IMPORTANT FOR ALL ADOPTERS TO READ THOROUGHLY

REQUIRED FOR PICK-UP DAY:

A CELL PHONE NUMBER!
if you don’t have one, please borrow one. If you didn’t put a cell phone number on your application, please provide one to your coordinator. We need to be able to reach you during transit in case the transport is very early/late or in case of emergency.**

YOU MUST BRING WITH YOU:

➢ Signed hard copy of the adoption or foster contract.

➢ Printed Paypal receipts for all adopters.

➢ Bright colored leash, collar and tags with your name and phone number.

• A martingale collar or harness is best.
• Do NOT bring: Choke collars or Flexi leashes. Do not use Flexi leashes at home for at least 3 months (we do not ever recommend them), they can be chewed through in 2 seconds and are dangerous.

➢ WATER & FOOD, BOWL: You do NOT need to bring food to the transport if you live w/in an hour of pick up. Your dog is going to be very hungry and should be fed if more than that.

➢ CRATE: for the sake of your car, dogs should be crated securely, they do not arrive as clean as we would like. They also may have a temporary case of nervous nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

➢ VIGILENCE: Be extremely vigilant at pick up: these dogs are stressed and can slip a collar easily and can be extreme flight risks, even after you get them home.

➢ LOTS OF LOVE! Your new dog needs lots of love, hugs, acceptance and patience!

TO HAVE FOR THE HOMECOMING OF YOUR NEW DOG:

➢ Dog Shampoo: Your dog will already be Frontlined, therefore your dog can and should be bathed.

➢ High Quality food: Shelter dogs need the nutrients of a good food to help their lowered and stressed immune systems and to recover and maintain general good health.

➢ An immediately appointment with your vet: All dogs need to see the vet for a baseline health exam. They also need:

• Re-worming (Panacure or Drontal Plus for Southern dogs..do not re-worm w/Strongid, it does NOT kill all the common southern worms/parasites).
• HEARTGARD! Consistent Heartgard for a full year, all year! See below.
• Lyme Vaccine: There is no cure for Lyme disease and it is a serious problem!

➢ Register your microchip as soon as you get home!!

• 75-80% of dogs that accidentally get loose are NEVER returned to their owners. Please be responsible for keeping your dog safe at all times, and if it does get lost, give your dog a better chance of being returned to you.

IMPORTANT TIPS:
Do not overwhelm your new dog with strangers, children and chaos. Let your dog adjust to its new family and schedule for a few weeks before going visiting and out in public.
Please keep the phone number of your coordinator in your phone, on your leash or handy at all times. Call us if you have an issue or your dog gets loose. MANY rescue dogs get loose because people underestimate the trauma a dog is experiencing when changing environments. Things you can do to reduce the chances of a lost dog:

• Keep your dog on a harness with a leash attached at all times for a week after transport.
• Be extra vigilant. Flight risk is the highest during the first few weeks in its new home.
• Leash your new dog whenever it is outside or near the door. Or whenever you have children using the door.
• Do not try to “test” your new dog off-leash. Buy a 25ft check cord from the pet store (not a flexi leash!!) to test your dogs recall or go to a large fenced in dog park.
• Take your dog to formal obedience training. A dog that is well-trained is much, much less likely to be lost or hit by a car. (not to mention a better all around dog)
  If your dog gets loose, DON’T GIVE CHASE and don’t PANIC! Kneel down and calmly call the dog. Please call us immediately and see our download on how to recover a lost dog.

THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
Dogs may have diarrhea and stomach upset because of a change in diet. (Dogs stay hungry/thirsty for a couple of days after transport.) Do not feed junk food (Pedigree/Purina/Ol’ Roy), it will hurt their already stressed digestive systems and will not give them the nutrients needed to recover from their shelter life and transport.

BE CONCERNED IF: diarreah persists more than 2 days, OR has blood mixed in with it. Please contact your coordinator. These dogs are wormed, however, stress of transport can surpress the immune system; meaning latent worms in their system can grow unrestrained. OR, your dog may need a bland transitional diet. DO NOT start your dog on a bland diet w/out checking for worms first. Worms and Parasites can cause dehydration and CAN kill a puppy if left untreated. A fecal float done by your vet is inexpensive and should diagnose worms or parasites in the system.

INFORMATION ON HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVE:
HEARTGARD/INTERCEPTOR is REQUIRED for all dogs and puppies from arrival for a FULL YEAR continuously, then according to your vets recommendation and schedule. This is due to the dogs exposure to a high number of heartworm postive dogs in the south. If you do NOT use heartworm preventative for a full year, your dog could potentially become positive. It takes 7 mos from exposure to a positive test, if you use heartgard for this amount of time, any exposure should be negated by the preventative. Our rescue does not accept the liability &/or costs for treatment of a positive dog if the dog was too young to test (under 6 months) OR tested negative just prior to transport…please use preventative! UNTREATED HEARTWORM DISEASE WILL KILL A DOG.