Adoption Process
Adoption requests are reviewed 24-48 hrs after submission.
If you have not received correspondence timely, please check your SPAM/PROMOTIONS folders for an invitation from SHELTERLUV.
Still nothing? Email us at Adoptions@Savinggracenc.org
Submit an adoption request
You’ll start the adoption process by filling out our adoption request as completely as you can. We ask lots of questions so we can be sure we place you with a dog that will fit your family dynamics and lifestyle. We want all our pups to go to furever homes, with families who will “click” with them.
Submitting an adoption request does not commit you (or us) to an adoption – it just starts the process that could lead to an adoption.
Scheduling Process
Once your request has been received, it will be reviewed by our adoption team. This can take a few days – we get lots of requests each week, and we have to review each one. We want to be sure those who adopt from Saving Grace are going to give our dogs the happy life they deserve.
If the adoption team agrees that the information submitted on your request form makes you a good candidate, you’ll be invited to self-schedule an appointment through our adoption portal. Be on the lookout for your “adoption request has been reviewed” email as it will give you important information about accessing the portal.
Meet the Dogs
When you come on-site for your appointment, you will have the opportunity to meet our available dogs and be partnered with an adoption counselor. Your counselor will help you narrow down some possible matches and help you find dogs that would be a good fit for your lifestyle.
Dogs may or may not be ready for adoption when you meet them. Often dogs still need to receive final well checks or vetting before they can go home.
Don’t worry, if you choose a dog and they are waiting for you, they won’t be shown to other adopters, and we will contact you as soon as he or she is ready.
At paperwork time, you will sign a contract and pay our $395 adoption fee which covers:
- Spay/neuter
- Microchipping
- Vaccines
- Medical treatments
- General care while they are with us
We will review all medical history with you and give you an adoption packet that has everything you need, and you’ll be able to take your new friend home!
Return Policy
We understand sometimes an adoption doesn’t work out and we will take back our adopted dogs. We are here to support you in this process and need you to partner with us and begin communicating early if there are any concerns. Each return is handled on a case-by-case basis. The more information you can provide for us, the better decisions we can make about his/her viability within our program.
Please follow these steps:
- Begin email communications with the Adoptions team (Adoptions@savinggracenc.org) as soon as possible.
- Request and receive a scheduled, confirmed appointment to return your dog.
- Complete a relinquish form and bring with you:
- The original medical sheet,
- Adoption packet including rabies vaccination certificates and tags and microchip information, and
- UPDATED medical record information from your vet
Remember: A partial refund of your adoption fee in the amount of $295 is offered within 7 days.
Please note: While we accept our adopted dogs back, we will not knowingly place aggressive animals into another home. In these instances the dog will be fully evaluated and observed once returned before acclimating back into our program.
Before you adopt…
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Saving Grace offers the option for owners to bring their current family dog(s) to their appointment to view the interaction between potential new additions. Saving Grace does not have an off-leash meeting area, so all interactions are done safely on leash. If your current dog has a preference in their type of friend this is always helpful to our team. There will always be a transition period for both the current dog and new addition once an adoption has taken place. For tips on helping dogs become acclimated to others click here.
Saving Grace also has a permanent resident cat that assists us in helping determine if a dog may be a potential match with an adopter’s current cat. This is a large indoor house cat that is very dog savvy, used to meeting a large number of dogs, and has learned to not run making itself a target of chase. This helps our team to rule out dogs with a high prey drive or those that are overly cat aggressive. We ask adopters to remain aware that every cat is different, a dog’s behavior and activity level can change when better established and comfortable, and that it is always ultimately an owners responsibility to monitor all interactions not only initially but throughout their animals coexistence.
SG does not guarantee compatibility with small animals of any kind or fowl as dogs have a natural and instinctual pretty drive. It is always important to keep dogs separate at all times if small animals or birds are present.
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The Saving Grace program strives to assist any animal with a wonderful temperament find a forever home despite possible medical barriers. Of course, we cannot help in every instance which is heartbreaking but if a dog can be saved, we work to find a way. We help to see dogs through specialized orthopedic surgeries and if repair is not possible – amputations, eye surgeries and if repair is not possible – enucleation (eye removal), mass removals, hernia repairs, and other specialized surgeries based on a dogs’ particular need or injury. We are thankful to our community of donors and fundraisers that make these surgeries and repairs possible so that deserving dogs receive the care needed to make adoption possible. You can help by making a donation!
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The person who will be caring for the pet should be the one to sign the contract and adopt. This is in the best interest of both the pet and the adopter. If you really want to make the adoption a “gift,” we recommend attending the appointment with the person you would like to assist with payment and let us work with you in person.
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Adopters may adopt more than 1 dog at their visit, although in most cases it is not recommended. Saving Grace at times will have bonded animals that would be happiest to go to the same home. A heavy transition period is always to be expected when a dog enters their new home and environment. This will be a learning period between the new dog and their family as you get to know and understand one another. Every dog’s transition period is different, and it is for this reason Saving Grace recommends adopting one dog at a time to aid with this transition. You can ALWAYS come back for another once your newest friend is settled – they may even help you get that 2nd pet better settled too!
Saving Grace does not permit the adoption of siblings.
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Our Saving Grace team is a small group of volunteers dedicated to helping our current group of available animals find their forever homes. Our team does not have the manpower, beyond caring for this current group, to keep a running list of adopters’ specific requests. We do our best to keep our website as up to date as possible so interested adopters may view what types of dogs and other animals are currently available at any time. If you are looking for low shed or extremely popular mixes, please understand that there are many others searching for this as well, and our team does the best that we are able with high demand for these dogs and puppies. We recommend checking our website often if you’re looking for a specific type of dog.
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While we appreciate your desire to adopt, Saving Grace is not able to provide this service and cannot guarantee that our dogs would be successful as emotional support animals.
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Thank you for considering adoption through Saving Grace where we always have great dogs waiting for homes!
We are happy to help out-of-state adopters and want to provide appropriate expectations for long distance adoption. We do not ship or offer transport for adopted dogs. Each adopter must visit with an animal in person and commit to following through with adoption.
To give the most dogs an opportunity for a forever family, dogs are not placed on hold. This means a dog you are considering may be adopted before your visit. It is best to visit with an open mind and choose a dog in person that best fits what you are looking for rather than be set on adopting a specific dog on the website.
If a dog has not completed their veterinary care, an additional trip may be necessary at a later date to complete the adoption and pick up the dog. This process will vary with each animal and their medical needs.
It is best to check with your veterinarian in your state of residence regarding health certificates/licensing required when bringing a new animal into your state.
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Saving Grace makes all efforts to make sure that a good match is made between adopters and dogs before adoption. Most of the dogs at Saving Grace have been in transit from being stray, to a shelter, to Saving Grace and are eager for a permanent home that will provide them with consistency. When they are returned, they have to once again acclimate to Saving Grace and then another home. Due to this, we do not offer a trial period.
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Saving Grace works with a variety of different Veterinary practices based on the care needed for each particular animal in our program. Saving Grace works to plan in advance the care that will be needed at any particular time. Each of the practices we work with specialize in a certain type of care and assistance with various needs. In most cases Saving Grace has an adequate number of standard appointments, which will cover the majority of dogs and puppies to prepare them for adoption (pediatric and standard spay/neuter). This is affected at times by holidays, each practices regular public appointments, and the number of dogs awaiting surgeries at a given time. Saving Grace strives to offer many dogs with more specialized needs an opportunity at adoption as well. Those dogs needing specialized surgeries require more coordinating and intensive care.
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Spaying and neutering helps stem the tide of overpopulation. We spay and neuter all of our animals prior to adoption for a healthier animal and Saving Grace is committed to reducing the population of unwanted animals.
The shelters in North Carolina are overburdened with unwanted animals and many strays are the result of accidental breeding by free-roaming, unaltered pets. The more pets spayed or neutered, the fewer dogs and cats will end up in shelters.