Adoption Process – What To Expect

A little insight to our adoption process: It is extensive because we care deeply and we seek adopters that appreciate the work and background we put into the dogs and the adoption. Link to Adoptable Dogs below.

Application:

We normally start with the application and then a phone call with an adoption coordinator and discuss things like your day to day routine, lifestyle, hobbies, etc. Get to know you, you get to know us openly! After that conversation we will discuss the dogs we think really fit well with you/your families life. We believe in matching dogs with families that will align with and complement their personality, breed traits and needs. We aren’t so much the “pick a dog for looks” kind of rescue, think of us as a dog matchmaking service! 😆 Our dedication to placing dogs in a lifetime home is the reason for this. If we both feel comfortable with the situation we would move forward with a home check to note any concerns needing fixed. Any issues are REQUIRED to be addressed prior to placement! We can sometimes accommodate a meet and greet with the dog(s) at the same time!! Or we can schedule a separate time for you to meet. Everyone in the home is required to be present during meet and greets. If there are other animals in the home we do require a meeting between them, generally in a neutral setting like a park, to make sure they agree to the adoption. 🤣 If things go well during the meet and greet we have a 24 waiting period before signing adoption papers. We don’t like to rush the process so that it’s very comfortable decision for everyone involved! Everything we do is about ensuring that forever home! Since we don’t take owner surrenders all of our dogs are strays that were dumped or not claimed and we put so much work into our rescue dogs with training, teaching home routines, etc. We don’t adopt just to move more dogs.

Adoption:

If the match feels right and all the boxes are checked, we will go over the entire adoption agreement with you and answer any questions. We will provide you with a copy of all previous records and complete your profile for the microchip. Our dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Some things to note that may be different from other adoptions you’ve experienced.

1. We require a well fitting collar with a name tag with your contact information be present at time of adoption.
2. We require that all adoptees wear a AirTag for 30 days following the adoption. New adoptions make up some of the most frequent search & rescue cases for us.
3. We require check-ins at the 3 day, 3 week, and 3 month mark. These benchmarks are part of decompressing and is meant to be supportive of the adopter. We don’t want you to feel like you are on your own once the papers are signed. 3 day is generally by phone, 3 week in person at home, and 3 month can be either depending on if there are concerns.
4. Samson’s K9 Search & Rescue will be remain on the microchip as a guardian. What does this mean? The microchip will be transferred into your name but the rescue will also remain on as another point of contact. This helps us ensure that if one of our rescue dogs was picked up as a stray and you forgot to update your new phone number or address on the chip, the shelter or veterinarian would be able to reach us so we could pick up the dog and reunite them with you. In Arizona the stray hold is only 5 days for microchipped dogs and after that they can be adopted out. With so may facilities/rescues/shelters in the metro area it would be nearly impossible for an owner to physically check everyone of them in 5 days. It has happened many times that an owned dog wasn’t picked up within the stray hold time and the owner didn’t find where the dog was till AFTER the shelter adopted it out. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen!

We really love getting updates from our adopters down the road as these dogs are so special to us. So much goes into each one to get them to your home so seeing their progress helps remind us why we continue to do the work we do. You can look through our founders personal Facebook page to see more about what we do as a search and rescue organization!