HOW TO ADOPT Meet our cats and dogs looking for good homes. Check our web pages for pictures and biographies. Contact us to meet the animal you are interested in. Or come to an Adoption Show at a local petstore. Be sure to contact us first, though, to make sure the animals you are interested in will be at the show. To contact us, please email us at cara_adopt@yahoo.com, and one of our volunteers will respond back to you. Fill out an application. You can download the Word file, edit it, and email it to us. Or you can print out the PDF file, and bring it with you when you meet the cat or dog. Please don't send it by US Mail because it takes too long to get to the dog or cat's foster parent. Cat Application in MS Word Cat Application in PDF Dog Application in MS Word Dog Application in PDF Free software downloaded from Adobe will allow you to view and print out PDF files from your browser. Your application is reviewed. Your application will be reviewed to make sure that this is the right dog or cat for you. Since the CARA animals live in our homes with us, we are acquainted with their personalities and needs. Some pets enjoy the hustle and bustle of a busy family, while others need a quiet adult home with a lap to snuggle in and no other pets. We will talk with you to find out more about what kind of companion animal you are looking for. In addition, we do some checks. We call your vet to obtain a summary of the vet record for your current pets. If you rent, we will verify that you are allowed to have animals. We do a home visit to meet your family and other pets and better understand the environment that the animal would be moving into. All these precautions help to insure that you and your new pet will be happy and healthy together for a long time to come. These checks take just a few days. Nearly all rescue groups screen their applicants in a similar way. The adoption process Once your application is approved, we will schedule a time to bring over your new cat or dog. You will be asked to sign an adoption contract and pay an adoption fee, which is a donation that goes toward vet care of more rescued animals. The current adoption donation is $120 for cats and $150 to $275 for dogs. We require that all animals are spayed or neutered before 6 months of age. If you adopt an unaltered kitten, you can apply to get $35 of the adoption fee back once the kitten is spayed or neutered. New adoption fees for dogs as of March 2008: Puppies to 1 year old: $275 Dogs 1 to 3 years old: $225 Dogs 3 to 6 years old: $175 Dogs 6 years or older: $150 New adoption fees for cats as of April 1, 2008: Kittens to 3 years old cats: $130 Cats 4 through 6 years old: $120 Cats 7 or more years old: $110 Due to the rising costs of veterinary care, we have subsequently had to raise our adoption donations. You will find each dog and cat has been fully vetted, vaccinated, and neutered. After the adoption We like to stay in touch after the adoption to make sure everything is going well. Please contact us directly if problems arise. We have volunteers who have experience with all kinds of pet issues. If for some reason you can no longer keep the animal, CARA will take him or her back.