Adoption FAQ

Our dogs are listed on our website and promoted on our Facebook page. We’re 100% foster-based, so we don’t have a physical shelter; every dog in our care lives with a volunteer foster family until they’re adopted.

To be considered as an adopter, you must be an adult (21 or older) in a stable home, have your landlord’s written consent if you rent, and be able to commit the time and money a dog needs for its lifetime.

Step 1: Complete an adoption application for the dog you’re interested in.

Step 2: If it looks like a possible match, an adoption coordinator will talk with you about your lifestyle and what you’re looking for, and share more about the dog.

Step 3: If it still looks like a good fit, we’ll set up a meet and greet, including every member of your household and any dogs you already have.

Step 4: If the meet and greet goes well, we’ll ask for three references and do a home check: a video tour of your home, inside and out.

Step 5: If everything checks out, we start a 7 day trial adoption. You’ll sign an adoption contract and pay the adoption fee before the trial begins. If it’s not a match, we refund the fee and take the dog back into our program.

After 7 days, if it’s working, we finalize the adoption and hand over all medical records. Congratulations!

Adult dogs (9 months and older): $600. Puppies (8 months and younger): $800.

For adults, the fee covers updated vaccines (DHPPv, Bordetella, Rabies), spay or neuter with pain medication, and permanent ID (microchip or tattoo).

For puppies, the fee covers their first set of vaccines, parasite control, spay or neuter before 8 months old, and a microchip. Puppies need three sets of vaccines in total; the second and third sets (which include Bordetella and Rabies) are the adopter’s responsibility and cost, done through your own vet after adoption. Depending on the puppy’s age at adoption, you may only be responsible for one or two of those later sets, or none at all.

Adoption fees don’t come close to covering our costs. In past years, our vet care expenses ran well ahead of what we collected in fees, so we rely on donations and fundraising to make up the difference. Please consider a donation on top of any adoption fee.

You can pay by cash, cheque, or e-transfer (to bark@pawsitforward.org, cheques made out to Paws it Forward). Please note: your adoption fee isn’t a donation and isn’t eligible for a tax receipt.

Having every interested person visit our foster homes just isn’t realistic. We ask all interested adopters to complete an application first; only applicants who seem like a good match are invited to meet the dog. The exception is our occasional adoption events, where you can meet dogs in person before applying.

It varies. We’re an all-volunteer team with full-time jobs outside of rescue, so we appreciate your patience; we aim for a 7 to 14 day window. We only follow up with applicants who seem like a good match for the dog, so if you’d like an update, feel free to reach out.

No. We typically consider one application at a time per dog, and not every application is the right fit. If yours isn’t a match for the dog you applied for, we’ll either suggest other dogs that might suit you better or keep your application on file.

Not Available: we’re still learning about the dog’s health, so we won’t review applications yet, though we still accept them.

Not Available, Medical Hold: the dog is on a medical hold and we don’t yet know when they’ll be available, though we still accept applications, just won’t review them yet.

Available: actively accepting applications.

Applications Closed: we’ve received enough applications and are reviewing what we have.

Adoption Pending: fingers crossed, this dog may have found their home.

Adopting should be a decision the whole household thinks through together: the years of commitment, both emotional and financial, and whether the timing is right.

A few things worth weighing: how the dog will fit your lifestyle (read their bio carefully), how you’ll introduce a dog to children in the home (young kids need to be taught how to interact with dogs before one joins the family; we can share tips), and whether you’re willing to commit to obedience classes (we recommend it even for experienced dog owners, since it builds a strong relationship early on).

Two reasons. First, it helps offset what we’ve already spent on that dog’s vetting; most dogs cost us more than the fee covers. Second, it’s a meaningful financial commitment from you as the adopter. We often take in dogs needing thousands of dollars in veterinary care and recover only a fraction of that at adoption. There’s no profit in our adoption fees.

No, fees are due in full on adoption day. Since any dog can need unexpected vet care, adopters need to be ready to cover those costs as they come up. We encourage pet insurance, since a monthly premium is easier to budget for than a sudden bill. If a family can’t manage the adoption fee, they likely can’t manage a dog’s ongoing costs either.

The process is the same for everyone, no exceptions, and it isn’t designed to slow you down for no reason. Screening is how we make sure our dogs land in homes that will keep them for life, not homes that will give them up over a move, a new baby, or simply not having time anymore; some of the most common reasons dogs end up in shelters in the first place.

We typically process one application per dog at a time, so it’s never a case of first come, first served. Our priority is finding the right match for each dog, and we appreciate your patience while we work through it.

The dog’s safety comes first, followed by making sure the adoption is permanent. A home visit can catch things a family might not think to mention. It’s not a judgment of your housekeeping; it’s a safety check for the dog and for your household.

Our Adoption Coordinator reviews everything from the application through the home visit and matches it against the dog’s needs. The final approval or denial isn’t made by the foster home or the person who did the home visit; it’s reviewed and finalized by our Board of Directors.

No. Every member of the household needs to be part of the screening process and fully on board with adding a dog to the family; that’s not a decision we can make on someone else’s behalf.

We’ve rescued a number of purebreds, including some rare breeds, but finding a specific breed through us is mostly a waiting game; we take in dogs of every breed, age, and size. If you have your heart set on a specific breed, breed-specific rescues (searchable on Petfinder, Adopt-a-Pet, or Google) may be a faster route. We’d also encourage you to get to know a dog through their bio rather than ruling them out by appearance alone.

It would be easier, but that instant-gratification mindset is part of why so many pets end up homeless in Canada. Adopting is a lifetime commitment, not a decision to make on a whim.

We treat invisible fencing as no fence at all and don’t recommend it. Dogs who get past the boundary can be too afraid to cross back over it, and it does nothing to stop other animals or people from entering your yard. We also don’t support the use of shock collars or any tool that relies on pain or fear to train a dog.

No. Plenty of our adopters live on acreages, in the suburbs, or in condos and apartments without a fenced yard. Some dogs do require a fenced yard, and we’ll note that clearly in their bio, so read carefully before applying.

Reach out. We’re happy to share handouts, fact sheets, or connect you with a trainer if you run into questions or challenges.

Yes, it’s a legal requirement of our adoption contract. If, despite training and support from us, the adoption isn’t working out, or you’re no longer able to care for the dog, they need to come back to us. You’ll sign a clause to this effect at the time of adoption.