The adoption process is one that should begin before you come to the Humane Society. Examine your lifestyle and living arrangements to decide what type of pet would be best suited for your home. For example, maybe your child is eager for a pet, but you live in an apartment and/or your schedule is fairly busy. It might be a good idea to start out with a smaller pet such as a guinea pig to make sure the commitment from your child is there. Remember the idea of a pet is great, but the care involved is a lot of work and parents should be prepared to take on most of the animal’s care. Smaller rodents can make excellent pets as long as they are properly cared for and well-socialized.

The Humane Society recommends researching the type of pet you are interested in. The Internet has volumes of information and the library also serves as a great resource. By doing so, you will know before the pet arrives home, its diet, exercise, and medical needs, as well as general behavior characteristics. This is very important when considering adopting a dog. There are so many breeds to choose from and the variety in size, temperament and exercise needs can be overwhelming. When exploring different breeds of dogs, keep in mind your lifestyle. Do you run 5 miles a few times a week and are looking for an active dog to run with you? Do you have children and are looking for a dog that will be tolerant and playful with them? (Bring your children in with you so they too can visit with the adoption candidate. Many people want to surprise their children, but if the match is not appropriate, their hearts may be broken.) Are you a couch potato looking for a companion to lounge around with? If you rent, there may be restrictions regarding the type of pet(s) you can have in addition to weight, height and breed qualifications. The Humane Society urges you to have permission from your landlord before bringing any pet home. Imagine how difficult it would be giving up a pet because it was never allowed.

The decision is made! You want a pet and have a good idea of the type that would best suit your home. You reviewed the inventory and decide to head to the shelter for a better look. Animals that are available for adoption have a kennel card that gives a brief description and an ID number. It is by this ID number that a staff person can look up and provide you with more information about that animal. A stray pet has a card that indicates it is “lost and waiting for an owner” to come take him/her home. Of course we would be happy to give you what information we have and when that animal may become available for adoption. We also offer a “choice” program for the strays, which is outlined below. In order to complete adoptions in a timely manner, we stop issuing numbers for people to visit with available animals one hour prior to closing — at 5:30pm Monday through Friday, and at 3:30pm on Saturday and Sunday.

The choice program allows you to put a $20.00 donation on a stray animal to hold it for you on its first day available for adoption, if its family does not reclaim it. Basically, it removes the first come-first serve procedure followed for all other adoptions. This donation is not applied towards the adoption fee and is non-refundable, if you do not choose to adopt the animal. It is refunded however, if the family reclaims their lost pet. Pets that are owner relinquished, being held for court or safe-keeping, as well as those less than 8 weeks of age, are not eligible for the choice program. Choices will only be taken at the shelter and must be placed by the person intending to adopt the animal. Because the animal is still a stray, visitations are not allowed prior to the first choice donation.

When you find an animal you may like and it is available for adoption, we have plenty of great staff and volunteers who can take you to visit with your new friend in one of our “get acquainted” rooms. This way you can decide if the pet’s and your personality match. Any animal that is a stray cannot be visited with until it becomes available for adoption. Due to the number of visitors that come to the shelter, we must limit these visitations to 2 animals per individual or family per day.

Once you have chosen your new life long companion there is a short application to fill out. Once that is completed you will meet with an Adoption Counselor to answer any questions you may have and give you important medical and behavior information to get you both started off on the right foot.

A Customer Service Representative will collect adoption fees. Adoption fees help offset the cost of evaluation, housing, feeding and medical care for the 11,000-plus animals we shelter each year. Because we are a nonprofit, donations subsidize the gap between the cost for care and the adoption fee. It is through the generosity of our donors that we have the resources to help so many animals and hold them until we can find them homes. Like many Humane Societies across the country, we use variable adoption pricing. This allows us to help more animals in need by pricing breeds in high demand at a higher rate, so they may leave a financial legacy for the other animals in our care that require extensive medical care or more time to find a home. Adoption fees for each animal are listed on their kennel cards; cat adoption fees range from $34 to $195, and dog adoption fees range from $44 to $395. The adoption fee includes sterilization, 30 days of pet health insurance, vaccinations, a free health exam at one of 71 participating veterinary clinics, deworming for young animals and pet information. All dogs must leave on a leash and cats must be in a carrier. Before your new pet leaves the shelter, he/she will be examined by a veterinarian technician to check for any obvious medical problems to bring to your attention.

The Humane Society thanks you for considering adopting a shelter pet. We receive so many wonderful animals everyday! If the right match is not here for you on your first visit, come again. You will be surprised at the diversity of animals we receive. Our goal is to help you make the right match so you can enjoy each other’s company for many wonderful years.