Adoption Procedure & Policy
The animals that we as The Red Foundation have in our care are very important to us. It is our intention to find each of them a permanent home.
We have a large database of people wanting to adopt a Dachshund. Therefore, we will hand select a short list of potential adopters for each case based on the information you supply on your application. This ensures the needs of the Dachshund are fully met. This is paramount to the work we do, to ensure a successful placement, but this means our re-homing process is not a first come, first served basis. Once you register with us you may get a call in a week, a month, a year. We will not re-home to you if you are not the right placement for the dog, no matter how long you have been on our database.
Before applying we would always suggest you read our articles on “is a Dachshund the right dog for me?” and “Owning a Dachshund”, along with your own research on the breed. If you have no Dachshund experience it may be worthwhile joining a local group on Facebook and going along to one of their walks to meet some owners and dogs and see these hounds in action!
Once you have been selected as a potential match for a dog, you will be contacted by the case worker who is in charge of that re-home. You will be expected to carry out a phone interview with the case worker where they will discuss in detail the information you have provided on your application. We then go back to the current owner to tell them about you and if they are happy, we normally arrange a phone interview between you and the current owner, so you can both ask any questions you want and get acquainted.
Once it has been established you are the best match for the dog, we will request ID and a home check. A meeting will be arranged with the current owner and you – this will normally take place on neutral territory. All family members and other dogs should meet the dog at some stage, however depending on the temperament of the dog, this may take several meetings.
Once the home check has been passed and everyone is comfortable, the adoption will take place. You will be sent an Adoption Contract to complete and will be asked to pay a non-refundable Adoption Donation before the move can take place.
On the day you take your new family member home with you, please ensure you have a safe way to transport the dog home. It is now illegal to have unrestrained dogs in vehicles. We would advise the use of a crate and also use this to bring the dog into their new house before opening the door. Please also take a collar or harness with a new identity tag on it, and lead with you.
After the adoption has taken place, you will be offered lifetime support from The Red Foundation – we do not re-home our dogs and walk away from them. We will stay in contact with you for the life of the dog, and invite you to join our closed adopters group on Facebook, to share your updates and pictures with the rest of The Red Foundation family.
We will also ask you to take your new family member to the vets for a check up within the first 14 days of ownership. The Red Foundation will cover the cost of this check and vaccinations. If any issues are found on this visit we will also pay for investigations and tests, along with treatment for the condition for the first two years of the adoption. As part of the Adoption Contract you must ensure you have insurance in place (or financial support available). There are a number of Pet Insurers who now cover pre existing conditions, provided there has been no recurrence for two years. If your dog has a pre-existing condition we would suggest spending time researching suitable insurers.
Once the adoption has been completed we will change the microchip details into your name. We expect you to ensure all the details are kept up to date on your account.
If your dog has not been neutered, your case worker will discuss with you when this needs to be done, based on the age and behaviour of the dog. We do not neuter dogs under the age of 12 months, and if a dog has behavioural issues, we would prefer these to be addressed and dealt with before neutering takes place. If your dog is over 10 years old, or a vet has advised against it we do not neuter. The Red Foundation will cover the cost of the neuter.
Finally, we encourage all of our adopters to try a raw diet for their dogs. Raw diets have proved to be beneficial for health, skin, teeth and temperament. We can give you a code to get a 15% discount off your first order with Benyfit Natural. We are also able to offer 20% off your first order with Nutriment. Please drop us an email if you would like a code for Nutriment. Should you like more information or help with your dog’s diet please contact [email protected]. Leanne is a qualified canine nutritionist.
Adoption Policy
- To be considered for adoption you must be registered on our database;
- We do not re-home any dogs to anyone under the age of 21;
- We do not re-home dogs to families with children under the age of 16 unless the dog has been brought up with, and tested with children of your family’s age.
- You must pass a thorough home check. This is to ensure your home and garden are safe for a Dachshund. If any issues are found, you will be given a limited amount of time to resolve these, before the Home Checker will return to further assess the environment.
- During the home check you will also be asked various questions about issues and problems which might occur and how you will deal with them. The Home Checkers we use are experienced and if they feel you are not prepared for a dog, we would need to act on this information and cancel the adoption.
- We will not re-home to anyone who would need to leave the dog alone for more than 4 hours. If a dog is known to have separation anxiety we will only re-home to those who are at home the majority of the time i.e retired, work from home, homemaker. With any new Dachshund in a family we would expect you to be able to build up the length of time the dog is left to prevent any new separation anxiety issues.
- We do not allow our adopted dogs to be bred from.
- We will not allow dogs to be adopted to homes where they will not live as part of the family (i.e. in Kennels).
- We are completely transparent with the information we are supplied with and will communicate this to you with regard to the dog’s history, health, behaviour and current lifestyle. We encourage you to ask as many questions as you want of us, and the current owner during meetings. This is to ensure you have all of the information required to make the best decision for you and the dog. Due to data protection we can not show you the surrender form we have received.
- We reserve the right to ask for references.
- By the time you take your dog home with you, you will have an idea of the dog’s temperament and needs. It is normal for the dog to take a few weeks to settle into a new home. During this time it is our policy to offer you as much advice and assistance on any matters which arise to enable you to deal with them effectively. It is better for you to contact us as soon as an issue is noticed, rather than leave it for the issue to escalate.
- If in the very rare event you are unable to continue to care for the dog (this would be after all possible help and advice has been sought, given and worked on, and not an option to “try” a dog out) we will look to move the dog as quickly as possible. Our policy is, where possible for the dog to stay with you until a new home is found to limit the distress another change of environment can have on the dog. You may be required to arrange meetings with new owners and we expect you to be able to make the time for this in the interest of the dog.
- We do not allow Third Parties to collect or deliver your dog for you unless previously discussed, verified and authorised by us.
- The Adoption Contract and Adoption Donation MUST be completed before the dog moves to the new home.
You’ve read all we have to say for now – click here to complete our adoption form…