Our Adoption Process
At Beartooth Humane Alliance, everything
we do is in the best interest of the animals in our
care. Our goal is to give them the best possible chance
of finding permanent, caring homes.
We will ask you to answer questions as
shown below and complete our
adoption application. We're not just being nosy! Some of our dogs
and cats would be good with kids, or other pets, or
appropriate for first-time pet owners. Others may have
special needs or may be more appropriate for an
experienced pet owner. Some dogs are housetrained and
others are not. The questions we ask enable us to better
assist you with matching your needs and desires in a pet
with the needs of our available animals.
We may not have a pet that is suitable
for you at this time. Please stay in touch with us,
because we will receive new animals all the time.
If you live in a town, please note that
the towns in Carbon County do not allow you to let your
dog run loose, and in some instances we will require
that you have a fenced yard.
Our adoption volunteer will fill you in
on the history and needs of the animal(s) you are
interested in. Please ask the volunteer any questions
you may have concerning that pet or pet care in
general-- housetraining, obedience training, veterinary
care, cats and their claws, how to deal with fleas and
ticks, and anything else you can think of!
If you decide you'd like to adopt one of
our pets and meet our requirements (shown below), we
reserve the pet for you but we generally don't send the
pet home with you that day. We want to give you some
time to think about it-- it's a big commitment. This
also gives us time to spay or neuter the pet. We need to
ensure that your new pet will fit well with your home
and family; this may require that we visit your home, at
which time we can answer any questions you may have
about keeping the pet where you live.
When you pick up your pet, you will be
asked to fill out and sign an adoption contract and pay
the adoption fee:
• The contract explains our requirements
and gives you another chance to consider the adoption.
We want adoptions to succeed because it’s very hard on
an animal to go to a home and then be returned to us
(although we will always take back a pet that doesn’t
work out).
• The adoption fee helps us pay the
daily and medical costs of taking care of the animals in
our care.
Our Adoption Requirements
1. You must be at least 21 years of age.
2. You must agree to abide by the animal
ordinances where you live.
3. All dogs and cats are required to be
spayed or neutered before adoption. If the attending
veterinarian chooses to postpone the spay/neuter surgery
due to medical concerns, you must return the animal to
the veterinarian at the specified time for surgery.
4. Very young children and small puppies
and kittens do not always mix. Children are often bitten
or scratched because they hold or pick up a young animal
in the wrong way. If you have a child or children under
the age of 6 years, our adoption volunteer will talk
with you and your children about the children’s previous
experience with other animals and will ensure that your
children and the animal are compatible.
5. Puppies (dogs aged five months and
younger) are generally not adopted into a home where
there is no one home during the daytime for more than
five consecutive hours. A puppy needs to be socialized
with people on a consistent basis in order to become a
good companion. A puppy cannot learn to be housetrained
if there is no one home to take him/her outside for
training. If you cannot be home to train a puppy, we
will encourage you to consider adopting an older animal.
6. If you rent your home/apartment, you
must show us written permission from the landlord or
owner of the residence that you can have a pet and
whether there are weight/size restrictions on the pet.
7. If for any reason the adoption is not
successful or you cannot keep the pet, we welcome you
and your pet back. We recognize that not every pet
adoption will be successful through no fault of the
person or the pet. We would rather you return the pet to
us than give it to someone who may not care for it
properly.
8. Dogs are placed as companion animals,
not as guard dogs or fighting dogs.
9. If you are considering de-clawing
your adopted cat, please ask our volunteers about
alternatives to this surgical procedure. De-clawing
often leaves cats in pain, and a cat without claws is
completely defenseless should it escape your care.
10. If you already have animals, we will
ask you about their health status. We may require you to
provide proof of vaccinations, heartworm tests, or other
medical care. Please understand that if your animals are
not vaccinated or may be ill, we cannot place a new
animal with you.
11. If you have a history of violating
the law or losing, giving away, or selling animals, or
having your animals injured or killed by moving
vehicles, we may not give you an animal depending on the
specific circumstances.
12. We will not give you an animal as a
gift for another person, unless that person has gone
through our adoption process. Please understand the
‘gift’ animals are very often returned to the shelter
because the new ‘owner’ is not prepared to care for
them.
13. We will implant a microchip in all
our adopted animals with the name and contact
information of the owner. If your pet is lost, anyone
with a chip reader will be able to identify and contact
you. If you give away your pet for any reason, it is
important to update the microchip registration.
14. We will require photo identification
at the time you sign the adoption contract and take home
your animal.
15. If we learn that you have put false
information on your
adoption application, we will not give you an animal
- and we will take back an animal that has been adopted
to you. |
