Adoption Application Process

Once the Foster Receives an Application

Fosters are expected to check the e-mail provided to GPG at least once per day.

1. Applications for your foster pet will be emailed to you at the email address you provided to GPG. 

2. If you get multiple adoption applications, go based on first come first serve. Whoever can meet the animal first will get first choice. Just be sure to mention that when talking to people to arrange the meet and greet.

3. Contact the applicant within 24 hours of receiving the application. We’ve found the best way to reach an adopter is via text message but you can also email or call. If the adopter doesn’t respond to your first way of contact within 24 hours, try another way of contacting. For example, if you emailed and they haven’t responded, try texting the next day. Check out the bottom of the page for example emails/texts sent to potential adopters.

4. Have an initial call with them to tell them about your foster pet.

5. If the adopter thinks the pet is a good fit, schedule a meet and greet. The meet and greet can be scheduled at the adopter’s home, your home, a public place like a park or PetSmart or in the shelter play yard. To schedule time in the shelter play yard, email adoptioncontracts@gatewaypets.org.

   1. If the adopter doesn’t think the pet is a good fit:

      1.  Let them know that we can match them with other pets who may be a better fit. If they would like to do that, let them know someone will be in touch.

      2. Reply to whoever from the adoption team emailed you the adoption application and let them know that the person would like to be matched with another pet. Please give as much info as you can about what the person is looking for and why your foster wasn’t a fit.

6. If you do not think the adopter is a good fit for your foster pet, you should never flat out deny an adopter. If there is a clear reason you don’t think it’s the best match, you can explain to the adopter that another pet would be a better fit and ask if they’d rather be matched with another pet. If you have any concerns about the applicant or the fit, please email placement@gatewaypets.org and just let the adopter know that you need to check with the adoption team and someone will be in touch.

7. Once the meet and greet has been scheduled, e-mail adoptioncontracts@gatewaypets.org with the name of your foster pet and the name of the adopter to get a link for the electronic adoption contract and payment. The pet can then be adopted!  We offer a 7 Day Adoption Guarantee so that the adopter can get a refund if the pet is not a good fit.  (If you get a contract and then the adopter backs out make sure to email adoptioncontracts@gatewaypets.org again to have them void the contract).

   1. A pet should not go to the adopter’s home until it has been spayed/neutered unless approved to be adopted early as a “medical pre-adopt” by a GPG Staff Member. However, the adopter is welcome to fill out the contract ahead of time to reserve the pet until it is ready for adoption. Once the pet is adopted, add the adopter to the Facebook Alumni Forum and post a message welcoming them! Alumni Forum Link- https://www.facebook.com/groups/GPGAlumni/

Removing Barriers to Adoption via Conversational Adoptions

Our goal is to remove adoption barriers and increase adoptions of the pets in our care, which in turn allows us to save the lives of more dogs and cats in need.  Our adoption approach is not to eliminate all adopter criteria, but to continue to place animals into safe and permanent homes. This is a matter of shifting our question from: “Is this the perfect person for this pet?” Into the more realistic: “Can I help this person create a good home for this animal?” 

This document can help you address any concerns with having an open conversation with the potential adopter.  If you have concerns that are not answered on this page, you are welcome to e-mail amanda@gatewaypets.org with any questions or concerns you have about an adopter.

• Support renters instead of policing them.

  • We do not need to call landlords of adopters. We will alert adopters to the fact that pet policies and requirements may exist by having a disclaimer in our auto-response when a potential adopter fills out an adoption application. Take the time to educate them on breed restrictions and landlord pet policies that may exist. It’s not up to us to do these calls to check that they have paid pet deposits or call landlords, trust the adopter has made these arrangements. 

• Promote veterinary care, without requiring proof.

  • Talk to adopters about vaccines and medical procedures provided to animals in your care. Use this opportunity to explain how veterinary care can help new pets (and pets at home) live happy, healthy lives. Good adopters can be on a tight budget, which highlights the need to offer low-cost options. We have a coupon for a free wellness visit with our veterinary partners in our adopter folder.

• Use persuasion to address declawing, not punishment.

  • Find out why declawing is being considered and introduce adopters to effective alternatives like nail caps, scratching posts and scratching deterrents such as Sticky Paws. Let pet owners know why we do not support declawing. If they are set on adopting a cat that is declawed, we will match them with one that has come to us declawed if we have one.

• Support homes long-term instead of investigating them once.

  • We do not require a home inspection of adopters. If it works to have a meet and greet at an adopter’s home, that’s totally fine but you are not there to police them. Trade the time that would otherwise be spent on home visits for helping more animals find good homes and supporting pets and family’s post-adoption. You are far more likely to guarantee a good home when you have a close connection to adopters!

• Help adopters keep their dogs happy and healthy, whether or not they have a fence!

  • What makes fences so appealing?  Safety? Freedom from chains? Off-leash exercise with their family? All of these needs can be met without a fence. Instead of relying on a physical object that may not actually serve your goals, focus on the needs themselves and help adopters meet them, no matter their living environment.

• Help pets live happily with people of all ages.

  • Share insight with adopters. If you know that the 70-pound dog is an active jumper who has a history of knocking down small children, tell adopters your concerns and ask them about their own. Together, you may be able to make these matches work, or find one that is even better. 

• Support spay and neuter for pets at home, without requiring it.

  • If pets at home are not spayed or neutered, take advantage of a great opportunity to do some outreach. Ask why. Have a conversation about the benefits of spay/neuter and take time to answer questions and concerns. Letting adopters know what options are available locally or through your organization may add spay/neuter success to your adoption success.

Potential Adoption Denials

While it is a rare situation, there may be times when adoption isn’t the best option for a pet or a person, at least not right now. We never want to put our foster parents or volunteers in the uncomfortable position of denying an adoption. All denials need to go through the Adoption Program Manager. Below are a few reasons an adoption would be denied:

• The adopter refusing to agree with the stipulations in the adoption contract. The adopter must agree to the following:

• Pet must spend majority of time living indoors.

• Adopter agrees to provide adequate food and water for the pet.

• Adopter agrees not to alter the pet’s appearance for any non-medical reasons. This includes cropping ears, tail docking, and declawing of cats. 

• Adopter agrees to provide this pet with basic veterinary care, including basic vaccines, monthly heartworm prevention (for dogs)  and treatment of any serious medical conditions

• The pet living in the adopter’s home situation is likely to cause serious harm to members of the household (animal or humans) . An example is a dog who has previously hurt cat would not be allowed to be adopted to a home with a cat. In these situations we will do our best to counsel the adopter and matchmake with another pet or recommend other organizations if we don’t have any available matches.

• The adopter displaying actions or verbalizing that they would cause harm to the pet.

Things to send with the adopter

Purina One pet food 

"transition" items for the pet (favorite toy, blanket, etc)

The collar if the adopter does not have one.

Items that should NOT go with the pet for adoption trial 

(if these items are lent, you are responsible for making arrangements to retrieve them): 

GPG crate  

Freedom harnesses  

Feel free to recommend products you have found helpful with your foster pet, especially for first-time pet owners.

 For pets who are on "Medical Pre-Adoption" (still need medical treatment) we are now finalizing the adoption at the time that the adopter takes possession of the pet. We will need to have them sign the electronic adoption contract and pay the fee like any other foster.  We will still pay for whatever pre-existing medical need that qualified them to be Medical Pre-Adopt in the first place (i.e. heartworm positive, orthopedic surgery, etc.) but they assume the responsibility and liability for their newly adopted pet when they take possession.  All vetting needs and questions can be directed to vetting@gatewaypets.org.  

Sample Emails/Texts to send to potential adopters:

When you are in the process of filling in the applicant on the animal be sure to let them know all the pros and cons of the foster pet. We advice on the Positive, Negative, Positive method.  That means that you frame anything negative about the pet with two positives. One before and one after the negative trait. Check out some samples of emails and texts that our foster parents have used before.

Adult Dog Examples:

Hey xxx!

My name is ___________, I foster for Gateway Pets. You recently submitted an adoption application that mentioned my foster Jelly Bean, so I'm following up! I understand that you have also expressed interest in a few other dogs, so if you have any questions about the process, GPG, or the animals all of us are happy to help.

Jelly Bean has lived with me for a few months now. She is around 60 pounds and 5 years old, is known in the GPG community for being a huge cuddler, and is very affectionate to her "people". I live in a one bedroom apartment and walk her as routinely as I can and her energy level is well suited to the set up. She has learned her basic sit and stay commands with me, responds extremely well to corrections (as soon as I say no to anything, she actually leaves it), and the trainer she and I work with has been impressed by how quickly she has responded our work on some behaviors.

Jelly Bean is such a special pup. I personally have never had a dog before that's so willing to learn, loyal to her person, and excited to love on you. I'm happy to provide more information on her background, behaviors, etc, I just didn't want to send an even longer email! If you'd like to see more pictures of her, you can search the #gpgjellybean hashtag on instagram or look at my foster page @fostergradpad.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hi, Rebels foster mom here! I would love to setup a meet and greet for you to get to know him. He’s the sweetest goofiest boy who loves to cuddle and hang out! He’s also a huge fan of quiet time (naps!) and will lay down anywhere you are. We usually do a meet and greet at forest park but with it being dark, we can do a socially distanced meet and greet at our house.

I did receive a number of applications for Rebel and I am currently scheduling multiple meet and greets this week. GPGs policy is first come first serve and will communicate with you accordingly.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions about Rebel and what your availability is like for the upcoming week!

Puppy Examples:

Hi xxx!!!

I'm xxxxx a foster volunteer, and I received your application for a puppy from Gateway Pet Guardians. I'm currently fostering some of the "science litter" puppies, and have Charles Darwin available. I wanted to give you some information about him and to find out if you're interested in adopting.

GPG staff found Charles Darwin and his siblings under an old box trailer in East St. Louis on Tuesday, April 7th. After taking them to the vet that day, they estimated the litter to be about 6 weeks old. They were pretty scared and shy at first, but warmed up quickly. He's the most outgoing and sweetest one of all. (I'm not just saying that-- he's my favorite!) He'll be ready to go home sometime at the end of this month or early May. 

I've included a few photos for you to see. Are you interested in meeting/adopting him at the end of the month? Please let me know if you have any questions I can answer and feel free to email, text or call at any time.

Thanks!

Hi there,

I’m the foster for Milwaukee. I got your application and I’d love to tell you a little more about him!

He was found as a stray so we don’t know a lot about his background. He’s around 5 months old, we estimate that based on him losing his baby teeth right now. He’s a typical puppy, still a little mouthy when he’s playing but overall not bad. I wouldn’t say he’s fully potty trained, but he’s pretty good at holding it until you take him outside, he just doesn’t go to the door yet to tell you. He’s been really good with my dogs, I have 2 adult dogs and another puppy. He listens to my older dogs corrections pretty well, and he’s been great with all people.

He is already 45 pounds, so he is going to be a big dog. I don’t know how big exactly, but big. He has a lot of skin to grow into! He currently eats about 5 cups of food a day and I expect that to go up until he’s fully grown and doesn’t need all those calories. He sleeps in a kennel overnight and does pretty well. If he can see you he settles down in a minute, if he’s alone he’ll whine for 10-15 minutes or so.

He is neutered and fully vaccinated (including rabies), so he wouldn’t need any shots until next January. And the Gateway Pet Clinic is now open at our new location so there’s a vet right near you! We love seeing our former dogs at the clinic too. He’s had his flea and tick and heartworm prevention for the month, he’ll need his next one on March 1, and then every month after that. It’s available at the GPG store for like $4 a month or something like that, so pretty affordable. He will need that every month for the rest of his life to prevent heartworms, which are deadly.

If you’d like to tell me more about you and your family I’d love to hear it. I think he will easily fit in to most households, but would do best with lots of attention and a fenced yard. Please let me know if you’re interested in meeting him!

Shy Puppy Example:

Hi,

I’m xxxxx, the foster mom for Chutney. I received your application and I’d like to tell you more about her.

She was born to a feral mom and didn’t have any human interaction for the first 8-9 weeks of her life. Because of this, she’s extremely shy. She’s already made strides since she’s been in rescue for a week, but she’s not a cuddly puppy by any means. I think she has the potential to be a great pet, but she needs a family who understands the time and patience it will take to socialize her. She may not ever be an off leash dog, or super friendly with strangers, but I’m confident she will eventually be great with her family. And of course she could exceed my expectations and turn it around to be the happy go lucky puppy I’d love her to be, but I want you to be aware of her background and her needs.

At first she was biting when she was trapped, since that initial shock she has just been scared and not aggressive at all. She’s good with other dogs and probably would do best with a friendly dog in the house to show her the ropes, but that’s not a must have if you’re willing to put in the extra work.

If you’re interested in hearing more and meeting her, let me know! I’m speaking with a few adopters to try and find the home that will be able to get her to her fullest potential. We do operate on a first come, first serve basis, as long as the applicant is approved. I don’t say this to pressure you, but just so you know how we’re operating on the other end. If you’d like to text me I usually respond faster to that, xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Text Message Examples:

Hi _____, this is XXXXXXX , _____'s foster mom. I got your application wanted to see if you were still interested in ____ and wanted to learn more about them!

Hi _________! This is _______, Mando’s foster with Gateway Pets. I just received your adoption application for him. We’ve had him for a couple of weeks now, he’s a shy boy but loves having another dog around to help him warm up so your Kyra sounds perfect. He’s such a cutie, loves to cuddle and take naps but also definitely has a good amount of energy and likes to play and go sniffing on walks. I’d love to set up a meet and greet with you! 

Cat Examples:

Hi____ ,

I’m Linen’s foster mom and I’m so glad you might be interested in Linen.

Linen is 1y and 8 mo old approximately and she’s a confident, happy, and cuddly kitty. She gets along with my two adult cats. She is playful and loves feather and laser type of toys to chase with. She also fetches! She doesn’t mind being picked up and kinda love being cuddled like a baby. She’d fall asleep in my arms sometimes (very loud purrer). I haven’t had her around dogs before but I think because she’s so confident and brave I can see her being good with your dog as well. [this part is added because I know the potential adopter has a dog, I also phrase certain things to cater to the fact that the adopter has a young child who loves cat].

I have attached some recent pictures for you in this email.

Please feel free to text me at____ if you would like to chat more there! I’m happy to call and email as well.

Hi [name]

I'm cat's foster, ________. Thank you for applying to adopt! [Specific information about cat's personality. If they have pets or kids or made a comment about what they're looking for I talk about that here].

Our adoption process is very simple. We set up a meet and greet. If you feel like cat is the one for you, you complete an online contract that I'll send you. All cat's info will be emailed to you. You just need a carrier to take cat home.

My schedule is.... Let me know what works for you. Please ask any questions you may have!

Thanks,

___________