Wadena County Humane Society

Adoption Process 1. The adoption process starts with a commitment and a promise. You are making a commitment to provide a home and proper care for your new pet and a promise of love and friendship for a lifetime. This is why we encourage you to make your decision with careful consideration of your lifestyle, time, resources and expectations. 2. Call to check the status of a pet(s) you are interested and to ask questions before making a long drive. 3. Staff may encourage you to place a “deposit” on a dog until you can come in. More info on that below! To place a deposit please call the shelter at 218-632-5938. If we don’t answer please leave a voicemail. 4. Spend time with the pet! Once you chose a pet to adopt, the Shelter staff will spend some time observing the interactions between you and the animal to help ensure a good match. You will be asked to complete an Adoption Questionnaire and will be interviewed by a Shelter staff member. During this part of the process, the Shelter ensures you and the pet you have chosen will be good partners. Your lifestyle is an important consideration when choosing the right pet! An active, large breed dog is not a good choice for someone who lives in an apartment and is not home much. Upon successful completion of the interview, you are ready to sign the Adoption Contract and pay your adoption fee. Then it’s time to head for home and the beginning of a wonderful life together! 5. If you have other dogs over the age of 6 months, we are happy to conduct a meet and greet for your dog and a WCHS adoptable dog at our shelter, if requested (must request in advance). 6. Complete the adoption application, buttons are at the top of this page. (We recommend doing this ahead of time.) 7. Once approved, we will go over vaccination history and discuss best practices to assist your pet’s transition to a new home. 8. Sign legal contract acknowledging your responsibilities to your new pet. In some cases, if your pet is not spayed/neutered prior to the adoption, we can allow you to take the animal home while you await their spay/neuter surgery. In this case, you will need to schedule and then bring your pet to the spay/neuter appointment. Bring the Whole Family! Your new companion is going to become a part of your family, so it’s important that everyone meet before you make the commitment to adopt. All family members need to be comfortable with the animal and vice versa. You may find that Cocker Spaniel to be loving and playful with adults, but uncomfortable with your four-year-old. Or, you may have been eyeing a toy poodle, but the children have really hit it off with the lab-pointer mix in the next kennel. Introducing everyone beforehand will help ensure a good match for the entire family. Transportation and Lodging Helping your new canine or feline make a smooth transition from the Shelter to your house is another important step. On adoption day, be sure you bring a collar and leash (for dogs) and a vehicle that will safely and comfortably transport your companion. A pet carrier is recommended for safety, and dogs should NEVER be transported in the open bed of a pickup truck without one. At home, ensure there is adequate space allotted for your new pet to eat, sleep and play. A fenced yard for larger breed dogs is always a must, and a place your pet can go to for quiet time (like a dog house, kennel or just part of the house with their pet bed) is important. And, if there areas you don’t want Fido or Fluffy roaming into (like your formal dining room with the expensive Persian rug), be sure they are easily shut off and everyone in the family is aware of the ‘no pet’ zone. Deposits: Animals are adopted quickly from Wadena County Humane Society, so we advise you to call us if you find an animal that you are interested in to place a deposit on them. To place a deposit on a pet, call us at 218-632-5938 and have your Visa, Discover, American Express, or Mastercard ready. NOTE: Wadena County Humane Society CANNOT hold an animal without a $50 deposit. Anyone with an appointment is welcome to visit with our animals, but we cannot guarantee that animal’s availability unless a deposit is placed either by phone or in person. Deposits will hold animals for 48 hours to give you a chance to come and meet them. There is a $50 non-refundable fee associated with this service, although if you choose to adopt the pet upon meeting it, this $50 will go towards the pet’s adoption fee. 2nd Deposit: If an animal you are interested in already has a deposit, you may place a second deposit on the animal. In the case that the first deposit falls through, you will be next in line to have the opportunity to adopt this pet and will have 48 hours to from the time we notify you to come and adopt your pet. A $50 non-refundable fee still applies, even if the person with the first deposit decides to adopt the pet. If your adoption application is not approved, we will fully refund the $50 deposit. *We aim to do same-day adoptions providing a manager is present or has provided verbal approval to WCHS staff. That stated, at staff discretion, we may ask for an additional 24-48 hour wait to further review your application and whether the animal may be a good fit with your family. If you are driving a distance we encourage you to submit an application online before visiting (accessible at the bottom of this page).