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Where to Start - Tips for
Adoption
Step 1. Call your dog's breeder.
Before you do anything else, call the person you
got your dog from and ask for help. Even if several years have passed,
responsible breeders care about the puppies they sold and will want to help you
find a new home. They may even take the dog back. At the very least, they
deserve to know what you intend to do with the dog, and what will happen to it.
If you can't remember the breeder's name, look on your dog's registration
papers. If, however, you do not feel comfortable releasing the dog back to the
breeder, don't do it.
If you got your dog from an animal shelter or
rescue service, read the adoption contract you signed when you adopted him. You
may be required by the contract to return the dog to that rescue organization.
In a case like this, the rescue will take back the dog and find it a loving
home.
Try networking with friends, relatives and co-workers. There
could be someone you know who just might consider adopting your dog.
Step 2. Evaluate your dog's
adoption potential.
First, check your dog to see if he has the right
stuff to become a Working K9
Service Dog. If so, contact our Working Dog Program coordinator
to set up a time for an evaluation. If not, continue reading for more help.
To successfully find a new home, you need to be
realistic about your dog's adoption potential. Let's be honest: most people
don't want "used" dogs, especially if they have health or behavior problems.
Your dog will have the best chance if he's less than 4 years old, is healthy,
friendly to strangers, obeys commands and adapts quickly to new situations. Look
at your dog as if you were meeting him for the first time. What kind of
impression would he make? Would you want to adopt him?
You already know that German Shepherds are
special dogs for special people. Those special people can be very hard to find.
Most people interested in German Shepherds today have never had one before. They
want a dog that will greet them with a wagging tail and a big smile. If your dog
is aggressive to strangers, is "temperamental" or has ever bitten anyone,
finding him another home may not be your best option.
What kind of home do you want for your German
Shepherd? A large fenced yard? Another dog to play with? Children? No children?
Make a list of what you feel is most important for your dog. Then get real. No
home will be perfect of course, so you'll have to make compromises. What kind of
people are you looking for? What will you be willing to compromise on? Once you
have a firm idea of what you're looking for, it will be easier to plan your
search and get the results you want.
Step 3. Get your dog ready.
Your dog will be much more appealing if he's clean and healthy.
First, take him to the vet for a check up. He'll need to be
up-to-date with his heartworm test, a DHLP and a rabies vaccination. It is
likely that your vet will recommend a fecal to ensure that the dog is free
from parasites. Be sure to tell the vet about any behavior problems so he can
rule out physical causes.
If your dog isn't spayed or neutered, do it
now! Don't waste your time trying to sell your dog as "breeding stock"
even if he's AKC registered. Frankly, no reputable German Shepherd breeder will
want him unless he came from a well known show or sport dog breeder in the first
place. The only kind of "breeder" who'll be interested in your dog will be a
puppy miller or a dog broker. Brokers seek out unaltered purebreds for resale
to puppy mills or research laboratories. That's not the kind of future you want
for your dog.
Having the dog spayed or neutered is the best way
to insure that a family who wants a best friend and family member will adopt
your dog. If you can't afford the cost of surgery, check with your vet, local
shelter or rescue group or search the internet for information about
low-cost spay and neuter
programs that are available in many parts of the country. You can call the
following numbers for low cost spay/neuter referrals and vouchers:
1-800-248-SPAY or 1-800-321-PETS. Having your dog neutered or spayed is the
best going away present you can give him. It may save his life! Give your
dog a brighter, healthier future - make the appointment today!
If your dog has never been tattooed or
microchipped, this is a great time to do it.
It's not unusual for newly
adopted dogs to get loose and become lost. A permanent ID will help your dog get
back to you or his new owners.
Groom your dog.
You want your dog
to look beautiful and make a good impression. He needs to be clean and
well-dressed! Bathe him, trim his nails and clean his ears. If you can't do
these things yourself, take him to a groomer. Get rid of his old rusty choke
chain and buy a nice, new, strong nylon or leather collar and lead.
Set an adoption fee.
You can't
expect the new owner to pay the same price for a "used" dog as they would for a
brand new puppy. A reasonable range might be between $50-$150, which helps
offset your advertising and veterinary costs. A monetary commitment from the
adopter shows he can afford food and future vet bills.
Step 4. Advertise!
Word of mouth doesn't go very far.
Don't be
afraid to use classified ads to advertise your dog. Done right, it's the
most effective way to reach the largest number of people. It's easy to write a
good ad that will weed out poor adoption prospects. Internet access is also
another helpful tool in advertising.
Do not place a German Shepherd without providing
some essential breed information to the new owner(s). You need to understand
these dogs in order to find a good home for them. www.GermanShepherds.com has a
breed-information page that contains excellent information. Please,
take the time to read it so you can, in turn, educate potential adopters.
Your ad should give a short description of your
dog, his needs, your requirements for a home and of course, your phone number.
The description should include his breed, color, sex, etc. Hints: if your dog is
less than 2 years old, state his age in months so he'll be perceived as the
young dog he is. If he's over three, just say that he's an "adult."
Emphasize your dog's good points:
Is he friendly? Housebroken? Crate Trained? Well-mannered? Loves kids? Does he
do tricks? Has he had any training? Don't keep it a secret but don't exaggerate
either. Knowing his name doesn't make him "well-trained"!
State any definite requirements you might have
for his new home: fenced yard, no cats, kids over 10, etc. Try to
say these in a positive way - for example, stating "older children recommended"
sounds better than "no kids under 10". If your German Shepherd doesn't like
other pets, say "should be only pet" rather than "doesn't like other animals."
Always state that references are required.
This tells people that you're being selective and that you're not going to give
your dog to just anybody. This statement will do a lot to keep people with bad
intentions from dialing your number.
Never include the phrase "free to good
home" in your ad even if you're not planning to charge a fee. If
possible, don't put in any reference to a price at all. The chance at a "free"
dog will bring lots of calls, but most of them won't be the kind of people
you're looking for and many of them will be people you'd rather not talk to at
all. Take a look here for more information
on what can happen to a "free to a good home" animal.
In the local paper, your ad might read:
"German Shepherd: beautiful black & tan, young
adult male, neutered. Friendly, housebroken, well-behaved. Best with children
over 10. Prefers to be an only dog. Fenced yard, references and home visit
required. John 555-1234"
Along with your local newspaper, advertise in all
major papers within an hour and a half's drive. Schedule your ad so that it
appears in Sunday's paper - the issue that's the most well-read and widely
circulated. If your budget is very limited, choose to run your ad only on
Sundays rather than throughout the week. Nearly every community also has small,
weekly "budget-shopper" newspapers that offer inexpensive classified ads. Take
advantage of them!
Don't be discouraged if your phone isn't
ringing right away. Most people give up too soon. It can
take a month or more to find a new home, so plan on advertising for several
weeks. Put a phone number in the ad where you can be easily reached or use an
answering machine. People can't call you if no one's home to answer the phone.
Newspapers are just one way to advertise.
Take a good cute photo of your dog and have copies made. Duplicating photos can
be done for as little as a quarter each at most photo shops. Make an attractive
flyer on colored paper that you can have copied for a few cents each. Attach the
cute photo of your dog. Your flyer doesn't have to be expensive, professional or
computerized, just neat and eye-catching. Since you're not paying for words, you
can write more about your dog than you could in a newspaper ad. Be descriptive!
There are many places online to advertise, too,
including www.petfinder.org and
www.1-800-save-a-pet.com.
Post your flyers at grocery stores, department
stores, vets' offices, pet supply stores, grooming shops, factories, malls, etc.
- anywhere you can find a public bulletin board. If you have friends in a nearby
city, mail them a supply of flyers and ask them to post them for you.
How to screen applicants
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