Adoption Process

1.Browse Our Available Animals: Carefully review the profiles of our available dogs and cats. We prioritize finding the best possible match, not a first-come, first-served approach.

2. Submit an Application: Complete our online adoption application thoroughly and accurately. Provide as much detail as possible.

3. Application Review: A member of our team will contact you within 2-3 business days via email to discuss your application or schedule a brief phone interview.

4. Meet & Greet: If the initial review is positive, we'll arrange a meet-and-greet between you and the animal. We'll also contact your references at this time.

5. Adoption: If all previous steps have gone well and all parties agree the applicant and adoptable animal are a good match, we will proceed with finalizing the adoption.

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Force-Free Commitment: Ruff Start Rescue Society is a force-free organization. All adopters must agree to utilize positive reinforcement training methods. Puppy adopters are required to complete a force-free puppy class or attend two puppy socials with a force-free business. We're happy to provide recommendations for qualified trainers and classes. (Cost is the responsibility of the adopter.)

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Adoption Fees:

Dogs:

Featured Dog of the Month: $400

Medium/Large Breed Adults: $550

Small/Toy Breed Adults $650

Puppies (under one year) $700

Seniors (Over 8 years) $475

Bonded Pairs: $850

Cats:

Kittens (under one year) $299

Adult Cats (Over one year) $199

Senior Cats (Over 8 years) $99

Two kittens together: $500

Small Animals:

Rabbits: $120

Hedgehogs: $75

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**Please note that adoption fees can vary depending on the animal.

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What do adoption fee's cover?

As a volunteer run organization, we try to keep our adoption fee's as low as possible however due to the nature of rescue, our costs are substantial for each and every animal we intake. 

Each animal adopted from Ruff Start Rescue receives:

• Veterinary Examination

• Up-to-date Vaccinations

• Spay/Neuter Surgery

• Microchip (excluding small animals)

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Dental Care: Routine dental care is not included in the adoption fee. We only provide dental treatment for animals with urgent, emergency dental needs.

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Here is a basic breakdown of some of our costs per animal:

*Physical exam ($25 to $100)

*Core vaccines ($150 to $400)

*Spay/Neuter ($175 to $1000)

*Bloodwork ($150 to $400)

*Microchip ($30 to $70)

*Dewormer ($15 to $50)

*Flea/Tick treatment ($30 to $100)

*Dentals ($800 to $3000)

*Xrays ($100 to $500)

In addition, unforeseen costs such as emergency surgeries, specialist consultations, medications, special diets, training, boarding, and transportation can arise. Fundraising initiatives supplement adoption fees to cover these expenses.