Volunteer FAQs

Our goal at Pets Return Home is to match the right dog to the right family. We spend hours, days, weeks, and sometimes years getting to know our animals and we have great insight on what type of enviroment they will thrive in! In order to adopt a dog from PRH you should: 1. Identify the dog or puppy you are interested in via online, adoption event, or by visiting our facility. 2. Complete an application for the dog you are interested in taking home. 3. Once submitted your application will be reviewed by our Adoption Team 4. Upon approval of your application, a home check is then scheduled 5. After a home check is approved you will come to the facility, complete an adoption agreement and then take your new family companion home. If you have other dogs we will ask you to bring them to the ranch to meet your potential new family member to ensure success at home. We will send you a link to our online scheduling portal for you to make an appointment to come see us. ALL VISITS ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. NOTE: Processing normally takes less than a week from the time your application has been received and you have selected an animal, to the point at which you will sign the contract and receive your pup or dog. When submitting your application, please make sure you can be available to sign the adoption agreement and to accept your new pet.

Pets Return Home will hold all of its stray dogs for a minimum of 5 full days to give an owner time to locate it. If the pet is not reclaimed within the 5 day period, it will be evaluated behaviorally and medically for adoption. Once it has been evaluated, it will be placed up for adoption, under the same protocols as all other animals at Pets Return Home. Please check back frequently if you are interested in adopting.

No, the best way to find a specific type of dog is to check our website frequently.

Yes, all our dogs go home vaccinated with Rabies and Distemper/Parvo.

Yes, all dogs are spayed and neutered before adoption.

Pets Return Home believes that every dog is an individual. We are not experts in determining breed and research has shown that breed specific traits are not readily found in all mixes of a particular breed. For that reason, we prefer you think about the personality traits you would like in your new dog and find a match based on your match with each pets individual traits.

We want to make sure our adopters are set up for succcess, adopting a dog is a life long committment, that's why we take our time to get to know you, your situation and what you are truly looking for in a dog. As a first step in processing your application, you will be interviewed by one of our adoption counselors for us to get to know you better. This is the time for you to ask any questions that you may have about the organization, our processes or our dogs.The interview can take place at an adoption event, our ranch or over the phone. All interviewed applicants are then sent to the review committee for approval. Home checks are assigned to a volunteer in your area. The volunteer will contact you to arrange for a mutually agreeable time to do your home-check. The home check may take place before the adoption or post-adoption depending upon the circumstances. Home checks are generally performed by an adoption counselor before the dog is transferred to the new adoptive family.

At adoption events, we may allow a dog to go home with the adoptive family based upon the adoption application, personal interview by an adoption counselor and the agreement to do a home check at a time convenient for all parties. This gives time for the adoptive family to get used to the dog and determine if the fit is a good one. We have the right, per the adoption agreement to remove a dog from a home should the home environment be deemed unhealthy for a dog.

Pets Return Home operates on a best match basis. The family with the healthiest match for the dog will be first in line to adopt.

It's important to note that there is a transition period when brining a new furry friend home in order for them to learn to trust you and for you to trust them. In the first 3 days your dog will be overwelmed with the new environment and new people in his or her life. They may act out of character, test out your limits on what is acceptable in your household, or shut down a bit. In 3 weeks your pup will be feeling more comfortable and should understand your routine. After 3 months, your dog should feel completely comfortable and you both should feel a mutual trust and bond that can only grow. It's important to give any new dog a full chance to transisition into your life and not expect perfection from the beginning.

Pets Return Home does its best to ensure that all pets are healthy at the time of adoption, however, the move to a new household is stressful and sometimes illness does occur. Any illnesses after adoption are the responsibility of the adopter to treat.

Pets Return Home is here to support our adopters. Please record the behaviors you find challenging and any ‘triggers’ causing these behaviors. Send us an email at adopt@petsreturnhome.org and our behavior team will review and get back to you. A visit to your home or to our shelter with your dog may be necessary.

Pets Return Home wants every adoption to be satisfaction guaranteed. If you are no longer able to care for your adopted pet, Pets Return Home will accept it back into its adoption program at any time. However, if you would like to personally re-home your pet, we understand that you have spent the most time with your pet and trust that you will work hard to ensure your pet is placed in a home that is a good fit for its personality. Please remember, if you re-home your pet to update its microchip information with Found Animals.