After you’ve submitted your Adoption Application, the next step in the approval process is a home visit, for which all family members need to be present. The purpose of the home visit is to allow CSR to get to know your family a little bit better. We are not looking for immaculate housekeeping, but rather a loving, safe environment for one of our rescue dogs. The home visit volunteer(s) will often bring a dog with them on the home visit.
Once a family is approved at the home visit stage, our Adoption Coordinator will notify the applicant, via an email, of approval. CSR reserves the right to qualify an approval, i.e. approved to adopt a specific gender of dog, a submissive dog, a dog of certain age, etc. If we have more than one approved family interested in a particular dog, the foster family retains the right to make the final decision in the best interest of their foster dog. If another home is chosen that does not mean the prospective adopter would not be a good home, but rather that the situation does not meet that family’s or that dog’s best interests.
Here is a comprehensive guide to the first few hours, days, weeks, and months with your new family member. This guide will answer many of the questions you may have about sharing your home with a new dog, and maybe even head off problems before they take shape! Experts recommend that an adult caregiver should provide 100% supervision of interactions between dogs and children ages 12 and under. This handout has additional information and tips about introducing a dog to a household in which young children.
The next step is to identify a dog that you and CSR think would be a good fit for your family to bring home for a sleepover. Here is the way we work sleepovers…
- the length of a sleepover can be several days, or forever if you choose to adopt!
- we ask that you spend at least 3 full days with the dog before making your choice about adoption.
- we ask that you leave a check with a group representative for the adoption fee when the dog is transferred to your care.
- we will not cash your check unless we hear that you are happy with your selection and that you’d like to adopt.
- we ask that you send a brief email daily to let us know how things are going and so we can answer any questions that arise.
- after spending several days together, if you don’t think the dog is a good match for your family, we’ll happily take him back and can either try another dog, or return your check to you.
- when you decide to adopt, we will send you the dog’s vet paperwork, due dates for preventative medicines, general info on the care of Cockers, and a Certificate of Adoption.
We host Meet the Cockers! events nearly every weekend at different locations in Austin and San Antonio and you can view the schedule on our website. You can also arrange a private viewing if you have submitted an application and have a special someone in mind already.