The Adoption Process

Review our online dog bios, mingle with our dogs at adoption events, talk with our foster homes caring for our dogs.  At SOS, we want to make the RIGHT right match, and that means helping you and Fido start a relationship – sometimes from a long distance.  Take your time, explore your options, consider your home and what kind of companion will fit in your lifestyle.

Once you think you have found the right dog for you, please complete an online application.

We don’t just want to make A match, we want to make A GOOD match.  To do this, we need your help; we know our dogs, but we don’t know you yet – our application helps us get to know you!

Please include as much detail as possible on your application.  This is our first glimpse into your household and lifestyle, and what you are looking for in a canine companion.  We accept multiple applications on every dog, and if we have multiple applications on the same dog, this initial information will help us assess the match. Click here to see our full Multiple Application policy.

Note: If you live in Massachusetts, click here to learn more about your state’s quarantine requirement.

If you are interested in more than one dog, please DO NOT submit multiple applications; rather, select your first choice when prompted and list your other choices in the “Additional Comments” field on the application.

Our Adoptions Coordinator will review the application and if it appears to be a good match for the selected dog, a volunteer will check your landlord/HOA, vet, and personal references as relevant.

After the above review and checks, if it looks like a good match, we will arrange for a time to talk with you over the phone.  We may also require a home visit or adopter meeting.

Sometimes this step is completed before the Meet-n-Greet with the dog, and sometimes it is completed after.

Everyone’s time is valuable and shared expectations are important – Step 6 (see below) typically happens before private meetings are confirmed.

After the phone interview, if the dog is local and it looks like a good match, we will put you in touch with the current caregiver to learn more and set up a meet-n-greet. We also have regular adoption events when most of our local dogs can be met; see HERE.

If the dog is not local, s/he will not be available for a meet-n-greet prior to adoption but we will put you in touch with the current caregiver to learn more. We understand that there is something reassuring about touching and interacting with the animal prior to making a commitment, but we believe that speaking with an experienced caretaker who has been caring for the dog day-in and day-out for weeks/months can sometimes be just as telling about the match, if not more so.

A meet-n-greet is a very small snapshot of the dog – the caretaker has a good idea about how the dog is in general, over long periods of time in many different situations.

If the match is a good one, you will be informed via email of the adoption decision, and provided with instructions for how to pay the adoption donation and complete our adoption contract/addendum(s).

You can review samples of these contracts here.

Once the adoption is finalized, congratulations! We will contact you to make arrangements to pick up your new family member!   Please note that additional vetting, quarantine and/or waiting periods may be required depending upon your state of residence. We’ll let you know if that’s the case, but please don’t hesitate to ask!

IMPORTANT: If you live in Massachusetts, click HERE to learn more about the quarantine requirement for all dogs adopted into Massachusetts. Click HERE to help make a change!