DOG RESCUE NEWCASTLE
ADOPTION POLICY
1. If you want to adopt a dog or cat, the first step is to look at the profiles of our available dogs or our available cats and find one or more that you might want to adopt.
2. Fill out our online Adoption Questionnaire: https://tinyurl.com/drnadopt. You only need to fill it out once and you can list the names of the dog that you would like to apply for.
3. Once approved by our foster carer and the foster carer's co-ordinator we will arrange a property check so we can verify that your home and yard are suitable for your new dog or cat.
4. A meet and greet is a critical part of the adoption process. The foster carer will arrange to meet the prospective adoption candidate and any pets living at the home. The meet and greet will be arranged at the foster carers choice of location which may include a park, the foster carer’s home or your home.
If both parties agree, then you can adopt your new family member! When you pick up your new pet, you will be asked to:
sign the DRN Adoption Agreement
sign the NSW Companion Animals Register-Change of Owner/Details form, and
pay the adoption fee by bank cheque or direct debit to
Newcastle Permanent BSB: 650 000 Account: 503087208.
Sorry, no personal cheques. *If paying by direct debit include the name of the pet and your surname as a comment. Make the transfer at least 24 hours before picking up your pet so we can confirm receipt. Also, please print a receipt or take a screen shot and bring it with you.
No cash payments will be taken at any point. If you have to pay by cash please visit a local Newcastle permanent branch and directly deposit into our account. Please bring the receipt when you come to pick up your new family member. (No Receipt No Handover)
Special arrangements and variations to the procedure are made when you live outside the Hunter Region. Most of our pets are available for interstate adoption. Please contact us about this procedure.
Deposits
If you are approved to adopt a dog or cat but cannot take the animal home straight away, we suggest you pay a holding deposit to reserve the animal for you. If you don’t pay a deposit then the animal will remain advertised for adoption and could be adopted by someone else. If you pay a deposit, we will hold the animal for up to two weeks until you can pick them up, and we won’t adopt them to someone else during that time.
Our holding deposit is 50% of the adoption fee. It is not refundable if you change your mind or if you adopt the animal then return them.
If you need the animal held for more than 2 weeks then we’ll need to seek approval from Dog Rescue Newcastle President and we might ask for a higher deposit.
The Trial Period
Our adoption fee must be paid in full before you can take the animal home. A two-week trial period commences from the date you pick up or receive the animal. Should you feel during this period that the animal is not suitable, you must return the animal to Dog Rescue Newcastle (DRN) at your own expense.
If there are exceptional circumstances, you can request that we extend the Trial Period for another week or two. This must be requested and confirmed in writing. Extension of the trial period doesn’t change the conditions of refunds and is subject to Dog Resuce Newcastle’s (DRN) discretion.
On Hold or On Trial
If an animal on our website is marked “On Hold” or "On Trial" it means they are temporarily unavailable for adoption. It may be because they are recovering from an illness, receiving some training, or maybe someone has paid a deposit on them. The animal will either be available again soon or adopted soon. If you are interested in this animal, please email the contact person in the animal's profile and leave your contact details. If or when the pet becomes available you will be contacted.
Refunds
Animals that were less than 4 months old when adopted: If you return the animal, either during or after the trial period, there will be no refund given.
Animals that were 4 months or older when adopted: If you return the animal within the trial period, then the adoption fee is refunded less 50%, or any deposit paid whichever is greater. In other words, you forfeit either half of the adoption fee or any deposit paid, whichever is greater.
If you return the animal after the trial period there will be no refund given.
Returning an Adopted Animal
If you can no longer keep your adopted animal after the trial period, our Dog Rescue Newcastle Adoption Agreement requires that you contact us. We will either help you with rehoming or we will always take one ofour adopted animals back. We ask that you give us at least two weeks to arrange a foster carer if you want toreturn an animal after the tial period. We never want one of our adopted animals to go to a pound.
More details in our Dog Rescue Newcastle Adoption Agreement.
Change of Ownership and Registration
A two-week trial period begins on the day you receive your adopted dog or cat. If we don’t hear from you by the end of the trial period then we assume that you are happy for the adoption to proceed. We will then file the change of ownership form which you signed with council to make you the legal owner.
Approximately two to three months after the end of the trial period you will receive either a “Certificate of Identification” or “Certificate of Registration” in the mail from the NSW Pet Registry.
If you receive a "Certificate of Registration" then your new pet is already registered and all you haveto do is check the certificate to ensure all your details are correct and file it away in a safe place.
If you receive a “Certificate of Identification” then you need to register your animal by taking the “Certificate of Identification” to your local council. There is no fee to register an animal adopted from Dog Rescue Newcastle. Registration is a legal requirement and must be done within 14 days of receipt of the “Certificate of Identification”.
If you change your phone number or address in the future, remember to contact any NSW council to update your pet’s registration details so that you can be reunited if he or she becomes lost. You may be able to do it yourself online at the NSW Pet Registry.
More details are in your Dog Rescue Newcastle (DRN) adoption pack and at the NSW Pet Registry.
Need Some Advice?
If you don’t see your dream pet on our website that suits your lifestyle we recommend the below.
Please check our website daily, as we add new animasl every day. We have dogs and cats of all ages,
sizes and breeds, including purebreds, waiting in pounds and getting ready in foster care. Eventually,
your dream pet will become available. There is no need to go to a pet shop or breeder.
Can’t decide which one of our adorable pets would be suit you, or your dream pet isn’t listed? You
can fill out our Adoption Questionnaire: https://tinyurl.com/drnadopt and instead of entering a
particular animal’s name, you can write a bit about the dog or cat which you’re seeking: age, breed,
size, temperament, etc. and we can recommend one or more which meet your criteria. We can
recommend animals in foster carer which are not yet listed for adoption. We will keep your Adoption
Questionnaire on file and notify if a suitable pet becomes available within the next couple of months.
You can contact us with any other questions.
PRIVACY POLICY
This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information we receive from users of the Site. We use your Personal Information for reviewing adoptions and record keeping on successful adoptions.
By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
Information Collection And Use While using our Site, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you.
Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to your name (“Personal Information”).
