Adopting with Fetch
What to expect when you’re adopting
We match our rescue dogs in foster are to each applicant based on criteria specific on your application and home visit report. It is very easy to fall in love with a picture or a story but that may not truly match what you are looking for in a dog. For this reason, you may not get to meet the dog that you specify in your application. We appreciate your understanding of this policy and look forward to helping you find your forever companion.
Please note - adopters must be at least 21 years of age.
Before You Decide To Adopt…
Before you decide to adopt, take a minute to consider your options and assess what type of dog would fit your family and your lifestyle. Be honest about what your current routine is like, and realistic about what changes you are willing to make to your regular routine adapt to a new dog.
All Fetch dogs should complete a course post-adoption so plan ahead for that. Courses are usually one hour each week for 6-8 weeks so the timing of your adoption is right so that you can commit to that.
By thinking ahead, you'll ensure a successful outcome for yourself and your potential dog.
What Type Of Dog Fits Your Lifestyle?
Do your homework about breeds and age to determine what type of dog is right for your and your family. Some breeds are people-oriented and unhappy to be left alone for extended periods of time while some breeds are more independent and stubborn. Use a reputable source for information regarding breeds, and take a few quizzes that are out there to help you identify what may be best. Adoption is a life-long commitment.
Consider what age may be the best fit for you as well. If you are looking for a quiet, easy-going companion who doesn't require intense exercise, a senior dog may be your best choice. Most senior dogs require less or no training and adapt easy to their surroundings.
What Expenses Can I Expect?
An important part of adopting a dog is understanding the ongoing financial responsibility for the dog. Routine veterinary care and food range from $1,000 to $1,500 per year for one dog that has no health issues. The costs of annual vaccinations, heartworm preventative, flea/tick preventative, grooming, and feeding a premium food add up quickly. This does not include emergency medical treatments or surgeries that a dog may need at some point in his/her life.
All Fetch dogs who are able will be spayed and neutered prior to adoption. Those not, will be adopted out with an addendum to their contract and a deposit to ensure they’re altered at an appropriate time. In addition, they will be microchipped, age-appropriately vaccinated, and tested for diseases such as heartworm, Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasmosis. Any other known medical conditions will be treated prior to adoption.
the adoption process
Once an application and fee have been processed, a volunteer will contact you to coordinate a home visit. This typically takes less than 2 weeks. After your home visit has been completed and your application has been approved, you will be evaluated for the dogs that you are interested in, as well as any other dogs that may be a good fit for your lifestyle. We process applications in the order that they are received and you may not always get to meet the dog that you are interested in. If you do meet your desired dog, it is at the discretion of Fetch and it's volunteers to determine if the fit is appropriate. Our goal is to find the best possible match for each dog to ensure their long-term success in a new home.
Our adoption team will begin the application approval process by reaching out to the references you listed in your application form.
Upon approval of your application, Fetch will conduct a virtual Home Visit. The home visit is an interview to determine what type of dog would be suited best for your environment and lifestyle.
Upon approval of your home visit, you will receive instructions how to let us know the dogs you are interested in. We process applications by order of application date, based on the best match for the dog. Once you’ve matched with a dog, you’ll be connected with their foster home.
The foster family will contact you to set up a meet & greet with the dog. We ask that a meet and greet is set up within 72 hours of the foster reaching out. This ensures that dogs don’t wait for their forever homes for extended periods of time. Please note that all human members of a household are required to meet a dog prior to adoption. We also discourage having your current pets meet a prospective dog prior to adoption as it’s often a very misleading step in the process. We recommend slow introductions with current pets after adoption and can provide guidance on this. We also urge meet and greets be conducted at the foster’s home where the dog is the most comfortable.
Regardless of the outcome of the meet & greet, we ask both foster and adopters wait 24 hours before making the decision to adopt. This allows time for reflection for both you and the foster home to determine if it's the right fit.
If everything works out, and you decide to adopt, we expect dogs to go home with 72 hours of the meet and greet. If you need to pick up after that, a boarding fee of $30/day will be required.
Adoption fees
Our adoption rates are listed below. The proceeds from adoption fees go towards the dogs in our care.
Pups (8 weeks - 12 months): $400.00
Adults (13 months - 7 years old): $350.00
Seniors (8 years and older): $200.00
Please note that dogs that are not spayed/neutered prior to adoption (due to age or extenuating circumstances) will require a $200 spay/neuter deposit at the time of adoption. This will be refunded to the adopter once proof of spay/neuter is submitted back to Fetch. As Bob Barker said, “Help control the animal population, have your pet spayed or neutered.”
adoption fees include:
Age-Appropriate Vaccinations - Rabies, Distemper, Bordetella
Spay/Neuter
Microchip
Flea/tick preventative
Heartworm preventative
Any other medical care required to adopt out a healthy pup
Free training class post-adoption (value up to $90)
adoption REquirements
The adopter(s) agree(s) to:
Assume responsibility for humane care, proper food, water, shelter, regular exercise, veterinary care, and control of their adopted dog at all times.
Keep current pets up to date on vaccinations and vet care.
Treat the Fetch dog as an indoor dog, and allow the dog to reside indoors freely at all times.
Use appropriate training methods and refrain from using any form of physical punishment.
Relinquish custody of the dog to Fetch only, no refund of the adoption fee will be granted.
Allow Fetch to examine the dog and its living conditions at any time, and to surrender the dog back to Fetch if the conditions are found to be unsatisfactory. Should it be necessary to litigate in connection with any dispute, the adopter(s) agrees to pay all court costs and all attorney fees.
Agree(s) to not let the Fetch dog run at large or become a public nuisance. If the dog escapes, they also agree to take immediate responsibility to retrieve the dog from any shelter or impound.
Agree(s) to have the dog wear a collar and ID tag with current license.
Accept this dog as is, assumes all risk of ownership, including the risk of injury or damage caused by the animal. Fetch does not warrant the temperament or behavior of the rescue dog, nor is the rescue dog warranted to be free of genetic defects. The selection and adoption of the rescue dog is based upon the adopter’s own observations and judgment, along with the foster home’s observations while the dog was in foster care. Fetch is not liable for any acts by the rescue dog while living with the adopting family. The adopter(s) understands that Fetch has made every effort to provide a dog that is compatible with the adopter’s home and living environment.
Primary adopter applicant must be at least 21 years of age.
Understand(s) if any of the above conditions are not fulfilled, Fetch reserves the right to remove the dog from the adopter’s home without refunding the application fee and adoption fee. Should Fetch have to remove a dog from the adopter’s home or property, it will not be considered trespassing, and the homeowner(s) shall not accuse Fetch or its representative(s) of such actions.
FAQs
Will I get to adopt the dog that I'm interested in?
We evaluate applications based on application date, so that oldest applicants are considered first for a specific dog. We will do our best to match you with the dog of your choice, but in the end it's about what's best for the dog. Puppies and young adults are in high demand, so it's likely they will be adopted to families already on our wait list.
Do you adopt out of state?
We sure do! Note that you will still be required to go to the foster home, likely in the Madison, WI area, do the 24 hour waiting period, and then pick the dog up from the foster home.
I'm looking for a specific type of dog, can you help me find it?
We certainly can. We're always monitoring various shelter lists for all types of dogs to rescue. If you are interested in a particular breed and you don't see it on our site, let us know. Keep in mind that popular breeds, such as Golden Retrievers, are more difficult to find than mixed breeds.
I’m moving soon, when should I apply?
Apply as soon as you know you want to get a dog. We’ll hold your home visit until you move, but it’s best to have an approved application in sooner than later.
What is required to apply for adoption?
In order to be considered for adoption, please submit an adoption application, along with the $35 application fee.
Why do you charge an application fee?
Effort spent towards processing applications, running background checks, and making reference phone calls takes away from time we have to fundraise. As a result, we ask for a $35 processing fee with your adoption application. Rest assured, the proceeds from this fee go towards the dogs in our care.
What should I expect from the application process?
The first step in the process is to fill out an adoption application. This will allow us to collect some basic demographic information to complete background and reference checks. If the checks pass, we'll conduct a home visit. This will allow us to assess your home environment to ensure that we match the appropriate dog to it. For example, a dog with arthritis, or general muscle issues, may not do well in an apartment complex with multiple sets of stairs.
After approval of your home visit, we'll determine if your environment is the right fit for the dogs that you are interested in. If it is, we'll set up a meet & greet so that you can get to know the dog, their routine, and demeanor. If your environment is not the right fit for the dog you are interested in, we'll make recommendations for dogs that could be.
Note that moving forward into the meet and greet stage for any dog does not guarantee adoption of that dog. Judgment is applied at the discretion of Fetch and it's volunteers to determine the best fit.
What is the general timeline for adopting from Fetch?
We get concerns about timelines a lot and it’s actually a very hard thing to give good estimates for due to the wide variety of factors. Mainly, the application approval process depends on the availability of our volunteers. We are 100% volunteer-run without any paid positions. What that means is that our volunteers are squeezing things into their lives between family and other jobs. Typically the application approval process will take between 2-4 weeks. Things typically move quicker, but we can’t guarantee it.
In terms of how long before you take a dog home? This varies wildly depending on the type of dog you are looking for. Puppies under 6 months typically have longer waiting lists and any dog who is good with children and other dogs/cats will also have longer waiting lists. Most of our adopters looking for these highly adoptable dogs will find a match to take home within 2 months depending on the other criteria they have. If a dog you’re applying for does not have a waiting list at all, you could be taking a dog home in 2 weeks or less!
Please note that since we are a non-profit & foster home based rescue, our foster homes are a very precious resource. Due to this (and other factors), we typically can’t hold on to a dog for more than 7 days for you. We understand some people are traveling from farther away or have work/family commitments, so if this is a problem for you, just let us know and we’re happy to provide you with options!
Can my current dog/cat meet a dog before I commit to adopting?
We actually recommend resident dogs/cats do not come along to meet a prospective dog during the meet and greet process. This is for the same reason that we require applicants to meet the dogs in their foster parent's home - we hope to give you the truest representation of the dog's personality we can. Dog to dog/cat first meetings are very stressful on dogs since it us making them greet each other on our terms instead of terms they are comfortable with. On top of this, the initial meeting between dogs can be very misleading in either direction - positive or negative. Due to this, it is why Fetch strongly advocates for not doing this.
If having two dogs meet prior to adoption is something you feel strongly about, we can arrange for your current dog and prospective dog to meet for a structured walk, but we would not allow off-leash or direct interactions. Note that we don't require dogs to meet beforehand. We recommend a 24-48 hour separation period when introducing any new animals to your household. Slow introductions are the least stressful for dogs and help encourage the best long term relationship.
CAN I ADOPT AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DOG FROM YOU?
While we do allow our dogs to be adopted as an emotional support animal, we cannot assist in that process or make any guarantees that a specific dog will be a good fit. Based on past experiences we've found that dogs who are at least 1 year of age and have calmer temperaments and lower energy levels are typically best. We may not be able to adopt out a dog as an ESA that we don't feel matches these characteristics, but we'll be happy to work with you to find the right fit.