How to Adopt a Rescued Schip

Fortunately, there is not an overabundance of Schipperkes in Rescue.  We wish there were none, but that is not the case.  The folks involved in Rescue you find on this site are all experienced Schipperke people  Some may also be breeders, but all are committed to finding the right forever home for every Schipperke who comes into Rescue. 

Steps to Adoption

1. Read the all the information below - it explains the process most Rescuers use.

2. Fill out an application.

3. Find a Rescuer to work with, preferably one somewhat near you.

4. Be interviewed by phone.

5. Experience a Home Check.

6. Get approved.

7. Check out Available Schips on this site and others.

8. Get matched to the right Rescued Schip for your home and family.

9. Meet the Schip and see if you bond.

10. Sign the Adoption Agreement, pay the adoption fee that helps cover the dogs medical expenses, and take your baby home.

11. Keep in touch with your Rescuer for support and updates.

All of us across the country work together to match homes and dogs, so you only need to contact the person closest to you.  This makes it easier for home checks, interviews, and support following adoption, which we all also provide.

Here are more details on the adoption process:

• You will fill out an Adoption Application (you can find one on the Forms  page) as completely as you possibly can, save it to your desktop or print it out, and send it to your Rescuer contact.

• You may contact one of the rescuers on the Rescuers by State page, preferably the one closest to you.  They will all accept the application you have filled out to get started

• The Rescue person will ask you for any further information needed and to be able to get a sense of you and your family as people.  He/she may request a face-to-face interview with you or an opportunity visit you in your home.

• The Rescuer will then contact the network with a profile of your home for foster homes to analyze in comparison with the dogs they currently have in foster care.

• If someone thinks that you might be a good match for a particular dog, that either the Rescuer or that individual will contact you for further discussion about the dog, its history and characteristics. etc. and what would be involved in adopting and/or transporting the dog to you. 

• The Rescuer will also discuss with you the adoption fee.  We all do charge an adoption fee.  It ranges between $50.00 and $350.00 and is dependent on a variety of factors including age and health of the dog and the amount the foster home had to expend in medical or other extraordinary expenses.  Records of medical care will be provided upon adoption.

• The Rescuer will also discuss with you any other requirements and obligations on your part and on the part of the Rescuer.

• If you both agree on the adoption and transportation arrangements, then either the foster or your rescue contact will meet with you for the transfer of the dog.

• All adoptions are made exclusively with a probationary period ranging from 30 to 90 days (depending on the Rescuer's policy).  Since it takes about 3-4 weeks for a dog to become comfortable in a new home and show its true character, no adoption is final until the end of the 30 days at the earliest.  Should a problem arise that cannot be solved with support from either the foster or the rescuer, you may return the dog to the foster and receive your adoption fee back (only your adoption fee - no reimbursement will be made for any expenses and you will be responsible for transportation costs incurred). 

• If you do return the dog within the probationary period, you must also return the dog in the same or better condition as when you received it, and you must also return all papers, paperwork, toys, bedding, or other equipment and accessories that came with the dog or the refund will not apply. 

• As it states on the Adoption Contract, you are not permitted to sell, give away, euthanize or otherwise dispose of the adopted dog without written permission from the rescuer.  This is not to prevent you from making provisions for the dog in the event something happens to you or your circumstances change such that you cannot care for the dog, but it does ensure that if something does happen, there is someone ready to back you up and make sure the dog is taken care of - no matter what.

• You will find that your rescue person as well as the foster who cared for your new adoptee will happily be available to help you with whatever support you need.  Plus you will find that you will become part of a very special family of Schip slaves who love and support one another and even cross the country to visit and attend Schipnics (Schipperke picnics - very special and fun gatherings of Schipperke people and their dogs).

• It is important to understand that there are never any guarantees in adoption.  Neither SchipperkeRescue.Net nor the individual rescuer or foster with whom you work can promise to find you a Schipperke to adopt.  Nor do any of the above guarantee the condition or temperament of any dog considered or adopted.  All we can do is provide you with the best information we have about each animal.  Some of these dogs were rescued from shelters; some are strays; sometimes those who give up an animal do not provide any, much less complete information.  Your Rescue contact and the foster home will provide the best information they can, but the decision and the risk is yours.