Atlanta Dog Squad – Rules of Adoption
We will not adopt retrievers to families that want an “outside” dog. All dogs adopted from the Atlanta Dog Squad will live and sleep inside the home. Check out the article on Outside Dogs to understand why we have this policy.
- Adoption applicants must be age 21 or older.
- Prospective adopters must agree to properly maintain the health of the dog:
- Place the adopted retriever on an annual vaccination schedule under the direction of a veterinarian
- Have the dog tested annually for heartworm and place the dog on monthly heartworm prevention year-round
- Provide monthly flea prevention by prescription from a veterinarian.
- All family members, including any other household pets, must be present when meeting a prospective “adoptee” retriever to be sure of a good match. Likewise, the dog may not be adopted as a ‘surprise’ or a gift for someone else. All other household pets must be spayed or neutered.
- Adoption applicants residing in a townhouse, condominium, apartment or rental property must provide written documentation stating that they have permission from the landlord/homeowner’s association to add a dog (the size of the retriever breeds) to their household.
- Although we do not require a fenced yard, it is highly recommended for most of our retrievers. This requirement is decided on a case-by-case basis. However, we do not adopt our rescue retrievers to applicants who use an electric/invisible fence as a primary form of containment for numerous reasons related to the safety and welfare of our dogs.
- We request a reference from the veterinarians named by the adopter on the application form.
- If for any reason you cannot continue to take care of the adopted retriever, we request that you return the dog to the Atlanta Dog Squad.
- Please note that because we require a home visit prior to approving an applicant and we are an organization of volunteers living in the Atlanta metro area, we can only complete out-of-state adoptions under exceptional circumstances. We encourage people outside of Georgia to check with their area rescue groups and shelters as there are many deserving retrievers throughout the country in need of rescue.
- We reserve the right to refuse an applicant at our sole discretion for any reason. This includes, but is not limited to, if we determine the home situation is incompatible with the needs of a rescue retriever. Submission of an application does not guarantee that a specific Squad Dog can be adopted.
Please note that our application fee is non-refundable and tax deductible. The application fee, along with adoption fees, help offset the medical expenses we incur in treating our Squad Dogs prior to adoption. Squad Dogs have received all vaccinations, are spayed/neutered and microchipped prior to adoption.