special needs dogs into permanent, loving and responsible homes. Our mission is to find the right “forever” home for each dog.
Click here to see our available dogs.
Fill Out an Application
The first step in the adoption process is to complete the adoption application. Applications usually take between 7 and 10 days to process.
All information is treated as confidential. Please be open with us about the type of dog you want, your lifestyle and behaviors that you cannot tolerate. This will help us match you to a dog you can enjoy for the rest of his or her life. Because we usually do not know what the rescued dog’s experience has been with young children, we usually cannot adopt to families with children under about 8 years old.
We may be working with several families at once, and while this is not a “first-come, first-served” situation, we do try to work with people in the order that we receive their
application. For this reason, the dog that you initially inquired about may be adopted prior
to processing your application. Please be patient with us, as we are all volunteers with full-time jobs to pay our own bills. On the other hand, if you have not heard back from us in a
reasonable period of time, please email us again, because sometimes technology doesn’t work
properly!
Submission of an application does not guarantee that you will receive a dog. An incomplete application or misrepresentation of any facts on the application is grounds for refusal. All existing dogs in the home must be spayed or neutered, and up to date on their shots in order for the application to be considered.
Set Up a Home Visit
You will be contacted by telephone to set up a home visit with the dogs, once your application has been reviewed and approved. If you have or have had a pet in the past, we will check your vet references. Potential adopters cannot set up a meeting with a rescue dog until they have an approved adoption application. Because we consider the home visit a very important part of our adoption process, we usually do not adopt dogs out of state.
Home visits usually take place on Fridays or over the weekend as we all have jobs during the week. The visits usually take about 2 hours, but that is completely up to you. The visits are designed to give you an opportunity to get to know the dog and decide if he or she will fit into your lifestyle. This is also when we introduce the rescue dog(s) to any existing dogs you may have in the home. The "fit" is important. We have a lot of love (and sometimes a lot of money) invested in these dogs, and we want to make sure that they’re going to a great permanent home.
Sign an Adoption Agreement
If you decide to adopt, we require that you sign an adoption agreement. The main points in
the agreement are that the dog is an indoor dog, that you will take care of their routine
veterinary needs, and that you will return the dog to Vintage Dog Rescue if for any reason you
cannot or choose not to keep it.
All of our rescued dogs are spayed or neutered, they are up to date on their shots, vet
checked, heartworm negative and micro chipped prior to adoption. Adoption fees are set to
help cover these vet fees. Volunteers donate their time, food for the dogs, gas for
transportation and home visits and, of course, lots of love.
Fees
A minimum donation of $300 is required for the adoption of puppies up to 1 year old. The fee is $250 for young dogs between 1 and 4 years old, $200 for dogs between 5 and 8 years old, and $150 for dogs over 8 years old and special needs dogs. The fee is payable in cash or by check at the time of the adoption. We try to identify dogs we know are mixes in their biographies, but their medical care, and thus their adoption fees, are the same.
Please let us know if you have any special needs or concerns.