My name is Zelda Stilwell!

Step 1: Find Fido

Review our online dog bios, email us if you have any questions. At SOS, we want to make the RIGHT right match, and that means helping you and Fido start a relationship – sometimes from a long distance.

Take your time, explore your options, consider your home and what kind of companion will fit in your lifestyle.

Step 2: Complete Our Application http://sosarl.org/aa/

Once you think you have found the right dog for you, please complete our online application.

At SOS, we don’t just want to make a match, we want to make the right match. To do this, we need your help; we know our dogs, but we don’t know you yet – our application helps us get to know you!

Step 3: Application Screening

Our Adoptions Coordinator will review the application and if it appears to be a good match for the selected dog, a volunteer will check your landlord/HOA, vet, and personal references as relevant.

Step 4: Let's Talk!

After the above review and checks, if it looks like a good match, we will arrange for a time to talk with you over the phone. We may also require a home visit or adopter meeting. Sometimes this step is completed before the Meet-n-Greet with the dog, and sometimes it is completed after.

Step 5: Meet Your Match
Everyone’s time is valuable and shared expectations are important – Step 6 (see below) typically happens before private meetings are confirmed.

After the phone interview, if the dog is local and it looks like a good match, we will put you in touch with the current caregiver to learn more and set up a meet-n-greet. We also have regular adoption events when most of our local dogs can be met; see http://sosarl.org/upcoming-events/

If the dog is not local, s/he may not be available for a meet-n-greet prior to adoption but we will put you in touch with the current caregiver to learn more. We understand that there is something reassuring about touching and interacting with the animal prior to making a commitment, but we believe that speaking with an experienced caretaker who has been caring for the dog day-in and day-out for weeks/months can sometimes be just as telling about the match, if not more so.

A meet-n-greet is a very small snapshot of the dog – the caretaker has a good idea about how the dog is in general, over long periods of time in many different situations.

Step 6: Finalize The Adoption

If the match is a good one, you will be informed via email of the adoption decision, and provided with instructions for how to pay the adoption donation and complete our adoption contract/addendum(s).

Step 7: Pick Up Your New Best Friend!

Once the adoption is finalized, congratulations! We will contact you to make arrangements to pick up your new family member!

**Please note that additional vetting, quarantine and/or waiting periods may be required depending upon your state of residence.

We know you are excited to welcome a new companion into your life, but please be patient as we process your application, as we are all volunteers with jobs and families of our own. Please feel free to check in on the application process at any time by contacting dogs@sosarl.org.

https://sosarl.org/aa

If you are interested in meeting one of our dogs, please check our upcoming events page here: http://sosarl.org/upcoming-events/. Some adoptions are able to be finalized prior to an in-person meeting between the adopter and dog, if after the adoption interview and discussions with the foster home and adopters the match seems like a good one. If an in-person meeting is important to you, please be sure to note this in your application and discuss this with your Adoption Counselor. If the dog does not have the word "LOCAL" in his/her name, s/he is not yet in New England and may not be available for a meet-n-greet prior to adoption, but s/he may be headed to New England soon.

SOSARL is a RI-based dog rescue, dedicated to helping homeless dogs prepare for, find and succeed in loving homes and building a sustainable support network for future at-risk animals, all while treating each animal and adopter as the individuals they are. Founded in Wakefield, RI in 2014 on the belief that we can end the killing of adoptable animals in this nation if we work hard and smart enough together.

We’ve matched over 4,000 dogs with loving homes, neutered over 500 privately owned animals, and opened SOS reTAIL, a pet supplies and services facility in Wakefield, RI to further support animal welfare efforts. Learn more about SOS reTAIL at www.sosretailri.com, our full supply retail store with grooming, self wash, pets supplies and training...and where 100% of store profits go back to helping homeless animals!

SOS adoption donations help offset the expenses we routinely incur, such as transport, vetting (spay/neuter, worming, vaccinations, or other special needs), boarding, and behavioral modification. We ask the same adoption donation for each of our dogs, as we believe each life we save is equally precious.*

*Seniors and Special Needs Dogs
If you are considering adopting a senior or special needs dog and the adoption donation seems daunting, we encourage you to ask us about an adoption donation discount. We often offer post-adoptive care for our special needs dogs and we assess each situation individually. We will never allow an adoption donation to be the barrier to finding the right home for one of our dogs.

If an in person meeting is important to you, please focus on those dogs with "LOCAL" in their name; they are already in foster care in New England. The other dogs on our website are getting ready to travel to New England and will typically arrive in 2-6 weeks.

MA ADOPTERS: SOSARL adoptions to Massachusetts are very difficult due to the limited resources available to meet arbitrary state mandated animal importation quarantine requirements. THESE ARE REQUIREMENTS THAT WERE IN PLACE BEFORE AND ARE UNRELATED TO COVID-19. If an SOSARL dog is available for adoption into Massachusetts, it will be explicitly noted in their online bio; there are only a few available for MA adoption at any time, if any. An additional MA Quarantine Fee is required for all dogs adopted to Massachusetts residents, and other fees/requirements might apply depending upon the adopter's state of residence. All fees are non-refundable.

All LOCAL SOS adoptions are sent home with a martingale collar, SOS ID tag, leash and if an adult, an appropriate harness as part of our Smart Start Program (a $75 value). Additionally, all new adopters are encouraged to stop by our store, SOS reTAIL, in Wakefield, RI for a FREE Welcome Home bundle of products valued at over $100.