When you know you are ready to accommodate a new furry family member at your home, animal rescue groups can offer you a great place to get started. These groups are different, but they have common goals. These groups work hard to find a permanent loving home for cats and dogs that have been left behind. Many of the rescue groups rely on volunteers and donations which allows them to do their main job: provide care for these pets while they are between homes.
When you start your journey choosing a rescue group to work with, you will find that there is a wide variety of animals available through these groups. Many of them work with all types of animals, so you will find kitties, pups, and even grown up pets waiting to be adopted. You may not know but some groups even have exotic pets such as reptiles, guinea pigs and more.
Keep in mind that some of the animals kept in these rescue groups have been through hard things like cruelty of a previous owner or some serious health issues. Animals are often left behind when their owners are moving or can no longer take care of them. Some animals are taken from shelters, some simply as strays living in the streets. A particularly good thing rescue groups do is screening. They screen both, animals before giving them out to new homes and their potential owners. So if you find a pet offered through one of the groups, you will be asked to sign a contract where you will have to agree to take care of the pet long term and answer a few questions about your home, children and other pets you may have. But get this right, nobody is trying to be nosy – that is only to help them match a new owner with the right pet. If the animal suffers from a diabetes, for example, the new owner will know this before adopting. So, having the animal’s health history on the one hand and information from you on the other does help to find those pets permanent homes.
If you decide to get your next pet through an animal rescue group you can actually gain a lot of personal satisfaction. You will know you have done a good thing and your new friend will show its appreciation. So if you are ready for adoption from a rescue group, it won’t be hard to find one in your area. Your local vet can give you the contacts for organizations near you. Most of the time, these pets are kept in private homes (foster homes) until they are adopted. This gives the animal time to be socialized with other pets, children and time to get used to living in a home. Sometimes, animal rescue groups will bring their animals that need homes to pet stores or other locations for interested people to see and meet the animals on certain day of the week.
Once you contact a rescue group for adoption be prepared to go through an interview and fill out an application. The organization will want to know these pets are going to the right hands for long. You may get asked about other pets you may have at home, the age of your children, the size of your yard and your thoughts on a cat with claws if you are looking for one. Once again, this is not to spy on your private life but to help match a pet with the right owner. There is an adoption fee you will have to pay and it varies by organization, usually within $100-$200 range for a rescued animal. Rescue groups do not make a profit on this. The fee covers the cost of the animal while it was in the care of the organization. It usually covers vaccinations, medical exams, spaying and neutering.
Getting your next pet through an animal rescue group is a responsibility to take but it may also bring lots of joy and satisfaction to your home. So if you are ready for a good deed, get patient and good luck!