Adoption Policies
Before applying to adopt, please read our policies and views below. Please allow up to 2 weeks for processing.
ADOPTION APPLICATION link is at the bottom of the page
ABOUT OUR BOXERS
All of our dogs come to us for various reasons, from owners who can no longer care for the dog, from a concerned citizen who finds a stray, or from shelters. We take them in and give them love, attention, vet care, and proper nutrition. Sometimes we know about their history and sometimes we don’t. No matter where the dog came from, they can be confused and scared about their situation.
WHAT TO (AND NOT TO) EXPECT FROM A RESCUE
Dogs do not come perfectly trained and obedient. If you are seeking the “perfect” Boxer, a rescue Boxer will probably not meet those expectations and may not be the dog you are looking for. However, if you are wanting to open up your heart and home to a less than perfect Boxer who will love you unconditionally, then maybe a rescue Boxer is for you.
Our rescue was not formed to provide someone with the perfect pet, such things don’t exist. We were formed for the sole purpose of serving Boxers in need. We are here to find our Boxers the most wonderful homes possible, homes committed to providing for the dog’s health, safety, comfort and happiness, a home where the dog will be treated as a true member of the family.
Dogs require doctor’s care, vaccinations and check-ups. They become sick and need medicine. They also need guidance, patience, understanding, attention, love and encouragement. Please make your decision an educated one.
We currently have long lists for young healthy dogs. If you are willing to wait for up to a couple months, then please proceed with application. If you want to adopt a dog very soon after approval, then please consider a senior or special needs (i.e. deaf)!
OUR VIEWS AND POLICIES REGARDING ADOPTION:
Our dogs will never be outside dogs. Boxers are very people-oriented dogs and they do not do well when left alone and ignored and will come up with something to keep them entertained if they are bored. That could include barking, digging, or jumping the fence to explore when left outside alone. They are at high risk for heat stroke in the summer and cannot handle the cold winter temps due to their very short, one-layered coat (most dogs have two coats).
Please note many of our dogs have been traumatized before coming into rescue. Our foster homes evaluate each dog and know which kind of environment the dog will do best in. We will only place one of our dogs in a home that is both the right match for the dog and adopter. Selecting a dog based on the dog’s picture or story alone is a great way to wind up with a mismatch. The cutest dog in the world may not seem so cute when the dog’s physical and emotional needs are more than the family can offer. Just as the ugliest dog in the world can become the most adorable when the family finds the dog is a great fit. Practice good judgement and look at the dogs’ energy levels, quirks, habits, likes and dislikes. This is what you’ll be living with.
We would encourage applicants that want to adopt because you know the breed, the health problems, and the Boxer personality. If you do not know much about the breed, then we urge you to do some research.
WHY DO WE TAKE SUCH A STRONG POSITION?
We have had instances where people have adopted a dog from us then returned it 2 weeks to 6 months later because they didn’t want to invest any time in the dog. We also hear people say, “we know that when we adopted the dog that it had X behavioral problem, but we thought it would just go away and it hasn’t.” Our rescues were dumped at least once before which is how they ended up in our program to begin with. To have someone come to us and adopt a dog then dump the dog again is unforgivable.
Our contract clearly states that an owner may not give away, sell, euthanize or abandon a dog obtained from our rescue. The dog must be returned to us. In our opinion, the only acceptable reasons for returning a dog to rescue are displays of human aggression, an unmanageable in-home dog-aggression issue, the death of the dog’s adoptive owner, or if the dog’s owner develops an illness or disease which prevents him/her from providing the dog with proper care. Otherwise there is no good reason to give up on and abandon the very dog we entrusted you with. That dog has come to rely on you for its protection and companionship, don’t be yet another owner to let that dog down.
If you want a dog that you can give back or only partly commit to, then one of our rescues is not for you and neither is any other dog in our opinion. If you feel that we are being unjust in our position, please spend a day going to different shelters in your area and look at all of those abandoned dogs. They didn’t ask to be born. They didn’t purposely irritate their owners. They certainly didn’t ask to be abandoned …nor did any of those dogs do anything to deserve death row.
People tend to think that dogs are totally resilient, that they do not have emotions and do not have any other purpose in life than to please their owner. Most people never stop to think about what it must be like to find yourself suddenly ripped away from everything and everyone that is familiar to you. They don’t think about what it is like for the dog to go from the home they grew up in, to a shelter, then to a rescue and then again to their adoptive home. The dogs have no idea of what will happen next. Nothing and no one are familiar to them. It is confusing, hurtful, scary and unfair. How would you would feel and react if that happened to you? Now that you have an idea of what these dogs go through, can you honestly adopt one with even the possibility in mind that you may turn around later on and give the dog back? If this is something you are willing to subject the dog and your family to then please do not submit an application.
If you understand, agree with and appreciate what our views and goals are, then please don’t hesitate to submit an application. If you have a question regarding our policy, please email us.