We do this to ensure that animals will be welcome at the property and that we're not placing an animal in a home where it will ultimately not be able to stay. SVASC does not discriminate against renters and would be very happy to work with you!

Additionally, knowing your housing type and the noise/activity level of the home helps us match you with a pet that will be a good fit for your lifestyle. Some of our dogs are very noisy and rambunctious and would not do well in housing types such as apartments or condos.

A fenced-in yard is not a requirement to adopt a dog from us, however, some of our dogs are more likely to thrive in a home with a fenced-in yard.

As part of our adoption process, we look for a history of veterinary care for your current animals. At a minimum, we do require that all pets in the household be up to date on their rabies vaccination (as required by law), and we prefer that animals currently in the home be spayed or neutered unless there is a medical exception. We ask for your veterinarian’s name and phone number so that we can confirm your pet’s medical history.

It is important to disclose all pets living in your home. Some of our dogs and cats do not get along with other animals. We would not want to place them in a home where they may harm other pets in the household.

As a municipal animal shelter, we often do not know the background or history of the animals in our care. The shelter environment can be very stressful and often times an animal may be shut down while at the shelter, making it more difficult to predict their behavior/personality in a home environment. Many of our animals will need basic obedience training, house training, etc. when they get to your home. SVASC is more than happy to help with trainer recommendations!

Animals are a lifelong commitment and this question allows us to match you with the best pet possible. For example: If you would return a pet for resource guarding, we would not want to set you up with a pet that displays that type of behavior.