Adoption Info

Important questions before an adoption

Before you decide to take a dog into your household, first ask yourself the following questions, just to make sure that your expectations are not too far removed from reality.
   

  • Do I have enough free time for the dog, especially in the first few months?
  • Can I take vacation time when the dog moves in, so we have adequate time to accustom ourselves to each other?
  • In the long term, do I have enough daily time to take care of the dog? to train him, to take him out for walks several times a day, to give him physically active time, to feed him and to play with him?
  • Can I guarantee that in the long term (insofar as that can be planned) I can be responsible for the dog and look after him?
  • In terms of breed, size and character, are we well-suited to each other for many years?

 

  • Am I familiar with the characteristic traits of the selected breed of dog? (e.g. how much physical activity the dog requires, or whether it has an inborn hunting or guarding instinct)
  • Is there a consensus in our family about the adoption of a dog?
  • Can I afford his food and the accessories necessary for a dog, as well as veterinary costs and medications?
  • Do I have access to the funds required to invest in dog training classes or a private trainer?
  • Should the dog be first and foremost a playmate for my children?
  • Should he be a companion for an older person?
  • Do I want to be very athletically active with my new four-legged friend?
  • Should the dog guard the house?
  • Can I handle it if the dog breaks something in my home or gets it dirty?
  • Can I bring him with me on holiday travels, or can I leave him in reliable hands when I travel?
  • Can family members or friends attend to the dog, in case I should fall ill or need to stay in the hospital?
  • Are any family members allergic to dogs or animal hair in general?
  • Do my other house pets get along with other dogs?
  • Does my landlord allow me to have a dog?

Dog Adoption Procedure

During an informational interview, we will give you information about the dog’s history and character traits. We’d also like to learn a bit about you, so that we can estimate beforehand whether you, your family and the dog are a good match.
   

In the run-up to an adoption some questions may arise, for which there are no immediate answers (e.g., whether a dog gets along with cats or smaller animals, has a hunting instinct, or barks a lot, etc.) These are things that cannot really be conclusively evaluated in an animal shelter. In addition, the behaviour of any dog can change temporarily when it is in an unfamiliar environment. We can only give you the information about a dog that we receive from the shelter, i.e., the way the dog behaves there.

After a positive interview is concluded, we will mail you our personal disclosure questionnaire, which must be filled out and returned. Once we have received it, we will contact you again.

Once the path to adoption is clear, you have two procedure options to choose from (in cases where the dog is residing in one of our Hungarian shelters):

1) You can visit the dog in the animal shelter to meet the dog in person. If a mutual rapport is evident, you can bring the dog back home with you on the same day. The adoption will be finalized on site with the signing of the protection contract and payment of your portion of the expenses.

2) You have already definitely decided to adopt the dog/cat, we will bring the dog/cat – on a Saturday – to our adoption center in Hegyeshalom (Hungarian side of the border at Nickelsdorf), where you can pick up the dog on the same day. The adoption will be finalized on site with the signing of the protection contract and payment of your portion of the expenses.

In cases where the dog already resides in one of our foster homes in Austria, we will provide the contact information of the foster family, so that you can arrange an appointment. The adoption will be finalized with the signing of the protection contract and payment of your portion of the expenses, either on site or transacted through us.