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For an Adoption Application go to Forms/Applications on the left hand menu
ADOPTION PROCEDURES
TreeTops Animal Rescue is a 501c3 nonprofit animal adoption organization in southeastern PA dedicated to placing shelter animals into caring, permanent homes. We do not have a shelter to visit- our volunteers foster these animals in our homes, which allows us to give you an accurate description of each animal's needs and personality.
MINIMUM APPLICANT CRITERIA
Additional requirements may be determined by the needs of each individual animal, using the judgment and experience of TreeTops representatives.
1. Applicants must provide proof of home ownership or written consent from a landlord to own a pet. Renters may be required to provide the name of someone who would care for the pet if they were unable to take the pet when they moved. Since some leases require a dog to be 1 year or older (because of the expected housebreaking & chewing issues), you must own your own home to adopt a puppy.
2. For dogs, a fenced yard is always preferred. Depending on the dog, either a physical, underground, or wireless radio fence, or the installation, replacement, repair, or upgrade to a fence may be required before adoption. EVERY applicant adopting a puppy AND EVERY household with children below the age of 13 adopting a dog MUST have a fenced in yard.
3. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. Applicants under the age of 25 or over the age of 70 are required to have a co-applicant willing to commit to care for the animal until its death if they are unable to.
4. For adult animals, each application will be judged individually, but depending on the needs of the animal, applications may be denied based on the age or number of children. The Humane Association recommendation is that all children in a home be 8 or older for adoption of any puppy. At TreeTops Rescue, we recommend that all children in the home should be at least 6 or older for adoption of a puppy over 6 months old and at least 10 or older for adoption of a puppy under 6 months old. Depending on the needs of the dog, an older minimum age for children in the home may be required.
5. All dogs must be adopted as house pets, not as outdoor animals.
For the safety of the animal as well as to comply with laws against unrestrained animals, all dogs must be kept on a leash except in a fenced in yard or secure location.
6. If you are applying for an adult dog, arrangements must be made to provide the animal with at least one "potty break" every 6 hours. For puppies between 6-12 months, depending on the animal, between 20-40 hours alone during the week may be acceptable, with a daily trained petsitter. However, puppies from 2-5 months old need a lot of time and attention to grow into well balanced canine companions, and should not be left alone for more than 3 hours in order to successfully train them, therefore there MUST be an adult regularly at home during most of the day
7. Because our rescue is close to the southeastern border of PA, we will adopt to neighboring areas in Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. However, since in-person interviews and home visits are required as part of the adoption process, applicants must live within a reasonable driving distance of the location of the foster home. We do not ship animals.
8. All applicants must pay the adoption donation fee in full at the time of adoption. This fee is currently $250 for a spayed/neutered dog , $200 + $100 refundable spay/neuter deposit for an unaltered puppy, $75 for a domestic cat ($50 each for two or more) and $150 for other cat breed (e.g. Siamese) + refundable $100 spay/neuter deposit for an unaltered kitten ($50 each for two or more). This fee is NOT a price for the pet, it is needed to help recover some of the costs that TreeTops Animal Rescue incurs while rescuing the animal from the shelter, fostering them in our homes, and providing them with medical care, and to allow us to continue to rescue other animals. On average, the actual cost of caring for an animal is well above this fee.
9. Applicants should have vet records showing that ALL current and previous pets were given regular and appropriate vet care, including up-to-date vaccinations (e.g. rabies shots are required for ALL pets even indoor cats), regular exams, and spay/neuter (except for animals too young or ill, or AKC registered show dogs).
ADOPTION PROCESS
This lengthy process ensures that our animals are placed in an appropriate forever home - a suitable match for each family and an environment in which the animal can thrive and grow. Each application is reviewed on an individual basis, but we reserve the right to use our judgment in declining any application that does not match our criteria and experience.
Step 1: Application
Please read our Adoption Policies BEFORE completing your application. If you do not meet our minimum criterion, your application will not be processed. ALL applicants must complete an application, and ALL questions on the application must be completely answered before we will begin processing your application. The information contained on the application is kept strictly confidential and used solely by TreeTops Representatives to determine adoption eligibility.
Step 2: Processing
The application is pre-screened by TreeTops volunteers to check whether it meets the general adoption policy criteria and any additional conditions required for the particular animal applied for. Applicants may be contacted to provide additional information or explanations missing from the application. If it is determined that the application meets the criteria, veterinary and personal references WILL be checked. Applicants should have notified all references and given them permission to answer questions asked by TreeTops representatives. If the representative determines, in his/her sole discretion, that the application does not fit our criteria for any of our animals, the application will be declined. If the representative determines that your home is not a good fit for the animal you have applied for, you may be contacted regarding other animals that more closely match your interests, life style, and family environment, or referred to a different adoption agency.
Step 3: Interview
If the application has been approved, the applicant will be contacted to arrange a phone interview. If it appears to be a good fit, a visit will be arranged for the applicant and family to interact with the animal. All (human) members of the family must be present at this meeting. If either the applicant or a TreeTops representative determines that this is not a suitable match, you may be contacted regarding other animals that more closely match your interests, life style, and family environment or referred to a different adoption agency.
Step 4: Home Visit
If the interview has gone well and been approved by all parties, arrangements will be made for a representative to inspect the applicant’s home. Supervised meetings of the rescue animal with any other existing pets will take place at this time. Once again, if either the applicant or a TreeTops representative determines that this is not a suitable match, you may be contacted regarding other animals that more closely match your interests, life style, and family environment or referred to a different adoption agency.
Step 5: Adoption
If all previous steps have been completed successfully, the applicant and the TreeTops representative will sign a contract listing the conditions of adoption (for example, the animal will be kept up to date on all shots and medical care, etc). The contract also states that if the applicant is unable or unwilling to fulfill the terms of the contract, and cannot keep or properly care for the animal, it MUST be surrendered back to TreeTops Animal Rescue.
Payment of the adoption fee in full must be made at this time. This fee is needed to help recover some of the costs that TreeTops Animal Rescue incurs while rescuing the animal from the shelter, fostering them in our homes, and providing them with excellent medical care, and to allow us to continue to rescue other animals. On average, the actual cost of caring for an animal is well above this fee.
Refund Policy:
The adoption fee is only refundable if within two week after adoption the animal is diagnosed with a serious health problem that was not disclosed and could have been foreseen by TreeTops while the animal was in our care.
PRE-ADOPTION GOALS CHECKLIST
All animals are temperament tested before placing them in foster homes. All animals receive necessary age appropriate veterinary treatment, including:
- Testing, treatment, and preventatives for tick and flea born illnesses, intestinal worms, heartworm (dogs) and FeLV/FIV (cats)
- Vaccinations for Rabies, DHLPP & Bordatella (dogs), FVRCP (cats)
- Spaying and Neutering
- Microchipped
- All animals are bathed & groomed as needed, and fed a well-balanced diet to improve their health and appearance.
- All animals are re-socialized in our foster homes to become good family members. This includes work on:
For Dogs:
Crate Training
HouseTraining
Leash Training
House Manners (e.g. no counter surfing, no jumping on visitors, no mouthing
Basic commands (sit, stay, come, paw)
Meeting new people (including children)
Meeting new animals, including both dogs and cats
For Cats:
Using the litter box
Being picked up and petted
Being groomed
Meeting new people (including children)
Tolerating other animals
NOTE: These are our GOALS for our foster animals, however applicants must understand that each foster animal comes into rescue with a different background and needs, and our foster families are unpaid volunteers with jobs and families of their own. All animals are fully vetted but we cannot guarantee that all animals will have accomplished all of these behavioral and training goals within the limited time they spend in foster care.
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