Adopt

OUR ADOPTION PROCESS

Our Adoption Application is designed to ensure a good match between dogs and adopters.

Before you submit an application, you’ll want to ensure the following items are completed.

• Please ensure you are located within our adoption areas (Alexandria, Arlington, Burke, Fairfax Station, Clifton, Chantilly, South Riding, Sterling and Fairfax).  We do not adopt outside of our adoption area.
• Your current pets are up to date on all vaccines and preventatives
• Ensure you talk to your landlord if you are renting to find out about any pet restrictions, pet deposits, etc.
• Your current pets must be spayed or neutered
• Ensure you talk to your landlord if you are renting to find out about any pet restrictions, pet deposits, etc.
• Check with your homeowner/condo association to ensure pets are allowed and check their restricted breed list
• Analyze your lifestyle to determine which breed mix would be an ideal fit for your lifestyle, level of activity, living space, and such.
• Talk to neighborhood dog walkers to ensure you can afford a dog walker if the dog will be alone 5 hours or more per day
• Analyze your finances to ensure you are in a position to afford to provide for a pet
• Check with friends and family to set up a good network for your pet for the times you will be traveling.
• Submitting an application is not a commitment to adopt or a guarantee that adoption will occur.  It’s the first screening to determine if there’s an initial match for a meet and greet.
• We are an all-volunteer rescue, it’s not possible for us to set up meet and greets for the number of applications/inquiries we receive.  We only schedule meet and greets if there’s an initial match with our online application.
• We do not adopt to homes with invisible fences.  You need a physical fence for dogs whose profiles indicate “needs fenced in yard”.
• Dog World Rescue reserves the right to refuse to adopt to anyone for any reason

Once your application is submitted, our adoption team will review your application. We evaluate the temperament, activity level, and needs of each dog to determine the most suitable type of adoptive home for the dog.  Dogs are placed in the home that best meets the dog’s needs, NOT on a “first come, first served” basis.  Please allow 2-3 weeks for your application to be processed.

If there’s a match then you will be contacted for a meet and greet. Our meet and greets are set up with our dogs and their foster families. This is a great opportunity for you to get to know our dog and for us to get to know you. If the meet and greet goes well and it’s a good fit all around then a home visit will be set up. If all goes well at the home visit then you will have the option to proceed to full adoption.

We ask that you do not purchase any items for the dog until the adoption is fully approved. Once fully approved, you will be given a list of suggested items to purchase to welcome home your new family member.

Please do keep in mind that none of our dogs can be held or reserved until after your adoption is fully approved. We adopt each dog to the first approved applicant.  We understand that adopters look at multiple dogs with multiple rescues and we do the same for our dogs.  We meet with multiple applicants to determine the best match for our dogs.

If your selected dog is adopted before your application is approved, we will gladly help you select from one of our other wonderful dogs if there’s a match.