Ruff House Animal Rescue
Adoption Process
1.) Fill out an ADOPTION APPLICATION.
2.) Schedule a meet-and-greet; if there are other animals in the home, we recommend a series of meet-and-greets in order to provide a more successful integration of a new animal into the household. The first greet would be conducted in a "neutral" location (such as a park) where the dogs can interact without an issue of "territory". The second (or third) would be conducted at the home of the potential adopter.
3.) Home-visit; depending on the situation, a home-visit may be conducted at the same time as a meet-and-greet. This allows us to see where our animal would be living and gives us a chance to address any questions the potential adopter may have and vice versa.
4.) Complete the adoption by signing the Adoption Contract and Waiver
5.) Start a two-week trial adoption (optional)! We highly suggest a two week trial adoption; this will allow all potential adopters to engage with their new pet and make sure that they are the right fit for their home. There is no penalty if a trial adoption does not work out - not every animal is going to be the right fit for every home! If it does not work out, we will assist you in finding a new pet that is the right fit for your home and family, or refund the adoption fee.
About our Adoption Process
We never process same-day adoptions, nor do we adopt out on a first-come-first-serve basis or adopt animals out as "gifts".
While it may seem as if we are "too strict" or "ask too many questions", we put a lot of time, effort, and resources into all of the animals that come into Ruff House Animal Rescue, and they will forever be a part of our family, as will our adopters. Our process has helped us to achieve a very low return-rate and a life-long Ruff House Family.
We take the time to get to know each and every one of the animals that comes into our rescue, and place them in homes that are the best fit for each animals individual needs. Our goal is not only to insure a good match between our animals and potential adopters, but also a successful integration into their permanent adoptive homes. Animals are a lifetime commitment, and we want to make sure that we put our animals and adopters in the best possible situation for a lifetime of love, loyalty, and companionship.
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A quick note about adopting "pits" or "pit-mixes":
We are an all-breed rescue, however the majority of the dogs we take in are "pitbulls" or "pit-mixes". While we strongly disagree with breed-labeling, we understand that many people, authorities especially, use visual breed identification to "determine" the breed of a given dog. We LOVE our pitties and we feel an obligation to help protect them to the best of our ability. This being said, we are more stringent when adopting out "pits/pit-mixes".
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1.) While it is never a hard-requirement, but based on each individual dogs needs, we do prefer adopters to have a fenced-in yard.
2.) We prefer adopters be home-owners. Many rentals have weight restrictions or policies against certain breeds of dogs; in the event that an adopter needs to move or find a new rental, owning a pitbull type dog can make finding a new residence incredibly difficult and often leads to dogs being surrendered because owners cannot find a place to live that allows their dogs.
3.) We check all city-ordinances before considering a potential adopter. While the state of Ohio does not have a ban or regulations against pitbulls, cities are free to make the "rules" however they see fit. We check city-specific ordinances on every application that comes through; we will not adopt out pitbull type dogs into cities where they are banned, or automatically declared dangerous or vicious, based solely on the way they look. We also will not adopt out our dogs into cities where there are extreme regulations for owning "bully breeds", such as in Akron, OH.
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Our dogs well-being will always be our number one priority.
Two-week Trial Adoption
Every adopter has the option to select a Two-week Trial Adoption when adopting one of our animals.
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What does this mean? If, at any time during the first two weeks after an adoption is completed, it is decided that the animal is not a good fit for the home or it simply does not work out for some reason, the animal can be returned to us and the adoption fee will be refunded, less $25.00.
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We also offer the option to return the animal and we will help assist you in finding an animal that is a better fit for your home and lifestyle.
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* The animal must be returned to us in the same condition in which they left us.
Weekend Trips
Select dogs may be available for "day trips", "overnighters", or "weekend trips" where a potential adoptive family can take the dog out for the day, overnight, or over the weekend.
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This is available only to potential adopters that have submitted an Adoption Application and are already approved; a Waiver of Liability and Short-term Contract must also be completed.
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This can be especially helpful if a family is interested in multiple dogs or is set to meet dogs from different organizations or shelters.