How Adoption Works at Paws It Forward

Fill out our adoption application for the dog you’re interested in. It asks about your household, your lifestyle, and what you’re looking for. That’s on purpose: it’s how we learn enough to make a good match. You’ll need to be 21 or older, and if you rent, you’ll need your landlord’s written “OK.”

A volunteer reads every application thoroughly. If yours looks like a fit, an adoption coordinator will call or meet with you to talk through your lifestyle and the dog you’ve applied for. We’re a small, all-volunteer team, so this step can take longer than we’d like, and we don’t follow up on every application, only the ones that look like a match. We’d rather take the time and get it right than rush it.

Because our dogs live in local foster homes, we know their personalities, not just their kennel behaviour. When we see a fit, you’ll meet the dog in person, along with everyone in your household and any dogs you already have, before anything moves forward.

We check in with three references and ask for a video walkthrough of your home, inside and out. It’s not about judgment. It’s about making sure the dog is walking into a place built for them to succeed.

Once the match is confirmed, you’ll sign an adoption contract and pay the fee: $600 for dogs 9 months and up, $800 for puppies under 9 months. That fee goes straight back into vetting, food, and care for the next dog waiting on a foster family.

Your new dog comes home with you for a seven-day trial before anything is permanent. It gives your family and the dog a real chance to settle in and make sure it’s the right fit for everyone. If it’s not a match, we refund the fee, and the dog goes back into our program.

Once the trial week goes well, the adoption is official! You’re part of the Paws it Forward family now, and we’re still here if you ever need us.