Adopting a Peppertree Dog

Our Adoption Requirements

  1. We are currently only accepting applications within a 90-minute radius from Albany, NY.
  2. We require veterinary references. At minimum, we look for pets to have been in for routine vet care, including vaccinations, annual heart worm tests and to be on heartworm preventative. If you have not had a pet before we understand that you will be unable to provide this and will accept personal references.
  3. Home visits are done at the discretion of the foster homes and application team, and may be a requirement for adoption.
  4. We do NOT require a fence for all our dogs. However, dogs are individuals and some dogs in our program do require a fence. We make that determination based on the needs of the dog and it will be listed in their adoption information.

 

How To Adopt a Peppertree Dog

  1. Complete an adoption application.
  2. Identify the dog (or dogs) that you are interested in. If you are not interested in a specific dog you can leave it blank. You will see our available dogs listed on our web site, or in our emails about upcoming adoption events. Even if you are not interested in a particular dog filling out the application can make things easier and faster later on when you do find a dog you are interested in.
  3. If you apply for a particular dog your application will be reviewed by the dog’s foster home. If you have an application in but do not specify a dog, please contact us when you are interested in a particular dog, and we’ll forward your application to the foster family. If the foster feels you are a match for the dog, or has more questions, they will reach out to you.
  4. Attend an adoption event to meet our dogs.
  5. Once you are interested in a dog we will complete your reference check contacting your vet, personal references and if you have a landlord or rental agency we will contact them confirming you are allowed a dog. If the foster home chooses to do a home visit, it will be conducted at this time.
  6. Once a match is made:
  • You will complete a foster contract and begin your two week trial placement. For the first two weeks a dog is in your home it is considered a foster dog, and is still the property of Peppertree Rescue. If at the end of two weeks the dog is a match for your home, we will finalize the adoption.
  • Fill out an adoption contract and provide us with the adoption fee of $300 as of April 2023. We hold the contract and do not cash the check until the trial placement period is successfully completed.

What You Can Expect From Us

Your dog will:
– be spayed or neutered, if over six months old.
– have received the normal set of shots including rabies and distemper.
– have been tested and, if necessary, treated for heartworm and intestinal worms.

If medical reasons or age prevented any of this from being done prior to the trial placement, we will make the necessary arrangements. In most cases, your dog won’t need further veterinary treatment during the trial placement period.

How the Trial Placement Works

We encourage you to bring the dog to your veterinarian during the two-week trial placement period, at your own expense, to assure yourself that the dog is healthy, before the adoption is complete.

The trial placement period gives you a chance to get to know the dog and allows the dog to exhibit its normal behavior — often quite different (and usually better!) than you will see at an adoption event or initial meeting.

During this time, you can consult with Peppertree volunteers who will help with adjustment problems, new-owner questions, and the like. If needed, we can extend the trial placement period before the adoption becomes final.

Once all agree that this is, indeed, the dog for you, we will finalize the adoption. This means we will execute your adoption contract, deposit your adoption fee, and (for tax purposes) provide a receipt for any amount that you may have contributed beyond the fee.

Our involvement does not end there, however. You will now be part of the Peppertree “family.” We will remain available for consultation about other adjustment concerns, or to hear and applaud your brags! For your dog, Peppertree steps into the role that a good breeder would fill — with a lifetime commitment to the well-being of our dogs and their families.