The Adoption Process

Our Goldens are very special to us. As volunteers working for the welfare of the Goldens in our care, our best reward is to see them join a wonderful family. To be considered as an adoptive family, you must be willing to:

Give your new Golden the best life possible ~ veterinary treatment, preventative care, good food, exercise, grooming, and lots of TLC.
Have one of our Goldens solely as a companion who will live as a member of your family.

We do not post all of our Goldens on our website. Please fill out an online adoption application as our team members match Goldens to families based on the information on the online application form.

Please note that our adoption application is comprehensive. We want to ensure that we match our Goldens to the most suitable families and we want the match to be perfect for you. After the form has been completed and you enter the SUBMIT button, you will receive an automated confirmation saying that your application has been accepted. However, if you have any errors such as a required field NOT being completed or a field that is not in the correct format (eg. email address), you will get a red message telling you that you have an error. This error will also be highlighted in red on the application where the error is. Once the error is corrected and you enter the submit button, you will get confirmation that your application has been accepted. Once accepted, the application will automatically get forwarded to our Placement Team and you will get a personal email response from one of our volunteers about the next steps in the adoption process and include a copy of your application. Your adoption application will expire after 6 months. Please be aware that sometimes an application does not reach us if you are using tablets or cell phones so it is highly recommended that you use a computer.

Can’t find our email?

Please check your SPAM or JUNK email folder in case you don’t receive it. If our email does end up in either of those folders, simply add us to your recognized senders or contact list to ensure you receive emails from us.

Sign up for our adoption alerts

We send adoption alerts via email on a regular basis. You can read detailed descriptions about our Goldens when they become available for adoption. Most of our Goldens are also posted on our website and shared on our social media channels. Learn more about how we label our adoption notices.

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Adoption Application

Initial Questions

BEFORE completing this application, please check the agreement box below to indicate that you have read and agree with each of the following statements:

Adoption homes are selected on an individual basis to best meet the needs of the rescued Golden Retriever. A potential adopter’s circumstances and preferences are taken into consideration in this selection process. We do take into consideration the presence of young children in an adopter’s family. We advise that families with children under the age of eight-years-old may not be best suited for one of our rescued Goldens.
We ask that all of our forever families ensure that they are able to manage any financial responsibilities that come with adopting a Golden prior to making this commitment. If a forever family is not able to provide the care required for their adopted Golden, the Golden must be surrendered back to Golden Rescue.
A securely fenced yard or invisible fencing is suggested, and is a major consideration in the matching process. Goldens with poor recall cannot be placed in homes without fenced yards.
Our adoption fee is $1000 for domestic Goldens, $1500 for Goldens rescued from countries outside of Canada and $1200 for Goldens under the age of 6 months. All the necessary veterinary care is provided prior to adoption including all vaccinations, micro-chipping, and spaying or neutering(in most cases). Since the average cost of care is $1700 per Golden, any additional donation is appreciated.
The Golden must not be left alone longer than eight hours at any given time. Dog walkers or neighbours are a great solution.
I understand that rescued Goldens are generally not eligible for pet insurance, and I need to be prepared for medical emergencies which may cost several thousand dollars.
I acknowledge that the information contained in this form is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any misrepresentation of facts may result in the removal of the adopted Golden from my home by the Golden Rescue
I understand that if Golden Rescue believes that I am not providing adequate care for my adopted Golden, Golden Rescue has the right to remove the Golden from my home.
I understand that only those applicants on the short-list will be contacted. We are a 100% volunteer organization. You are welcome to let us know if you’re interested in one of our Goldens via adoption@goldenrescue.ca or telephone (not on Facebook). Your message will be forwarded to the volunteer who is placing the Golden in his/her adoptive home. It is simply not possible for us to respond to all those who are interested.
Please note that Golden Rescue does not allow adopters to contact others within the organization to solicit money in the event of a medical emergency. We do have an excellent community of supporters, but since we can’t verify the Golden’s needs, we do not allow any requests of this sort to be made on any official Golden Rescue channel.

I have read and agree with all of the statements above

Personal Information

First & Last Name Email address Country Street Address City

State

Province/Territory

Postal/Zip Primary Phone Cell/Secondary Phone

Family & Household Information

Number of Adults in the home Occupation(s) and age(s) Are there children in the household? What are their ages? Is anyone in the house allergic to Goldens? Is everyone in the house in agreement to adopting a Golden? How many hours is an adult home during the day? Do you have a fully fenced yard? What style of house do you live in? Please describe the size of your yard (or the fenced area) How high is the fence? If you do not have a fenced yard, what is your plan for letting him out? Please tell us about everyone’s experience with dogs (or other pets) If you have children: Have they been exposed to Goldens before? On a scale from 1-10 (1 = No Experience), rate how Golden savvy are they?

Golden Care

Where would the Golden be kept during the day? Where would the Golden be kept during the night? How many hours per day would the Golden usually be left alone? Do you have a dog-walker/sitter picked out? Do you have a secondary residence (Example: Cottage or Florida Home) How important is it that your Golden likes the car and why? Who will be responsible for training and care? Who will be the caregiver in the event of vacation or special circumstances? If you were to move, what would you do with the Golden? Are you aware of some of the more common Golden health issues, like thyroid, arthritis, or eye disease? What would be a reasonable amount of time per day that you could exercise a Golden? Do you have an active or more sedate lifestyle? (i.e. are you a hiker or jogger, do you like long walksin conservation areasor do you like to stroll through your neighbourhood? How important is it that your Golden have good recall? (Example: If you like to hike/camp/or don’t have a fenced yard)

What adjustments might you need to make to your present lifestyle in order to accommodate a Golden? Please describe your experience with Goldens with respect to raising, housetraining, etc. What experience have you had specifically with Golden Retrievers? Have you been involved in Golden-related activities? Would you enroll your Golden in obedience classes? Describe your attitude towards training a Golden and modifying unwanted behaviours.

Current Pets

Do you currently have dogs?

If so, please provide breed, gender, spaying/ neutering and vaccination information.

Do you currently have any pets besides dogs?

If so, please let us know what kind of pets:

Please let us know the details of any pet or pets you have had that have died due to an accident or infectious illness

Golden Traits

Why do you want to adopt a rescue Golden? Which gender do you prefer? Age preference (please state desired age range or no preference)

Would you be interested in adopting a pair of Goldens? Would you adopt a senior Golden? Would you adopt a puppy?

Would you adopt a Golden with ongoing medical issues, like epilepsy, thyroid issues, uveitis? Would you adopt a Golden with behavioural issues, like food aggression, poor socialization, or unpredictable behaviour? Would you be willing to adopt a Golden with a known condition that may require a one-time surgery in the future (depending on the condition, this may cost $2-4000)

Since we believe that rescue has no borders, would you consider an international Golden?

Click here to see a video on our Rescue Mission of Love (international Golden adoption program). If you would like, we can put you in touch with adopters who have adopted an international Golden to talk about their experiences. Please email adoption@ if you'd like to speak to a fellow adopter about adopting an international Golden or click here to read some testimonials from families who have adopted an international Golden.

How far would you be willing to drive to meet a Golden in foster care? Tell us why and how you would make a good home for a Golden: Where did you hear about Golden Rescue? Would you be interested in becoming a volunteer with Golden Rescue?

Current Goldens Available for Adoption

If you are interested in one of the Goldens posted on our website, please indicate here the name and rescue number of the Golden. If this Golden goes to another home, please be patient while we look for another Golden for your family.

Golden name and rescue number: Why are you interested specifically in this Golden? Would you be interested in another Golden if you are not matched with this one?

References

Vet Reference

Please discuss this with your vet ahead of time, and ask them to put a note on your file authorizing them to speak with Golden Rescue as a reference for you. Full Name Office Email address Country Street Address City

State

Province/Territory

Postal/Zip Phone Fax Years of Use

Personal Reference

References may include co-workers, neighbours, friends, and relatives. If this is a secondary vet reference please discuss this with your vet ahead of time. Full Name Email address Country Street Address City

State

Province/Territory

Postal/Zip Phone Fax Relationship

Please check your SPAM or JUNK email folder in case you don’t receive it.