Adoption Application Instructions
Important InformationTHANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN ADOPTING OR FOSTERING A GOLDEN RETRIEVER/Mixed Breed! We are very grateful for your interest in adopting a rescue dog.
Before you fill out an application, there is some important information you should know.
You do not need to fill out multiple applications for each dog you may be interested in.
Filling out an application to adopt from Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue. The applications are not geared towards a specific dog.
For the question on the adoption application: Which animals are you interested in ? You can answer “Dog” you do not have to specify a specific dog.
**All of the Questions need to be answered on the application in order to proceed to the next step- Incomplete applications will not be considered. **
**WE DO NOT ADOPT OUTSIDE THE STATE OF COLORADO** IN STATE ADOPTIONS ONLY
We do not adopt dogs under the age of 8 yrs old to apartments, condo’s or other housing with no physical fully- fenced in yard or Apts/homes with a shared yard. We seldom have Golden Retrievers/Mixes in our care who would be appropriate for placement in an apartment.
We rarely have Rescue Dogs in our care who would be appropriate for placement in a home without a fenced yard.
Most of our dogs require solid fences of at least 5 feet high and those applicants with fencing less than 5 feet will often result in an increased wait time for adopting a dog through GRFR.
Goldens/Mixes are very social creatures and they need a safe place to exercise. Many homes now have invisible fencing and that does not meet our requirement. Goldens/Mixes thrive on positive reinforcement and we consider invisible or shock fencing to be a negative training method.
We will consider homes without fences or with fencing less than 5 feet tall, for our calmer senior dogs and occasionally for dogs with special needs. If you are interested in one of our wonderful seniors or a special needs dog, please be sure to note that on your application. Please be aware that we have been asked to reconsider our policy on having a fence for young dogs many times, but we feel that maintaining this policy is in our dogs’ best interests and is for the safety of the dog.
We cannot guarantee a Golden or Mixed Breed for every applicant. We do our best to find the best match for the needs of the Golden or mixed breed and the applicant.
**Filling out an application does not reserve a specific dog on our website**
**Requesting a specific dog on your application does not reserve a specific dog on our website**
**Once you are approved to adopt we can see who is available at that time**
Once we receive your application, we will review it and if approved it will be sent onto our Phone Interview team for the first step of the approval process. The more flexible you are about the kind of dog/Age you are willing to adopt, the less time the process may take. Placements are not on a first come/first serve basis, rather placements are made according to what will be best for the dog and which adopter is the best match for the dog.
Not all incoming dogs are good with Kids and/or cats so finding the right match is important to the safety and harmony of your household. All of the dogs we bring in our rescue will require training. If the phone interview goes well, then the application is sent to our Home Visit team for the next step in our approval process. For the home visit all members of the family/people living in the home must be present. After the home visit is completed, the volunteer performing the visit sends a report to the Adoption Approval Committee.
The committee reviews it along with your application and makes a final approval decision. If you are approved, you will get an email with more information about how our adoptions work. (Check you spam and junk email)
**Yes we adopt to homes with children – click here to read more
Depending on the specifics of your situation and your desired characteristics in a Golden/Mix, it can take from 2 weeks to 4+ months after your home visit to adopt one of our Goldens/Mixes.
Sometimes it doesn’t take very long to match you with a Golden/MIXED BREED in our program, but sometimes it can take a longer amount of time.
As a rescue, we do not know what type of Golden/Mixed BREEDS we will be getting, or when.
All Current dogs in our foster homes are listed on our website- Once a dog arrives in our care they are assessed by the foster homes and their bios are updated. Then they are available to adopt. Please make sure you click on the the dog’s picture to read about each individual dog and when they arrive. If a dog has a pending adoption on their bio it means that they have an adoption meeting scheduled and are no longer available at that time. If interested in a dog- you can email GRFR at staff@goldenretrieverfreedom.org
Foster homes are given 3-4 names of Approved adopters for their foster dog. They review the application, phone interview notes, and home visit notes. Since the foster home knows their dog the best, they decide which applicant to contact first. Some of our dogs would do better in a home with another dog or the foster home may feel that one certain characteristic is better for their foster dog. Once an approved Applicant is contacted and a meeting is set up- the entire family- including current pets need to be present for the adoption meeting.
The placement fee is due at the time of adoption and helps cover the cost of medical care (spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, microchip registration, parvo/distemper vaccinations, heartworm or 4DX testing for out-of-state dogs) and transportation.
- Puppies (1 year or younger): $700.00
- Adult Dogs (1-8 years): $500.00
- Senior Dogs (8+ years): $200.00
We deeply appreciate adopters who provide love and care to senior dogs, making their golden years truly special.
Spay/Neuter Deposit: $375.
Basic Costs of Owning a Dog
Expenses This is a yearly estimate
Food and Treats $1000-$2000
Toys $250+
Beds $200-$400
Leashes and Collars $20-$150
Routine/Extra Veterinary Care $1000-$4,000
Preventative Medications (Heartworm Preventative) and Supplements $100 to $500
Training Classes or Resources $500-$1000
Dog Walking (between $0 (you can walk your dog) up to $40-50 per walk, 1x per weekday) $0 to $5,200
Pet sitters or Boarding $100 per night to $300
Grooming $500-$1000+ (Depending on Breed)
****Grooming for “Doodles”****
They should be at the groomer every 4-6 weeks. This is in addition to the daily home maintenance. Bringing them to the groomer will ensure that they are clean and thoroughly brushed/combed. You can get them full haircuts or just trim ups – the possibilities are many if the coat is well-maintained. The cost of grooming a doodle is not small. Doodle baths/grooms can range but up to $200 every 4-6 weeks. There are many things that are factored into this price. The type of coat the dog has, the condition of the coat, his/her behavior during grooming, and the time spent on the service.
How can I pay the Adoption Fee?
*Zelle
Our First Bank email address for Zelle to use is: treasurer@grfr.org
*PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1793186
*Check made out to Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue
We appreciate your patience while we do our best and find you a Golden/Mixed Breeds for your family. We hope you can appreciate we are a 100 % volunteer based rescue and will work as quickly as possible. We hope you are willing to go through our process because we need good adoptive homes for our Rescue Dogs! Please keep in mind that we are trying to take into consideration the special needs of our rescue Goldens/Mixes when finding homes for them.
If you are not approved for adoption, we are not passing judgment on your family, but rather we are just trying to meet the special needs of Goldens/Mixed Breeds we rescue that have already been displaced for one reason or another.
WE REGRET WE DO NOT HAVE STAFF TO RETURN REPEATED PHONE CALLS/EMAILS REQUESTING THE STATUS OF YOUR APPLICATION. WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AS WE ARE A 100% VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION WITH NO PAID STAFF.
