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How it works
1 · You apply — Ten minutes. It asks about your life, not about your income
2 · We ring you — A conversation rather than an interview. Ask us things back
3 · A home visit — Half an hour. We look at the fence, not at the washing up
4 · You meet them — More than once — and the animal gets a say in this part
5 · They come home — With their notes, their food, and our number for as long as you want it
2 · We ring you — A conversation rather than an interview. Ask us things back
3 · A home visit — Half an hour. We look at the fence, not at the washing up
4 · You meet them — More than once — and the animal gets a say in this part
5 · They come home — With their notes, their food, and our number for as long as you want it
Rehoming, all year round
We might say no. It won't be about you.
Most declined applications aren't about the person at all — they're about the animal in front of us, who needs a garden, or no cats, or somebody home at lunchtime. We always tell you which it was, and what would change it.
Why we say no
It's almost never about you — It's about this animal, and what this particular one can't cope with
A garden, or a busy road — Some dogs bolt. That's a fact about them, not a judgement about your street
Hours alone — A few of ours manage a working day. Most can't, and we won't pretend otherwise
Cats, children, other dogs — We know what each of ours has already failed at. We don't experiment
What we never judge — Your income, your housekeeping, whether you rent, or how big your home is
What you can always ask — Which reason it was, and what would change it. There's usually another one here who fits
A garden, or a busy road — Some dogs bolt. That's a fact about them, not a judgement about your street
Hours alone — A few of ours manage a working day. Most can't, and we won't pretend otherwise
Cats, children, other dogs — We know what each of ours has already failed at. We don't experiment
What we never judge — Your income, your housekeeping, whether you rent, or how big your home is
What you can always ask — Which reason it was, and what would change it. There's usually another one here who fits
People take a decline personally, and we understand exactly why. So we always tell you which of those it was — and we mean it when we say come back.
They get a say in this
You'll meet more than once, and if a dog doesn't take to you they don't go home with you — however good the application was, and however much you would like them to. That isn't us overruling you. It is us listening to the only one in the room who can't fill in a form.
It happens often enough to be worth saying out loud, and it is nearly always the right call for both of you.
What it really costs, not just the fee
The adoption fee — $180 for a dog, $75 for a cat — neutered, chipped, vaccinated and checked
Food — $25 to $60 a month, by size and by how fussy they turn out to be
Insurance — $20 to $50 a month, and worth having from the first day rather than the first scare
Routine vet care — $150 to $250 a year for boosters and a check-up, before anything is wrong
When something is wrong — Four figures is not unusual. This is the number people wish they'd been told
Boarding or a sitter — $25 to $40 a night, every time you go away, for the next decade
Food — $25 to $60 a month, by size and by how fussy they turn out to be
Insurance — $20 to $50 a month, and worth having from the first day rather than the first scare
Routine vet care — $150 to $250 a year for boosters and a check-up, before anything is wrong
When something is wrong — Four figures is not unusual. This is the number people wish they'd been told
Boarding or a sitter — $25 to $40 a night, every time you go away, for the next decade
The fee is the smallest number on that list, and we would far rather show you the others now. An adopter who was told the truth stays. One who wasn't brings them back in a year — and that costs the animal most of all.
If it doesn't work, bring them back
At any point. In a week, in a year, in nine years. There is no argument, no lecture and no fee, and nobody will make you feel that you failed. It is in the adoption agreement and it is the most important line in it.
No time limit — An animal adopted from here can come back at any age
No reason needed — Your circumstances changed, or it simply isn't working. Both are fine
Ring first if you can — So there's space ready. If you can't ring, come anyway
What we'd rather — That you rang at the first wobble. Most wobbles turn out to have an answer
No reason needed — Your circumstances changed, or it simply isn't working. Both are fine
Ring first if you can — So there's space ready. If you can't ring, come anyway
What we'd rather — That you rang at the first wobble. Most wobbles turn out to have an answer
This is on the page because a rescue that makes returning hard is a rescue that gets animals abandoned instead.
Can't adopt? There's still a lot you can do
Foster
We pay for the food, the vet and the kit. You give a sofa and some time — for a fortnight, or for six months, whichever suits your life.
Foster the one you're wondering about
If you're not sure, foster them and find out. A good number of adoptions here started exactly that way, and nobody minds if it ends the other way.
Neither of those
Walk one on a Sunday, or drive one to a vet appointment. Both help far more than you'd think, and neither needs a spare room.
★★★★★
“They turned us down for the first dog and told us exactly why — she needed a garden and we're on the third floor. Two weeks later they rang about a cat who didn't.”
The Hoxha family
Adopted, eventually
★★★★★
“I asked what happens if it goes wrong and they said "you bring her back, no questions". I've never needed to. I just stopped being frightened of it.”
Bea R.
Adopted a lurcher
Start an application
Ten minutes, and it's the start of a conversation rather than a test.
Start an application
Nobody here has ever been declined for an honest answer — only for one we found out about later.
Live preview — every color, word and block is editable after you pick it.