How it works.
Adopting from Rescue Network is a four-step process designed around making the right match. Curious what it’s like from the other side? Read what adopters say.
Adoption Application
If you find a dog or cat you're interested in, complete an adoption application. Please note that we often receive multiple applications for the same animal, and submitting an application does not guarantee adoption.
You can find the adoption links under the animals' profiles.
Meet and Greet
The foster will review your application and, if it's a potential match, contact you to set up a meet and greet. Meetings can take place at a home, public location, or wherever both parties feel comfortable. Please keep in mind that fosters may have multiple meet and greets scheduled depending on interest.
Adoption Contract and Payment
Once approved, Rescue Network will send a request for payment and an online contract. We only accept electronic payments.
Your Adoption Fee Includes
- Spay / neuter
- All age-appropriate vaccinations
- Heartworm and flea/tick preventatives
- Heartworm test (dogs over 9 months)
- FIV / FeLV test (cats)
- Deworming
- Microchip implant (including registration)
Congratulations!
After the contract is signed and payment is complete, the foster will coordinate pickup or drop-off of your new pet. Veterinary records will be emailed to you after processing, which may take up to a week. Once your new family member is home, the 3-3-3 rule is a great guide to those first days, weeks, and months of settling in.
Not quite ready to commit?
If you'd like to spend time with an animal before fully committing to adoption, our Foster to Adopt program gives you a trial period to make sure it's the right fit. It's also how we place certain animals who aren't quite ready for adoption yet — a pet still recovering, finishing medical care, or needing a little more time to decompress — so you can welcome them home and let that final step happen naturally.