Adoption Information

Thank you for your interest in adopting from Bluebonnet Animal Rescue Network! Please understand that it is not our intention to make the adoption process cumbersome; it is only to ensure the animals in our care get the best possible match to last a lifetime. Ultimately, it is our goal to make a lifelong match for every rescued animal so that they never have to end up homeless again. For this reason, we reserve the right to decline any application.

Bluebonnet Animal Rescue Network is an all-volunteer organization, and a small one with just a handful of foster homes and volunteers. Rescue is a passion for us and we do everything we can to make a difference, but we all have jobs, families, and other obligations in addition to our rescue work. Many of our adoptable dogs reside at our headquarters at Windsong Ranch, which is a working ranch with livestock to feed and take care of; others are in foster homes -- some ranches and some "regular" homes -- and they, too, have lives outside of rescue. If you are interested in adopting an animal from us, we ask that you please be patient with us - we will contact you and return messages and calls as soon as we are able!

 

Adoption Fees

Our adoption fees vary according to the age and type of dog. We try to include the adoption fee on the bio page for each dog, but if you don't see a fee listed, please ask. 

 

What Your Adoption Fee Includes

All BARN animals will receive the following before leaving for their new homes:

  • Spay/neuter - We believe that spaying and neutering is the only way to stop the overpopulation problem in our society.  Spaying and neutering prevents reproductive diseases and helps to prevent undesirable behaviors. We will not adopt to homes with unaltered dogs.
  • Microchip - Microchips allow for the animal to be quickly and easily traced back to their owner.  Most vets, and all shelters, have microchip scanners and animals are scanned on intake.
  • Vaccinations - All BARN animals receive DHPP and Rabies vaccinations.  DHPP prevents two of the deadliest diseases to dogs: parvo and distemper.  Depending on where the dog has been treated on intake to our rescue, BARN animals may also have received vaccinations against Leptospirosis and Kennel Cough (Bordetella).
  • Dewormer and flea preventative
  • Heartworm test and monthly prevention if HW negative or treatment if HW positive

 

Requirements For Adoption

In order to be considered as an adopter, you must be 21 years of age or older. If renting or leasing your home or apartment, you must have the prior consent of your landlord.

The first step in our adoption process is for a potential adopter to fill out our online application.  The information provided in the application will help us to assist you in making the best choice for your family and individual situation. PLEASE NOTE: The service we subscribe to for our applications does not work well with mobile devices, so we recommend that you use a PC or laptop computer to complete the application. We've had several folks tell us that when they complete the application on their phone or iPad, they get to the end and can't submit. We know that's frustrating. If you don't have access to a PC, send us an e-mail message and we can mail a printed application to you.

Upon receipt of your application, we will take the following steps:

  • Call your veterinarian for a reference check. We will verify with your vet that your current dog/s are up-to-date on annual vaccines, have been spayed/neutered, have had annual heartworm tests, and are on heartworm prevention.
  • Call or e-mail any references that you list on the application.
  • Perform a home visit. This is so that we can meet you in person if we have not already done so, and to ensure that you have a safe and secure environment for the animal, and to determine whether your fencing is adequate to contain the animal that you are interested in adopting.
  • Have a "meet and greet" with the dog and adopter together. This is to determine if the adoption is a good match. If you have one or more dogs already, we will include them in the meet and greet.

If your vet/reference checks and home visit are all approved, then we will schedule a time to complete the adoption. Sometimes, this is done at the same time as the home visit. Other times, you may come to Windsong Ranch to pick up the dog and complete the paperwork.

 

Puppies

Puppies under one year of age may have additional requirements before they can be adopted. With very few exceptions, puppies will not be allowed to go to new homes until they have had the full round of DHLPPv vaccinations. This may be 3 or 4 vaccinations depending on the age of the puppies. In cases where the puppies and mother dog are together, the puppies will stay at least 12 weeks with the mother before being allowed to be adopted.

All puppies that are not old enough to be spayed or neutered will be adopted using a "provisional" adoption agreement. This means that as the adopter, you are allowed to take the puppy to your home, but the adoption will not be finalized until the puppy is spayed or neutered. Until that time, the puppy remains legally under the control and ownership of Bluebonnet Animal Rescue Network. When the puppy is old enough to be spayed or neutered, we will coordinate the scheduling of the procedure with you, and we will pay for the spay/neuter if you use one of our approved veterinarians.  You are welcome to use your own veterinarian if you prefer, but due to the wide variation in fees charged by different vets, we will not be responsible for the cost if you use anyone who is not on the approved list we will provide to you. Currently, our approved list includes clinics in the DFW area, Durant OK, and Kiowa OK.  We require an additional deposit of $100 on intact puppies; this fee will be refunded after you have provided evidence that the spay/neuter procedure has been done.  The adoption fee for provisional adoptions is non-refundable and there is no grace period.

 

Long-Distance Adoptions

As a general rule, the vast majority of our adoptions are done in Texas and Oklahoma, and we try to keep adoptions within about a 4-hour drive of our home-base in Whitewright, TX. In April 2018, the USDA instituted a new policy that requires people to "inspect" in person any animal they want to buy or adopt. This means we can no longer work with you by phone and messaging, do the adoption paperwork, and put a dog on a transport to you. With very limited exceptions, the USDA rule means that you must be able to come to North Texas to meet the dog. Please don't ask us to bend the rules for you, because we have friends in other rescues who have received warnings from the USDA for doing exactly that. If we want to continue rescuing dogs and farm animals, we must abide by the rules.

 

The Adjustment Period

Remember that your new companion will need time to adjust to their new home. In some cases, our rescue dogs have come from hoarding situations or neglect, and some are dealing with lack of socialization. It is going to take understanding and time, as much as two months or longer. During this time, the key phrase is “steady as she goes”. Your dog is learning to trust you and other family members (including pets and livestock). If you have questions or concerns, we are here to reassure you that a settling in time is normal and we'll help you over any rough spots to make a match that will last a lifetime.

Overall, please count on this period to last 8 weeks. If it’s shorter – great, but if it takes every bit of two months or longer, be assured that the work will be well worth your time.

 

Returning Your Adopted Animal

We understand that sometimes life events make it difficult to keep your adopted animal. If you can no longer keep an animal that you adopted from us, for whatever reason, no matter how long you have had the animal, and no matter where you live, the dog must be returned to us. If something comes up in your life that will necessitate surrendering the dog back to us, notify us as soon as possible. You must be prepared to hold the dog for as much as two weeks while we make arrangements to bring the dog back into our rescue. If you can't keep the dog at home, we expect you to be willing to pay for boarding or find a friend or family member to help out short-term. Please understand -- if you take one of our dogs to the shelter, we will be contacted, because the microchip was registered to us before being transferred to you. Taking the dog to anyone other than Bluebonnet Animal Rescue Network is a violation of the adoption agreement, and we have the right to pursue legal action. Trust us, we have only the best interests of the dog at heart. But if you break your trust with the dog and your legal agreement with us, there will be a price to pay.  The best thing is to contact us immediately so we can bring the dog back into our care.  Our contact information is at the bottom of every page of this website.

 

Thank you for considering adoption, and for considering adoption from Bluebonnet Animal Rescue Network!