BAARK Adoption Process

Before beginning this process, ask yourself these two important questions:

Am I willing and able to make a minimum of a $250 donation?
Will my dog be left alone at home for 8 to 10 hours per day?

We are looking for rescue partners who understand that in order to continue doing our life saving work, we must find adopters who are financially stable, are able to make the commitment that a substantial contribution implies, and are willing to help us save the next dog.

People ask what our success rate is. The answer: 100%.

100% of all contributions go directly to the rescue, care and placement of our dogs.

We are committed to the well being of every single dog we rescue. We are financially responsible for that dog for as long as it takes to find their “forever” home. That can sometimes take as long as one year. In addition there is the cost of food, veterinary care, and occasionally training. We frequently take dogs that no one else will take because of a serious injury that requires surgery or rehabilitation before the dog is adoptable.

When you factor in these ongoing and regular expenses, our average cost to rescue and place each dog is nearly $750.

We receive no public funding. Any volunteer you meet, speak to, or correspond with, is giving generously of their time and energy, and frequently, a substantial contribution of money as well, to keep BAARK going. Our all volunteer organization is completely dependent on what we are able to raise through fundraising, and for day to day operations, contributions from adopters and others.

Although the ability to make a minimum $250 donation is not the only consideration when evaluating an application, it is certainly a very important part of our decision. The inability to make a minimum $250 donation raises a warning flag: can the new adoptee truly afford to care for a pet?

If you can’t afford a $250 donation, perhaps you should re-examine your decision to adopt. Vet bills can be expensive and unforeseen. Even routine veterinary and dental care is expensive, as are grooming, day care, pet sitting, etc. We need to feel certain that the dogs we place will not be affected by an adopter’s financial instability: many, if not most of the dogs we rescue wind up in the shelter due to the inability of their original owner to care for them. We intend to make sure, as far as is humanly possible, that this never happens again.

Rescue is not a convenient place to look for a bargain dog. It is a place to make a difference in your community and in the life of a dog: an opportunity to do what’s right. Think about the dog you want to adopt: we, who go to the shelter, know there is another one, just as adorable, just as deserving, who will be killed unless we have the financial resources to continue our work.

Will my dog be left alone at home for 8 to 10 hours per day?

If the answer is yes, AND you only intend to adopt 1 dog, you may be setting yourself and the dog up for failure. Dogs are by nature social. They are pack animals. Leaving dogs alone for long periods of time, without human or canine companionship, can lead to many problems, such as barking, chewing, (themselves, or destructive chewing in their environment), digging, attempting to escape, or even skin and other medical disorders.

If you are committed to having a dog in your life, but you work long hours (don’t forget to count commute time, children’s after school activities, etc.) and don’t have someone else to provide care and companionship for your dog while you are away, two dogs are easier and happier, and have fewer problems than one lonely bored animal.

The BAARK adoption process consists of six steps.

1. Complete and return an adoption application. Please be sure to fill in all questions as completely as possible. It is better to take your time than to rush! It is important to answer every question. A complete application helps us to know if the requested dog will be a good match for your family. Since our dogs are in foster care, we have gotten to know their personalities and can be very helpful to you in selecting the right rescue dog. These dogs are like children to us, and we will not place them hurriedly or carelessly.

2. Your application will be reviewed by our adoption committee. The more information we have, the more quickly we are able to respond to your application. Average response time is from 1 to 7 days. Due to time limitations, we only call those whose application has been accepted. Please feel free to email us if you have any questions. If you have not heard from us regarding the status of your application, feel free to contact us.

3. After you have been approved you will speak with the foster of the dog, to discuss any questions about the dog. At that time, an appointment can be set up for meeting the dog. All members of the household must be at the scheduled meeting.

If you have a dog, bring it with you so that we can assess their interaction. This is a very important part of the adoption process. Since this dog will be a new member in your family, we would like all parties, including your current pet to be happy with the choice.

4. If all parties agree to proceed with the adoption, we make a home visit. This is so that we can ensure the animal's new home is safe and free of any potential health risks. It is not our intention to pry into the private lives of people, but rather to educate when necessary. Sometimes, our dogs are placed with first-time dog owners who may not know as well as we do how to dog proof their homes. We want to know that there is ample shelter for the dog and that fences are high enough to be escape proof. There are any number of things that could pose a health risk to the dog of which the potential owner(s) may not be aware.

5. The next step consists of a contractual agreement between BAARK and the dog's new family. Each adopter must have appropriate supplies on hand, or reimburse The BAARK for those we provide. We will NOT leave a dog without proper equipment.

6. The final step is a tax-deductible donation. We suggest a minimum donation of $250. Look into your heart, if you are able to give more, please do. None of the dogs you see would be here today without our intervention. BAARK is supported only by individual donations. We receive no corporate or government funding, and our cost to rescue and place the average dog far exceeds $250. Please help us continue this important work with your adoption donation.

Bay Area Animal Rescue Klub

The BAARK Adoption Process