Paws and Prayers Adoption Information
Overview
Thank you for your interest in adopting a rescue pet from Paws and Prayers! Paws and Prayers, serving the Northeast Ohio area and beyond, proudly rescues new cats and dogs every day from area animal control facilities and other rescue situations. Here’s what you need to know prior to beginning the adoption process with us:
Paws and Prayers is a foster-based rescue; this means that our adoptable dogs and cats (with the exception of some cats) are cared for in the homes of our foster volunteers. We do not have a dog shelter and all prospective adopters are required to have a pre-approved application on record prior to scheduling a meet and greet with a pet. Once approved for a meeting (see requirements below), the foster volunteer of the pet you are interested in will contact you to arrange a one-on-one meet and greet with the animal of interest.
Our adoptable dogs and cats may attend adoption events (these primarily take place on weekends). Please contact the foster of the pet you are interested in to confirm their attendance. Visit our event calendar here to see upcoming events.
Adoption Requirements
To adopt from Paws and Prayers, individuals applying for adoption must meet a few basic criteria. Note, the following requirements are simply the minimum requirements for adoption that all applicants must meet. Each individual animal may require additional needs (for example, some pets may not be good in apartments or may not be good with children, etc.) that every applicant may not be able to meet. We take pride in placing our pets with their perfect fit and the foster will discuss with each adopter these needs prior to approving your application. Applications stay on file for 6 months once submitted; if any of your contact information changes in that time period, you may be asked to submit a new application.
- Applicants must have the ability to own a pet at his/her residence. We verify with your landlord your home’s pet policy or you must own your residence.
- Applicants looking to gift pets will not be approved; we believe that adoption is a very personal decision that the entire family should be involved in.
- Resident pets of all applicants must have had routine veterinary care, be spayed/neutered, up to date on vaccines per the recommendations of your vet, and taking heartworm prevention (dogs only). We will verify these records; giving your veterinarian permission to speak with us will help expedite the processing of your application. Should your pet have a medical issue that may prohibit any of these, please note that on your application and we will also verify this with your veterinarian.
Adoption Process
The adoption process works, generally, as follows:
- Before submitting an application, make your references (landlord, personal and veterinary) aware that you are looking to adopt a pet and rescue organizations may be calling for a reference.
- Submit a non-obligatory adoption application for the animal you are interested in. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, while we do our best, we are unable to notify every applicant of newly available animals meeting their interests. Meet and greets will not be scheduled without an application on record.
- Out of respect for all adopters, applications are processed in the order in which they are received. A Paws and Prayers representative will acknowledge your application between two and three business days from submission. Applications do not guarantee the ability to adopt.
- After reviewing your application, if the foster home of the pet you are interested in determines your pet of interest to be a good fit for your family, the foster family will contact you to schedule a meet and greet. Alternatively, you may be contacted with further questions to help determine suitability prior to scheduling a meet. All family members are required to be at the meet and greet. Paws and Prayers volunteers will do their best to accommodate your schedule.
- Adopters should not expect to take an animal home on the day of the meet and greet unless the foster has stated otherwise. Paws and Prayers encourages adopters to thoroughly consider their adoption choices.
Ultimately, the home that is the best fit for the pet will be selected for a meet and greet. Applications allow our volunteers to help get better familiarized with whether or not the pet you’re interested in is a good fit for your home. Many times, adoptable pets will have several applications under consideration.
Email is the preferred method of communication of our volunteers; please regularly check your email after submitting an application. Follow-up emails to the foster home and/or adoptions@pawsandprayers.org are always welcomed.
