Adoption FAQs

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Where is your rescue located?

Our rescue, called Dreamweaver Farms, is located in the northern part of South Carolina. We are 1.25 hours southwest of Charlotte, NC, 1.25 hours east of Greenville, SC and 1. 5 hours north of Columbia, SC. Approved adopters will receive directions when invited to schedule a visit to the rescue.

I would like to come by for a visit. What are your hours?

We are a private facility. We are only open by appointment to approved adopters. We schedule adoptions every Thursday to Saturday. Scheduling allows for us to plan for your visit and to ensure that our adoption staff is on site to work with you. Please submit an adoption application so that we can start the process.

What are your adoption fees and what do they go to? How will I be able to pay the adoption fee?

Our adoption fees vary according to the dog. You can view what each dog’s adoption fee is within their profile. We have many expenses with 150+ dogs in our kennel. 100% of the adoption fee goes back to the care of the dogs.

We can take checks or cash, or all major credit cards in payment of adoption fees.

Why do I have to fill out an application?  Why can’t I just come to meet the dogs and then decide if I want to apply?

Because of the number of dogs we have, most people end up finding a perfect fit when they come here.  If you are not screened and approved then we won’t let you take a dog home. It is frustrating to everyone to come and find a dog that is a good fit and be told no, then have to rush home to fill out the paperwork. We do not hold dogs for any reason, so there is always the possibility that the dog could be adopted by an approved adopter while we are processing your application.

I have submitted an Adoption Application, how long will it take for me to be approved?

Our counselors are all volunteers. Most have jobs and do their part to help us. There are times when we have a backlog of applications. Please email applications@carolinapoodlerescue.org with any questions related to your application.

Why do you ask me so many questions in the phone interview?

We want to get to know you.  If we get to know you, we can help you select the perfect companion for you.

I have several applications in with other rescue groups but they haven’t gotten back with me yet.  Should I wait?

We prefer that you work with us exclusively for at least a few weeks.  We are going to have you approved within the week.  Then, if we have a match and you are invited to come, and you don’t find a match, then of course you should continue looking.

Do you adopt to people who live in other states?

Yes, we regularly work with out-of-state adopters. All approved adopters must be able and willing to travel to our rescue in upstate South Carolina. We also have a number of dogs living in foster homes across several states and host monthly mobile adoption events in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area.

Can I adopt the day I visit?

Yes.  We hope you do.

Why don’t you do transport or ship your dogs to new homes? Why does my entire household have to visit?

We want you to meet us! We have an adoption team on-site ready to work with approved adopters and help find that right match for your home. It’s important that anybody living in your home visit our rescue together so we can help your entire household find that right addition to your family. If you have a pet and you are seeking a companion for your pet, we ask that you bring that pet with you. Then you’ll have the opportunity to introduce the two on neutral ground and find a great match for your current dog.

Also, we want approved adopters to come to our facility and see what we are doing. It is one thing to hear about 100 dogs needing homes. It is entirely another to walk through the middle of them, pet them and feed them treats or throw the ball for a while.  You’ll walk out with a whole new perspective on animal shelters and why no kill shelters are different (and not just because we don’t euthanize – our dogs are at home here while they wait for their forever family).

Why do all of my pets already in my household have to be altered?  Aren’t all of your pets already altered anyway?

In order to be consistent with our basic philosophies, that there are too many pets now and that the world does not need any more pet quality dogs, we spay or neuter all pets prior to adoption. When screening homes, we also seek out those homes whose philosophy matches our own and whose pets are already spayed or neutered.

Why do you require a fence for standards?

Carolina Poodle Rescue has a long-standing policy against adopting standard poodles and standard poodle crosses into homes without a privately fenced yard. These dogs were originally bred for hunting and are very athletic. They require extensive exercise in order to be happy and healthy. Our experience has shown that leash walking is not adequate to meet this demand. If a dog does not require a privately fenced yard, then we will indicate that on their profile.

Why do you not adopt to homes with children under 5?

We do not adopt any dog to families with children under 5 years old living in the home or regular (more than two times per week) visitors.  Most rescue groups ask families to wait until the child is 10 as the majority of dog bites occur with children 5 to 9 years old.  We chose 5 because the most sever injuries occur in the younger age group.   77% of dog bites happen in the home and with a dog that is owned by that home or a regular visitor.  We don’t want to be one of those statistics.

Most of our dogs come from unknown backgrounds. We never want a CPR dog to be the perpetrator of a dog bite against a child.  We don’t know how the dogs will act around children so we err on the side of caution.

Additionally, we also often work with dogs that need a home with older children only or an adult only home based on their past.

Why are you against underground/invisible/electric (a/k/a shock) fences?

Shock fences do nothing to protect your dog from the many hazards that exist in today’s world. Everything and anything can get to your dog. Given the right stimulation, most dogs will break out of a shock fence barrier with ease. Further, we strongly support positive reinforcement training methods only. You praise and treat what is done right, and you ignore or redirect the dog when his behavior isn’t what you want. All of this has to have an active human in the picture. Putting a device on your dog that delivers an electric shock for doing nothing but walking around does not meet the criteria of positive reinforcement directed by the human members of your dogs pack. Your dog may obey the device – but he will never understand exactly what it was he did to have such punishment delivered to him.

Would you use a shock collar to train a 2 year old child? Research suggests that the dog has about the intelligence and sensitivity of a toddler. If it’s not good enough for your child, why should it be good enough for your 4 legged dependent?

I’m interested in a puppy. Would I be a good match for one?

Thank you for carefully considering the addition of a puppy to your family. Puppies can be a joyous experience, but they can also be a tremendous amount of work. Since our goal is to place each of our dogs in forever homes, we are especially cautious with puppies. We like to stress 3 major things when considering a puppy vs. an adult dog: 1) many adult dogs are well bred, well trained dogs who find themselves in rescue through no fault of their own, 2) adult dogs are eager to share their love and bond with their new family, and 3) puppies will always require far more time, energy, and training than an adult dog. Our ideal puppy adopters are experienced dog owners with a solid record of excellent vet care of their previous pets, scheduled away from home for no more than 4 hours per day OR have another canine companion already in the home, and stay at home type of people (work at home, home schoolers, retired, etc)

Is this really the right time for a dog? I work – surely a dog can stay alone for 9 or 10 hours while I’m gone.

Dogs are pack animals, or to put another way, they are very family oriented. They need and want to be with their family all the time. If you do not have time, it is not fair to keep them isolated. Dogs lives are very short compared to ours. You have to pick the time in your life when you can do the best for them as for them, it is their whole life.

Why don’t you do trial placements?  

Adopting a dog is a huge commitment. We work hard via our application process to learn what our adopters are seeking so we can match each adopter with that right dog. We want adopters 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 into their new home and bond with their new family.