If you decide to adopt a pet from a shelter (and I hope you do — there are plenty of great dogs, cats, and other pets out there that need loving homes), you may find yourself faced with a laundry list of criteria you have to meet.
When my family adopted Becca back in the summer of 1997, we went to a local shelter called Jersey Shore Animal Center. Once we decided on which dog we wanted, we filled out an application. The shelter asked for contact information for our former family veterinarian (it had been more than ten years since we’d had a dog). They planned to make a visit to our house to see where Becca would be living.
We had to wait several days while the shelter did their research. Once we were finally approved, we had to sign an agreement saying that if for any reason we were unable to keep Becca, we would return her to the shelter — not give her away to someone else or try to sell her.
Many shelters and rescue groups do have rules and restrictions on who can adopt what animals. You may find that the “you must return the animal to us” clause is present in many places — many rescue groups do this to protect the best interests of the animal. Giving an animal away because it doesn’t suit you negates all the hard work the shelter did in caring for the animal and placing them in what they thought would be the best home.
Other rules you may encounter:
- Age restrictions. Some shelters or rescues limit adoptions to families with very small children for fear that the dog will accidentally hurt the child (or vice versa).
- Housing restrictions. Some shelters or rescues limit adoptions to families that do not have a fenced-in yard. Some shelters or rescues will not adopt animals that will be “outside” pets, only indoor pets.
- Reference checks — previous veterinarians, other pet owners, and more.
- Income checks — to ensure that you will be able to afford a lifetime of vet bills, food, treats, and more.