Thank you for expressing interest in adoption through Pug Rescue of Austin! The documents on this page will answer many frequently asked questions and also help you understand what to expect during the adoption process.
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Use the Pink Scroll to view entire document on page or download the printable version
Steps in the Adoption Process
The dogs we have for adoption have already had their lives turned upside down at least once. To help us make sure that their next home will be their FOREVER home, we have high standards and expectations of our adoptive families. Please be patient with our efforts to ensure these dogs are going to excellent homes. We cannot guarantee that a specific dog will still be available once your application is approved. We do not hold dogs.
Before You Adopt - Consider the following:
Learn about the breed. Do some research on the Internet and talk to people who own pugs! Connect with Austin Pug Club and consider attending a meetup event and talking to the members.
Can you commit to sharing your life with the dog for its lifetime? Please consider your future and how the dog fits in it. What happens if you and your partner part ways? If you move, will the dog go with you, no excuses? What happens if your work or other time commitments change? What about children? If you plan to have children, get a kid-safe dog even if you don't have children currently. Other dogs in your future? If you plan to get another dog, pick one that gets along with other dogs!
Fair, Calm, and Confident Leadership. Are you ready to be a good leader? If you aren't sure what all it takes or how, are you willing to attend training sessions with your dog? (Note: With some dogs, we may require it as part of the adoption contract.
Financial Means to provide adequate health care, including routine and emergency veterinary care.
Application
Click here to view Adoption Application
Your application will help us determine which, if any, of our Pugs is the right dog for you. Be sure to be as detailed as possible in your answers. After we receive your application, you will be notified via email that it has been received. The number of applications we are currently processing will determine the time frame within which you will hear from us. Under normal circumstances, it will be within 72 hours.
Vet Reference Check
PLEASE do not apply if the below can not be verified by your Veterinarian.
Your application will be denied if any of the below requirements are not met.
Your vet VERIFIES that ALL dogs have been consistently on Heartworm Preventative the entire time they have been in your care (unless there is a verifiable medical reason for ceasing heartworm preventative).
Your vet VERIFIES ALL pets are altered (unless there is a medical or other acceptable reason for ownership of a non-altered pet).
Your vet VERIFIES ALL PETS have a history of being kept current on all recommended immunizations, vaccinations, medications, and health checks/screenings. If you have worked out a "pet-specific" immunization/vaccination/medication schedule with your veterinarian that may be somewhat different from AVMA or TVMA recommendations, TELL us about it, and we'll be happy to consider it as we review your application.
LIST THE VETS THAT HAVE THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION ON YOUR APPLICATION. If you have additional information to share regarding the health of your pet(s), please note it in the "comments" section of your application.
You MUST call the vet you listed on your application upon submitting your application and give them your permission to release your information to us. We try our best to call them the day or next of receiving your application!
Personal Reference Check
Upon approval of the vet reference check, we will contact all of your personal references. It's important that you provide us with references that know you well. If you have pets, PLEASE make sure you choose references who know you, your pets, AND how you care for those pets. PLEASE include at least one reference who is not a family member.
Home Visit
Upon approval of the vet reference check, you will be contacted and a home visit will be arranged.
No adoptions will be approved without a home visit.
Final Approval
Upon completion of your vet reference check and home visit inspection, an adoption coordinator will contact you. If we have further questions or concerns, those can be discussed at that time. If the vet reference check and home visit prompt no further questions and the adoption coordinator is confident that you would provide an excellent home for one of our dogs, you will be sent an approval notice.
Due to PRA being a 100% volunteer organization, please allow one to three weeks to process, review, and approve your application. In MOST cases you are approved or denied within 5-10 days.
Finding the Right Dog
Once you are approved to adopt, the adoptions coordinator will be happy to discuss the dogs you are interested in visiting, and may have suggestions for dogs who might thrive best in your particular home environment.
When you decide which dog you would like to meet, your adoption coordinator will discuss your selection with you. If there is some reason that the Adoption Coordinator feels your family and this dog are not a good match, the adoption coordinator will discuss why with you. This can be because of other pets in the house; how the dog gets along with particular people such as children, men, or women; or other factors. These circumstances not the usual case up front, and you will most likely be able to meet whatever dogs you have selected to meet as long as they are still available.
Each of our dogs live with a foster family where they are treated as an important part of the family. They are given love, attention, boundaries, and, in most cases, a home and life better than they've ever known. Most of these dogs have been abandoned and neglected, and we do everything within our power to make sure the home they go to is truly a "forever home" where they will be not only be loved, but well cared for physically and emotionally.
The PRA Rescue Coordinator has final approval of all adoptions.
Trial Visit
Once your application has been approved and you have been matched with a dog a trial visit will be scheduled. This is usually a one to two week period of time to allow both you and the dog time to adjust and to determine the match is a good one or good fit.
Should the match be successful the adoption process will proceed to the next step.
The Adoption Contract
Once an adoption is approved, the adopter and the Rescue Coordinator will complete and sign the Adoption Contract.
Adoption Fees
Zero to 4 years old $300.00
5 to 9 years old $250.00
10 years and older $200.00
After the Adoption
Adopters should expect that their new Pug will need some time to adjust to its new family, home, and surroundings. See below on "Adjustment Period."
We are committed to our dogs and their new family. Should the adoption not work out, we require, by contract, that the dog be returned to PRA. BUT- we have the expectation that anyone that adopts one of our PRAs is willing to work through the usual training issues that may arise from being in a different home and under new "leadership," as well as the normal transitions that are expected when a dog goes in to a new home. We are always here to assist and support you through the transition. To us they are family and our help and support is always available to you for the life of the dog.
Adjustment Period
There will be an adjustment period when you first bring your dog home. Adjustment varies from dog to dog, and depends on the situation they may have come from and how long they have been in their foster home. There are too many variables to put on one general page, but once you are approved and begin visiting the dogs, please discuss how long it took the dog to adjust in the foster home. This will give you a good indication of how long it will take them to adjust in your home.
The adjustment period can range from hours, days, weeks, or up to a few months. In most cases, these dogs have been abandoned, ignored by their previous owners, or turned in to a shelter, having little interaction with someone who cares about them. Others, we are amazed that no one came to look for them in the shelter! Most are extremely receptive to attention, but new situations are stressful, and this is why we suggest you always take it easy the first week...always allow the dog to come to YOU and don't push the dog into accepting you immediately. This can make a huge difference in the dog's perception and can greatly reduce their anxiety and stress level (and yours)!
Q: What are the adoption fees?
A: Adoption Fees
0 to 4 years old $300.00
5 to 9 years old $250.00
10 years and older $200.00
Q: What do the adoption fees cover?
A: Each adopted pug is up to date on distemper/parvo, bordetella, and rabies vaccinations. PRA pays for the pug to be neutered and treated for heartworms (if necessary). Each PRA pug is on monthly heartworm and flea medication throughout his or her time in foster care. If immediate and/or life threatening medical conditions arise during foster care, PRA pays for those surgeries. Less life threatening surgeries, such as dental cleanings, become the responsibility of the adopter.
Q: I have filled out my application online, what’s next?
A: You will be contacted by our Adoption Coordinator via email and assigned an application screener within 72 hours.
Q: How long does the adoption process usually take?
A: We are an all-volunteer organization so depending on how many applications we have at the time, processing time can range from 1-3 weeks.
Q: Why are there so many steps in the adoption process?
A: Most of the pugs we rescue have been in abusive, neglectful situations. We are searching to find them forever homes. Our adoption process is very thorough to ensure the applicant and pug are the right fit for each other.
Q: I want to adopt a pug as a gift for someone else, is this possible?
A: This is only possible if the person is aware of your intent and involved in the adoption process. We don’t do surprise adoptions. Everyone that will be caring for the pug must be involved in the adoption process to ensure a proper match is made.
Q: I am approved to adopt, what happens next?
A: If you are approved to adopt a pug, your application is forwarded to our Rescue Coordinator. He/She will then work with you to match you with a pug. You can meet several dogs at adoption days or meet & greets. Once you know the pug you want, we can arrange a trial visit. The pug comes to stay with you for a week to ten days and should you choose to adopt, we will email you the contract and payment instructions.
Q: I do not live in Austin, can I still adopt?
A: PRA prefers to adopt out our pugs locally so that we can stay in touch and see them at future events and meetups. Because we do home visits on every adopter, we cannot adopt to people from out of state. Occasionally, we can adopt outside of Austin in the central Texas area depending on the location and if we have a home visit volunteer in your area.
Q: Why does PRA require a criminal background check?
A: We do a thorough background check to ensure that our dogs are placed in safe, stable forever homes. Most often, our pugs have been abandoned, abused and neglected. It is our responsibility to do all we can to find the best possible homes where they can live the remainder of their lives receiving the love that they deserve. The information is confidential and will not be shared with any individuals or organizations outside of Pug Rescue of Austin
Q: Why must I be 21 years old to adopt through PRA?
A: Becoming a pet owner involves an ongoing commitment (in some cases over 15 years or more) to provide quality nutrition, health care and a great deal of love and patience. It has been our experience that before the age of 21, most people are not equipped to make such a commitment primarily because they are not financially stable. This is an important point to consider, because if a person is not financially stable, the entire health and well-being of the pet will be at risk.
Q: Why is there a Pug Rescue? Who wouldn't want a pug?
A: There are as many different reasons as there are dogs needing homes. Each dog is an individual, and they have their own personalities. If the time is taken to do research and to train the dog properly, a pug can be a wonderful companion.
Here are some of the top reasons that dogs end up in rescue:
o Owners moving/ too much trouble to take the dog too
o Owners are having a baby, and don't have time for the dog
o Owners bought the dog for the kids, now the kids have lost interest
o The owners are getting divorced
o The owner is getting married
o The owner married/and or had children and the new spouse/ and or kids are allergic to the dog
o The owner bought a new puppy, and it didn't get along with the old dog
o The dog sheds too much
o It keeps getting pregnant
o It isn't housebroken
o The dog doesn't listen when I tell it to do something
o The dog barks too much
o The dog plays too rough with my kids
o The dog bites strangers
o Most of these situations are preventable. Researching the breed before adoption is crucial so that there will be no surprises later. Also, good training could have remedied some of the unwanted behaviors.
Q: Why does Pug Rescue of Austin feel so strong about having pets spayed/neutered?
A: Spaying and neutering reduces the population of unwanted and homeless animals in the world. Some 70,000 puppies and kittens are born every day in the U.S. As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals. As a result, roughly 15,000 pets are euthanized each DAY simply because they are homeless. Most of them would be wonderful companions. Most don't deserve to be abandoned in a shelter. Many animals that enter shelters die there because no one wants them. Only one animal in 10 born in the U.S. gets a good home that lasts a lifetime. Simply put, the widespread failure to spay or neuter dogs results in homelessness, misery, cruelty, and death.
