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Every life is precious. We at HandicappedPets.net have no way to verify the appropriateness of people who visit this forum wishing to adopt disabled animals. Therefore, we are providing some guidelines to help you verify potential adopters if you are looking for a new home for your pet. Measures you can take to verify whether your pet is going to a good home include the following: 1) Vet check; 2) Reference check; 3) Home visit.
Vet check
Ask the potential adopter for the name and telephone number of their vet and ask them to notify the vet that you will be calling to ensure the vet does not refuse information based on privacy. Ask the vet whether s/he knows the adopter and has treated their animals.
Reference check
Ask the potential adopter for the number where they work and call it to verify they work there.
Home visit
Ask to visit the adopter's home to see where your pet will live. There may be legitimate reasons why an adopter would decline a home visit, but it provides additional information if you can arrange it. If you do not live near the adopter, there are rescue railroads throughout the country who will undertake a home visit for you in a foreign city or state. (A rescue railroad is a network of people who transport animals to new homes in distant locations.) We have a sample home visit form for your perusal, if you email Karen at andys_child@yahoo.com.
Again, there are adoption forms for your perusal, if you email Karen at andys_child@yahoo.com. These will give you ideas of questions to ask a potential adopter.
We ask that all posters keep in mind that there are many unscrupulous persons masquerading as rescuers and adopters who pull dogs and cats for atrocities which include but are not limited to: 1) selling for bait animals (a bait animal will be tied up and attacked by fighting dogs for practice); 2) selling for fighting dogs; 3) selling to laboratories 4) selling as breeding stock for puppy millls. It happens in the largest of communities (more often) and in the smallest, and can occur with the best dressed of potential adopters. First impressions are everything and unscrupulous animal traders know this too well.
We ask that all rescues, shelters and individuals ALWAYS verify the potential adopter before sending your pet to a new home. There are some fates worse than death.
