Adopt

“Why on earth would anyone want to adopt a rescue dog?”

 

After all, aren’t they like used cars? Who wants someone else’s problems? If the dog is so wonderful, why would anyone give him away? If he was a stray,why didn’t someone try to find him? I’d rather buy a puppy so I know what I’m getting, and besides they’re so cute!”

 
Rescue groups often hear a variation of this conversation. Many prospective dog owners are just not convinced that owning an older (i.e, 6 mo.+) “pre-owned” dog is better than buying a puppy. But there are a number of reasons why adopting a pet from a rescue that carefully screens and evaluates its dogs can provide an even better alternative. Here are the “Top 10 Reasons You Should Consider a Rescue Dog”

Over the past decade rescues have developed the reputation as an alternative to shelters as a source of healthy, well-mannered, spayed/neutered pets for families or an alternative to dog-breeders because of the recent news of Puppy Mills and bad apple dog-breeders.

Many people like the idea of saving a dog that has had a “hard knock life,” so they gravitate to a shelter or rescue when looking for a pet.  But unlike shelters, rescues have the time to teach manners, evaluate temperament, treat illnesses, and are usually aware of the nuances of breed behavior.

Our dogs come from all walks of life.  Some were purchased by families on a whim, families that did not understand the temperament or the needs of such a big, hairy, noisy, or energetic pet. Others lost their homes when an owner became too old or sick to provide the necessary care or when a family’s lifestyle changed because of job loss or divorce, and still others were picked up as strays or dumped by owners who wanted freedom from the responsibility of dog care. Our dogs primarily come form shelters or owner surrenders in the local area.

Adopting from a rescue group is a lot different than adopting from a shelter.  When you adopt from a shelter you simply need to be able to afford the adoption fee.  However, when you adopt from Brew City Rescue our goal is to find a compatible match between the rescue dog and loving family.  Thus the application process is more extensive than shelters and we hold the new owners up to high standards post-adoption.  The last thing we want to see is another owner surrender or the dog ending-up back in the shelter.

You or a friend may have had experiences with adopting from rescues.  Some are lax on their policies and skip temperament evaluation, health issues, or do not spay/neuter.  Others have strict contracts and adoption processes making the comment “adopting a child is easier than getting a dog from XYZ rescue” is no joke.

Brew City Rescue balances the adoption process to make sure our dogs find safe loving families and their new owners understand the needs of their new family member.  We also uphold high adoption standards to make sure all our rescue dogs are  friendly, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and healthy before apoption.  

Since all of our dogs are in foster homes we’re able to know if a particular dog likes kids, can get along with other pets, needs lots of exercise, plays rough, is easy to train, is afraid of men, jumps fences, etc.  Many families prefer this process over pet stores or shelters because they can know the needs of the dog BEFORE they get him/her home.

You can expect the process to take between 2-3 weeks. During that time we will review your application, do a background check and reference check, conduct a home visit, have you meet the dog and observe his reaction to you and your family.

In order to make a good match please be prepared to answer the following questions:

• Why do you want this breed?
• Do you have enough time and energy for a Border Collie (or a Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, or a…)?
• Do you have a fenced yard? If not, do you plan to walk the dog a mile or more every day?
• Will the dog be allowed to have full access to your home?
• Do you have kids? How old?
• Do you have other pets?
• Do you plan to visit the veterinarian at least once a year?

Please be sure to research the breed you are interested in adopting, to make sure their temperment and needs will fit in with your family. 

If you are interested in adopting please view our available dogs and submit an adoption application. One of our coordinators will contact you shortly.