The first step in adopting from Carolina Boxer Rescue is to make sure that your current pets are up to date on their vaccines and heartworm test, are spayed/neutered, and are on monthly heartworm preventative.  You also want to make sure that your existing pets have been well socialized with other dogs and will accept a new dog coming into your home.  If your dog(s) need to brush up on manners or work on socialization, we recommend you work on this before bringing a new pup into the home.  We are happy to suggest some resources for finding a trainer in your area.

If you have not been around a lot of boxers before, we suggest you spend some time getting to know more about the breed- attend a CBR event, meet up with a friend with boxers, and research online.  Boxers are the best (at least we think so!), but do have some particular health, exercise, and training needs.  If you have not rescued a dog before, we suggest you learn more about characteristics of rescue dogs, to ensure that your family is committed and up for the challenge of working with and training a dog who has come into rescue.  Dogs in rescue are “scratch and dent”- they come with histories and baggage, and we want to find them a forever home where they will settle in and flourish.  They will require patience, kindness, consistency, clear expectations, and continued training.  Dogs are often surrendered to rescues or shelters, let out as strays, or rehomed because they did not have consistent socialization, training, expectations, and exercise in their previous homes.  Therefore, adopters need to be prepared mentally, emotionally, and physically to help them heal.  Rescue dogs do require extra work at first, but the reward for your hard work is priceless!

Once you are ready to adopt, fill out an application on the CBR website.  Once you complete the application and pay the application donation, our volunteers will begin processing your application by checking your references and vet reference.  This process can take a couple of weeks, so thank you for your patience!

The next step is a home visit.  A CBR volunteer will visit your home either in person or virtually to explain more about the CBR adoption process and help to ensure that your home is safe and set up for decompression and slow introduction of dogs.  We will also share more information about integrating new dogs into your home.  

Once you are approved to adopt, you will be assigned to the Area Coordinator for your geographic area.  They will ask you for more information about your pets and household so that they can begin to look for good matches for you.  CBR does not look for adopters for our foster dogs until they are almost ready for adoption.  Dogs that you may see on our website or social media are in the process of getting cleared medically and behaviorally.  For some dogs, this happens in a matter of days or weeks, while for others it may take a few months for them to be ready for adoption.  During that time, their foster family gets to know them and determine what the best type of home would be for them.  

When dogs are almost ready for adoption, your Area Coordinator will reach out and ask if you’d like to be added to their adoption lists.  Adoption lists are organized based on the approval date of adopters, in order to be fair to those who have been waiting to adopt for longer.  Adoption lists are only open for a couple of days, so make sure to read and respond to emails from your Area Coordinator!

Once a dog’s adoption list starts, the foster family will begin speaking with adopters in order, trying to find the best home for the foster dog.  Once you match with a dog, you will need to be prepared to meet the foster family for a meet and greet.  Assuming things go well at this meeting, you can bring your new pup home that day!

Carolina Boxer Rescue understands that it’s easy to fall in love with a cute photo on social media, but our goal is to find the best fit placements for our foster dogs where they will never be returned.  For young purebred-looking dogs with nubs, the wait could be many months to more than a year.  The more open you are to different appearances, ages, or genders, the faster we will be able to match you with a dog.   We currently have ten dogs with no list, waiting for their forever family! 

Ready to adopt? Click here to begin the process