"Home for Life" Adoption Program

Each year, Save-A-Pet places hundreds of kittens, puppies, cats and dogs in loving, permanent homes. Our adoption screening process helps us match the right animal to the right home.

We provide the following veterinary care for our adoptable animals:

•     FIV tests for adult felines over six months old.
•     Feline leukemia tests for all cats and kittens
•     Heartworm tests for all dogs and puppies.
•     All vaccines, including rabies.
•     All animals are already spayed and neutered.
•     All animals are flea-treated and wormed.

If you’re interested in adopting, the process works like this:

1. You’ll answer the following questions on our adoption interest form:

•     Do you own or rent?
•     How many adults/children in your household?
•     Does everyone else at home want a new pet?
•     A brief history of pets you’ve owned
•     Vet care for pets you now own
•     Your thoughts on spaying and neutering
•     If you’re interested in a cat, do you plan to declaw?
•     If you’re looking for a dog, do you have a fenced-in yard or another exercise method?
•     Is shedding a problem?
•     Is there anyone with allergies at home?

2. Your questions are important too, ask us anything!

3. If you have a vet, we’ll ask to verify vet records.  This is for your current pet’s welfare and the safety of the Save-A-Pet animal you want to adopt.

4. If you rent, we’ll need to verify that you’re allowed to have pets.

5. You’ll be asked to “sit tight” while we check vet records and apartment rules. It’s an opportunity for you to consider this commitment. Cats can live 20 years or more; dogs can live 15 years or more. If you are not ready, it’s OK to change your mind.

6. We’ll contact you if the animal is a good match for your home. If you DO NOT hear from us in 48 hours, either the pet was adopted to another home (sometimes we get multiple forms on an animal) or there wasn’t a good match between the animal and your home. We’ll keep your form on file for when we hear of another pet that will fit your home and lifestyle.

7. After adoption, we stay in touch. We answer questions, provide counseling – and in most cases, we take the animals back if things don’t work out.

Why do we do it this way?

Our process is unique among many animal welfare groups, which do high-volume, on-the-spot adoptions. But we think it’s worth it to encourage thoughtful adoptions.

Consider the statistics: the average cat and dog have three to five homes in their lifetimes, and they’re the lucky ones. Millions of others are dropped off at shelters and often euthanized.

We strive for permanent placements, and we’ve been very successful – our return rate is less than 1 percent. But we still struggle with the vast amount of unwanted, privately owned pets – hundreds of calls a year.