Adopt a dog

Caring for a dog is hugely rewarding, it is also a huge responsibility. Responsible dog ownership involves a considerable time commitment as well as a financial one. If you would like to adopt a dog you should carefully consider if you are in position to offer a dog everything that he requires for a long, happy and healthy life in your care.

Deciding to adopt a dog

If you are considering adopting a dog from Dogs in Distress you should first read through the Adopt a dog section of our website, starting at Should you adopt? This will help you to decide if your personal circumstances are suited to caring for a dog.  You can also access information in this section on choosing a dog and taking him home, health and wellbeing and training. Before approaching Dogs in Distress to adopt a dog you should be 100% certain that you are ready, willing and able to adequately provide for a dog’s care.

If you love dogs, but are not in a position to adopt one, you might be interested in volunteering for Dogs in Distress. Many of our volunteers do not have their own dog, but get great satisfaction from working with us to help dogs in need.

The adoption process

The Dogs in Distress adoption process has a number of stages outlined below;

1. Adoption application form
   The Adoption Application Form is completed by the prospective adopter. In this form the applicant may provide details of the dog or dogs that s/he are interested in adopting. All of the DID dogs currently looking for a home can be viewed in our forum, under Dogs In Foster Care.
2. Home visit
   A Dogs in Distress volunteer visits the home of the applicant to discuss the adoption application and answer any questions s/he might have. The volunteer will ask to see where the dog will sleep and also ask to see that your back garden / yard is secure. The volunteer will complete a Home Visit Form during the visit.
3. Assessment
   The volunteer submits the completed Home Visit Form to the Dogs in Distress adoption panel to decide if the application has been successful. A volunteer will contact you to let you know the outcome.
4. Matching dogs with adopters
   Dogs in foster care may have more than one offer of a home. The adoption panel consider all offers for each dog. They match each dog with the person / family who they feel is most suitable.
5. Reserving a dog
   Once the applicant is matched with a dog s/he has the opportunity to meet the dog in the foster home. At this stage DID asks potential adopters to take at least 24 hours to before making a final decision. If the applicant decides to adopt the dog the word *RESERVED* appears beside the dog's thread on the forum.  If the applicant decides not to home that particular dog s/he may continue to express interest in other dogs in foster care until a suitable match is made.
6. Adoption agreement
   The day arrives for the dog to be adopted. The adopter must sign the Adoption Agreement Form.  S/he is also required to provide a minimum donation to Dogs in Distress of €150 to go towards the cost of caring for the dog. All dogs are vaccinated, wormed, micro-chipped and neutered /spayed in advance of the adoption. (Neutering can not be carried out on pups of under six months of age.  Where a young pup of under six months is adopted, DID organises the vet appointment for the operation when the pup reaches six months of age. The adopter is required to make a contribution of €50 towards the cost of the operation to the vet when the time comes.)
7. Happy endings
   When a dog is homed his “thread” or listing is moved to Happy endings in the forum. We encourage adopters to stay in touch by posting news, pictures and videos of their dog in his new home.

Before you begin the adoption process please think carefully. Visit Should you adopt? to ensure that adopting a dog is the right thing to do.