Puppy siblings

Brother Wolf does not adopt sibling dogs (or puppies of the same age) to the same household. 

72-hour hold

If you think you would like to adopt your foster pet, we will place them on a 72 hour hold. This means the foster pet will not be available to the public, giving you 3 days to decide on adoption. You must let us know if you decide to adopt during this time. At the end of that 72-hour hold, your foster pet will automatically be available for adoption on our website.

Once the pet is available to the public, we will pursue adoption applications in the order in which we receive them. If you decide that you would like to adopt your foster pet AFTER that 72-hour hold, you will have to submit an application for adoption and our Adoptions Team will process your application in the order in which it was received. If you choose to make your foster pet available for adoption immediately, you waive your first right of refusal and will subsequently need to submit an application if you decide you'd like to apply for adoption.

Friends of Fosters

Whenever possible, we like to accomodate your friends and family who may have met your foster pet and would like to adopt. We can do this if the pet is within their 72-hour hold, if they don't currently have any applications for adoption, or if they are an unaltered puppy or kitten (see below).  However, if the foster pet already has applications for adoption, we will not pass over one applicant in favor of another. 

Please let our staff know as soon as possible if a friend or family member would like to adopt your foster pet. Make sure they apply for your foster pet, and email us at foster@bwar.org with the name of your friend or family member. That way, we can expedite the application as much as possible. 

Puppies, Kittens, Unaltered Adults

You have a bit more time to decide on adoption if your foster pet is unaltered. We ask that you inform us of intent to adopt BEFORE dropping them off for their spay/neuter surgery, and the sooner the better! This applies to any friends or family members who have expressed interest in adopting your foster pet as well. After the surgeries are complete, puppies and kittens are automatically made available for adoption to the public. 

Adoption Process

Once your foster pet has been spayed/neutered and made "Available for Adoption", we accept applications for your foster pet! The applicant will apply through our online application, found at www.bwar.org/adopt. This application is sent to our Adoptions team, and they will preliminarily review the application for any red flags or glaring roadblocks.

If the applicant passes this first review, our adoption staff will reach out to you with the applicant's name, phone number, and email. Please plan to reach out to the applicant within 24 hours. See below to view topics often discussed with applicants! If the applicant does not respond within 24 hours of you, let us know and we will move on to the second applicant or make the animal available for adoption once again. 

Canine Adoption Criteria

At Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, we have a responsibility to make safe adoption placement decisions for the people and animals we share our community with. All of the dogs we care for are evaluated as individuals. We gather information about each dog from multiple sources (staff, foster placements, previous guardians, volunteers, etc.). While we evaluate each animal on a case-by-case basis, in general, Brother Wolf will not adopt out dogs who:

Have a damaging bite history towards children or adults.
Do not show warning signs before they attempt to bite.
Have severely injured or killed another dog.
Cannot be safely handled due to aggressive behaviors.
Show offensive aggression towards humans (actively decreasing the distance between themselves and the person they are aggressing towards).
Stalk children in a predatory manner.
Show uninterruptible aggression towards other dogs.
Show poor bite inhibition (degree to which dog moderates tooth contact in the case of a bite).

Bites that are determined to be fluke bites are not considered aggression. Fluke bites are bites by a dog that occur during uncommon circumstances that are not likely to be repeated (e.g. while in acute physical pain, while with puppies during lactation, while under sedation, etc.).

Discussing your foster pet

Once you begin to discuss your foster pet, be sure to highlight all the great aspects of your foster pet! An applicant is much more likely to adopt when you focus on the best parts. 

That's not to say you should lie about "undesirable" traits, like separation anxiety or counter-surfing. When discussing your foster pet's "barrier" traits, focus on the growth and progress instead of treating those traits like non-negotiable issues. For example...

"Coconut isn't housebroken. She loves going on walks, but she pulls so much! When she meets new people, she immediately jumps up in their face and begs for attention. But she's so sweet and adorable!"

Could also be said like this:

"Coconut is so excited to meet new people. We're working on a trick where she'll sit whenever she meets a new person! She's eager to learn and loves working on new tricks. She's very energetic, and thoroughly enjoys her long walks. We typically go on one longer walk a day, and while we're walking, we work on proper leash-walking techniques. She still pulls a little bit, but she's so much better than she was a few weeks ago! After we go for our long walk, Coconut is content to nap the rest of the day. But make sure to take her outside after she wakes up from her nap! She has ALMOST conquered potty-training, and just needs a little more help over the next few weeks. She's growing up to be an amazing dog!"

These small changes in language and perception could mean the difference between a forever-home for your foster pet or a few more months in limbo. 

If you have any additional questions about this adoption process, please contact info@bwar.org

When your foster pet has received an approved application for adoption, our adoptions team will email you with the applicant's name, phone number, and email address. Contact the applicant within 24 hours via email or phone and discuss your foster pet!

If the adopter feels that they would like to meet the pet, your next step is to schedule a meet-and-greet! You are welcome (and encouraged) to facilitate the meet in your home. We have found that most foster pets are more comfortable and tend to "show off" more in an environment that they are comfortable in! 

You are also always welcome to meet at Brother Wolf's Foster Center during our normal operating hours if you would prefer a more neutral environment! Just be sure to give us a heads up with an email to info@bwar.org and foster@bwar.org that an adopter meet is happening. 

At this introduction, you can discuss the pet at length. Their likes, dislikes, medical needs, behavioral needs, everything! You are the pet's advocate, so communicate anything you think the adopter should know. Some rules to follow during this meet:

• Do not introduce the foster pet to any of their resident pets, unless our Adoptions team is aware of the introduction

• Do not leave the foster pet alone with this applicant for any amount of time. 

• Always leave with your foster pet, unless you have discussed otherwise with our Adoptions team.

If the meet goes well, contact info@bwar.org and let us know! Our adoptions team will take it from there and will schedule a time to finalize the adoption. If the meet and greet happens at Brother Wolf, we can often accommodate a same-day adoption. If the meet and greet happens somewhere else, remember to keep the foster pet in your care! The adopter can not take the animal until the adoption is finalized.  If you are unsure of the process, please reference this document or email info@bwar.org with any questions about meet and greets!