Animal Adoption
• The first step in adopting is to fill out an application. Printed Adoption Applications are available at the Refuge, or you can download our Adoption Application in Adobe Acrobat® pdf format. You can download a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader® here.
• Manually completed forms need to turned in to one of our adoption counselors with two forms of identification, one with your picture. Once completed, the adoption counselor will review the application with you. The adoption counselor will tell you if there is any other information needed, as well as when to call back to check on the status of your application
• Alternately, you may fill out our Online Adoption Application on our secure server to speed up the adoption process and make it more convenient for you. This form is on our secure server to protect your personal information which is included on the application.
• The Online Adoption Application includes an electronic signature authorizing the Refuge to make appropriate checks and confirmations concerning your application. When you come into the Refuge, you will need to sign a printed copy of your submitted Online Adoption Application, further confirming your application.
• We begin our review of Adoption Application the next working business day after submission. Application reviews are generally completed within three working days of submittal. It is your responsibility to check with us after that time to determine the status of your application. When you call about your application, we will tell you if you are approved and if there are any restrictions on your adoption. Bear in mind, that frequently an application may get delayed while waiting for all the necessary information from the references you provided.
• No animal may be selected until your application has been processed and approved. You are welcome to walk through the shelter to view the animals, but only individuals with approved applications may handle animals out of the cage.
• Once approved, you may come in to select any animal that fits the guidelines of your approved application. The adoption coordinator will review your selection will make the necessary arrangements for taking the animal home. All animals are spayed or neutered before going home, so it may be necessary to wait a few days before picking up your animal.
• Your approved application stays active for six months if there are no changes in the information. If you do not see an animal you are interested in at this time, we encourage you to stop in anytime to see our current animals.
• We get many requests every day for notification of whether or not our animal population contains specific animals and animal types. We need adopters to first fill out our Adoption Application and have it approved before we can consider such outside requests
• We understand that may sound overly strict and demanding at first, but our experience has shown this requirement eliminates those individuals who are not serious about adopting from Morris. We couldn't possibly keep up with these requests if we didn't cull out the ones that aren't serious, without the requirement of an approved Adoption Application. Our adoption rules are based on the guidelines prescribed by The Humane Society of the United States, and our years of experience in animal adoption. If you have a specific request, make sure our adoption counselors know it, after your application has been approved.
• The Morris Animal Refuge reserves the right to refuse any adoption.
