Adoption Information

What does the adoption fee cover?

The adoption fee of $825 includes the animal’s intake fee, transportation costs, and vetting costs which includes a general health exam by one of our approved licensed veterinarians, spay/neuter, microchip, deworming, vaccinations according to age and flea/tick prevention (during required months). The value of vetting provided exceeds the value of adoption fee!

What is the adoption process?

We invite each applicant to begin the adoption process by filling out our Adoption Application. Once we receive your completed application, we will reach out to you if you are selected to schedule a video interview within the following weeks, which serves as a virtual home visit as well as an interview. This will also give you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about Heart Mountain Rescue and the adoption process. Once we've reviewed your references after the call, you will be informed of our decision, and if approved, a HMR Adoption Coordinator will set up a Meet and Greet with the foster parent.

Is there any way I can meet a dog prior to applying?

No. Sometimes, people will meet our foster dogs at the park or through friends or family and then apply, which happens organically. Our foster parents are volunteers, and have lives and jobs of their own in addition to helping our pups decompress and get settled. It would be unfair to ask them to host meetings with people who are not approved and matched with their foster.

Can I come meet the dogs available for adoption?

If you are approved to adopt and we feel we have a match for you with one of the dogs in foster care, we will arrange a Meet and Greet. Please note that dogs can take some time to warm up to new people and situations, so they may be a bit shy but ask their foster parent lots of questions about their personality since they will have spent 2 weeks (minimum) together in a home environment!

I live outside of Alberta. Can I still adopt through Heart Mountain Rescue?

Yes, on a case-by-case basis and only if you are willing to travel to Alberta for a Meet and Greet.

Can I adopt multiple animals at the same time?

No. We only adopt out one animal at a time. Animals can be a lot of work and while we understand the desire to have a multi-animal household, we want our animals to have the attention and training they need to be amazing companions for their whole lives. If, after your first animal is settled and grown, you’d like to adopt with us again, please reach out to us to discuss this possibility as we’d love to help HMR families continue to grow. There is one exception, which is the case of a bonded pair. In this situation, we would adopt two animals out at the same time.

Can Heart Mountain Rescue make guarantees in terms of size, breed, temperament, etc?

No, we cannot. The dogs in our care are generally mixed breed, we usually do not know both parents in which case size is hard to determine, and temperament can change over time (especially after 1.5 years old).

Will you adopt a dog to a home with cats if the bio says “not cat tested”?

We are open to adopting a dog into a home with cats, however we do need to understand what your cat's exposure to dogs has been previously as well as what your detailed plan is if the HMR dog and your cat(s) don’t get along immediately.

Will you adopt a dog to a home with children if the bio says “not kid tested”?

We are open to adopting a dog into a home with children, however we will want to know how old your children are, what their experience level is with dogs, and what your plan is for supervision of the dog with children in the house.

I’ve submitted an application but I haven’t heard back yet – what should I do?

Please give our Adoption Coordinators up to 72 hours to respond to your submitted application. We receive many applications for the many dogs in our care so it does take time for us to get back to everyone. Please also check your Spam and Promotion folders as sometimes our emails end up there. If you don’t receive an email from us after 72 hours and have checked your Spam and Promotion folders, you can send a follow up email. Please keep in mind that we are volunteer run and will only reach out to you to schedule an interview if your application meets our minimum adoption requirements.

I’ve sent in my application, when can I meet the dog?

We do our best to consider all applicants for each pup equally and fairly, so it will take some time for each application process to be completed (interviews, references etc.). Once that process is completed, we work to find the best fit for our pups and only set up a meet and greet once we feel there is a good match. Please keep in mind that a meet and greet is not an automatic approval of the adoption - it is a chance for you to meet the dog and for HMR representatives to determine whether it is a good fit.

My application has been processed – why do you ask for a virtual tour?

We ask for a virtual home tour to ensure that there is sufficient room for a pup to have a great life as well as ensure there aren’t any hazards in the home. This isn’t to say you need a big backyard or to live in a big house to adopt - we just want to have an idea of where the pup will be spending most of its time with you.

Why do you ask for personal references?

It is important for us to speak to people in your life who have seen you interact with animals (usually their own pets) as well as people who have a good understanding of your lifestyle, relationship, history with pets, etc. This will help us to ensure that a dog will fit into your home and life well, and will be well taken care of.

Why do you need landlord references? Can I leave the landlord info blank on the application?

We require this information to ensure you are allowed to own an animal in your current living situation. Our motivation in this is to ensure you will not be put in a position where you can no longer keep the dog if you’d like to keep your apartment and vice versa.

Has there been any type of behavioural assessment on the dogs?

Behavioural assessments are completed on a case-by-case basis. Generally, behavioural assessments are not required - however, we get as much information as we can on the dogs before they arrive and then allow them 2 weeks of decompression time in their foster homes. During this period, our fosters report back on their personality, behaviour, how their training is going, and if there are any quirks we need to be aware of when matching the foster dog with their furever home.

Does the animal come with a medical report or medical history?

We will provide all vet paperwork that we have, including all visits completed by Heart Mountain Rescue approved vets. If there is more medical history provided to us, it will be shared with the adopter.

Will my adoptive animal be spayed or neutered?

Yes. All of our animals are adopted out spayed or neutered. In some cases, an animal may be adopted out through our Foster-to-Adopt program until their spay/neuter can be completed.

What kind of dog food should I feed my dog?

There are three key options for feeding your dog (kibble, home cooked and raw). It's a very personal choice and everyone has a different comfort level but all we ask is that you do invest a bit of time into doing some research on the topic. To start, we ask that you watch Pet Fooled, a documentary about the commercial pet food industry, lack of oversight and what nutritional requirements dogs have, compared to what they are being served.

Do you offer any post-adoption support?

We are happy to act as a support after you have adopted, but always recommend all veterinary questions be directed to your vet directly and that all training questions be directed to your trainer directly. We are happy to make recommendations in terms of vet clinics, dog trainers, dog food, pet insurance, dog walkers, etc. if you ever need a referral.

If you have any further questions please contact us at adopt@heartmountainrescue.org.