ADOPTION APPLICATION
Interested in adopting in dog? Please complete the Adoption Application below.
CONTRACT FOR ADOPTION
Once your Adoption Application is approved and your are ready to adopt your new family member please complete the Adoption Contract below.
Adoption Process
Adoption Procedures
If you are interested in any of our animals, please read this entire section BEFORE completing an application form.
Please note: If at any stage in the adoption process, we or one of our volunteers/fosterers, home checkers etc. feel that the situation is not right for our dog, you may be turned down. We don't have regimental rules on what homes are suitable but below gives you an outline of the type of homes we are looking for and the process we follow, should you wish to apply for one of our dogs.
Points to consider before you apply for a dog:
Many of our dogs are often traumatized, insecure and sometimes they have also been physically abused. They often need a lot of time spent on them, so generally they are not suitable to be left alone for long periods of time. We believe that 4 hours is the maximum amount of time a dog should be left alone, but for many of our dogs even this is too long. Puppies in particular benefit from not being left for long periods so please consider this before applying. We may ask your employer to verify your work hours.
Please consider the age of the dog/puppy you want to adopt against your own age before applying.
Legacy Rescue will allow dogs to be adopted to homes with children of all ages as long as the dog is suitable for that environment. We will discuss your circumstances and try to determine if the dog you're interested in will be suitable for your home/family/lifestyle/other pets.
If you already own a dog/cat that is not spayed/neutered, we will consider your application depending on the dog you are applying for. However, Legacy Rescue strongly recommends dogs are spayed/neutered for medical and ethical reasons.
Your yard must be secure with a fence height relative to the size of dog you want to adopt. We usually only home a dog where there is a secure yard (not communal) and where the back yard is separate from the front.
We are looking for wonderful, responsible, forever homes. That means asking questions and trying to marry up the correct pet with the prospective family. We are not judgmental but we have a very large responsibility to make sure we do what's right for you and especially for our dogs.
Our Adoption Procedures
Once you have completed an application form, you will be interviewed over the telephone. We will discuss some of your answers in order to ascertain if we think the dog you are applying for is a suitable match for your lifestyle. We may suggest a different dog to you. If the dog is in a foster home, your application will be passed to the fosterer who will try to call you within 24 hours. They will be able to tell you a lot more about the dog and answer any questions you may have. Once it is agreed to go ahead with the application, a home check will be arranged. This will take place as soon as possible (within 3 days) so please be prepared to make yourself available to meet the home checker.
We will ask the home vetter to clarify some of the points you have answered. For example, if you have said you are at home all day and a home vetter has tried to contact you several times over a couple of days, we may feel that you are not at home for enough hours to suit the dog you are applying for. A home visit, or home vetting, is done to verify that the new home and yard will be a safe and secure place for our dog to go to. If you pass your home check you will be expected to meet/collect the dog within 3 days. However, if you have school age children and can't travel until the weekend we will allow up to 5 days for the 'meet and greet' to take place. If this goes well and everyone is agreed this is the right dog for you, you will be able to take the dog home with you then. If you are unable to meet this timescale, please inform us immediately.
You will be asked to provide references.
All members of the family and any dogs who will be living with the dog you want to adopt must come to meet the new dog. You will be expected to travel to wherever the dog is staying in order to meet and adopt it. We do not we do not let third parties collect for you or deliver dogs to their new homes.
You should bring with you a collar and lead for the dog you are adopting and an identity tag to go on its collar. This can be a temporary tag in case the adoption does not go ahead. If you are adopting an ex-breeding dog many will also require a harness (less frightening than a lead attached to a collar) so, please ask about the size you would need.
Please ensure that you have a safe way to transport the dog home. If you are adopting a very scared or ex-breeding dog, we require you to have a crate to transport the dog in your car and recommend you carry this into the house before opening the crate door. Please discuss this with the rescue or the fosterer if you are unable to do this.
If you are applying for a puppy, you will need to provide information on training classes in your area. You will be asked to sign an agreement stating that you will attend these puppy training classes and will be given a copy for the trainer to sign to confirm you have attended these classes. You will also be asked to sign and get your vet to sign a Pre-Agreement stating that you will get the puppy spayed/neutered at 6 months old and your vet will need to sign to confirm they are happy to do this. If you are applying for a puppy, please make sure you have the time to spend with it to train and socialize it. Puppies are often much harder work that adult dogs!
Adult dogs are neutered, micro chipped, had at least their first inoculation and wormed. All puppies are wormed, micro chipped, had at least their first inoculation. If your puppy has not been spayed/neutered a declaration will be signed at time of adoption requiring a new owner to spay or neuter.
