After I’m Approved
Can I adopt the day I visit?
Yes. We hope you do.
Where is Dreamweaver Farms located?
Dreamweaver Farms is located in the northern part of South Carolina. The nearest town is Jonesville, SC but we have a Pacolet, SC postal address. We are 1.25 hours south-west of Charlotte NC, 1.25 hours east of Greenville, SC and 1. 5 hours north of Columbia, SC. We will send you directions with your invitation.
Why can’t I just come out to the farm when I’m ready? Why do I have to have an appointment?
Dreamweaver Farms is not open to the public. It is by invitation only. Because we are small, we have a limited amount of staff to work with you. The goal is to have someone here who can work with you one on one.
Can I come early?
You can but we might not be ready for you. You’ll be invited to wait in our adoption center if there is not an adoption counselor that is available to work with you.
I am going to take a week off to stay with my new dog, will that help him settle in?
Dogs thrive on routine and consistency. While it’s very natural to want to spend a lot of time with your new dog, it’s also not necessary to be with them every moment during the first week.
Why don’t you do trial placements?
Adopting a dog is a huge commitment, not as much as a child but certainly way up there in responsibilities we take on. We want the adopter walking out the door knowing they have a perfect fit, and never even considering that they have a week to think things over. We think it is very detrimental to the dogs to bounce them around too much. They need time to settle. A month is close to a year to a dog. Imagine being in a new home for a year, really starting to feel comfortable about things, only to be dumped yet again. We had one breeder tell me he felt that 7 times was the max a dog could be rehomed. When we get them, we’re already home 3 or 4. I don’t want to stretch to that 7th home.
We try very hard to screen homes thoroughly and really get to know them whilst our staff members are temperament testing and getting to know our dogs. Then we match homes and dogs together so there are few “bring ’em backs” and the home and dog is very comfortable right away. One of our staffers (Amanda) showed a whole different side of one dogs to an adopter trying to decide between two pups. Either would have been a fit but only one was going home. Amanda sees the dogs every day 5 days per week. Once she described the dogs she knew, and then played with them to show what she meant, versus the dogs that they were playing with who were understandably not acting normal in a new place with new people, the couple knew which dog was for them. We had a very nice lady that simply said – you pick, I can’t! She trusted us to make the best match for her. We put a little dog into her arms and we already have a note back today that she is head over heels crazy about him already. We knew before she got here based on our research that he was the perfect dog for her family . We did over 400 adoptions in 2009. Of those 400,we got back we believe 8 dogs total and several of those were from people whose lives changed due to illness and had no choice. Volunteers check in regularly with our adopters and we hear from them as we stay in touch with our newsletter and we always get back happy tails after a newsletter goes out. Again, works for me in this environment here and with our set up. We want the PERSON to be committed when they walk out the door. That first week is the hardest and it is our opinion that if the people have a convenient out in the first week that bears no consequences to them, they’ll often take it when if they had been committed in the first place, the bail out would not have happened. We offer a lot of support also. The way we see it, you don’t get a week’s trial when you have a baby, right? It’s yours.
Why do I need to make an appointment? Can you just ship me a dog?
We are very different from other rescue groups out there. Most of them are foster home based. We are kennel based, so almost all of our dogs are in a central location. This makes it easy for you to come and meet/greet several dogs at one time in the dog’s own environment
Do people really adopt the day they visit?
It is very, very rare that the screened and approved applicant who is seriously looking for a poodle and is ready to adopt now doesn’t find their match when they visit our farm. You see, we don’t just have a couple of dogs. All in all, we average 100 dogs in residence looking for homes. We do NOT invite you unless I know that, for a visit the upcoming weekend, that I have at least three dogs that would enjoy the lifestyle you offer a companion. If you schedule past the upcoming weekend, I review the people pre-scheduled and make sure I have those three matches in the week before their appointment. If I don’t, then I email and suggest that you wait.
Why do you need to meet several dogs? It is our opinion that you can fall in love with a picture on the internet. However, it’s rather like trying to pick a husband out of a catalog. It can be done, but you don’t have a clue what you’re really getting. Come and meet, greet, play with and interact with our dogs. Then when one of them picks you out, it’s a magical moment. But do come planning to be picked. We are mostly volunteers and our “pay” is in seeing a great dog and a great home connect. There is nothing more frustrating than to have someone come just to shop around. Yes, it’s an important decision but we’ve taken the time to get to know you and we know the dogs. We don’t invite you unless we know someone here would like you. If you are uncertain, then you are right to wait. If you’re ready, we’re a great place to come to.
So I’ll meet several dogs?
Our goal is go have at least three dogs for you to meet that would enjoy the lifestyle you offer a companion. These three may not be exactly what you have on your wish list because many of our dogs are not on the internet. Please do create a wish list on your invitation form and feel free to bring printouts off our web page of the dogs you are interested in. It will help you keep dogs straight as you are meeting and greeting them. I’ll let you know when I confirm your appointment if those dogs are still available and if we feel they are a match and we’ll be offering you others that we also think you should meet.
But I know exactly what I want!
We hear that every week. We understand. But every week we see miracles happen when folks come here and find out that what they thought they wanted wasn’t at all what made their hearts sing. It’s our experience that you can fall in love with a picture on the internet. However, it’s rather like getting to know a movie star. You find once you arrive and shake hands that he’s two foot shorter than the pictures make him look, and maybe not quite so attractive as he comes off in the movies when make up is on straight and the lighting is just right. So come and meet, greet, play with and interact with our dogs. Then when one of them picks you out, it’s a magical moment.
What is the best way to select a companion that may very well be with you for 10 or more years?
We always tell people – don’t worry about the cover of the book, read the story and see which story makes your heart sing. In other words, if you don’t worry about the outside things like sex, age or color and come with an open mind, you will find the perfect for you poodle or doodle picking you out. Sex and color are something the poodle can’t pick; age is something we all have to deal with. But…wanting to go home with you that is something that is unique and feeling that “click” that tells you that a special bond is forming, there is just no substitute for that.
How soon can I come to visit?
Adopters can schedule their meet and greet any day Thursday through Saturday. You are welcome the Tuesday after you are approved, assuming others have not booked appointments ahead of you In all seriousness, our routine stance on age is this: none of us knows how many years we have been given on this earth, not canine and not human. It could all be gone tomorrow or we could live many more years. The point is to make sure you are living with beings for whom you can have a fabulous relationship, and that includes dogs as well as people. If you enjoy each other’s company, you do and there will be no number of days that will be enough . If you don’t get along, every day will be misery. It is so much better to have one fabulous day than many frustrating ones.
Why aren’t all your dogs on your webpage?
Mostly it’s a time issue. There are not enough hours in the day. We try – but new dogs come in every week and if one is perfect for you, we don’t want to hold back just because he or she hasn’t been listed yet.