The adoption process-duplicate-1

We’re delighted that you’ve chosen Wild at Heart Foundation to help you find a dog.

Adopting a dog is truly a wonderful thing to do, it allows a dog from overseas to experience the love, safety, and kindness they so desperately deserve.

Welcoming a rescue dog into your heart and home takes compassion, patience, time, commitment, and an abundance of love. It can be challenging, but in return, you’ll receive a wonderful companion and an incredibly rewarding experience.

We understand that adopting a dog from abroad is probably a new experience for you; we encourage you to consider the points below and to read our FAQs before continuing with our adoption process. Thank you!

• Due to the aftercare we provide, we currently only rehome dogs within the UK.
• As very few of our dogs are able to be socialised with children before travelling to the UK, we are unable to consider homes with children under five-years-old for any of our dogs. We understand this can be disappointing, but we have made this decision based on the best interest and wellbeing of our dogs and adopters.
• Please note that if you have already taken on a dog, we ask that there is a six month wait period between adopting another dog, as this allows time for the resident dog to settle.
• As life in the UK can be such a big adjustment for our rescue dogs, we ask that you be open to working with a positive reward based behaviourist to help them adjust.
• Adopting a dog is a huge lifestyle change; it’s important to factor their arrival into your life so you can organise the time that is needed to help them settle in.

The adoption form is the first step in your adoption journey – this is your opportunity to tell us about yourself, and why you would like to adopt a Wild at Heart Foundation dog. 

Our dogs are incredibly valuable to us, and we are committed to the responsibility of finding them families – so we can give them the life they deserve. After all, dogs have their own lives, feelings, and emotions. Their worlds are just as important to them as your world is to you. 

We only accept one form per applicant, so please do provide as much information as possible to help us assess your overall suitability. It’s important that you apply for the dog you would like to be considered for, and include how you will be able to meet their needs.

We understand that this early stage is one of the most exciting parts of the process. Chances are you’ve seen a dog or two that you love the look of, and you’ll be eager to hear back from us – which we completely understand!

However, please bear in mind that with a high volume of applications, many for the same dog, you might not be successful in adopting your first dog of interest. Whilst we understand this may be disappointing, please be assured that it’s nothing personal, we’re simply looking to find the right homes for each and every dog in our care. 

If you see another dog that you would like to register interest for after submitting your application form, you don’t need to fill out a new one – our team will discuss any changes or updates in preference should your application be progressed to the next stage.

Please note: for all applications, we require a £5 processing fee which will help us to continue our work rehoming dogs in need. Every application we receive will be carefully reviewed by a member of our team, which we are able to continue doing with the application fee in place.  Whilst we wish you the best of your luck with your application, this processing fee does not guarantee that you will be successful.

Ready to get started?  Complete the adoption form now. 

We pride ourselves on our open-minded adoption policy, and will review each and every application we receive. As a small team, it can take us a while to review all submissions, especially during busy times. For this reason, we kindly ask that you refrain from contacting us about your application, as we are unable to provide individual feedback. Thank you for your patience!

So, you’ve submitted your form…what next?  

Once you have submitted your form, you’ll receive an auto-response to confirm we’ve received your application (please check your junk folders!) 

From here, our team will review your application as soon as they can, and you will receive an email from a member of our adoption team within 4 weeks with one of the following outcomes:

• Your application is potentially suitable for either the dog you applied for, or for an overseas rescue dog in general, and you will be progressed to the next stage which involves getting to know you and your household a little better.
• Your application is unsuitable for one of our dogs at this time.

Please note: we are not able to offer individual feedback on applications 

Whilst your application is being reviewed, there’s no need to submit additional applications or inform us of additional dogs who’ve caught your eye, please know that we’re so grateful for your patience!

Once a home video call has been carried out, and you’ve been matched with a dog and everyone is happy to proceed, we ask you to pay a £50 non-refundable deposit in order to reserve your dog. This amount is then deducted from your final adoption fee and you will receive a confirmation of your payment.

Please note: the adoption fee covers the costs associated with preparing your dog for travelling to the uk, along with administrative and marketing costs, and our post-adoption aftercare service. Inclusions can vary depending on the country of origin; you can find out more in our FAQ section.

We rely on the generosity of our community to help keep our adoption efforts running, and to ensure that we can continue to rescue and care for those dogs who are not yet lucky enough to have found their forever home. You’ll have the option to add a donation to your final balance when you pay your adoption fee, and we’re so grateful for whatever you’re able to spare.

Now we can finalise the logistics of bringing your dog home to you, the exciting bit! You may already have been given an indication of an anticipated arrival date, but this will be fully confirmed. In the meantime, we will send you additional photos, videos, and character updates on your dog, along with further settling in advice.

We’ll also ask you to review and sign our Adoption Contract, which has lots of important information, so please make sure that you read through it thoroughly before sending it back to us as instructed to at the time. 

At this point, we will ask for 50% of the adoption fee balance to be paid unless a confirmed date for travel has already been advised. In that case, full balance payment will be requested at this time so we can start preparing your dogs travel arrangements. 

We have  a transparent pricing structure  which is dependent on the costs of travel involved in your dog’s rehoming journey.

While you wait, we’ll be delighted to welcome you into the family and help you prepare for your new arrival.

We know that you’ll be eager to meet your new companion, and that you’ll probably want to absorb as much information as possible, so we’ll do our best to provide as much support and advice as we can:

• You will receive an extensive Adoption Guide that includes everything you need, but if you do have any questions, we’ll be happy to help!
• You’ll be invited to join our private Facebook group, an invaluable online forum where our adopters – old and new – share stories and photos, ask questions and offer advice. Our adopters are always happy to give first-hand support for all soon-to-be-adopters.
• We will provide further photos and videos of your dog (where available) as well as character updates and approximate measurements before they arrive, along with blood test results.
• As part of our Aftercare service, you will receive support ahead of your new arrival, including webinars on how to prepare, as well as continued support once your dog is here.

• You can subscribe to our mailing list to receive all the latest updates, news and stories from Wild at Heart Foundation; or browse our blog.

• You can read our FAQs and Success Stories to learn more about other adopters’ experiences.

We consider our Wild at Heart Foundation dogs and their adopters to be part of our family. And just like any family, we look our for one another, which is why we are proud of the Aftercare service that we provide to all of our adopters. To ensure that you have all the support you need, we’ll be on hand with plenty of advice for that initial settling-in period. 

Nothing makes us happier than seeing how you and your dog are coming along, so do  get in touch  with your stories and photos, and tag us in your  Instagram  posts. 

Thank you for choosing to adopt a dog through Wild at Heart Foundation. We look forward to welcoming you into our community and being a part of your wonderful new journey. 

The Wild at Heart Foundation team x