Frequently Asked Questions

Precious Paws Rescue does not operate a shelter facility. Our dogs are fostered with volunteers across Simcoe County, Ontario. We limit our foster area to Simcoe County because this is also where our veterinary partners are located. Approved adopters are required to come to Simcoe County to meet and pick up the dog as we will not ship dogs. 

Precious Paws Rescue ensures that each and every dog we rescue has full veterinary care provided prior to adoption. This includes (but is not limited to) full age-appropriate vaccinations, fecal test and deworming, wellness bloodwork and heartworm test, spay/neuter and microchip. We believe that no dog should be adopted out unaltered (unless there is a medical reason prohibiting this) so we practice pediatric spaying and neutering for all puppies that enter our rescue as well. Often the dogs we rescue require additional veterinary treatments to prepare them for adoption and most dogs that we take in end up costing the rescue much more than the adoption fee recovers.

Step 1 – Your application will undergo an initial review by a Precious Paws Rescue volunteer Adoption Coordinator. If your application indicates your family may be a good match for the dog in question, a volunteer will be in touch with you to ask you to inform your landlord and/or veterinary references that we will be calling for a reference check.  

Step 2 – Following a successful reference check, we will then contact you to set up an online video interview via Zoom. This video interview will serve a home visit as well so that we can meet all family members and see where the dog will be living. Our rescue work is entirely volunteer based so please be patient when scheduling this interview. We will do our best to accommodate schedules whenever possible. 

Step 3 – Once the application, reference checks, and interview have been completed our Adoption Coordinator will review all information to determine the best match for the dog and families involved. Please understand that we often receive multiple applications for the same dog so if you are not approved for the dog you applied for, it does not mean that we think you’re not a good pet owner, we just have to attempt to make the best match for everyone. We hope that you will consider keeping your application on file with us for future rescue dogs and we are happy to provide reference to other rescues that you may be applying with when applicable.

Step 4 – If you are approved to adopt we will then set up a time for you to come and meet the dog in question. Prior to your meet and greet we will have you complete an adoption contract so that you are ready to take your new companion home if all goes well! Post adoption we will have you complete a microchip registration form and we will register your dog for a free 6 week pet insurance trial. 

Precious Paws Rescue believes that we have a duty to ensure that our dogs are placed in the homes best suited for them, with applicants that believe in the philosophy of rescue and have the patience to work through the screening process. The application provides some of the details needed to make this determination. Certainly it is easier to walk into the store and buy a puppy, but it is exactly this “instant gratification” mentality, that has contributed to the hundreds of thousands of homeless and subsequently euthanized pets in Canada today. Adopting a dog is a lifetime commitment, not something to take lightly.

If you have room in your home, you might consider fostering for us! Our foster homes go through the same screening process that our adopters go through and then we match you up with a foster dog that is suitable to your home, lifestyle and family (as best we can). Many of our foster volunteers provide the food/toys/essentials for their foster dogs but Precious Paws is also happy to provide this whenever necessary. All veterinary care and supplies are provided by the rescue while the dog is in foster care.