Adoption Application

Our screening process has been designed to combine book knowledge and personal experiences. The Pit Bull is a wonderful breed, but not right for everyone. Researching the breed and making an effort to take time to get acquainted personally with these dogs at our Meet and Greets will help you make a wise decision about adoption.

If you're ready, willing, and prepared to adopt a rescue dog into your home, then it's time to begin the adoption process...

Download our adoption application here: FurKidAA-3.doc
When your adoption application is complete, please e-mail it to us at furkidrescue@hotmail.com

Fur Kid Rescue does NOT have a physical building; we’re not a shelter! All our available animals are in foster homes. While you may see us out in public at local events, no one is allowed to adopt until after the application has been completed, a verbal interview has been conducted, and a home check has occurred. After the home check, we will contact you if we feel you are a good match for the animal you would like to adopt. Our intentions aren't to make the process difficult, but our dogs come first and we want to make sure they find the best homes. The Pit Bull is a breed that has been exploited, abused, and neglected and we do not want any of our dogs to have to endure any suffering or pain. The public is welcomed to meet our dogs at our adoption events and public appearances. If you meet an adoptable animal you are interested in, please e-mail us!

When you have selected the dog(s) you know that you are interested in, the first step is to fill out the Adoption Application. Once we receive your application, we will contact you within the next several days. Be patient, it can take a couple days if it is a busy week!
The second step of the process is the phone interview. When we contact you, we’ll be asking about your specific situation and that of the dog you are applying for. Upon the completion of the phone interview, we will verify references, conduct additional screening, check backgrounds, visit your location to determine if the area in general is a safe place for a dog, and contact your veterinarian.

After doing your background checks and contacting your references, we will conduct a home check. A home visit not only helps us get to know you and your situation better - but it also finally gives you a chance to meet the dog. During the home visit, we will talk to you more about breed education, point out and discuss any concerns we may have regarding potential safety hazards. We’re also there to answer any questions you may have about adopting the dog! Also, a home visit gives you a chance to spend some time with the dog you are interested in and see if this is really who you want to be a new addition to your family.
After the home check, we will take into consideration everything we’ve learned about you through the adoption process, and contact you to let you know if/when the dog can come home with you!

It seems like a lot of steps and hard work - and it is - but we do this because we love these dogs and it is our duty both to them and to their prospective homes to make sure that each and every placement that we make is a good one - and one that will last for the rest of their lifetimes.

Once the adoption is complete and we've said our good byes to our rescue dog, Fur Kid Rescue will follow up with you from time to time to see how everyone is adjusting to the new family member. We do this to help with questions, training, and to help our adoptive homes in any way that we can. We hope that you know that it’s important not only to help with any questions you may have, but to keep in touch with you, a new Bully Buddy! We strive to ensure an open and honest relationship between our adopters.

By adopting a rescue dog, you give us a chance to rescue another pup! We hope that you understand what an amazing thing you are doing by saving not one, but two, and through those two, countless other lives! While it is definitely easier to buy a dog from a breeder, we hope you consider that by adopting a rescue dog you are taking a stand against the overbreeding and overpopulation problem that currently exists. We also hope that you know we are simply trying to place our adoptable animals in the best possible homes for their specific needs. We believe in quality placements over quantity and once we rescue a dog we’re committed to finding that dog a home and will take as long as it takes to make that happen. Some have said it’s easier to adopt a child than it is to adopt one of our dogs, we are NOT ashamed of being choosy!

Please note: Fur Kid Rescue reserves the right to decline any application as we see fit. Though your home may be an excellent place for a dog, it may not be the best place for a the specific dog you applied for.
We require an Application, home visit, and adoption contract on ALL placements. ALL Fur Kid Rescue dogs are spayed or neutered PRIOR to adoption. No exceptions.

STOP...BEFORE YOU ADOPT!
Before sending in your application, please STOP and take a moment (or several!) to seriously consider what you are about to do. Fur Kid Rescue does not encourage impulsive decisions to adopt and wants you to realize that a dog is not a "trial run" item. Pit Bulls are an intelligent breed that bonds quickly with their humans. They should be considered a family member, not a passing conversation piece and certainly not a status symbol. Don't feel you are doing the dog a favor by giving it a home. There are fates WORSE than death for any dog, including a life of isolation, neglect, or abuse.
All breeds differ in personality, but not so many dogs have suffered from misunderstanding and media slander as Pit Bulls. The truth is that these dogs were originally bred for dogfighting purposes and, when not properly socialized, can be as aggressive as any other under-socialized dog.

However, where a Lab or Maltese might give up, Pit Bulls have been trained to never quit. Under no circumstances can you let your dog off-leash in public and your dog should never be unattended. A Pit Bull can easily clear a 4 ft. fence and it’s completely cruel to an animal to use a tie-up chain in your backyard unless you are present. These animals crave attention and want to be the center of your world, they are not a “trendy” rescue dog so you can tell people how evil Michael Vick is and how much of a saint you are for saving one.

*If you’re not willing to commit at least an hour of exercise a day for your pet, please don’t apply. Pit Bulls are very active and energetic animals and do well with active people.

*If you’re looking for a guard dog, please don’t apply. Pit Bulls want nothing more than to be everybody’s best friend and make horrible guard dogs. Pit Bulls are very submissive to humans and will not even try to stop an intruder.

*If you have a young Pit Bull, please know you will not even be considered if trying to adopt a dog with the same sex as your current dog. Unless you have a mature animal (at least 7 or 8 years), we will only accept applications for Pit Bulls of the opposite sex.

*If you plan on giving your dog up if you get pregnant, please don’t apply. We encourage family planning and this should include ALL family members. Your dog isn’t a temporary object of affection; your dog is a commitment of at least 13 years. Be responsible and use protection, and if you don’t, don’t say it was a surprise and you don’t know what to do with your 8 year old Pit Bull.

Saving a Pit Bull doesn’t make you a hero unless you are willing to make the necessary commitment to ensure your dog has a long, happy life. Just as you would plan for a child, you must understand that adopting a pet obligates you as the primary care-taker and companion for your new family member.

The top #1 reason to adopt: For total COMPANIONSHIP!
Three things to carefully consider:
You are making at least a 10-year commitment (including daily sacrifices).
Are you willing to work through a transitional adjustment period that may last a few months or longer?
Financial aspect (routine and preventative vet care, emergency vet care, feeding expenses, accessories, etc.)
Ten reasons NOT to adopt:
Because you feel "sorry" for the breed.
If your grass and carpet are more important to you than the dog (you will have an accident at some point and a Pit Bull will enjoy running around your backyard).
If you work or are gone long hours and can not come home in a reasonable amount of time to let a dog out.
Because it's the "popular" thing to do and you like the way they look.
If you are looking for a watchdog.
If you believe it is acceptable for this breed to live outside.
Because your kids are pestering you for a pet and your neighbor's Pit Bull seems "cute.”
For your son to have a wrestling partner.
If all family members are not in agreement to adopt and willing to take an active part with the dog's care.
To give as a Christmas gift...or a birthday gift, a going away gift, a housewarming gift, a let’s go steady gift... or ANY GIFT! Fur Kid Rescue does home checks and will only consider applications where the primary caretaker is the one completing the application.