How to Adopt

This website lists all the dogs, cats, guinea pigs and rabbits that we have available for adoption.

Look under “SEARCH PETS" from the menu.

All our cats and dogs are categorised by age, pairs, special needs, size and low/non shedding (for people with allergies or asthma) to help you choose the most suitable pet for you. We keep this website up to date every day with new pets coming in and removing pets as they are adopted.

We recommend that you identify at least 4 or 5 pets that you might be interested in meeting.

Our pets have all been rescued from Council pounds so you need to assume that they are not toilet trained. You might be lucky but you need to be ready to toilet train the dog or cat.

You will see photos of the pets and a brief description of their temperament. Because our pets are rescued from the pounds we usually have no history on them. The description we give is what we have observed since the animal has been with us and is a guide only. It is really important that you and all members of your family, including any other pets, meet with the cats or dogs to make sure you all get along.

Special Needs Pets

Some of the dogs or cats that come to DoggieRescue.com have a ‘special’ quality. They may have a physical disability, such as deafness or poor eyesight, or they may have been particularly abused or neglected by their previous owners. These animals require special attention, dedicated owners and a greater investment of time and effort to their long-term health needs. If you feel you have the qualities to become a Special Needs parent, talk to Monika further about the pets that interest you.

You will find links to our Adoption Questionnaires on this page.  You can complete it on-line, or download and print a pdf version.  There are different forms for adopting a dog, cat, or other pet so make sure you choose the right one!

The Adoption Questionnaire will help shape your thinking about the sort of pet that is best for you. It asks questions relating you home, lifestyle, family and most importantly, what you are looking for in a pet. Your answers will help us in discussing with you, the suitability of the pets you have chosen, given your lifestyle. We ask you to add as much information as you can to help us match you with your new pet.

You should read our Policies section in detail before completing the questionnaire. You will also find tips on this Page for making sure your property is secure before adopting.

The pdf version of the questionnaire can be emailed to us at monika@doggierescue.com, or simply submit the on-line Questionnaire when complete.

Once we’ve received your adoption questionnaire form we will call you to discuss the form and the suitability of the pets you have chosen. It also gives you the opportunity to discuss with us any concerns you may have about adopting a pet. We may also make suggestions of other pets you might want to consider that may be appropriate for your living arrangements.

Once we’ve had that discussion we will make an appointment for you to meet the pets.

Our adoption centre is in Ingleside at 2 McCowan Road. You will find instructions here of how to find us.

It is really important that you and all members of your family, including any other dogs, meet with the pets to make sure you all get along. You need to make an appointment at a time that suits your whole family.

Some of our cats and doggies are in Foster homes so we may need to make an appointment for the doggies Foster Carer to bring the animal in to meet you. This may take a little while so please be patient as we make these arrangements.

If you are renting or living in a unit or townhouse we ask that you are ready to bring permission to have a dog from your landlord or body corporate with you to the appointment.

You need to allow at least an hour or more for your appointment so that you and your family have a good chance to spend quality time with the pets. You will be asked to take each pet that you are interested in meeting for a walk / cuddle to see how you all get along. It is really important to ensure that you bond well with the pet and that he or she likes you and your family.

Once you have chosen a pet (and DoggieRescue is satisfied that you are able to meet each others needs) you’re ready to adopt.

You’ll be asked to sign an adoption agreement (you’ll find a copy here), to sign a microchip transfer form and to pay for the pet. We provide you with documentation on the animal's health records as well as basic tips on care, food, toilet and other training.

Our adoption costs vary depending on the type of pet: for dogs we usually ask for between $400 and $600, depending on the age and sex of the dog.  The payment goes part way to recovering our basic veterinary costs of desexing, vaccination, heartworm testing and microchipping. We have EFTPOS facilities and we accept cash.

We can’t hold pets once they have been adopted so it is important that you are ready to take the pet on the day (make sure you have a lead / carrying case and some old towels for your car!)

This is the best part of all, when you take your pet home and introduce him/her as the newest member of your family.

Let Your Dog Settle In

There are some good tips and guidelines about helping your new family member settle in to their new surroundings and we urge you and your family to read the section entitled, "Settling In" on this website.

It's most important to understand that many of these pets have been at DoggieRescue for some months or even longer. They may not have been toilet trained - some have never even seen inside a lounge room before! Most have been used to living in kennel conditions with little one-on-one attention, and so the experience of concentrated attention from the family will be new and a little unsettling for them.

So please be patient with them!

Give them some time to settle in and to feel comfortable. Perhaps they will leave a few unwelcome gifts on your floor, but almost always they will settle in within a week or so.

Please Tag Your pet! Your adopted pet will go home with you wearing a plastic DoggieRescue identification tag, in which we'll also record your contact phone number.

PLEASE keep your pet tagged at all times.

Many pets have escaped on day one, before the owners have had a chance to have a new identification tag engraved.

There are rare occasions when the pet and the family don't suit one another. DoggieRescue will ALWAYS take back a pet, regardless of how long you have had the animal.