Adopting a Dog
Giving a home to an abandoned or unwanted rescue dog is probably one of the most rewarding experiences humans can have. However, it is important to realise that you will be taking on a serious commitment and that your new dog will depend on you for its entire life – often up to 15 years.
We always have dogs of all ages, sizes and shapes ... all with different personalities, temperaments and needs. Some may need an extra-special new home, others may need owners with experience of their particular breed and some may not be suitable to share their new home with small children. Always keeping our dogs' characteristics and previous experiences in mind, we do our best to match the right owner with the right dog on an individual basis.
If you are considering taking a new companion into your home and family, please consider that you will need time and patience to allow for your new dog to settle in, as well as spend time on any training he or she may need. If you have small children, they should always be supervised around your new dog to avoid harm coming to either of them.
When choosing a new dog we strongly recommend that all members of the family the dog will be living with, come and meet the potential new family member.
Also please bear in mind that a dog you see, or a particular breed you may have set your heart on, may not actually be the most suitable dog for you or your circumstances.
Please note that if you are not the owner of your property we require a letter of authority for you to keep pets from your Landlord. This will be required at the point of application.
Please note that all adoptions are subject to a home check carried out by Stokenchurch Dog Rescue to ensure the potential home is suitable for the dog to be adopted, more information on the home check procedure can be obtained by contacting the kennels.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR PRE-ADOPTION QUESTIONNAIRE
The Adoption Process
10 Steps to Adoption
A brief guide to adopting a dog from Stokenchurch Dog Rescue (SDR)
We are pleased that you are considering adopting one of our dogs. These are the steps to help you along the way:-
REGISTERING TO REHOME A DOG
- Visit us in person and complete a Pre Adoption Questionnaire (dogs cannot be reserved over the phone or via email). Prior to meeting any dog we would require two forms of ID one of which must be photographic showing your address (i.e. driving licence, utility bill/landlords letter) and if you live in rented accommodation, you will be asked to provide written permission from your landlord or housing authority, confirming that they are happy for you to keep a dog in the property. If you already have a dog/s the permission must state the number of dogs allowed in your property.
2. Look around our viewing kennels, and let us know if you see a dog you are interested in
3. A dog carer would assess your form for suitability and if we think you and the dog could be a match you would then be required to read the dog’s detailed assessment and any other information we have relating to the dog. A member of the team will talk you through these.
MEETING AN SDR DOG
4. If you were happy with the dog’s assessment and once the dog carer had answered any questions, you will meet the dog. During this meeting you would be required to take the dog for an offsite walk.
RESERVING AN SDR DOG
5. If all is well, we will then place the dog on reserve for 7 days. At point of reservation we will require a £20 non-refundable deposit (deposits are non-refundable unless the reserve is cancelled by SDR) and at point of adoption the £20 would be deducted from the adoption donation.
6. If within 7 days you have not either arranged or completed a second visit for the entire household the reserve will be removed. All visits must be completed within 14 days.
7. If you have another dog/dogs we will carry out a controlled dog mix. If the dog mix is not successful on the first time we will try a second time. Multiple dog households must visit at the same time.
8.One of our volunteers will complete a home check, please ensure prior to arranging the home check that your garden is 100% secure as it will fail the homecheck if not and the reserve may be removed.
9. Providing the home check passes we will contact you to arrange an adoption talk which are usually held on Monday & Wednesday afternoons at 1.30pm.
TAKING YOUR DOG HOME
10. After the adoption talk, you will be required to complete the paperwork and take your dog home to free up the kennel for another dog needing our help. It is at this stage your donation will be taken. We will give you an adoption pack including 2 Kg of food.
On the day you take your dog home please note you will need to bring with you a collar and/or harness and a lead and ensure you have means of securing the dog in the car for the journey home.
We are pleased to advise that, prior to going home, all dogs have been treated for fleas, wormed, vaccinated, *neutered, behaviour assessed, vet checked and micro chipped, all included in the donation relevant for the age of the dog.
*For dogs under 10 months, bitches under a year and those currently in season, a neutering voucher will be issued.
Aoptin fees for our dogs are listed on their profile.
Of course, the more that you can afford to give us, the better standard of care we can give to the dogs we currently have with us, and to the dogs that may come to us in the future.
AFTERCARE: Please remember we are always here if you need to talk to us about advice or guidance on caring for your SDR dog after adoption.
