If you need to give up a dog, the process must begin with a phone call or email to adoptions@saveadog.org. Please allow us several days to get back to you as phone calls take time to return and we only have a small window during the evening to return the many calls that we receive. You may leave us a message at 508-877-1407, but email is preferable. The more details you provide in your message, the easier it will be for us to provide the proper attention to your situation. Because our mission is to rescue dogs from holding facilities where their time is limited, those dogs have first priority with regards to intake.

If you adopted the dog from Save A Dog, please have your adoption contract available and provide us with the date of the adoption and the name of the dog at the time of adoption. Please remember that although our contract specifies that we will take a dog back, we may not have foster homes available. As well, if your dog has shown aggression, he may not be adoptable, but we need to be able to make that determination. If you adopt a puppy from us and return an untrained adult dog, we will have to charge a training fee (see worse condition clause in your contract).

Dogs we cannot place: Because we specialize in dogs that are friendly in temperament, we do not take in dogs who have aggression issues or dogs who have bitten people or who are aggressive to other dogs. There are also certain breeds that we cannot take, simply because they are not in high demand by adopters and it is difficult for us to hold onto hard-to-place dogs for a long period of time while turning down dogs who might have had a chance. As most of our adopters are looking for friendly, family dogs, we cannot take in protective breeds.

The Process: The process begins with a phone call or email describing the dog and why you are giving him/her up. We need to have that initial conversation in order to determine if your dog is a candidate for our program. The next step is to have your vet fax the dog's complete medical history to our fax number: 877-349-9254. After you call your vet, you will need to fill out and email or fax us the relinquishment form. The relinquishment is not considered official until we take possession of the dog and it provides us with enough information on the dog to begin looking for a new home for him. Once we receive the medical history and the relinquishment form, we will contact you and post your dog's picture on our Web site. If we do not have available foster homes, we may ask you to hold your dog while we try to find a good home.

Timing depends upon the availability of our foster homes and on how many dogs we can handle in the program at one time. Our busiest times are during holiday and vacation seasons. When you bring your dog in for relinquishment, we should have already received your dog's medical records and a portion of the intake fee.

Fees: In order to cover our costs, we have to charge a minimum $150 intake fee. All intakes are evaluated for health and temperament and this goes beyond the required vaccinations. You will need to give a $50 deposit before we start looking for a new home for your dog. You can mail to the Save A Dog, P. O. Box 1108, Framingham, MA 01701 and write Intake fee on the memo portion of the check.

What We Provide: All dogs coming into the program are evaluated for medical soundness and temperament. We provide foster care, medical care, and training for the dogs in our care. We also screen adoptive families in order to provide the best match for the dog so that he is not displaced again. The more information you can provide us about your dog, the better job we can do in finding him/her the right home. All dogs are adopted out with a legal contract that prohibits the adopter from giving the dog away, leaving the dog outside unattended, or using harsh training methods.

Questions about the process are best directed to adoptions@saveadog.org.