Perfect Paws Pet Rescue - Perfect Paws FAQ

While our guidelines may seem a bit strict, we are very serious about finding permanent homes for each of our treasured pets. We have found that when we are thorough, the pet has the best chances of finding their forever home. We love each and every one, and not only want them to be happy, loved and well-cared for in their new home, but we also wish the new family to be comfortable and pleased with their new family member.

Therefore, we feel that all of these guidelines must be followed so our pets are a perfect match with their new parents and will become an integral part of a loving household.

And we believe that if your goals are the same as ours, you will fully understand the necessity for the process and be reassured that we are so thorough!

The rescue business is a very expensive one. We are an all volunteer, completely non-profit organization. We have no corporate sponsorships - so Perfect Paws is run solely on monies obtained from our adoption fees, along with donations we receive from kind and generous people ... and our own pockets. Since neither of us is an independently wealthy millionaire, and we have no right or way to demand, take in or control the amount of donated money we receive, we rely heavily on those adoption fees to continue rescuing pets. So honestly, without the adoption fees, we would probably not be able to afford to continue to operate. We ourselves accept NO salaries or payment of any type for the incredible amount of time that we spend rescuing and caring for the pets, not to mention the amount of time that goes into reading thru all the applications to make sure that the proposed adopter qualifies as the type of person to responsibly adopt a pet, and then match up the perfect home with the perfect pet - and we have many, many expenses to pay to keep us going.

Some of these costs - and this is not a complete list! - are: heat for the buildings to keep the pets warm; electricity for lights; water for drinking and cleaning; liability insurance; supplies for the pets including food, bowls, toys, chews and kitty litter; disinfectant, mops; towels and blankets; cages, crates, carriers and playpens ... and that's the short list! We give them the majority of the necessary vaccinations - including DHLPP and Intratrac (kennel cough) - which saves a lot on the vet's bill, BUT we still have to pay for the medication itself and the syringes to administer it. Then there is flea medication and heartworm preventative; vet charges for rabies vaccinations - which, by law, must be done by a licensed vet; as well as the surgery fees for spaying/neutering. Gasoline to transport the pets. Pull fees we must pay to the shelters to save a pet. Paper for printing adoption agreements, printer ink, business cards ...

And the list goes on. We take in owner surrenders and are pulling from shelters in LaGrange, Marion and Blackford Counties in Indiana and also in Celina, Defiance and Sidney Ohio, as well as Summerville Georgia! The dogs we pull from 'death row' in these shelters will be euthanized without our intervention. Most of the time these dogs are not in good health. We usually end up with vet expenses for exams, medications and sometimes surgery to get them back on a healthy path.

So the adoption fee covers the spay/neuter, age appropriate shots including DHLPP, Rabies and kennel cough, de-worming, de-fleaing, flea & tick prevention, heartworm testing if appropriate, heartworm prevention medication and an exam by our vet. Now that you know how the money from adoption fees is being used, we believe that you can now understand why we must charge the $200 fee! They are the lifeblood of our rescue group - and we just literally could not afford to rescue all these wonderful pets and give them a chance at the great life with a loving family that they deserve without this money. We appreciate your understanding and your support!!

Yes, it is. And if the pet is too young, the adopter has two choices: 1) bring the pet back to Perfect Paws for the spay/neuter; 2) or have the procedure done by their own vet, send Perfect Paws a copy of the bill showing the procedure was done and Perfect Paws will send the adopter a check for $50.00 - which is the amount we normally pay for the procedure.

No! Older pets, that we refer to as 'senior' pets are 'No Fee Adoptions' - because so often families want to adopt a baby, and the senior pets can be left behind. So, as an incentive to encourage families to adopt an older pet when possible, we offer them as 'No Fee Adoptions'. But, we are always very grateful when people adopting without paying a fee are kind enough to make a donation to Perfect Paws!

A No Fee Adoption is when a family adopts a senior pet. Since the older pets are often bypassed and overlooked, we have created this incentive program to encourage those who can to adopt our wonderful senior pets - who still have many happy, healthy years of life to share with a loving family - and who sometimes need them even more - as they have often been neglected and/or abused for years before they end up on the streets or in a kill shelter, and we are able to rescue them! Please consider saving yourself the Adoption Fee, perhaps making a donation to Perfect Paws ... and adopting a senior pet!!

Four age groups have been established to help you see at a glance the approximate age of a pet. We always make an effort to determine the exact age of a pet, and will list their age, if we know it, on their details page. But sometimes, due to the circumstances under which we take in pets [such as strays], we have no way of knowing their exact age, in which case we will use these guidelines to give you an approximate age. The ages of these groups are as follows:

You, as the adopter, will be required to sign a spay/neuter contract agreeing to have the pet spayed/neutered when they are old enough.

We definately support responsible breeders, and while we used to take in unwanted breeders' pups, due to much controversy we have discontinued that practice.

9. Were Perfect Paws and another all breed rescue ever merged together as one rescue?

No. Tammy worked extensively with another all breed rescue, during which time this other all breed rescue rescued a record number of pets - over 100! But, as can happen with many business ventures, a difference in opinions and procedures developed between Tammy and the founder of the rescue. So, keeping in mind their ultimate mutual goal to rescue as many pets as possible, Tammy decided to break off from this other all breed rescue and start her own rescue ... and that is how Perfect Paws Pet Rescue came into existence. Unfortunately, the rescue's founder did NOT want Tammy to leave - since she had enjoyed such overwhelming success during her time there, and as a result we've caught wind of some nasty rumors floating around. But we have done nothing wrong, and choose not to embroil ourselves in an unprofessional name calling match. We prefer to concentrate all of our efforts on what is really important, rescuing as many pets as we can and finding them good homes! We respect all the hard work every rescue puts into rescuing pets because the need is so great, and we hope that ALL rescues and Perfect Paws Pet Rescue will continue to successfully rescue pets for many years.

The easiest way to adopt a pet from Perfect Paws is to click to our Online Form, fill it out completely, and then come to our next Meet & Greet and check out the wonderful pets we have at that time - or click to our Available Pets section and browse the pets we currently have up for adoption! And don't forget, if none of them suit your fancy or your particular needs, we will be happy to help you Search for the pet that is perfect for you and your family - using the information you've provided on our form as a guideline and speaking with you to get any further details you can provide us with! It doesn't matter to us where you adopt your new pet from - be it from Perfect Paws, a shelter, a breeder or another rescue such as this other all breed rescue - our ultimate and only goal is to rescue pets and help you search for - and find - the pet that is perfect for you - and will become your forever friend.

We hope our FAQ has answered all of your questions, but if not, please don't hesitate to contact us, and we will be more than happy to answer them for you!