These are our the most commonly asked questions. If there is something else you’d like to know, please contact us.
Due to the limited time of our volunteers, we are only able to provide personal assistance to families who are ready to start the adoption process. In other words, while we would love to work 1-on-1 with everyone looking to adopt, we simply don’t have enough volunteers to personally answer the 100s of inquiries we receive without an adoption application.
We will pre-approve your application and then schedule the meet and greet or suggest a dog that we believe is a good match for you. Out of respect and privacy of our volunteers and fosters, dogs are met by appointment only, and only after an application has been approved.
The adoption fees are $400/dog for local adoptions and $650/dog for out of state/Canadian adoptions and $150/cat. These fees help to defray the costs of exams, spaying/neutering, testing, vaccinations, micro-chipping, and flea/heartworm preventive meds, but rarely, if ever, cover all expenses. Therefore, additional tax deductible contributions are welcomed!
You must be at least 25 years of age to adopt a pet through REDCOLLAR RESCUE.
Yes! Once we receive and review your adoption application, we will contact you to schedule a FaceTime call so you can meet the pet you’re interested in adopting and ask any questions.
If you desire to move forward, we will schedule someone in your area to conduct a home visit. If we do not have a contact in your area, the home visit may be conducted via a FaceTime call or another method.
You may pick up your new pet in person, or REDCOLLAR RESCUE can arrange transport via an accredited animal transport company at a time convenient to all involved. These transport companies have designated stops, so you may need to drive an hour or more to pick up your new pet. The out-of-state adoption fee of $650 includes the transport cost. Adoption fee payment and signed contract are required prior to transport.
We try our best to provide all the information we know about a particular dog on the dog’s profile page. Please be sure to review the dog’s profile for information.
We do not have a shelter that you can visit to “see” the dogs. Most of the dogs in our rescue are in foster homes, where we can get to know them as family pets. You can only meet our dogs by completing an application or attending one of our adoption events held at the Petsmart at 1907 Taylor in the Heights (Houston, Texas). Our adoption events are held on a quarterly basis. Please see event calendar for further details.
The roster for the adoption events is sent out the morning of the event and is based on the number of fosters, volunteers and transporters who sign up for the event.
If you would like to meet a certain dog at an event, please contact us at info@redcollar.org to let us know. We can update you prior to the event as to whether the dog will be there or not.
Visual breed identification in dogs, even by a vet, is unreliable, so we are only guessing at the predominant breed or breed mix. We get to know each dog as an individual and will do our best to describe each of our dogs based on personality, not by breed label.
No, we do not adopt out animals on a first come, first serve basis. Our number one priority is finding the best forever home for the dog or cat.
When an adoption application is received, we will review your application and do the vet reference check and landlord check (if applicable). We are all volunteers with full time jobs, so this may take a few days. The meet and greet and home visit are done as soon as we can coordinate your schedule, the volunteer’s schedule and often the foster’s schedule.
So the length of time it takes to schedule these is based on all parties’ availability. REDCOLLAR RESCUE is a 100% volunteer run organization – all of our volunteers have jobs and family members with both two and four legs. Most meet and greets and home visits are done on the weekends or weekday evenings.
REDCOLLAR RESCUE endeavors to find a FOREVER home for each of its adoptable animals. As a result, we have high expectations of potential adopters. We expect potential adopters to have carefully considered how their new potential pet fits into their life. This includes (but is not limited to!):
- Potential life changes and their impact on the dog/cat, e.g. moving, marriage, divorce, children, etc.
- Understand it can take time for the new pet to “settle in.”
- Be willing to address possible behavior challenges, including consultation with trainers. (RCR can make recommendations.)
In the unfortunate event an adoptive parent is unable to keep their pet, it is to be returned to REDCOLLAR RESCUE, never taken to a shelter or given to another person. This is covered in the adoption contract.
