a. Applicants must have never been convicted of any animal abuse laws.
b. All potential adopters must completely fill out and sign the adoption application and the information must be verified and approved by a BDHPI representative.
c. All applicants who live in a rental property must provide a signed letter of approval from their landlord giving permission to house a giant breed dog.
d. All adopting individuals must be 21 years of age.
e. Applicants with children under 5 will be reviewed by executive committee for any special exceptions. We will consider:
- Giant breed experience
- Fostering experience
- Behavioral training experience
*Special Note: All Giant Breeds placed in homes with children under 5 will have a proven track record with children – no unknown history permitted.
f. Applicants must allow a BDHPI representative to bring a giant breed dog into your home to inspect the house and yard and to get to know all family members and other pets as well as educate all household members about giant breeds.
g. Applicants must be willing to keep their giant breed dog indoors, especially in extreme hot or cold temperatures.
h. Applicants must be willing to feed a high quality food and provide proper nutrition to a giant breed dog.
i. All dogs placed by BDHPI will be spayed/neutered, gastropexied (when possible), vaccinated for distemper/parvo, rabies, and bordetella, and heartworm tested. New owners will receive copies of all available vet information and must agree to keep them current on all of the above.
j. All applicants must demonstrate their ability to properly exercise and keep a dog safe when going to the bathroom. All fences must be in good repair. If no fence at residence, applicants must be committed to:
- i. Leashed walks to go potty
- ii. Exercise Alternatives:
- 1. Doggy Daycare
- 2. 3-4 Walks Per Day
- 3. Daily trips to local Dog Park
BDHPI does not permit the use of shock or electronic collars, including invisible fence prong collars. The reason for our policy is that invisible fences are not sufficient enough to contain or manage the behavior of giant breed dogs. Most of the breeds we adopt out are guard dogs and will run through a shock, regardless of pain or discomfort, in order to protect their territory. Shock collars can elicit and/or contribute to aggressive behaviors as well. An invisible fence is not 'tangible', and thus can make a guard dog more frustrated, reactive, protective, and even dangerous. Should you adopt from BDHPI, you would be required to leash walk your dog at all times if you do not have a fenced in yard. Once you have attended obedience classes and established a strong recall with distractions, it may be possible to let your dog off leash in the yard WHILE SUPERVISED, but only once you are able to establish yard boundaries and know, without a doubt, that your dog will come when called.
- i. Gentle Leader Head Collar, Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness, Halte, or Regular Collar
k. All adopting individuals must be willing to attend an obedience class with their new addition. No choke chain, prong, or shock collars will be permitted for training purposes. Approved alternatives include:
l. In the event an adoption does not work out, applicants must agree to return the dog to BDHPI rather than rehoming the dog themselves.
m. All adopting families will be asked to make a donation in the range of $350 - $600 to help us cover our costs, which include transport, dog food, spay/neuter, vaccinations, fecal test, heartworm test, heartworm prevention, deworming, microchips and more. We spend an average of $450 per dog. All donations are tax deductable.
Please note: All puppies less than 6 months of age are too young to be spayed/neutered so they are adopted out on special puppy agreements. They will receive their initial puppy shots/dewormings prior to placement at 7-8 weeks of age. Adopting families must agree to be responsible for subsequent rounds of puppy shots/dewormings at 12 weeks and 15 weeks. Most vets do Rabies at 15 weeks as well. Adopting families must also agree to get the puppy spayed/neutered within 2 weeks of 6 months of age and send proof of spay/neuter to BDHPI accordingly. Typically 6 months is also a good time to begin Heartworm prevention. You will still be expected to make our normal adoption donation AND you will have the additional costs listed above!
n. The adoption process typically takes 1-2 weeks total. However, please note that the projected time frame varies greatly depending on the total number of applications we have in-process at the time your application was submitted, how easily we can get ahold of you and your references, as well as where you live and how easy it is to get a homecheck covered by one of our volunteers. We appreciate your patience!
o. It is best NOT to get your heart set on any one dog up front because there is no guarantee that that particular dog will still be available once you are officially approved or that they will even be the right match for your family. We DO NOT hold dogs or begin discussions about specific dogs prior to approval!
