Adoption Guidelines

Adopting a pet: The basic requirements –

• Be 18 years of age or older.
• Have identification showing your present and current address.
• Have the knowledge and consent of your landlord, if you rent or lease your residence, proof of official lease agreement is required to show approval that pet(s) are allowed within the residence.
• Be able and willing to spend the time and money necessary to provide training, medical treatment and proper care for your pet.
• Call (360) 678-8901 or email here if you find an animal of interest on our website.

Pets are a lifetime commitment!

When adopting a pet, expect ten or more years (maybe twenty!) of unconditional love. Here are some questions to consider before adopting:

• Pets require vet care (annual check-ups, shots, etc.), require proper nutrition, shelter, preventative pet care, exercise and social interaction. Expect annual licensing fees, collars, leashes, litter boxes, food bowls, etc. Will your budget allow for this and unforeseen expenses, such as emergency vet bills? Learn more about what you can expect with lifetime expenses by clicking here.
• Do you have the time to spend with your new pet? Walks. Play time. Grooming.
• Is your home ready? Is your fence in good repair? Does your landlord allow pets?
• Do you have other pets?
• What position does your insurance agency take regarding owning a dog?
• Do you go on extended vacations and not able to take your pets?
• For all highly mobile populations, including military, commercial fisherman, college students, seasonal employment, sales positions that involve travel, cruise line employment, airline employment, etc., national studies and local experience have shown animals are surrendered or abandoned at a higher rate for these populations. With our close proximity to the military base, animals do come into shelter because of deployment. Many shelters near military bases practice a policy not to adopt to military personnel due to this problem. WAIF decided that we will consider adoption as long as there is an immediate family member in the area who is willing to care for the pet during times of deployment. It is recommended to bring an immediate family member with you to our adoption locations so that they can meet the pet and feel comfortable providing care should you leave for an extended period of time.
• WAIF does not usually conduct home checks although we reserve the right to do so prior to adoption placement. We may also need to confirm home ownership (or landlord for approval) before proceeding in finalizing adoptions.
• WAIF considers pets family members and places adoptable animals with households with a similar philosophy. Therefore, we ask all that all members of the household be present to meet the adoptable animal of interest. This may also mean a meet-and-greet if there are dogs in the home. We ask that households treat pets with respect as companions and will not use animals for the sole purposes of protection, hunting, etc. but members of the family.