1  Your visit to the Shelter

 2  Meeting and spending time with potential new family member

 3  Making your decision

 4  Completing the Adoption Questionnaire

 5  Meeting with one of our Adoption Counselors

 6  Signing our Adoption Agreement and Paying the Required Fees
              (See our Friend for a Friend Program and our Cat Placement Program for Seniors) 

 7  Preparing your home and family for your new family member

 8  Picking up your new family member from one of our participating veterinarians

 9  Doing proper introductions

10 Calling or emailing us if you have any questions

11 Responding to our follow-up call

12 Providing a lifetime of love and care for your new pet

1. Visiting the Shelter

Even if you have selected your pet from our web site, you will also want to visit the shelter to meet your prospective new family member(s).
If you are not in the local area, please call (313-943-2697) or email      us.  

If you have any trouble finding us or have any questions, please call 313-943-2697.

If you have not visited the Shelter before or have any questions when you arrive, please inquire at the front desk.  A staff member or volunteer will assist you.  If for any reason you do not find the pet you are seeking, please talk with one of our staff or volunteers for additional assistance and if you are still not successful, please complete one of our Wish List forms before you leave.   When we receive a pet matching your wish, we will contact you. 

Please fell free to visit the Shelter as often as you would like.
 

2. Meeting and Spending Time with Potential New Family Members

It is important that you spend time with you potential new pet.  There are staff members and volunteers at the Shelter who will get the animal out of the cage for you and introduce you.  They can also answer any questions you may have about the history and behavior of the animal.  

If you do not see anyone to assist you in the kennel area, please go to the front desk and ask for assistance.  Getting our animals adopted into quality homes is our first priority, so we are there to help you.
 

3.  Making your Decision

There are several things that you need to consider when making your decision:

-- What kind of pet will best fit into your home?  Dog, cat, or other?  Dogs take more time but can go with you
   anywhere.  Cats are lower maintenance but prefer your lap or a sunny window to a walk in the park.  

-- Young or mature?  Young animals are typically more playful, but can be more destructive.  Puppies require crating
   and housebreaking.  

-- Good with children?  Some dogs are better with children than others.  Outgoing (rather than timid) cats typically do
   better in a household with young children.

-- Good with other pets?  After proper introductions, most animals do well together, but there are exceptions.  

Other things to think about are the available time you have to spend with your new pet;  the ongoing costs of quality food, grooming, and medical care; who is going to have the responsibility for your new pet; etc.   Also, see our other Adoption Tips.

We want our animals to be adopted, but we want it to be the right adoption for them and for you.  Our Shelter staff will assist you and provide more information.  
 

4.  Completing the Adoption Application

You will be asked to complete, depending upon your decision, a Cat or Dog Questionnaire.  If you would like to do this in advance and bring it with you to the Shelter:

    -- Cat Adoption Questionnaire 
    -- Dog Adoption Questionnaire 
 

5.  Meeting with one of our Adoption Counselors

One of our Shelter Staff will meet with you to review your Application and Questionnaire.  They also can answer any questions you may have.  If the result of this meeting is that both the Shelter and you agree that this is the right pet for you, some additional checking of the information you provided will take place.  Again, we want this to be a good adoption for you and the pet, so this checking is to ensure the long term success of the adoption.
 

6.  Signing our Adoption Agreement and Paying the Required Fees

Our adoption agreement asks you to agree to certain things for the ongoing care of your future family member.  

Our adoption fee  is based on the type and age of your animal.  It includes extensive and significantly discounted vaccines, health tests, sterilization, and an identification microchip.  

For a limited time, take advantage of our discounted cat adoption fee programs for qualified adoptors -   Feline Friend For a Friend Program and our Cat Placement Program for Seniors (age 60 and over).

Optional free health insurance:  Information is provided about enrolling your newly adopted pet with Shelter Care. (Shelter Care offers free insurance to shelters, such as the Dearborn Animal Shelter,  that are members of Petfinder, an internet animal adoption site.)  It is a free health insurance that covers about 8 medical conditions that are common to recently adopted shelter animals.  You must enroll within 10 days of adoption.  The policy lasts for 30 days. 

7.  Preparing Your Home and Family for Your New Family Member

Now that you've made your decision, you know  what to expect from you new pet and how to better prepare for him or her.  

For a dog:
  -- Collar with ID tag and leash
  -- Quality food for the age of your dog (puppy, adult, or senior)
  -- A dog bed will provide a place all their own and help keep them off your couch or bed (if this is what you want)
  -- A secured yard environment (fence, tie-out, or invisible fencing)
  -- Grooming tools

For a cat: 
  -- Secure pet carrier
  -- Quality food for the age of your cat (kitten, adult, or senior)
  -- Litter box, litter, and scoop
  -- Grooming tools including cat nail scissors
  -- Scratching post
 

8.  Picking up Your New Family Member from 
One of our Participating Veterinarians

To help prevent pet overpopulation and ensure that you pet is as happy and healthy as possible when it leaves the Shelter, we work with participating area veterinarians to examine and sterilize your pet prior to your taking him or her home.  Your new pet will be transported to one of these vets in the morning.  The pet will be examined and you will be notified of any previously unknown medical conditions that the vet diagnoses.  Your pet is then sterilized.  You will pick up your new pet from the vet's office in the afternoon.

Please remember that your new pet may still be under the effects of the anesthetic and will definitely require some quiet time in your home to recover from the surgery.
 

9.  Doing Proper Introductions

Please remember that you are taking your new pet into a strange environment.  You will need to introduce him or her to your home (and for dogs, your yard), your family, and any other pets in your home.  

To introduce them to your home:
  -- Provide a tour room by room.  For cats, you can do this holding them or in their carrier.  For dogs, on a leash.  
     This includes food dishes.
  -- Cats should be shown the litter box last and be gently put in it.  Then left alone to explore.  Cats are very territorial
     and will want to go over every inch of your home before settling down.  Please allow them to do this before trying to
     let family members hold them.

To introduce them to other members of your family:
  -- Remember all animals depend heavily on their sense of smell.  All newcomers should first slowly extend their hand
    and allow the pet to sniff it.  Make sure the pet is comfortable with the new person before "giving" them to the new
     person.
  -- Sometimes the best way is to have the new person sit on the floor and allow the pet to go to them.
  -- Make sure that young children understand that the pet is fragile and needs to be always handled very carefully.

To introduce them to other family pets:
  -- Make sure you go through the above steps prior to doing any other family pet introductions.  Existing pets should
     be in a room with a closed door initially.
  -- Cats definitely need time to get to know each other prior to face-to-face introductions.  Our Cat Introduction
     information suggests the best way to do this.  Once the introduction period is over, always remember to provide at
     least one easily accessible litter box for each cat in your household
  -- Dogs should be introduced with two people holding them on separate leashes so they can be easily separated if
     this is needed.

10.  Calling or Emailing Us If You Have Any Questions

Our commitment to the success of the adoption does end when you take your new pet home.  We are here to help you whenever you need it.  If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to do any or all of the following:

1. Consult this web site for more information.
2. eMail us explaining the situation.
3. Call us 313-943-2697 (leave a message if we're not there to answer).

Our staff and volunteers have a wealth of experience to share with you.

11.  Responding to our Follow-up Call

A few weeks after the adoption, one of our staff or volunteers will give you a call.  This will provide you an opportunity to ask any questions that have come up since the adoption.   We want to make sure that everything is going well and to provide any additional help that we can.  

As a note, if you are having any problems, please don't wait for us to call you, contact us (see Step 10 above).
 

12.  Providing a Lifetime of Love and Care for Your New Pet

May factors go into a lifetime together, but in general this involves:

• Care & Affection

•  Patience   

•  Food, Water, & Shelter

•  Regular Exercise

•  Annual Vet Visits

•  Security