Frequently Asked Questions about Adopting a Pet from got paws? Rescue
Select your question:
Do you take pets from owners?
We take owner surrendered pets on a case by case basis. Most of our animals come from shelter who euthanize animals. When we take pets from owners we require a donation for long term care. Your pet must be fixed and current on all shots and heartworm free. If that is too much to ask then take your animal to the local animal shelter and maybe it will be adopted. We may be able to post your pet to other rescue groups or on petfinder depending on the circumstances. Please email us for more information. Call animal control if you need a pet to be picked up. We do not pick up dogs off the road.
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Do you allow for out-of-area adoptions?
We do allow for adoptions to homes outside of the East Texas area, however, We do not ship pets but you can arrange to pick up the pet. You will need to make arrangements to meet with one of our adoption coordinators to complete the adoption.
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Why is a fence required?
We require a fence on all adoptions unless you live off of a busy road or in the country on a farm or ranch. We spend lots of time with our pets and do not want them to get hit by a car or picked up by animal control. We do adopt to people who live in apts but need a letter or phone call stating animals are allowed and you paid the pet deposit.
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What if my pet gets sick after the adoption?
You are responsible for all medical care after the adoption agreement is signed, unless other arrangements have been made. You will receive copies of all veterinary records with your adoption contract so that your vet will know the pets medical history
If there are any health concerns with the pet you are adopting, the pet will remain in our care until our vet has given a clean bill of health. This may include kennel cough, skin issues, and parasites. Additionally, no pet will be released for adoption until after the spay and neuter has been completed.
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Why is the adoption fee so high?
got paws charges between $125 and $200 for puppy/dog adoptions which is a bargain considering we do not add in dog food or time we have spent with the animal. The fee only covers a portion of our investment into the care of your adopted pet. Your pet has been part of a foster home environment where they have received love, socialization and training. In addition, pets are current on all vaccinations as needed for their age unless otherwise noted, microchipped, and spayed/neutered prior to adoption, which averages $350 per pet. In the case of pets who have been treated for heartworms, this cost runs $300 to $600 per treatment. Taking all the costs of feeding and other supplies as well, our adoption fee is really very minimal.
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Will the pet be spayed or neutered?
All pets are spayed or neutered prior to adoption. Your adoption fee covers the cost of the spay or neuter, vaccinations and rabies.
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What if my current pets are not spayed or neutered?
If the current pets in your home are not currently spayed or neutered, we will deny the application. Many territorial and behavior issues are related to unsterilization, and it can cause issues when a new pet is brought into the home. If you are interested in having your pet spayed/neutered so that you may adopt one of our pets, we will happily reconsider your application once proof of spay is provided. You may arrange for a low-cost surgery with APL (Animal Protection League) in Longview Texas. (903) 753-PETS.
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Can I return the pet if it does not work out ?
You can always return the pet but depending on the time that has past and the reason returned will determine if we reimburse you the adoption fee. Our empty foster spots fill up fast and we may have to rearrange some dogs in order to accomodate a return. We will not return the adoption fee for allergies.
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How long before I may adopt my pet?
Our organization is run by volunteers only. We do not have any paid staff. As such, applications are reviewed after 6 pm, and adoptions may take 5 to 10 days to complete. This may seem like a long time for you, however, we want to ensure our pets are going to the best home for them. Please be patient.
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Where may I see the pets available for adoption?
got paws does not have a shelter. Our pets are all in foster homes. Appointments for meet and greets will only be set after an adoption applications has been completed and reviewed by our adoption coordinator. Pets appear at the Longview Petsmart just about every Saturday.
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TURN YOUR BELOVED PET INTO A HUMANE SOCIETY OR Animal Control?
(A email received from a shelter manager, no names mentioned) I think our society needs a huge "Wake-up" call. As a shelter manager, I am going to share a little insight with you all...a view from the inside if you will. First off, all of you people who have ever surrendered a pet to a shelter or humane society should be made to work in the "back" of an animal shelter for just one day. Maybe if you saw the life drain from a few sad, lost, confused eyes, you would stop flagging the ads on craigslist and help these animals find homes. That puppy you just bought will most likely end up in my shelter when it's not a cute little puppy anymore. Just so you know there's a 90% chance that dog will never walk out of the shelter its dumped at? Purebred or not! About 25% of all of the dogs that are "owner surrenders" or "strays", that come into a shelter are purebred dogs.
The most common excuses: "We are moving and we can't take our dog (or cat)." Really? Where are you moving too that doesn't allow pets? Or they say "The dog got bigger than we thought it would". How big did you think a German Shepherd would get? "We don't have time for her". Really? I work a 10-12 hour day and still have time for my 6 dogs! "She's tearing up our yard". How about making her a part of your family? They always tell me "We just don't want to have to stress about finding a place for her we know she'll get adopted, she's a good dog".
Odds are your pet won't get adopted & how stressful do you think being in a shelter is? Well, let me tell you, your pet has 72 hours to find a new family from the moment you drop it off. Sometimes a little longer if the shelter isn't full and your dog manages to stay completely healthy. If it sniffles, it dies. Your pet will be confined to a small run/kennel in a room with other barking or crying animals. It will have to relieve itself where it eats and sleeps. It will be depressed and it will cry constantly for the family that abandoned it. If your pet is lucky, I will have enough volunteers in that day to take him/her for a walk. If I don't, your pet won't get any attention besides having a bowl of food slid under the kennel door and the waste sprayed out of its pen with a high-powered hose. If your dog is big, black or any of the "Bully" breeds (pit bull, rottie, mastiff, etc) it was pretty much dead when you walked it through the front door. Those dogs just don't get adopted. It doesn't matter how 'sweet' or 'well behaved' they are.
If your dog doesn't get adopted within its 72 hours and the shelter is full, it will be destroyed. If the shelter isn't full and your dog is good enough, and of a desirable enough breed it may get a stay of execution, but not for long . Most dogs get very kennel protective after about a week and are destroyed for showing aggression. Even the sweetest dogs will turn in this environment. If your pet makes it over all of those hurdles chances are it will get kennel cough or an upper respiratory infection and will be destroyed because the shelter gets paid a fee to euthanize each animal and making money is better than spending money to take this animal to the vet.
Here's a little euthanasia 101 for those of you that have never witnessed a perfectly healthy, scared animal being "put-down". First, your pet will be taken from its kennel on a leash. They always look like they think they are going for a walk happy, wagging their tails. Until they get to "The Room", every one of them freaks out and puts on the brakes when we get to the door. It must smell like death or they can feel the sad souls that are left in there, it's strange, but it happens with every one of them. Your dog or cat will be restrained, held down by 1 or 2 shelter workers depending on the size and how freaked out they are. Then a shelter worker who we call a euthanasia tech (not a vet) find a vein in the front leg and inject a lethal dose of the "pink stuff". Hopefully your pet doesn't panic from being restrained and jerk. I've seen the needles tear out of a leg and been covered with the resulting blood and been deafened by the yelps and screams. They all don't just "go to sleep", sometimes they spasm for a while, gasp for air and defecate on themselves. You see shelters are trying to make money to pay employee pay checks and don’t forget the board of directors needs to be paid too, so we don’t spend our funds to tranquilize the animal before injecting them with the lethal drug, we just put the burning lethal drug in the vein and let them suffer until dead. If it were not a “making money issue” and we had to have a licensed vet do this procedure, the animal would be sedated or tranquilized and then euthanized, but to do this procedure correctly would cost more money so we do not follow what is right for the animal, we just follow what is the fastest way we can make a dollar. Shelters do not have to have a vet perform their euthanasia’s so even if it takes our employee 50 pokes with a needle and 3 hours to get the vein that is what we do. Making money is the issue here not loosing money.
When it all ends, your pets corpse will be stacked like firewood in a large freezer in the back with all of the other animals that were killed waiting to be picked up like garbage. What happens next? Cremated? Taken to the dump? Rendered into pet food? Or used for the schools to dissect and experiment on? You'll never know and it probably won't even cross your mind. It was just an animal and you can always buy another one, right!
I hope that those of you who still have a beating heart and have read this are bawling your eyes out and can't get the pictures out of your head, I deal with this everyday. I hate my job, I hate that it exists & I hate that it will always be there unless you people make some changes and start educating the public. Do research, do your homework, and know exactly what you are getting into before getting a pet. These shelters and humane societies exist because people just do not care about animals anymore. Animals were not intended to be disposable but somehow that is what they are these days. Animal shelters are an easy way out when you get tired of your dog (or cat), and breeders are the ones blamed for this. Animal shelters and rescue organizations are making a hefty profit by keeping this misconception going.
Between 9 and 11 MILLION animals die every year in shelters and only you can stop it. I just hope I maybe changed one persons mind about taking their dog to a shelter, a humane society, or buying a dog. For those of you that care--- please repost this to at least one other craiglist in another city/state. Let's see if we can get this all around the US and have an impact.
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