Thank you for considering the adoption of a rescued pet. Adopting a new pet is an exciting and fun experience for the whole family.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL CURRENT ADOPTABLE PETS
Our adoptables page is updated regularly with the dogs we feel are ready to find their new families. While they have been in our care, they have been fed well and regularly, been behaviour and temperament tested, and have been fully vetted, including (where possible); spayed and neutered.
If you are willing to follow up on any outstanding vet appointments yourself, please note that in your comments on the adoption application.
It should be noted that RUFFCUE will retain the right to check with the vet to ensure any outstanding procedures are indeed completed, and that your failure to do so will result in the animal being seized by, or returned to us. We take our "spay and neuter clauses" very seriously, and you should too.
All the pets you see for adoption on our site have been lovingly cared for by an individual foster family who provide the information on the specific pet’s page. This allows adopters to make a more informative decision on whether the pet would be a good fit for their family. Not every animal personality will match, and not all interactions are equal, our fosters share their own experiences, interactions, and insights, but it is up to you to make the decision.
Many of our dogs are found at large, and yes their owners are sought but we do not always find them. In other cases the animal is been rehomed from caring owners who were no longer able to care for their beloved pet. Where possible we do DNA tests with DNAMYDOG in an effort to ascertain behaviour, longevity, and temperament.
For an Adoption Application please see below.
Due to the costs incurred in rescuing, emergency vetting, standard vetting, transporting, and maintaining the pets in our care, we do require a minimum donation to help offset those costs, which is determined on a case by case basis by our Adoption Team. When you adopt a pet with RUFFCUE you are not buying a pet, but rather you are accepting the responsibility to continue the rescue of that specific animal. We do not receive any funding and do minimal fund raising, so the donation you give for your pet is then used to aid in the rescue of other pets in need.
Our goal regarding adoption is to ensure that not only will the adoptive family be able to meet the needs of the specific animal, but also that the adopted dog will meet the wants and desires of the adoptive family. While it is understood that we care passionately about the dogs in our care, we care just as passionately about the people and ensuring that whatever pet they adopt, it is a good match for their situation.
The first step in the adoption process is to submit an adoption application. There is no commitment for adoption by either the rescue or the adopter until they have had an opportunity to meet and spend some time with the dog and it is agreed by all that the pet is a good choice for the situation, finances, activity, and housing circumstances.
All adopters are provided with the dog in question as well as the corresponding medical records (or forthcoming appointments as the case may be), a supply of their current food, any dna record, and a collar.
We do ask, when arriving to bring your pet home to please provide your own collar, leash and/or carrier.
Are You Ready To Adopt? Please read on!
The RuffCue Adoption process:
1. You see a dog you like.
At Ruffcue.ca or on the facebook page
1a. We then talk and I can tell you what the animal is doing, isn't doing, and you get a better feel for their personality.
Either on the phone, on FB messages, or in person
1b. We then book and arrange for a meeting. You, me, the dog. *
If you are in Fort Frances and would find it easier the dog and I come to you - that's do-able.
1c. We do the meeting, chat, visit, hang out and make sure the dog "picks you"
These visits are done on site here so the animal is comfortable and familiar with their surroundings.
If you are more than an hour drive out and want to do this “hello” via video conference - we can sort that out.
2. We then arrange for meeting #2 where your entire household, and pet/s meet the dog. No one wants brawls and mayhem. This meeting is where we ensure everyone is keen on the idea, and gets along well.
If you are outside of Fort and need me to bring the dog to you for the second meeting of "hello and how do you fit in around here" we can discuss costs and arrangements for that.
2a. We find it's easiest if in that meeting a hard copy of the adoption form is provided to the prospective adopting family, so it can be taken home and done on paper.
This file must be completed and returned to us for the purpose of maintaining our files.
2b. Final destination gets their home and supplies all ready and ...
We verify that you do indeed have a vet account, or are able to get one opened up.
*If you are having problems getting a vet to accept you, let us know. We are happy to make some calls on this end, and see if we can assist you in sorting that out.
Then we do the final hurrah ...
3. EMT Funds transfer
3a. Paperwork hand off where you hand me back the completed forms and I provide you a detailed info file on your dog; from commands and "words we know" to the times the animal is currently going outside, the food they are on, and as much detail as can be provided.
The process is a multi-step arrangement which can take from a couple of days to a couple of weeks depending on the adopters. We have seen dogs adopted as quickly as a few days, but usually the process happens over a week – 10 days to 2 weekends.
This allows for processing time, and satisfies the impedance to “impulse buy” worry which the government mandates that we as rescues, and shelters work to avoid.
Thank you for your interest. Look forward to talking with you soon.
Q & A
I want to get a dog, but surprise my parents/spouse - is that going to be possible?
Sure. Set up visit one, and bring them in for visit two. There have been situations people have taken the dog home immediately on visit two. So long as everything is happy, and positive, and good – we are too
Can I get the DNA for my dog?
We use DNAMYDOG.com for this process where we feel it is necessary. There are times when we forgo the DNA testing, (most often with puppies where we are seeing fabulous, well behaved, well mannered fur people). In the instances of behaviour that isn’t making sense, or other “oddities” we will have the animal DNA tested, and all final adoption paperwork packages provided to the final rescuer include this info, if we have done it.
Is my dog UTD?
Short answer: Yes.
All animals who come through the rescue are as vetted as they can be. Everyone will be as UTD on shots as possible. In some cases there is a delay between when they come through intake and when the vet is able to see them.
We do complete vaccinations here, (we forgo kennel cough vaccines but do all the rest of them), and you will not find your animal is “missing” any required vaccinations. Shots are done as a single injection in a group, but they do need boosters on those shots at 30 days after the initial set, and yearly after that.
Puppies need to be at least 6 weeks old before they can get their first set of shots. This means they will be no less than 10 weeks old when UTD at the earliest and it can be longer (up to 16 weeks old depending on vet availability, and age at intake*). We have had instances where adopters were so keen on their pups, they have taken their animals with the understanding the second boosters need to be done and CAN NOT BE DELAYED†. In these cases we ourselves re-book the pups appointment out of our name and into yours. The vet will either call you to confirm this change or, we just hand you the phone and do it all on one call.
If you decide to do this, the costs for those boosters and the rabies vaccination, will fall with you. Once the dog is off our books, they are your responsibility.
* If a dog is under 8 weeks at intake they will be closer to 12 weeks when they can get into the vet rotation for their first set of shots, making it closer to 16 weeks before they are UTD.
† Initial shots must be boosted in a timely manner (30 – 45 days between shots not more, not less) or they will need to be fully restarted.
Is the dog spayed/neutered?
If the animal is a mature adult – yes.
If the animal is a puppy – no.
Flea and Tick:
If we have the dog in a season where we have bought flea and tick protection for the animal, it is included with the animal when they come to you.
Any and all medications the animal is being given will be provided to you, flea and tick included.
Financial Questions:
What’s your adoption fees?
Puppies: $600
Adult dogs: $400
Seniors, or dogs with behavioral or health issues: $300
Do I have to pay the full adoption fee, all at once?
No. Assuming the animal is UTD, ready to go, and everything is good. If you decide to put a deposit on your dog at your first/2nd meeting the animal will be immediately flagged as “on hold” We can give you up to 2 weeks after that deposit to make your final arrangements for payment; we can not however keep that hold for more than the 2 weeks. This allows for a deposit, and then a full pay period to finalize.
What if I’m not sure?
Can I put a deposit or hold on a pup?
Yes. If you want a dog but would like for us to do the shots, and vetting we are happy to accept a deposit on the animal with the understanding and agreement they will remain here for the period of time between the sets of shots.
Alternatively if the animal is scheduled to go in for altering (spay/neuter) and you’d like to wait until after that has been completed but know you want the dog, we would again accept that deposit with the understanding you would like updates, and to be kept in the loop and when the dog is fully done, and ready to go you will immediately complete the final rescue process.
If you are putting a deposit on a dog – please let us know that’s what that payment is, so we can provide a receipt and paper trail for you so you know you’ve begun the process. We will otherwise assume it is a donation, and we’d hate for there to ever be any misunderstandings.
RuffCue Discounts Offered:
If you live on a rural or farming property, we offer a discount for these homes.
If you are a personal friend, or a family member of anyone who has brought a dog home from us previously, as well as ourselves or anyone associated with RuffCue; we do offer a friends and family discount in these cases as well.
What is the difference between “on hold” and “pending” listed animals?
ON HOLD dogs have an interested final rescue destination who is working on completing the process. There has been a deposit put on the dog, but the paperwork is not complete, and funds remain outstanding. The process is begun, the adopter is committed but the process is ongoing.
PENDING are animals who have gone through process, and the final rescuers have completed the paperwork, sent in the funds, and now are working on picking up the dog.
Deposits are non-refundable.
If you put a deposit on an animal and change your mind, or circumstances happen, your deposit will become a donation. For this reason we do not recommend or accept more than half of the monies be put down, as deposit.
Click Here for the Adoption Application
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our adoption procedures, please feel free to contact our Adoption Team by clicking here: