ADOPTING A GOLDEN FROM GRRRR

GRRRR’s adoption procedure is designed to find loving, permanent homes for its foster Goldens. 

Before adopting any Golden Retriever, you should consider how a Golden Retriever will fit into your family. The Golden Retriever is generally an active dog ranging from 60 pounds to more than 80 pounds and requires daily exercise and attention. The Golden’s coat is long and sheds year round and can worsen allergy conditions in humans. However, the impact of their shedding can be reduced with frequent grooming and brushing. While Goldens have a gentle mouth, they do enjoy chewing and should be provided with the appropriate items for chewing exercise. The Golden Retriever has a very loving disposition, and they thrive on personal attention. The Golden Retriever lives to satisfy its family. Consequently, obedience training is strongly recommended to ensure maximum bonding and the mutual satisfaction of both the Golden and its owners. This training can cost in excess of $250.00 over the life of the dog. Goldens need to be fed a premium quality dog food to help keep them in good condition. Most of all, a Golden needs to be loved.

Adoption Application Procedures

To begin the adoption procedure, please complete our adoption application and submit it to the address on the application (Please click here to view a copy of the application.)

We ask for a $190.00 adoption fee which helps cover the cost of medical treatment while the Goldens are in foster care. The medical treatments include veterinary exams, spaying and neutering, vaccinations, a heartworm check (and treatment if necessary), and heartworm preventatives. As of January 2006, this also includes an embedded micro-chip in the dog and pre-paid registration to the chip maker.  Senior Goldens (older than 7 years)  Goldens with special medical or physical needs may be adopted with a smaller donation depending on the situation. Adopted puppies too young to be altered require a pre-paid receipt from a licensed veterinarian to show that the puppy will be spayed or neutered when it comes of age (about 6 months). GRRRR will rebate, upon final proof of spay/neuter, $40.00 for neuter and $ 50.00 for spay.  Many times the cost of care far exceeds $190.00, and we are grateful for any additional donations to help defray the medical expenses of our foster Goldens.

GRRRR attempts to place its Goldens in the best available home. Golden Retrievers placed by GRRRR are not suited for an outside-only life and require a place in the home and lots of attention. For safety purposes, GRRRR will not place a Golden in a home without a fenced yard. Yards where dogs may be left outside (without access to safe structures such as garages or houses) for long periods may not be safe.  Puppies under 4 months of age will not appear on our website, and are placed by waiting list. To adopt a puppy from GRRRR, someone must be at home (or with the puppy) for a minimum of 4-5 hours during the day.  GRRRR will sometimes  adopt dogs  to qualified and loving homes located outside our service area with the provision of a Home Visit done by a local Golden Retriever Rescue group.

A note about electric/underground fencing: While GRRRR would much prefer to have physical fencing we are not entirely opposed to invisible fencing if used appropriately. Many dogs, especially hunting breeds are resistant to staying inside invisible fencing. Normally the company who installs the fence goes through the training for use with both owner and dog, but the training must be continued for several weeks to months. Basically, the dog cannot be left inside invisible fencing unsupervised.  Invisible fencing does not keep intruders (other animals, or humans) from coming into the dog's area. There have been numerous instances of dogs being left unsupervised only to find on the owners return that the dog's collar is lying in the yard and the dog has disappeared. Dogs with high play/prey drives will endure the shock to chase, and then become wary of returning, once the adrenaline rush is passed. Living on a busy street will take extra vigilance with an electric fence, even with supervision.

To evaluate prospective adoptive homes, GRRRR volunteers review the application and may interview an applicant several times and conduct home visits to discuss how a Golden would fit into the household. The review and home visit generally take about 10 days to 2 weeks to complete. Finding the right dog for your family may take some time. Occasionally several applicants are interested in the same dog. We will then look at all of those applications together and do our best to place that dog in the best possible home for both the dog and the family.

SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL BE APPROVED TO ADOPT A GOLDEN FROM GRRRR. If you are interested in adopting a particular dog, you may note that on your application. However, doing so does not guarantee that you will be able to adopt that dog. The dog may not be appropriate for your lifestyle or may no longer be available. If your application is approved, GRRRR reserves the right to offer a different dog.

If you adopt a dog from GRRRR, you should expect a transition period while the dog settles into its new home and learns the household routines. GRRRR considers the first two weeks to be a trial period.

To adopt a dog from GRRRR, you will sign a legally binding adoption contract and must agree to abide by its terms and conditions. You will assume all the risks and obligations of ownership of the dog. You must provide all routine care for the dog as a house dog, provide any necessary veterinary care for the dog, provide all vaccinations recommended by your vet, keep the dog on heartworm preventative, and respond to occasional follow-up calls from GRRRR volunteers. If you decide to give up the dog for any reason, you must return the dog to GRRRR.

If you have any questions about a Golden adopted from GRRRR, we would appreciate your contacting the dog’s foster family or another GRRRR volunteer.

After you adopt a Golden from GRRRR, we hope that you will consider volunteering to help place other Goldens in their permanent homes.  To see how you can help, please click here.    

To view a copy of the adoption application, please click here.

To contact GRRRR with any questions you may have about the adoption process, please contact Pat or contact one of the volunteers listed here

For advice about finding a lost pet, please click here.                         

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