Thank you for choosing to adopt a rescue dog!  The decision to adopt a pet is an important one which we take very seriously. Yappy Tails Animal Rescue’s goal is to place homeless dogs into loving homes and families.

We take special care to match the right home with the right pet, ensuring a lifetime of love for both the pet and the adopter.  Our adoption process may seem time-consuming, but please understand that we have our dogs’ best interests at heart. We strive to find the best homes possible for our dogs, and the right dog for you and your lifestyle. 

We will only arrange “meet & greets” with approved applicants.

A small dog at a meet and greet before being adopted.

How Do I Adopt a Rescue Dog from Yappy Tails?

To apply to adopt one of our available dogs or puppies:

  1. You must be at least 21 years old.
  2. You need to fill out an application.
  3. Provide us with the contact information of your current veterinarian if you are a current or former pet owner. We will contact them to confirm that current and previous pets have been spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and well cared for*
  4. Provide (3) three personal references with your application, who we will contact before approving your application.
  5. Give us your landlord’s contact information, if applicable. We will contact them to ensure that dogs are permitted and that the dog that you’re adopting wouldn’t violate any size or breed restrictions.
  6. Lastly, we may visit your home to see the environment where the dog will live, answer your questions and complete the adoption if everything checks out.

Our application process can take up to 10 business days. To help expedite the process, please let your references know that we will be calling. Additionally, please contact your vet and provide your approval to speak with us.

* If you have not given your current or past dogs regular veterinary care or have not kept them up-to-date on vaccines and heartworm preventatives, your application will be denied. Heartworm disease is a painful and deadly illness, highly preventable with an inexpensive monthly pill. This is something that we feel very strongly about and will weigh heavily on application decisions. 

PLEASE NOTE: If you apply for a dog and then don’t see the dog on our website, it is because we are screening applications. It is NOT because the dog is no longer available. We generally only accept 5 applications per dog & then we remove the dog from our site to review these applications.  

Can I Apply to Be Approved for Future Dogs?

Absolutely! Yappy Tails has a pre-approval process that allows you to to adopt our future rescues as they become available. Pre-approved adopters are valid for up to six months. After six months you must go through the approval process again.

What Happens After I Apply to Adopt?

Our screeners will review your application and then send it to our board for final review. Our screeners do NOT approve applications. Please reach out to us at yappytai[email protected] with questions regarding your application status.

All of our pets come spayed or neutered and are up-to-date on vaccinations. All dogs are microchipped, heartworm negative, dewormed, current on flea/tick and heartworm prevention, and treated for any ailments. Our adoption fee covers a portion of these services, and makes it possible for us to continue rescuing animals.

An application does not obligate you to adopt.

Please understand that unpaid volunteers screen our applications, dedicating their free time to help our animals. If your references are unavailable, it will delay the screening process until our screeners are able to contact them. 

We thank you for your time and patience throughout our adoption process.

Yappy Tails Animal Rescue reserves the right to deny any application. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.