Frequently Asked Questions

All of our dogs are in foster homes. We attend adoption events when we can and will post about them on Facebook. Please submit an application if you would like to meet a dog. Once your application is approved, we can set up a meet and greet (location permitting). Please do not email us about meeting a pet if you have not submitted the application.

All pets on our site are available for adoption. Other applicants for that pet may be further along in the process, but it is not first come first served. We place our dogs in homes that we feel are the best fit for them and you. All pets on our site are available and, as you complete the application, you will be asked to select pets of interest. When a pet is removed from the site, he or she is no longer available for adoption. Please be sure you are looking under the Adoptable Pets (https://www.blackjackrescue.org/adoptable-pets)tab, not the "Happy Tails" tab.

Adoption fees range from $300-400. Puppies tend to be at the higher range. Fees can be paid via cash, check, or PayPal. Our dogs are examined by a veterinarian, spayed and neutered (when age appropriate), provided with appropriate vaccines and microchipped. Your adoption fee helps cover expenses for future pets that we will save.

Our Application Review Volunteers will check the application. If we need additional information, we will contact you. If it looks like your home is a fit, we will contact your references (references MUST be non-relatives. If you include a family member or in-law as a reference, we cannot proceed with the application.). Please be sure to alert your vet (if applicable) that you have applied to adopt and that it is OK for the vet to share basic information with us. If you do not alert your vet, it slows our process. If you rent, please be sure to provide the phone number for your landlord. If everything checks out, a meet & greet will be scheduled.

Our review process generally takes 48-72 hours when all goes smoothly. This requires contact with all references. As this is a fully volunteer process, weekends and holidays may cause a delay. Please do not send repeated emails inquiring about the status of your application as it slows our process.

We can only speculate on the breed of a dog based on general characteristics and traits. If it is a puppy born in our care, we know the mother.

We are unable to determine how large a puppy will grow. While we usually know the mother, we rarely, if ever, know the father. If size is an issue, we recommend that you adopt a full-grown dog, generally over one year old.

All the information we have about a pet is in the description. You must first submit an application. If the application is a match for the dog, the foster home will contact you. You can direct your questions to the foster home; they are the best source of information on the dog's current disposition, habits and needs. If your application is not suited to the needs of the dog, we will contact you about looking at other pets.

No. We have this listed in a description based on the needs of the dog. It would not be a safe, healthy situation for your children or the dog.

No. Please see above.

No. We ask that you complete the adoption process, with the understanding that if it does not work out for any reason, we will take back the dog. In fact, our adoption agreement requires that if, for any reason, the adoption does not work out, the dog is returned to us.

Before they are adopted, our dogs are placed in temporary homes. This way, we get to know the dog's personality, likes, dislikes and general temperament. We rely on the judgment of our foster homes a great deal. Foster homes are not intended to be permanent homes; our foster homes are all volunteers, and we always need more foster homes. For more information on what being a foster entails, please visit our Fostering FAQ.(https://www.blackjackrescue.org/fostering-faqs) You can become a foster home by filling out a foster application.(https://www.blackjackrescue.org/fostering-appliction) It's a great experience for the whole family.

We are a privately run non-profit rescue. The vast majority of the animals who come into our program come from shelters. We are not obligated to take animals from the public into our rescue program but, if we happen to have space in our rescue, it does occasionally happen. If you have an animal you are needing to surrender, please fill out our Owner Surrender Form. (https://www.blackjackrescue.org/owner-surrender-form)We will be in touch with you as to whether we have space. By design, we are almost always at capacity because we are pulling from kill facilities in order to save lives but you can always inquire as to our intake ability at the moment.

We invest a great deal of emotional and financial resources into each dog that we save. Our top priority is finding them a home where they will thrive and become a loving, happy member of a household. Placing them in a home that does not match their needs will not make the dog or new owner happy. We respectfully ask that all potential adopters honor these decisions. We are always willing to work with potential adopters on finding the right match for your home.