Puppies are ready for adoption at 8 weeks of age as long as they reach a certain weight and are healthy. Our Foster Coordinator will keep in touch with you throughout the foster period and determine a date for you to return your puppies to the shelter for their spay/neuter surgeries. While under anesthesia during their surgery, the puppies will also receive their microchip.
Our adoption fee for any puppy or dog is $160. The adoption fee includes at least one round of core vaccines and deworming (usually more), the spay or neuter surgery, wellness exam, and a microchip.
I want to adopt one of my foster puppies, what do I do?
Congratulations on falling in love! If you decide you would like to adopt one of the puppies from your foster litter, please notify the Foster Coordinator as soon as possible (we may have homes already lined up for the litter, but foster care providers are provided first choice). Foster parents who wish to adopt a foster puppy are required to fill out our adoption survey, go through the adoption process, and pay the adoption fee.
Can I show my foster puppies to friends and family that want to adopt?
Foster homes are allowed to let friends and family visit the puppies while in foster. Please reach out to us prior to doing so, as we may already have homes lined up for the puppies. If any of those friends or family are interested in adopting, they must submit an adoption survey as soon as possible, before the litter comes back to the shelter.
**Please note – C.A.R.E. does not allow puppies to be individually pre-selected by adopters prior to being available (except the foster home). The interested adopter must submit a adoption survey, have it approved, then arrive at the shelter on the day the puppies are available to pick which one they want. We do not “hold” puppies**
Should I help advertise the puppies?
C.A.R.E. typically has a “puppy wanted” list of adopters that are waiting for puppies to become available. We do not usually require assistance advertising puppies and they tend to get adopted very quickly after their spay/neuter surgeries. However, we might ask for your help in other capacities, like sending us high quality photos of the puppies and writing bios for each one highlighting their personalities!
After my foster puppies are adopted, can I check in on them?
Fostering can be emotional sometimes, as it can be difficult to not become attached to each tiny little life. We completely understand wanting to know who adopted them, and how they are doing! For privacy reasons we are unable to give you the adopters contact information, and it is difficult for us to spend time calling each home to get updates (although we do encourage adopters to email us updates and we send post-adoption surveys to every adopter!). Consider possibly writing a letter to the adopter of each of your puppies to be sent home with them when they find their forever family (give these letters to us when you return the puppies to the shelter)! Include details on how you helped raise their new furry family member, and include your contact information. You can even include photos. Leave it up to them to decide if they would like to reach out to you and give you updates, you might be pleasantly surprised!
