Adoption Process

ALL ADOPTIONS WILL BE CONDUCTED FOLLOWING A COVID SAFE PLAN 

Victorian Gov – Coronavirus (COVID-19) FAQs for animal carers

Our pugs are actually free as our adoption fees never ever cover our enormous vet bills let alone other costs associated with rehabilitation.   On average we spend $3,000+ on every third pug coming through our care when our adoption fees generally range from $950 to $2,500+.     We take into account things such as a pug’s age, medical conditions and how much it has cost us to make them fit for adoption when setting an adoption fee.  These fees help, but do not always, cover some of our costs which include desexing, vaccination, microchipping, eye surgery, airway surgery, orthopaedic surgery, physio, training, eye drops, ear drops, worming and flea treatments, medication, food, beds, bowls, shampoo, leads, collars, phone calls, transport etc.

We rely on donations to continue the work that we do.  Find Out How To Donate Here  A 5 year old pug that has undergone a desexing, vaccination, microchipping, airway surgery and a dental will have cost us $3,500+ alone in vet work.   How do we afford to cover our bills you ask?  Via your DONATIONS

Available Pug Adoption Profiles Here

  • ♦All applicants must be over the age of 18, reside in the state of Victoria, Australia. 
  • ♦To safeguard both our pugs and volunteers physical and psychological welfare we do not conduct interstate or overseas adoptions.
  • ♦We ask that potential adopters complete our adoption application questionnaire.  If they have on offer what one of our pugs is looking for in a new home we then will conduct a phone interview.  If that is successful then we will have a representative complete a  house and yard check including a meet and greet with the pug in question. These meet & greets/house & yard checks generally last an hour to an hour and a half and the rescue pug then returns to their PUG RESCUE & ADOPTION VICTORIA INC. foster home with our volunteer. 

Remember that we are a volunteer community foster care network.  We do not have a shelter, kennels, property or even an office with all of our pugs cared for in our volunteers private family homes throughout the suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.  Read More About Us Here

Our process explained

1. Suitable applicants will be contacted by a PUG RESCUE & ADOPTION VICTORIA INC. volunteer 10 to 14 days after their submission of adoption application via email and undergo a phone interview.

2. On completion of a successful phone interview a meet and greet including house and yard check will be arranged where a PUG RESCUE & ADOPTION VICTORIA INC. volunteer will visit a potential adopters home with the rescue pug that has been applied for. These house checks and meet and greets generally last an hour to an hour and a half and the rescue pug then returns to their PUG RESCUE & ADOPTION VICTORIA INC. foster home with our volunteer and will not be left at a potential adopters home.

COVID SAFE PLAN – Meet & Greets/Housechecks:

  • Volunteers must not participate in a meet & greet/housecheck if they have a COVID-19 test pending if they have come into contact with a diagnosed or suspected case of COVID-19 or if they have been unwell at all
  • Where possible volunteers will be fully COVID-19 vaccinated
  • Adopters must not participate in a meet & greet/housecheck if they have a COVID-19 test pending if they have come into contact with a diagnosed or suspected case of COVID-19 or if they have been unwell at all
  • Where possible adopters will be fully COVID-19 vaccinated
  • Masks must be worn by volunteers and adoptees at all times
  • Physical distancing of 1.5m is to be observed as far as practicable
  • Volunteers and adoptees must frequently wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser
  • Volunteers must have hand sanitiser in their vehicle and carry hand sanitiser on their person
  • Meet and greets/house checks are by pre arranged appointment for one volunteer and one prospective adopter who may be accompanied by one other person from an existing household or an intimate partner and the prospective adopters children under 18 years old if there are no appropriate alternative care arrangements available
  • The adopters property should be well ventilated and include the opening of all internal and external doors, where safe to do so, at all times during inspections
  • Volunteers will minimise the touching of surfaces within the property by standing/walking through the property to conduct the house check/meet and greet and having the adopters open and close any doors or gates. If a volunteer does touch a surface within an adopters property that surface must be cleaned/sanitised.
  • Volunteers to spend where possible a maximum of 30 minutes at an adopters property during a house check/meet and greet with the majority of that time in an outdoor area/yard
  • If the volunteer deems appropriate adoptees have the opportunity to take the pug/dog they are seeking to adopt either on a walk and or/to a near by park/oval for a further 30 minutes (adopters to use either their own lead or a washed lead provided by the volunteer from a sealed bag)
  • Volunteers must keep a log of attendees, locations, times and dates of meet & greets/housechecks

 3. A decision to go ahead with an Adoption will occur within 48 hours of a house check and meet and greet with both the potential adopter and PUG RESCUE & ADOPTION VICTORIA INC. agreeing to an adoption occurring.

PUG RESCUE & ADOPTION VICTORIA INC. reserves the right to not progress to the adoption stage if the house check and meet and greet indicates a potential home is not suitable for the rescue pug in question.

COVID SAFE PLAN – Adoptions:

  • Volunteers must not participate in a meet & greet/housecheck if they have a COVID-19 test pending if they have come into contact with a diagnosed or suspected case of COVID-19 or if they have been unwell at all
  • Adopters must not participate in a meet & greet/housecheck if they have a COVID-19 test pending if they have come into contact with a diagnosed or suspected case of COVID-19 or if they have been unwell at all
  • Where possible volunteers and adopters will be fully COVID-19 vaccinated
  • Masks must be worn by volunteers and adoptees at all times
  • Physical distancing of 1.5m is to be observed as far as practicable
  • Volunteers and adoptees must frequently wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser
  • Volunteers must have hand sanitiser in their vehicle and carry hand sanitiser on their person
  • Adoptions are by pre arranged appointment for one volunteer and one prospective adopter who may be accompanied by one other person from an existing household or an intimate partner and the prospective adopters children under 18 years old if there are no appropriate alternative care arrangements available
  • The adopters property should be well ventilated and include the opening of all internal and external doors, where safe to do so, at all times during adoption
  • Volunteers will minimise the touching of surfaces within the property by standing and having the adopters open and close any doors or gates. If a volunteer does touch a surface within an adopters property that surface must be cleaned/sanitised.
  • Volunteers to spend where possible a maximum of 30 minutes at an adopters property during an adoption with the majority of that time in an outdoor area/yard
  • Volunteers may meet adopter at a chosen outdoor location to complete adoption maintaining public gathering, hand sanitising and physical distancing protocols
  • Paperwork where possible must be completed electronically by adoptees prior to adoption
  • Adoption fee payments must be made online
  • Volunteers must keep a log of attendees, locations, times and dates of adoptions

4. If an adoption does occur we offer a two week trial period during which if an adopted dog were to be returned to us we would offer a refund of their adoption fee minus administration costs. We would ask people to value our volunteers knowledge and time and consider the time, effort and cost involved (including transport, phone calls, printing
etc) on our volunteer based organisations if this was to occur.    We also offer in home training/behaviour consults for the adopted pug, conducted by our trainers, during the trial period if required.

–   All of our pugs move into their new home with a collar, lead, harness, fully vet worked and with a comprehensive adoption folder.

Pugs are not placed on a “first come, first served” basis.  We try to match up the needs of the pug with the desires and lifestyle of the adopting family.

Our pugs vary in age and health.  Some pugs come to us in perfect health whilst other need some or extensive rehabilitation. We rarely have puppies so suggest that if you want a puppy or we don’t have a suitable pug for you that you do your research and purchase one from an ethical breeder, who breeds for the purpose of improving the breed not just to make money.   Dogs Victoria www.vca.org.au may be able to assist you in your search.

If you have read our ‘Is A Pug For You?’ page and would like to offer a loving, caring home to one of our rescue pugs please visit our ‘Available Pugs’  page to view our pugs currently seeking new homes.

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