FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
Hope Animal Rescue offers a Pet Assistance Program for community owned pets to provide high-quality, affordable spay and neuter services from our partner vets. Contact us for more information.
Our Pet Assistance Program provides high-quality, free and low-cost services to accommodate families who may not be able to afford comprehensive veterinary care for their companion animals. For more information, Contact us.
We are always seeking volunteers in various areas, including adoptions, design, fundraising, and outreach. We can always use help with clerical services, special events, and foster families to provide care to recovering animals. Please see our volunteer page to learn more on how you can get started volunteering today!
We know surprises can be fun, but if you wish to give a pet as a gift, we encourage you to involve the lucky recipient as part of the adoption process. This is because we want to make sure everyone responsible for a pet’s care is on board and understand the individual dog’s needs before taking on a lifelong commitment.
We believe a collar tied to an invitation for a meet-and-greet is an exciting way to surprise loved ones about a potential pet. Plus, this allows them to be part of the adoption process – which is half of the fun!
Many of our animals are adopted within one or two weeks after being listed online. However, there is no limit to the length of time that our dogs remain available for adoption. In some cases, we may care for an animal for several days, weeks, or months (and sometimes even years).
In cases where a dog has received multiple applications, we may decide to remove their online listing. If you don’t see the dog you are interested in, you can always inquire about them by contacting us. Please be aware that our inbox is monitored by our team of volunteers – we do not have any full-time staff – and it may take 48-72 hours to receive a response. We will respond to inquiries and applications in their received order.
Adoption fees help us provide life-saving care for pets who are in need of extensive medical treatment or additional time to find their new family.
Our adoption fee varies depending on the age, medical, and behavioral conditions of the dog. In general, you can expect to pay between $150 and $375 in adoption fees. This does not include the cost of purchasing food, crates, toys or additional veterinary care.
• Puppies (up to 1 year old): $375
• Adult Dogs (1–8 years old): $300
• Senior Dogs (8 years old and up): $150
The cost includes spay/neuter surgery, current vaccinations, preventatives, and a microchip – and of course, a great new family member.
The short answer is: it depends, but we do our best to make the process swift and enjoyable. Most often, the entire process from beginning to end takes a couple days to a week.
All of our adoptable dogs are in foster care, so the pet’s foster parent or adoption coordinator will let you know about the best way to meet whichever dog has caught your attention.
After you submit your application, we know you may be excited and can’t wait to take steps to adopt your desired pet. Please allow 48-72 hours for a response before sending a follow-up email. We are an all-volunteer organization, meaning we dedicate time to the rescue in between time spent with families and jobs. We get hundreds of emails every day and do our best to respond to them in a timely manner.
We are an all-volunteer rescue and do not have a shelter facility. All adoptable dogs live in homes with foster families throughout Raleigh-Durham. Meet-and-greets are available by appointment only. To get started, please submit an adoption application and an adoption coordinator will be in touch to discuss the next steps.
It can be difficult to come across a stray pet because many of us do not have the heart to call animal control, thinking the pet you just rescued from certain death on the streets will only be killed in the shelter. You reach out to all of the local rescues you can find, only to be turned away because of space limitations or policies to not take in strays. So what exactly are you supposed to do now?
The Rescue Mission
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Use caution in your rescue mission. You have no idea how the pet may react to your presence. A scared, injured, or sick pet may lash out to protect himself. If you feel threatened, call animal control immediately. Be calm when approaching, and using treats may entice him to approach you. Pay attention to the pet’s body language. If an animal breaks the skin, it is considered a bite – no matter how superficial – and that animal will NOT be placed for adoption at an animal shelter. Protect yourself and the animal. They may be scared and bite out of fear, without normally being aggressive.
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Before bringing the animal into your home, take steps to protect your personal pets. Keep them separated from your animals, especially if your pets are not current on their vaccinations. Flea treatment is always a good idea, so that your pets do not become infested, and wash your hands before handling your pets. Use caution when interacting with them until you are sure that there are no aggression or food/toy resource-guarding issues.
In Your Care
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Don’t assume the pet is unwanted. Assume they have a family somewhere, and begin your search:
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Call animal control. This is always the first place an owner would turn to when looking for a lost pet. Leave a detailed description of the pet in case the owner contacts them to see if their pet has been turned in. If you are unable to keep the pet safe in your care until his family can be found, then you need to take the pet to animal control. Most rescues cannot take in stray animals.
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Take the pet to a vet or local shelter to have him scanned for a microchip. This is a quick way to identify the owners and their information should be registered to the microchip if there is one implanted in the pet.
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Post fliers in the area where you found the pet, and at local veterinarians and pet stores. Pass out fliers in the area where you found him. Post the pet to Facebook, lost and found pages, and have your friends share your posts. Note the pet’s ability to be around other dogs/kids/cats. Look in the newspaper for a “Lost Pet” ad, or run an ad yourself for “Found Pet.” Be especially cautious if listing the pet as “Free to Good Home” on Craigslist or Facebook. While not common, these pets may be used as bait for fighting rings, snake food, torture, or sold to laboratories for medical research.
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Do NOT give the dog away! You can be prosecuted for not following legal procedures. You must report the animal to the proper authorities, and either bring the animal in, or hold them for the legally mandated time before attempting to find them a home or keeping them yourself.
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Congratulations, You Found the Owner!
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Make sure the owner is able to describe any markings not shown in photos, or unique personality traits. Ask for proof of ownership.
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Try not to judge. It might be easy to assume that the owner is neglectful, but remember that accidents happen – a leash or collar breaks, an unsecured gate, kids left the door open, etc. A skittish dog may not be abused, but scared at being lost and out of his comfort zone. Matted fur might not indicate neglect, but too long on his own in the outdoors. An intact dog might mean that the owner’s couldn’t afford neuter surgery (in which case, you can kindly educate the owner about low cost surgery). It doesn’t take long for a dog out in the elements to become very thin and ragged looking. They may have had someone searching for months for them.
Information adapted from Response-a-Bull Rescue and Shelter for the Misunderstood.
Absolutely! As a non-profit organization, we can always use in-kind donations, and our Wish List contains items that we use daily.
We also have donation drop-off boxes at Pet Supplies Plus in Raleigh or Phydeaux in Chapel Hill and Raleigh. For larger items or to request a local pickup, please contact us.
Prefer to mail a check? They can be sent to 1111 Spruce St, Durham, NC 27701.
Thank you for your support!
- Our goal is to help keep you and your pet united; if you wish to keep your pet but are having a hard time and are considering rehoming your pet, please let us know what kind of help you need. Our Pet Assistance Program can provide direct support or referrals for help whether you need veterinary care assistance, pet food and supplies, or other resources, you can submit a pet assistance request here.
Rehoming Your Dog
- Please note that it is our priority to take in dogs that are already at risk in shelters, and our ability to take in dogs depends on several factors including the availability of foster families and funds. However, if you are willing and able to keep your pet until they are in their new home, we can give you coaching and support in safely rehoming your dog. Check out some of our most successful tips for rehoming your dog below:
- Try posting the dog on NextDoor, Facebook, or speaking to friends and neighbors about them. In many cases, people are most likely to successfully re-home their dogs to someone in their social network. This also allows them a chance to develop a relationship with the dog and the current caregiver prior to adoption, and you get the opportunity to really learn about the dog’s new setting.
- Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet allows caregivers to list dogs they would like to rehome. These pet listings may appear in searches alongside other shelter and rescue dogs seeking homes. You can write a bio and state the kind of environment where you think the pet will thrive. Applicants will contact you directly. Rehome will set your adoption fee based on different characteristics about the dog. Adoption fees range from $30-$199. Re-home keeps the adoption fee as a charge for using their site. If you include an adoption fee of your own in the listing, Rehome may not approve your post.
- Similar websites to Rehome include Home to Home and Get Your Pet.
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We hope you will understand why our policy is not to routinely accept direct animal surrenders from the public. While you are hopefully exhausting every option, your pet is safe. The innocent dog with the goofy smile in the county shelter may not be safe. Please give your pet every chance possible to be safely placed in a new home. If you have exhausted all other options and have chosen to bring your dog to a county shelter, we encourage you to plan ahead and work with shelter staff to improve possible outcomes for your dog. Asking staff about shelter capacity, avoiding the holidays and other ‘busy’ times at the shelter, and building a relationship with shelter staff and volunteers who can advocate for your dog can all be life-saving for your dog in the end.
If assistance with veterinary care, behavior, or other needs will help you avoid rehoming your pet, we recommend you review local services and resources that can help before making any decisions regarding your beloved family companion.
Interested in learning how you can help Hope Animal Rescue? We make it easy to get involved!
Donate
Your support directly determines how many lives we can save each month. Consider donating online, mailing a check, or donating an item from our wish list.
Foster
Having foster homes available directly impacts the number of lives Hope can save each day. Fill out a foster application to open your home and your heart to a homeless dog.
Volunteer
Hope relies on a dedicated volunteer force to implement our mission and endorse the dogs in our care. Sign up to volunteer today!
Adopt
When you adopt a pet, you save not one, but two lives – the life of the animal you bring into your home, and the life of an animal still waiting for a kennel to open up at a local shelter. Check out our adoptable dogs online to meet the newest member of your family.
We are proud to be an all-breed dog rescue committed to improving the lives of stray and abandoned pets in North Carolina. We promote the compassionate and humane treatment of all animals, regardless of breed, age, or species.
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