Adoption Information
The dogs in our care come from a variety of backgrounds.
Our mission is to find the right home for each dog. This process can vary from a few weeks to several months depending on the circumstances. Adoption placements are made according to what will be best for the dog.
Because our priority is to find the best match for the dog with the right applicant, we do not operate on a first-come first-served basis. In addition, each home has a variety of individual circumstances which are taken into consideration when matching an applicant with a dog.
Adoption Process
- Submit an adoption application. If you don’t receive a confirmation email that the application was received within 72 hours, please check your spam folder.
- We complete a vet check for any current or recently passed pets.
- If your vet check clears, our Adoption team will schedule a phone interview to get more information about the type of dog that your family is looking for and information about your lifestyle.
- If the Adoption team feels that we have or will have a dog that matches your family, a Home Visit volunteer will contact you to schedule a home visit. We ask that all family members (both two- and four-legged) are present during the home visit.
- Once your home visit is approved, the Adoption Coordinator will work hard to match the right dog with you. We’d like to remind anyone interested in adopting a dog in our care, there is no source (including breeders, kennels, humane societies, and other rescue organizations) that can provide you with a guaranteed perfect or pre-trained dog.
- When we feel like we’ve found a match, the dog’s foster will reach out to give you more information about the dog and to arrange a meet and greet.
- If both you and the dog’s foster feel the dog is a fit, an adoption can take place. All family members and dogs in the home are required to travel to the foster home to meet the dog.
Golden Retriever Rescue of Iowa has the right to not move forward with any adoption application and has the right to deny any adoption application.
Adoption Eligibility
- You must be at least 23 years old to adopt.
- No outdoor kennels or dog houses at your home.
- No dog doors.
- Positive training methods only. No shock, prong or choke collars are used.
- You have not adopted a dog within the last 6 months.
- All pets in your home are spayed or neutered.
- All dogs in your home are up-to-date on DHPP and rabies vaccinations, exams, heartworm test and receive heartworm preventatives at least during the core months of April to November. There also must be a consistent vetting history. If you have had a dog pass within the last two years, a vet check will be done and they must also meet the same requirements listed above.
- All Cats (inside/outside) must have their rabies vaccination.
- Territory: After a dog has been posted for 30 days, we will open applications out of territory within an hour from Iowa borders.
Golden Retriever Rescue of Iowa has the right to not move forward with any adoption application and has the right to deny any adoption application.
Adoption Fees
Our adoption fees help cover the dog’s health expenses while in our care. This includes wellness exams; core vaccinations (rabies and DHPP); heartworm tests; and heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives.
All dogs over 1 year old are required to be spayed or neutered prior to adoption. Puppies too young for the spay or neuter surgery are adopted with a conditional contract that requires they are altered by the age of 1 year old. A $300 deposit will be refunded to you once proof of the alteration is complete.
- 8 weeks to 11 months: $550
- 1 to 7 years old: $500
- 8 years old and over: $280
- International Dogs: $1,530
This includes a $30 microchip registration fee.
Vet bills are significantly more than our adoption fees for vetting dogs before adoption. Vet bills for one dog is anywhere from $500-$1,500 while in our care. We fund the difference by donations. All donations go towards vetting costs, insurance, licenses and permits.
We appreciate all donations as it helps us continue our mission of helping dogs in need.