Q. How does your adoption process work? 
A. PLEASE take a few moments to read our Adoption Process, which explains the steps required to adopt one of our Furry Kids.  You may be surprised to find that adopting an animal is a more involved process than you expected, or that it means you can’t have immediate access to an animal you are interested in. Please know that the process is the same for everyone and it is not our intention to frustrate you.  Rather, everything we do is for the best interests of the animals in our care, and is aimed at giving them the best possible chance of finding a permanent home

Q. Where can I go to see ALL the dogs at one time?
A. There is no central location for you to meet all the animals at once. Furry Kids’ Refuge is an all volunteer network of foster families who take animals into their own homes in order to get to know them and prepare them to become loving family pets.  You can only meet our rescue animals during our Adoption Events at various Petco locations.. Please view our calendar of events for a current schedule.

Q. Can I meet the dog before I fill out an adoption application?
A. The first step is to fill in an adoption application.  Animals are not available to be viewed by the public until the adoption process has been started AND we feel you are a good candidate for the animal you have selected.

Q. Can't I just talk to someone before filling in an application?
A. Furry Kids’ Refuge Volunteers have made a commitment to ensure that the animals we place will be in their new home for life. This is why we ask that applicants complete an application form prior to speaking with an adoption volunteer. 

Q: Do I have to have a vet reference?
A. While we prefer to do vet reference checks for all our adoptions, we realize that everyone has a first pet.  Vet references are one of many factors that we consider before approving an application. Our contract stipulates that you must take your adopted dog to a vet within 30 days for a wellness check.  At the time of adoption, you must provide us with contact information for the vet you intend to use.  We will follow-up with that vet.  If you have not taken your adopted animal to the vet at the time of the follow-up, you will be considered in breach of contract and we have the legal right to reclaim the animal.

Q: Do I have to have a fence?
A: That depends on the characteristics of each dog and on your particular circumstances.  This decision is made on a case-by-case basis.

Q. Is the dog I'm interested housebroken, good with kids, good with other dogs, good with cats, etc?
A. We try our best to provide all the information we know about a particular animal on their Petfinder profile page. Please be sure to fill out an adoption application and review the animal’s profile page before asking further questions.

Q. I really have to have a particular dog I saw on the web site. If I'm first to apply for that dog, do I get him?
A. No. We do not place dogs on a first come, first served basis. Our main goal is to act in the best interest of each dog. We will evaluate all potential applicants based on the needs of the particular dog. Most of these dogs have been abandoned and neglected, and we do everything within our power to make sure the home they go to is truly a "forever home" where they will be not only be loved, but well cared for physically and emotionally.

Q. I'd like to give a puppy as a gift (Birthday, Christmas, etc) to someone.
A. We do not under any circumstances recommend that you obtain a puppy, or any animal, as a gift for someone as a surprise. Choosing a pet should be a well thought out decision involing all members of the family.  Additionaly, we would want to personally interview the person who is going to be the caretaker of the animal to ascertain whether or not it is an appropriate home.

Q. I sent in my application a few days ago and have not heard back yet when can I expect an answer?
A. It can take almost a week for your application to move through the application process. We do our best to notify all applicants of their application status, however, due to the number of applications we process, and our limited volunteer manpower, that is not always possible. If you are not contacted, we are most likely pursing other applications.

Q. I left a message and have yet to hear from you. Why does it take so long to get a return call or email?
Furry Kids' Refuge is not a shelter and has no paid employees. We are all volunteers with jobs, families, pets, and fosters. Our preferred method of communication is email so that we can answer emails in our “spare time”…either before or after working our paying jobs.  During this time we try to answer as many emails as possible while also taking care of all the foster animals, taking care of our families, and taking care of administrative work associated with keeping the animals healthy and keeping our records accurate.  We appreciate your understanding and hope that you will be patient with our application and adoption process as everything we do is in the best interests of the animals in our care.

Q: Do you contact us if not selected?
A: We do our best to notify all applicants of their application status, however, due to the number of applications we process, and our limited volunteer manpower, this is not always possible. If you are not contacted, we are most likely pursing other applications.

Q: How much does it cost to adopt a dog or cat from Furry Kids?  What is the money used for?
For dogs, the adoption fees range from $75 to $200 and are dependent on the size, breed, age, etc.  Adoption fees for cats range from $45 to $85.  Adoption fees help to defray the cost of providing veterinary care, upkeep during foster, food, and preventative care to our animals. All dogs and cats are vaccinated for common diseases and rabies, spayed/neutered, tested for FeLV/FIV (cats) and heartworms (dogs), provided monthly heartworm (dogs) and flea prevention and microchipped (all dogs).  Additionally, Furry Kids treats any dog that tests positive for heartworms before adoption.  Any known illnesses or injuries are also treated before adoption.

Q. What forms of payment can you accept?
A. The adoption fee is payable in cash or check only. We do not accept credit cards.

Q. If the adoption isn't working out, can I give the dog back?
Not only CAN you......our contract (which you sign at the time of the adoption) states that if for ANY reason you EVER decide that you can no longer keep the dog, the dog MUST be returned to our rescue.

Q. Where do your animals come from? Have they been abused?
Our rescue animals come from several different sources; some are rescued from area animal shelters just before their time in the shelter has run out.  Others are strays found by individuals who were not able to locate the owner. Occasionally, we accept owner relinquishments from individuals who have no options for their animals but to surrender them to a rescue group.

The majority of animals in rescue have not been abused in the conventional sense, however, many have suffered from a lack of responsible pet guardianship.