Adoption Process – Paw Pose Rescue UK

Please read this important blog post first! It explains why rescue dogs are so special, and what kind of home they require!

ADOPTION FEE : There is a total minimum adoption fee of £430 per dog.

Your adoption fee covers – all vaccinations, neutering, microchipping, Pet Passport, pet health and journey certificates (so that your dog can be legally traced between countries), and transportation from Hungary to your door*.

We ask for the dog adoption fee of £180 to be paid fully when the home check is successfully completed. Then the £250 transport cost, which makes up the total, is to be paid 2 weeks prior to travel.

*Please note the transport fee is quoted for delivery to the South East of England; Kent and Sussex. Delivery further afield will have added costs, so please discuss this with the team when you apply.

STEP ONE: Send us your application!

Once you have decided on which of our beautiful dogs you would like to give a home to, let us know by filling in the adopters application form (you can complete the form even if you haven’t found a specific dog). One of our friendly team will respond via email or phone, and give you further information on the dog you have chosen, or help to match you with your perfect pooch. Make sure you read the full adoption process before filling in a form.

If the dog you have chosen is unavailable we will ask if you want to go ahead and get home checked ready for when a suitable dog arrives at the shelter, or if you would like to end the process here.

PLEASE NOTE: If you send an application and do not hear from us within 3-5 days, unfortunately you have not been successful. Please consider and respect the time and effort our volunteers put into vetting applications. We are a very small team, we all work full time jobs as well as volunteering and cannot respond to every enquiry – do not call us to chase applications; we will contact you.

STEP TWO: The Home Check!

Depending on the specific dog you are hoping to adopt, we will rehome to a flat or apartment which has his own garden space or a directly accessible communal garden. However, this will strictly depend on the dog and their needs. We understand it can be disappointing to be restricted from adoption when living in a flat, but the dog’s requirements come first. Generally, types of dogs that may be suitable for a small environment will be little mixed breeds with a low energy personality. We would not consider a staffie type, GSD, medium mix or larger for a flat.

* Corona Virus restrictions may require us to complete a virtual Home Check *

Now that your application has been received, one of our team will contact you to discuss your Home Check. At this point you will need to pay a £50 deposit in the form of a donation to Paw Pose Rescue (this is only refundable if you are unsuccessful, less a £10 admin fee).

Please Note : if you pass your home check and agree to adopt a dog in writing with us (either by signing your adoption document or via a private social media conversation) your £50 will not be refundable. This also includes agreeing in writing to wait for an animal to become well enough/ old enough to travel. If you surrender your dog back to Paw Pose Rescue for any reason in the future, the deposit/donation is non-refundable.

The £50 charge is not an attempt to increase our revenue, we are a non-profit organisation applying for charity status. It simply covers the cost, time and effort that we have put into reserving your dog. It covers their food, medication, and the fact that we will have turned away other applicants who would have adopted the animal. If you are unsure whether you want to proceed with an adoption please let us know before paying the deposit, this saves us time, expenses and most of all it allows the dog to receive more applicants.

The home check is in place to ensure that your living environment is safe and secure for a dog. If you are in rented accommodation, we will need confirmation from your landlord in writing of their permission for you to keep a dog in the property, please send this to us directly via email.

Be yourself and be honest. If you have other pets in the household it is vital that you tell us, as we will not be held responsible for any issues related to this post-adoption.

STEP THREE: Congratulations you’ve passed!

Upon passing the Home Check we will then ask you to pay the remainder of the dog adoption fee (£130). We will then send you the legal adoption forms to sign digitally, this information should be kept to hand as it includes the microchip number and essential advice.

STEP FOUR: It’s Official – 2 Weeks To Go!

Your Home Check was a success, your adoption fee has been received, and you have signed your adoption papers! Two weeks prior to travel we will ask for the transport fee (usually £200 + £50 for the travel certificates). As stated above, depending on where you live the transport fee may be more than £250. The vans come through on Le Shuttle at Folkstone, and so they locally cover the South East. Should they need to go further afield the team will have provided you with a quote at the start of the adoption process. As you can imagine, traveling to Manchester costs more than traveling to Essex. Transport will then be arranged to your address.

STEP FIVE: Travel To The UK!

At this stage we will set you up in a Facebook Messenger chat (usually with others who’s dogs will be travelling at the same time as yours). This group can be used for any questions, or further information you may require… The best part is, you will receive updates and pictures of your dog as they go on the Happy Bus!

You will also receive some reference numbers that are assigned to your dog as they are coming from outside the UK. These are extremely important and prove that your dog is legally entitled to travel between countries.

During this time our Rescue Coordinator / Facebook Team will update you on your dog’s journey and ETAs. This is carried out via GPS updates from the drivers – PLEASE BE AWARE:

During Brexit transportation through the Euro Tunnel has been dictated by new French ‘rules’. It appears to be purely dependent on who is working the border when the vans arrive! We always prebook a ticket for a specified time and train, however, if the particular person feels our drivers need another Covid19 test (on top of their already negative ones), or they want to inspect our vans further – any little reason at all – they may delay our travel by several hours or up to a day!

This can obviously throw the schedule out in the UK. We will tell you immediately if there is a delay and keep you informed, but we do stress this is out of our control.

We appreciate it can be difficult to wait in for a doggy delivery, so we suggest being flexible with your availability for 24 hours either side of the day of delivery. The dogs will have travelled almost 1500 miles across 4 countries, so even without the possibility of French border control delays, we cannot account for traffic issues in that entire journey time!

STEP SIX: They Are Here At Last!

This is the most exciting time of all! The newest member of your family has finally arrived, and is ready to settle into their forever home with you!

Please remember that your dog will have had a very long journey, they will be thirsty, hungry and a little apprehensive. Please allow them several days to settle into your home before you walk them outside of the garden, introduce them to other pets, or have any visitors.

A cosy bed and some small tasty treats will help a lot. Most dogs have only ever slept in a kennel outside, so they will not have experienced creature comforts like carpet, stairs or even a TV. Keep noise to a minimum and let them adjust to their new surroundings.

All other advice and recommendations can be found/asked in the Facebook group you have been invited to, as well as in the email provided when you made your final adoption payments. We provide ‘back up rescue’ which means that our after care support will always be available to you – so don’t be afraid to ask questions or share your experiences!