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Ready to Adopt? Considerations and Steps

Adopting a pet is one of the most rewarding things you can do! But it is also a serious commitment that should not be taken lightly. Sadly, thousands of animals end up in shelters every year because people do not think through what it means to own and care for a pet. The result is the euthanasia of millions of perfectly adoptable pets. Don’t be one of these people. Take the time to think through this decision thoroughly. Talk to other pet owners about what it means to own a pet. Talk to vets about what it costs to properly care for a pet. Talk to trainers about what it means to train a pet so that the animal’s behavior is positive. Go into this decision armed with the knowledge and the resources to make pet ownership a mutually rewarding experience for your new pet.

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Are You Ready to Adopt?

Factors to Consider Before Adopting

Pet Insurance

Do you have a plan if your animal should become sick or injured? What will you do if such requires medical attention costing over $1,000? Have you researched pet insurance?

Adjusting to the Home

Are you willing to give the animal you adopt a solid 4-6 weeks to settle into your life and household? Whether puppy, dog, cat or kitten, animals (like people) take time to acclimate. Hyper dogs often settle once they feel safe and have a routine. Scared cats will come out from underneath the bed once they feel safe. Puppies will learn to sleep through the night and go potty outside if given the time. Abused animals will come around and learn to trust you if you give them time and reassurance. Do NOT expect miracles overnight. 

Training

Are you willing to pay and work with a trainer? EVERY single dog/puppy will benefit from training. Start out on the right foot and increase the bond between you and your dog by attending classes or working with an individual trainer. You owe it to the animal and you owe it to yourself. There is no such thing as the perfect dog

Are You Ready to

Make a Long Term Commitment? 

Puppies grow up to be dogs! Decide what size dog (not puppy) will fit best into your family. Keep in mind that with mixed breed puppies, it can sometimes be difficult to predict their full-grown size with 100% accuracy.

Kittens and puppies require hours and hours of attention as they grow. They often don’t sleep through the night. They chew. They bark. They climb. They nip. And they grow! Do you have the schedule to care for a puppy or kitten? Will you be able to part with your favorite shoes that one time you forget to put them away and arrive home to find them chewed to pieces? Will you have the time to properly train a puppy or kitten? The untrained pup/kit grows into an untrained dog/cat – and the longer you wait to train, the harder it gets!

Can you have/tolerate a dog that barks? A cat that meows a lot? Can you have/tolerate a dog that sheds and a cat that sheds? Do you require that your dog fit through a dog door? Must your cat stay off the counters? Can you adequately handle a fence-jumping dog? Do you need a dog that likes to ride in the car? Do you need a dog that is good in large groups? Think of your everyday life/environment and the things you like to do. Imagine your dog in all of those situations!

Puppies/kittens are expensive! They require at least 3-4 vet visits for shots in the first 3 months, food, toys, supplies, a crate and training.

Have you

Considered Your Circumstances?

Are you likely to be transferred in the near future? Will you be able to take your pet? Do you have a plan for who might be able to take your pet if you do have to move with little forewarning? Are you going to be deployed or transferred overseas? Too many animals are abruptly dumped at shelters when people move and cannot take them. Where would your pet would go if this happened?

Are you considering having kids in the near future? Are you willing to research the necessary steps for preparing a pet for a new child? Too many animals are dumped when people do not plan adequately for the arrival of a new child.

If you have kids, will you be able to spend the time necessary to make sure that your kids are treating the pet the right way? Animals mistreated by children often grow up to be aggressive and/or fearful of humans. It’s important to not only tell your children what is and what is not acceptable, but to watch them closely!

Are You Ready to Adopt?

More Things to Consider

If you work during the day, are you willing to arrange and pay for a dog walker? Dogs left alone and/or crated for too long are often hyper when you finally arrive home. They jump, bark and chew on things. After a long day at work, it is usually not what most people enjoy. Too often, animals are dumped at shelters because their owners realize they simply do not have the time to give them. So instead, the animals end up euthanized. You must make sure your animal will get adequate exercise and attention.

If you’ve recently lost a pet and are considering getting another, have you had enough time to grieve for your lost pet? Do you understand that the next animal you adopt will have different habits and quirks? Many people move too quickly to fill the void left by a deceased pet. Sadly, these animals are adopted and returned once the owner realizes he/she needs more time. Take the time to grieve and get ready for another pet. It’s only fair to you and the next animal you take in.

Are you prepared to have your new cat/kitten scratch the furniture? Will you be able to work with your cat/kitten and provide alternative scratching objects while teaching the cat not to scratch your furniture?

Are you ready to commit to addressing litter box issues?

Next Steps

The Adoption Process

Once you submit an Adoption Questionnaire, an HT volunteer will review it. If it looks like you and the animal are a good match, the volunteer will e-mail or call you to discuss your application further. Determining a good match takes into consideration the animal’s age, temperament, your schedule and experience. Our goal is to make the best match possible! If the animal you applied to adopt is not a good fit for you, the volunteer may make suggestions for other animals in our program that might be better fits.

Dog Adoption Form
Cat Adoption Form
Next-Steps-Side

We require vet references to ensure that your pets are spayed and neutered and kept current on their vaccines and that overall quality of care you provide is high!

We require landlord references for those people renting. This ensures that you are permitted to have a pet and clarifies breed and size restrictions.

After this process is complete, you will be give the green light to adopt your new family member!

Please note that adoption fees are non-refundable except for special circumstances considered by our adoptions team.

Note: Homeward Trails does not generally adopt out of the Mid-Atlantic area. Special consideration will be given on a case by case basis to applicants out of our area. When placing an animal outside of DC/MD/VA, the animal must be spayed or neutered before they can leave the area.

More News from the Trail!

  • Clear the Shelters Adoption Weekend – August 31 and September 1

    Reduced and Waived Adoption Fees! Join Homeward Trails as we participate in NBCUniversal Local’s 10th annual Clear The Shelters nationwide pet adoption event.  Help us clear the Adoption Center and our foster homes August 31 and September 1 – many of our adoptable cats and dogs will have reduced fee and fee waived adoptions.  Homeward Trails Manny Law Adoption Center 11116 Fairfax Station Rd. Fairfax Station, VA 22039 Saturday, August 31 10 AM – 4 PM  Sunday, September 1 10 AM – 4 PM Our nation’s animal shelters are facing a capacity crisis and need your help now to get pets from shelter kennels into the couches of loving homes! Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has led to more than one million pet adoptions and raised more than $4.5 million. The 2023 campaign resulted in more than 158,000 adoptions – lifting the all-time adoption total past one million – and raised over $575,000.

  • Helping Happy Hounds – Fee Waived Hound Adoptions

    As you may or may not know, Virginia animal shelters are filled with Hounds. These amazing dogs are most often discarded by callous hunters, found starving wandering the countryside. Many never make it as hunters and are then tied up to chains or left along the side of the road like old furniture. A good number of them do not make it out of shelters alive.But these dogs – like all dogs – are amazing and worthy of families. We just cannot get them families fast enough to stop them from dying in our shelters when there is no more space.And so we are trying something new here. ALL HOUND DOGS ADOPTED FROM HOMEWARD TRAILS WILL BE FREE. Yes, we are WAIVING ADOPTION FEES for Hounds for the foreseeable future.We hope that will entice well-matched applicants to consider a Hound now. Use the money you save on training, treats, toys.We think all dogs are worthy. But the reality is that some take extra incentives. Some have more barriers to getting adopted. And the result is well, more end up dying. And no – this does NOT mean we are just giving dogs away. All applicants will still go through our application/screening process to ensure good homes. This is just us trying to save more dogs by eliminating one more barrier to adoption. And hey, Hound lovers can use all the extra money they can get to buy treats, right?Help us help these Hounds. Our program Helping Happy Hounds is live NOW. Let’s save some lives!

  • Our Current Supply Needs – Can You Help?

    Each year Homeward Trail spends thousands and thousands of dollars on supplies to care for our animals and support the general operations of our organization. We always strive to keep our costs as low as possible so that we can spend every extra dollar saving more lives.  One simple way you can help is by donating these supplies – everything from postage stamps, to cleaning supplies, to ink cartridges and paper, to dog and cat food and litter. Our wish lists are updated regularly so you can always find our most current needs. Please consider donating supplies to help us cover the cost of these items. The more we are able to get donated, the more animals we can help. Thank you! Adoption Center Wishlist Meow Palace Wishlist Dog Enrichment Wishlist Trails Home Farm Wishlist Farmhouse Wishlist Trails UP Wishlist  Puerto Rico Wishlist

More News from the Trail!

  • Clear the Shelters Adoption Weekend – August 31 and September 1

    Reduced and Waived Adoption Fees! Join Homeward Trails as we participate in NBCUniversal Local’s 10th annual Clear The Shelters nationwide pet adoption event.  Help us clear the Adoption Center and our foster homes August 31 and September 1 – many of our adoptable cats and dogs will have reduced fee and fee waived adoptions.  Homeward Trails Manny Law Adoption Center 11116 Fairfax Station Rd. Fairfax Station, VA 22039 Saturday, August 31 10 AM – 4 PM  Sunday, September 1 10 AM – 4 PM Our nation’s animal shelters are facing a capacity crisis and need your help now to get pets from shelter kennels into the couches of loving homes! Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has led to more than one million pet adoptions and raised more than $4.5 million. The 2023 campaign resulted in more than 158,000 adoptions – lifting the all-time adoption total past one million – and raised over $575,000.