Adoption Process

BEFORE completing the adoption application:

1. Please make sure you review the dog's ENTIRE bio to help ensure an appropriate match.
2. Research your veterinarian options.
3. Research your trainer options.  Here is a helpful resource, as well as here.
4. If you have a landlord or HOA, ensure that you have permission to have the dog for which you are applying and that your landlord is available to confirm approval of the dog.

Helpful tips to expedite the processing of your application:

• Fill out the application accurately and completely. This is your first (but not only) chance to tell us about yourself!
• Ensure your vet/landlord/references are available to speak with us (you have to call to give them approval).
• Regardless of the status of your application, please plan to join us for our next in-person adoption event to learn more about our process and our dogs; please see our calendar for these events.

Other things to expect:

• You will first hear from us after your vet/landlord reference checks are completed, typically within 48 hours of your application submission.
• Please be available for a full family meeting. We encourage full-family meetings with all of our local dogs prior to adoption.
• The adoption process should take less than one week if all information is correctly provided and references are accessible.
• SOS dogs are typically listed as available until their adoption is finalized. We do not hold dogs for adopters or events, and we may consider multiple applications on each dog. Submitting an application does not guarantee approval to adopt.
• Most of our dogs are living in the south at the start of their rescue journey; as such, they may not be available for a meet-n-greet prior to adoption or without a foster home lined up to bring them north.  If the dog does not have "LOCAL" in his/her name, s/he is not yet in the northeast but likely available to travel to the northeast in the next 2-4 weeks if a committed foster or adoptive home can be found.

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

• All SOS dogs are available for adoption to all residents of New England except those with a Massachusetts address (learn more here).
• Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are typically not able to respond to individual email inquiries with updates on dogs or application statuses before the adoption interview stage.

As soon as you are ready to adopt from SOSARL, complete our online application.

If you are interested in more than one dog, you do not need to submit multiple applications; simply select your first choice when prompted and list the other choices in the “Additional Comments” section.  If you don't have a particular dog in mind, but know that SOSARL is where you want to adopt and you would like our help with matchmaking, select the first dog in the list, and add a note that you would like matchmaking support in the "Additional Comments" section.

Our application may seem long, but please keep in mind that we don’t just want to make A match, we want to make A GOOD match.  To do this, we need your help to get to know you.  Our application is our first (but not last!) glimpse into your household and lifestyle, and what you're looking for in a canine companion.  During this phase, our team will review your application and a volunteer will check your landlord/HOA, veterinarian, and personal references, as relevant.  Please complete our online application as thoroughly as possible, and be sure to give your vet, landlord and references permission to speak with us and that you have accurate contact information for each.  Gaps in these areas will delay the processing of your application and complete applications will be considered over incomplete ones.

Note: All of our dogs require vetting attention 1-3 weeks after adoption, if not sooner for injury/illness and we recommend group or private training with PURELY POSITIVE accredited professionals for all of our dogs to help set everyone up for success. We ask that all of our potential adopters establish a vet and trainer BEFORE adoption. Access to these services is a requirement of adoption.

Matchmaking is the most important component of our adoption process, as we want to make the RIGHT match for everyone - you, everyone in your household, your current pets, and our dogs.  To do that, we need to get to know you and help you get to know our dogs!

We do this in several ways:

Have a Conversation.  Once the above background checks are completed, one of our Adoption Counselors will reach out to schedule a phone conversation.  During this conversation, we will take more time to get to know you, and you will have the chance to ask more questions about our organization, process and dogs.   If there is a specific dog(s) of interest, your adoption counselor will work with you during this phase to learn as much information as possible from the current caregiver (to further confirm the match, or find a better match).  Please note that if you are not readily available for this conversation, we may pursue other applications ahead of yours.  Once this conversation is completed successfully, you will be considered pre-screened and we will shift our focus to finding the right match.

Mingle Online and At Events.  We encourage all potential adopters to thoroughly review our available dog bios online*, as well as join us at our events to mingle with our dogs and speak with our foster volunteers caring for our dogs. Take time to explore your options, consider your home and the type of companion that will fit in your lifestyle, and ask questions!  We encourage potential adopters to come to our events with all household members (even if the adoptable dog is not available) as our events are a great way to meet lots of different dogs, as well as continue to get to build our relationship.

Private Meet-n-Greet.  If there is one well-matched dog of particular interest that is local, your adoption counselor will work with you to learn from the dog’s caretaker as much as possible about the dog and their likes, dislikes, routine and personality.  They will also help arrange an in-person meet and greet with all family members (including resident dogs) and the adoptable dog.  Please note that if all household members are not readily available for this meeting, we may pursue other applications ahead of yours.  PLEASE NOTE:  We understand that there is something reassuring about touching and interacting with an animal prior to making a lifelong commitment; sometimes, however, in-person meetings are not always possible (eg, if the dog is not local).  If meeting a dog in-person before commitment is very important to you, we suggest you only consider those dogs with "LOCAL" in their online name.

*We strive to have our dogs' online bios accurate and we will always try to share as much as we know about our dogs' health and behavior, but we have not performed every diagnostic test possible on our dogs, nor observed our dogs in all situations, and many behaviors (and some medical conditions) are relationship- and/or situation-specific.  We are constantly learning new things about our dogs, and sometimes that new information takes a few days to make it into their bio.  These details may come up during the adoption process, and may affect the match viability.  We will not hesitate to share concerns about a match, as we have everyone's best interests at heart and our goal is to create matches that will support a good quality of life for all involved.

Once everyone confirms the match is a good one, you will be emailed instrutions for how to finalize the adoption, which includes completing adoption paperwork and paying the adoption donation.

Once the adoption is finalized, you can take your new pup home!  If an in-person meet-n-greet was scheduled, you will take the dog home with you from the meeting.  If no meeting is to be arranged, your adoption counselor will coorindate pick up arrangements with you.

Please note that additional vetting, quarantine and/or waiting periods may be required depending upon your state of residence.  We will let you know if that’s the case, but please email [email protected] if you have any questions about this.