Adopt Dogs

Are you ready to meet your new best friend?

United Animal Friends rescues happy, healthy pets who are at risk of euthanasia at overcrowded kill shelters. Most shelter pets wind up there because of a human problem like a move or a divorce, not because the animals did anything wrong. Many are already house-trained and used to living with families. When you adopt a pet, you’ll be saving a life and gaining a lifelong friend.
Woman Playing with Dog near Campsite with Red Tent
Brown and Black Cattle Dog Mix Posing for Photo

Our Purpose

One of the primary goals of United Animal Friends is to find the best home for each animal in our care. We are a foster-based organization, which helps us learn each pet’s personality to help ensure that they are placed in a home that will be the best fit for the animal and the adopter.

The Process

When you are ready to adopt a new friend, we’ll ask you to complete our friendly screening process, which ensures safe and successful adoptions!

  • If you are interested in adopting a pet, we will ask you to complete an application located below or under each pet’s photo to help us find the best match between you and your new pet.
  • If you already have pets, we will want to make sure they are spayed or neutered.
  • For renters, we’ll check with your landlord to ensure that animals are permitted.
  • For dog adoptions, a home visit is required. If you currently have a pet or pets, we will want to ensure that everyone gets along, so we will arrange for a “meet and greet” to introduce the pets to each another and identify any potential issues. This is a great opportunity for you to get valuable input on how to integrate your new pet into your home.
  • If you are ready to adopt, we will have you complete the adoption agreement and pay the adoption fee.

When you express interest in adopting a pet, please be patient with us. Our volunteers love animals and we want only the best for them. We strive to respond to you in a timely fashion and to be honest, respectful and courteous in all our interactions. Please understand that our primary obligation is to the animals in our care. While we realize that our screening process may seem extensive, it is a process that has been developed through years of experience and we stand firmly behind it.

Adopt a Dog

Someone catch your eye? To apply for a specific dog, select the gray “Apply for Adoption” button in the dog’s profile, so we’ll know who you’re interested in. A secure link will come up starting with your email address, please follow the prompts to apply for adoption.

Can’t decide who you like best or don’t see what you’re looking for? You can still complete a general application form so we can help you find your perfect match.

FAQs

It takes a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks for most dogs to acclimate to their new home. Every adopted dog will have gone through at least two homes by the time they are adopted – their original home (or a puppy mill or shelter) and their foster home – so it is important that their adoptive home be their forever home. Your dog needs you to help him or her learn to trust you and to blend into your family. They can’t do this overnight and they can’t do it by themselves. If you aren’t willing to work with the dog (and perhaps your resident pets) to address any issues that develop during and after this period, please do not complete an application.

If you are having trouble, please let us know and the sooner the better. Small problems that start early on can turn into bigger problems if not addressed. Our volunteers have been doing this for a long time and probably have experience dealing with whatever issue you may be facing.

While we will take a dog back into care if an adoption should fail, know that we will expect you to do everything in your power to address the problem first. We will provide you with support and resources to help you be successful, but your commitment is crucial to success.

The overpopulation of dogs and cats in our country is the result of too many unplanned litters. If you have unsterilized pets in your home, we will deny the application. Many territorial and behavior issues are related to unsterilization, and it can cause issues when a new pet is brought into the home. If you are interested in having your pet spayed or neutered so that you may adopt one of our pets, we will happily reconsider your application once proof of sterilization is provided.

A home visit is an in-home pre-adoption interview. A UAF volunteer, usually the dog’s foster parent, will schedule a visit at your convenience. This is to verify the information provided on the application and to explain our adoption policies. The volunteer may bring the dog along for the home visit to allow you to see how he or she will behave in the new environment. If you already have pets, this also allows us to help you with the introduction. We have found that the best way to ensure success is to make sure that everyone enters the process with appropriate expectations.

We do this to ensure the best fit between our pets and their new families. Our careful process and our knowledge of the pet’s personality and energy level helps us determine whether you will be happy with the pet and whether he or she will be happy in your family. We want the cat or dog’s new home to be its forever home.
Maybe. We are not a first-come, first-served rescue. We try our best to find the best match between our pets and potential adopters. Being first means that your application will be reviewed first, but if there are other applications for the pet, we will review those as well. We commit to being as open and honest about the selection process as we can. If another adopter is chosen, it only means that we feel that it was the best fit for the animal.

We try our best to provide all the information we know about a particular animal on his or her profile page. If the information is not provided there, it means that we are still learning the animal’s personality. As soon as we are able, we provide a good description in the profile.

Yes, we do adopt outside of the local area, however, for dog adoptions we require a home visit. Distance is a factor in whether or not the required home visit can be completed. We do have volunteer contacts in some areas, however, we may find it difficult to locate a volunteer to conduct the home visit in other areas. We will let you know if this becomes an obstacle to the approval of your application.

We do not ship animals and we will not adopt to individuals without a personal meeting.

Dog Information

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