Our Adoption Process

---

Thank you for your interest in a H-E-A-R-T dog!

The first step to bringing home your next canine companion is to apply! Once we review your application, someone from our Adoptions Team will be in touch shortly. Please understand that we all work as volunteers, with a large volume of dogs in our care. It may take a few days before we are able to start processing your application depending on the current volume of applicants. If you decide that you are unable to wait or you find a dog elsewhere, we understand. We just ask that you let us know so that we may focus on the next person's application.

Our screening process is very thorough and because of such, we have a very high success rate. Many times we will ask follow up questions to begin or during the process. Your answers will help us decide if you're cut out to be a H-E-A-R-T family and match you with the best fit. We will contact your personal references, your vet reference and your landlord, if applicable. Please let your references know we will be calling. You will have to grant your vet's office permission to speak with us in advance. We require all existing pets in your home be spayed/neutered, current on vaccines and heartworm testing, receive monthly heartworm prevention and that you provide consistent, annual vet care. The easier your application is to screen the better chance you have at being matched to your next canine companion! 

We will then conduct a phone interview to ask and answer any remaining questions and explain the remainder of the process. This is where we talk compatibility. If you've selected a dog of interest we can certainly tell you if your application fits their needs and if they would meet the needs of your family. Hopefully you're open to us making suggestions should your dog of interest have applicants ahead of you in the process or not be the best fit. Our Husky/Human matching skills are our super power! We have over a 99% successful placement rate!

Once we've determined the best compatible pup, we will arrange for you to speak with the dog’s foster family. This gives our adopters an educated insight on what it would be like to have the pup live in your home. Lastly is the home visit. All residents must be present at the time our volunteer comes. We will allow you to schedule the home visit directly with the volunteer to coordinate all schedules and we’ll be as flexible as possible. Most home visits are being done virtually due to COVID-19, but special circumstances may result in an in-person home visit. Should all parties involved want to move forward, and the home visit be approved, we will prepare to transport your pup to MD or NJ if they are in a different state. Our foster network is all up and down the East Coast. Our transports take 1-2 weeks to plan and are all volunteer, so we ask you keep your schedule open and flexible on the day they are to arrive. Alternatively, if you wish to meet your pup sooner, you are welcome to travel to their foster home. We also have an overflow facility in MD where we house a handful of dogs when our foster homes are full.  Once approved, you can visit with these pups on an appointment basis. 

If you have mentioned a specific dog, please keep in mind that we usually receive multiple applicants for each dog, and a submitted application does not guarantee an adoption. Also, we do not place dogs on a first come first serve basis, but rather, take the time to ensure the perfect match for both the applicant and the dog and thus review all applications. Our efforts are for both the dog and the applicant, and we feel it is very important for us to find you a dog that suits your family as well as the needs of the dog. For dogs with multiple applicants, applications that initially appear to be the best matches will be contacted for the initial interview first. Please check back to our website for the most up to date information on each dog. Dogs listed as "Adoption Pending" or "No More Applications" on our site not presently available.  If the dog you applied for is adopted, please let us know if you would still like your application to be processed for another H-E-A-R-T dog, or if a similar dog becomes available. There are no shortage of beautiful Huskies needing rescue, so please don't feel too disheartened if the dog you are interested in is adopted; with your patience we can find you a very similar dog. We get listings of dozens of urgent dogs daily about to be euthanized! 

We are able to transport our adoptable dogs to our rescue offices in Maryland and a New Jersey location. With any dog that you believe is a match for you, the two week adoption trial period will be in place, whether you are able to meet them beforehand or not. This is done for your benefit to ensure that the dog is a compatible fit for you before committing to finalizing the adoption. We ask all Adopters to follow a two week shut down process. A summary of this process can be found on our Adopting tab and a more detailed version provided to you prior to adoption. This process helps a new pup begin to bond with the family while minimizing stressful situations. When at all possible, if the dog is not a match, we ask that you continue to foster the dog until an alternative home is found to minimize stress on the dog. At the time of adoption, beginning with the trial period, we do require the adoption fee of $350.00 for adult dogs, $400.00 for puppies, post dated for two weeks.  Should it not work out for any reason during the trial period, the adoption check will not be cashed and any electronic payment/check can be returned to you upon request. 

Sincerely,

H-E-A-R-T

Adoptions Team

info@huskyrescueteam.org

www.huskyrescueteam.org

*PLEASE NOTE: WE DO NOT ACCEPT OWNER SURRENDERS. Your dog is your responsibility. If you need breed advice, please just ask!*