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Areas Secondhand Mutts serves
Our mission is to respect the dog.
We respect the dog by providing shelter.
We respect the dog by stopping the over population of dogs.
We respect the dog by providing necessary veterinary care and treatment.
We respect the dog by placing them in forever homes.
We are Secondhand Mutts and we respect the dog.
Secondhand Mutts's adoption process
Additional adoption info
Thank you for your interest in adopting a Secondhand Mutt! Because we are a 100% volunteer- run organization, our process for finalizing the adoption could take up to a week before you can take a dog home. We know our dogs inside and out and require potential adopters to complete the Adoption Application in advance of visiting our dogs.
You can download the application online or request a copy via email by contacting us at rescue@secondhandmutts.org. Once the application is completed and mailed, faxed to 216-373-4902 or dropped off at our facility in person, we will review it and determine if the dog you are interested in will be a match for your household. We will then call you to schedule a meet and greet. We show our dogs by appointment only after the Adoption Application is reviewed.
Our visiting hours are posted on our website. After meeting the dog(s) you can then let us know if you want to proceed with the application process to adopt the dog. We do not hold dogs or give first come first serve privileges. We will contact you regardless of your application being approved or not approved. Our goal is to find the best possible match for our dogs, and the decision process is not always easy for our adoption committee. The process will continue as follows:
Our volunteers will check your veterinary and personal references and follow up with you if there are any unanswered questions or concerns. This can take up to 72 hours, but can move quickly if you notify your personal references that we will be calling. Please be patient and refrain from calling us during the 72 hours.
After references are checked, we will contact you to let you know the status of your application.
If your application is approved, we will set up an adoption time that allows you to spend as much time as possible with your new dog after taking him or her home. Typically adoptions are finalized on Fridays or Saturdays, but exceptions are made.
When you pick up your dog, you will be asked to sign a contract and pay the adoption fee in cash or check payable to Secondhand Mutts. We will provide you with your dog’s medical records along with other informative printed materials.
Thank you for your interest in adopting a Secondhand Mutt! Because we are a 100% volunteer- run organization, our process for finalizing the adoption could take up to a week before you can take a dog home. We know our dogs inside and out and require potential adopters to complete the Adoption Application in advance of visiting our dogs.
You can download the application online or request a copy via email by contacting us at rescue@secondhandmutts.org. Once the application is completed and mailed, faxed to 216-373-4902 or dropped off at our facility in person, we will review it and determine if the dog you are interested in will be a match for your household. We will then call you to schedule a meet and greet. We show our dogs by appointment only after the Adoption Application is reviewed.
Our visiting hours are posted on our website. After meeting the dog(s) you can then let us know if you want to proceed with the application process to adopt the dog. We do not hold dogs or give first come first serve privileges. We will contact you regardless of your application being approved or not approved. Our goal is to find the best possible match for our dogs, and the decision process is not always easy for our adoption committee. The process will continue as follows:
Our volunteers will check your veterinary and personal references and follow up with you if there are any unanswered questions or concerns. This can take up to 72 hours, but can move quickly if you notify your personal references that we will be calling. Please be patient and refrain from calling us during the 72 hours.
After references are checked, we will contact you to let you know the status of your application.
If your application is approved, we will set up an adoption time that allows you to spend as much time as possible with your new dog after taking him or her home. Typically adoptions are finalized on Fridays or Saturdays, but exceptions are made.
When you pick up your dog, you will be asked to sign a contract and pay the adoption fee in cash or check payable to Secondhand Mutts. We will provide you with your dog’s medical records along with other informative printed materials.
About Secondhand Mutts
THE SECONDHAND MUTT STORY
Since 2006 with your help we have placed hundreds of dogs in great homes and continue to match owners with pets with success. A rescue dog has a history and each dog has its own story. Although they can’t tell us what they’ve been through they show us through emotion and the compassion for life they share with us. Many of the dogs that come into our program are pulled from high-kill shelters where their time has run out or the shelter is full and they need a new place to go. We can only accept socialized dogs into our program and we tend to focus on the shy dogs because those are the ones that are overlooked by potential adopters and rescues and we find they thrive in our cage-free environment. All of our dogs are socialized with dogs of all ages and sizes and we evaluate each before admitting them into our program. Some of our dogs come to us through other rescue organizations and a few come from owners who can no longer keep them for whatever reason. Secondhand Mutts is located within The Mutt Hutt, a daycare for dogs, and our space is limited. We try to stay with 5 resident dogs at a time and count on foster homes to admit additional dogs. We invite you to cruise through our website to learn more about our mission to respect the dog and we hope you find a furry friend to take home and call your own.
You may not find your future dog on our site today and if that is the case we'd love to help match you with the pet you are looking for. Give us a call or send an email to request a "Mutt-Match" form, send it back and we'll start looking. We will do our best to find you a match and contact you with your forever friend. Check out some the success stories of Secondhand Mutts and see the smiling faces of the new owners and their dog.
THE SECONDHAND MUTT STORY
Since 2006 with your help we have placed hundreds of dogs in great homes and continue to match owners with pets with success. A rescue dog has a history and each dog has its own story. Although they can’t tell us what they’ve been through they show us through emotion and the compassion for life they share with us. Many of the dogs that come into our program are pulled from high-kill shelters where their time has run out or the shelter is full and they need a new place to go. We can only accept socialized dogs into our program and we tend to focus on the shy dogs because those are the ones that are overlooked by potential adopters and rescues and we find they thrive in our cage-free environment. All of our dogs are socialized with dogs of all ages and sizes and we evaluate each before admitting them into our program. Some of our dogs come to us through other rescue organizations and a few come from owners who can no longer keep them for whatever reason. Secondhand Mutts is located within The Mutt Hutt, a daycare for dogs, and our space is limited. We try to stay with 5 resident dogs at a time and count on foster homes to admit additional dogs. We invite you to cruise through our website to learn more about our mission to respect the dog and we hope you find a furry friend to take home and call your own.
You may not find your future dog on our site today and if that is the case we'd love to help match you with the pet you are looking for. Give us a call or send an email to request a "Mutt-Match" form, send it back and we'll start looking. We will do our best to find you a match and contact you with your forever friend. Check out some the success stories of Secondhand Mutts and see the smiling faces of the new owners and their dog.
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What is the difference between adopting a dog, adopting a cat, adopting a kitten or adopting a puppy versus getting dogs for sale, cats for sale, puppies for sale or kittens for sale from a dog breeder or a cat breeder?
When someone is breeding puppies or breeding kittens, they are creating new dogs and cats who need homes. Some people are interested in a very specific breed of dog, cat, puppy or kitten and they think the only way to find that specific breed is to buy a dog for sale or buy a cat for sale from a puppy breeder or a kitten breeder. Yet animal shelters are filled with dogs and cats who must find homes.
So rather than buying a dog or puppy for sale from a dog breeder or buying a cat or kitten for sale from a cat breeder, we encourage people to adopt a dog, adopt a cat, adopt a puppy or adopt a kitten at their local animal shelter, SPCA, humane society or pet rescue group.
