Interested in adopting? Here you will find all the information you’ll need about adopting a dog or cat from Circle of Friends Animal Society. Please refer to the FAQs page if you still have questions after reading this information.
The first step is to consider whether or not you are prepared to care for an animal for its entire life. Dogs and cats can live into their teenage years- can you commit to ownership of an animal for this length of time? As animals age, their health starts to fail- are you financially prepared to care for a senior dog or cat? If you move, will you be willing to only look for pet-friendly residences? If your family grows through marriage or child-rearing, will you still be able to care for the animal? There are many considerations beyond these that must be covered before you accept the responsibility of pet ownership. We want our cats and dogs to find themselves in loving permanent homes, so they don’t ever have to be in this situation again.
Now, it is important to consider which type of pet you wish to have. Do you want an athletic dog to serve as a jogging partner? Do you prefer a lower-energy dog? Puppies are a joy, but housetraining and socialization take a lot of work, time and patience. Does anyone in your household have pet allergies?
Once you have thought about the type of pet you would like, it is time to find a dog or cat that interests you. In order for any adoption to be completed, all of the people in the household must meet the dog or cat of interest beforehand. If you have found an animal from this website that you’d like to meet, please contact us. We typically have 7-10 dogs and a handful of cats at our weekly adoption event but this way we will be sure to bring the one you want to see!
Prospective adopters must fill out an adoption application. You will find the applications here:
After we receive your application we will review it and discuss it with you. We talk with you about the animal’s energy level, temperament, individual training requirements. We also talk about your living situation, expectations, and what you are looking for in a pet. We reserve the right to require a home visit (for all “bully” breeds this is a requirement, but we may ask for one with other animals as well) before going ahead with any adoption.
Once the paperwork has been completed and the animal is considered “ready to go,” you may take him or her home with you! We love to hear about former COFAS dogs and cats who have found their forever homes- so do keep in touch!
Please note: Our animals are spayed or neutered once they are considered of age for the procedure. In very, very rare cases we will give the adopter a certificate for the procedure to be done at a later date by our approved veterinarian.
Also, from time to time we will have dogs or cats at adoption events or listed online that are not considered ready for adoption. They may need medical procedures or additional behavioral training before they are free to go. We feel that in these cases it is beneficial for the animals- they are able to get exposure to potential adopters as well as the socialization experiences that come with meeting lots of people and animals. If you meet a dog at our adoption events but he is not ready to leave our care quite yet, you are welcome to put an application in on him. However, our applications are not considered first-come first-serve; we want the animal to go to the most appropriately matched home as possible. This is not only for the dog or cat’s sake, but to make sure his or her new human family is happy, too!
