We follow the Doberman Pinscher Club of America's Code of Ethics.
For more information visit the DPCA at www.dpca.org
!!!PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BEFORE FILLING OUR ADOPTION APPLICATION!!!!!
Thank you for considering rescue for your next four-legged family member. Please read BEFORE filling out the adoption application! If you do not provide the information asked for, we may deny your application.
Failure to read the adoption rules, failure to provide current vet information, failure to fill out application fully may cause denial of your application.
If you do not provide the information asked for, we may deny your application.
ADOPTION PROCESS:
All potential adopters must fill out an adoption application. Failure to read the instructions will deny your application.
Applications are not taken and considered on a first come first serve basis, but taken on what is best-fit for our dogs, and of course the adopters' home. We want the best possible fit for our dogs in their new homes, and want adopters happy with their new friend. If we feel your home would better be suited for a different dog, due to activity level, prey drive, or whatever is determined through the interview process, we will make recommendations that would be better suited for both your home and our dogs.
You must 21 years of age and living in the home where the dog will reside. If you live with your parents, they must be willing participants of the adoption process and interview.
APARTMENTS/RENTERS: If you are renting you must provide your landlords name and phone number so we can verify approval to adopt, no exceptions. Failure to provide this information will result in your application being closed. Apartments are not suitable for most dogs/puppies depending on the breed, size, age but we will look at this based on a case by case basis.
If found to be convicted of animal abuse, child abuse, or any felony, UDR reserves the right to deny application. If you are unsure, please ask us first. We appreciate full disclosure and will review on a case by case basis.
The interview process to adopt starts the moment you contact us. After we receive your completed application, we will arrange for one of our volunteers to do a home visit. The home visit is to ensure a safe environment for the adopted dog and gives us a chance get to know what you are looking for in a dog and for you to ask questions. All individuals residing in the home must be present for the home visit, including children. If you are moving, please apply after you have moved as we must see the home that the dog will be living in.
You must provide contact information for your current veterinarian so that we can perform a vet-check. All current pets, cats and dogs, living in the applicants home MUST be spayed or neutered, current on vaccines and on heart worm preventative prior to adopting a rescue dog, unless there is a valid reason why they are not. Exceptions to this rule are: working as a show dogs, working dogs in any field for a champion title, yearly titers done in place of vaccines, or any medical reason. If you chose to not give monthly preventative, vaccinate your dogs, or choose to keep your pets unaltered without a reason, we will deny your application.
If you are approved to adopt after the home visit and vet check, we will arrange for you to meet our adoptable dogs in their foster homes. We do not ever ship or transport dogs – you MUST be willing to meet the dogs in-person in their foster home.
We reserve the right to discontinue communication at any time and to reject the application should any applicant communicate in a disrespectful, dishonest, or non-productive manner with our volunteers. Failure to respond in a timely manner to our volunteers may result in your application being closed.
ADOPTION AREA, or Can I adopt if I live out of state?
We do not ever adopt outside of the USA. We also do not ever ship our dogs.
For adults and fully-vetted dogs, we will adopt to any continental US state. You must be willing to come to the fosters home to meet the dog, no exception, and to personally pick up the dog on adoption day for transportation back to your home. For those traveling from out-of-state, we do our very best to ensure the meeting and adoption can take place within the same weekend.
For dogs currently under veterinary care, adoption area will be confined to within Minnesota.
ADOPTION REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES:
Home Environment. All adopted dogs must live indoors with their family, no exceptions. Dobermans are not suited as outdoor dogs and will die if left exposed to the elements of winter. Never should any adopted dog be left outdoors unattended for long periods of time, either in a kennel or on a tie out.
Fencing: We do give preference to homes with fencing, but will consider homes with no fencing on a case-by-case basis. All puppies must have a fenced yard no exceptions. Adopters of older dogs must have a secure plan in place for bathroom breaks and agree to never let adopted dog run freely. We will adopt dogs with good recall to homes with no fencing on a case by case basis. Electric fencing is also considered on a case by case basis. We prefer electric fencing installed by a professional company that provides training to adopters when they bring home a new dog. Previous adopters with a history of past successful adoptions with UDR are always given preference with no fence.
Puppies. We have some special adoption requirements for puppies:
Puppies require a PHYSICALLY FENCED YARD. We can not let our pups make a mistake, and many mistakes they will make growing up as that's what puppies do! Being proactive to prevent injuries or death for any of our dogs is our priority.
We will adopt puppies to families with children under 6 years old. We will not adopt adult dogs to families with children under 6 years of age due to the high risk of unknowns.
Puppies must be vaccinated on a monthly basis, spayed/neutered by 6 months of age by adopters vet.
Puppy adopters must be willing to share their plan for socialization and training prior to adoption. Without both of these, Doberman puppies are apt to become unruly, overly protective, fearful of new people or other animals, or full of anxiety as adults. These issues are entirely the fault of the humans in its life and the lack of socializing that was given.
We will not adopt sibling puppies, or puppies close in age to the same household due to the high incidence of “Littermate Syndrome”. This is a very real and dangerous syndrome that happens when two dogs of the same age are raised together in a home. Two pups of the same age will not bond to humans but only each other, they are hard to train which includes potty training, they will potentially start fighting and those fights become so bad as adult that they will potentially severely injure or kill the other, and add the risk to human family members should a fight occur. Google "littermate syndrome" to learn more about this undesirable potential in adopting two puppies from the same litter.
Kids. We will not place adult rescue dogs in homes with young children 6 and under, with the exception of puppies which can grow up with the child. Some adult rescue dogs may have unknown histories and young children do not have the stress management skills, impulse control or the ability to think abstractly that adults possess. A small child can unintentionally hurt a dog and the consequences can result in injury to the child. Doberman are large dogs and can knock an infant over. If a rescue dog injuries a child it could end the life of the dog. We can not risk the death of one of our dogs, or a bite to a young child!
Male Dobermans. We will not adopt male Dobermans into a home with other male canines due to the prevalence of same-sex aggression issues in male Dobermans. For more information please Google it. Although there are very experienced homes who have success with multiple males, in rescue we tend to see far more horror stories of aggression, guarding, and fights. If you already have a male canine in your home, you should be applying for our adoptable female dogs.
Vetting. Prior to adoption, all our rescue dogs will be spayed or neutered (with the exception of puppies in which we wait till about 6 months to give them time to grow), current on vaccinations, heart worm negative and on heart worm preventative, on seasonal flea and tick preventative as needed, and micro-chipped. We will address all health issues presented while dog is in our care. While we may get reduced vet pricing, UDR still has to pay for vet care for all our rescue dogs. Adopters MUST be willing to continue vet care for our rescues as required including monthly heart worm, flea and tick preventative and yearly physicals with vaccines as required. At times vaccines or vet cares may be difficult for us as rescuers to complete for a variety of reasons, such as the expiration of the vaccine is near adoption time and not get completed. If this is the case due to unavailability of our vets, the foster wasn't able to get dog into the vet quickly enough, if the adoption is expedited prior to the vet appointment, or the foster was unable to get this done prior to adoption, the vet care will become the responsibility of the new adopter. Also to note, due to Covid and the pandemic, the vet care system has been severely compromised, making it difficult at times to get our dogs in to the vet quickly before adoption.
Training. If you are looking for a well-trained dog with no issues, one that will require very little work on your part, then a rescued dog may not be for you. While we begin their healing and start the process of them becoming wonderful family members, adopters must be willing to commit and continue the process for these dogs. Our foster homes will share the dog’s current level of potty training, crate training, house manners, socialization, medical/health status, etc. Adopters must be willing to continue working on whatever issues are known or arise. Rescued dogs are all diamonds in the rough, and you must be willing to put some work in to them.
All adopters are encouraged, but not required, to enroll in a formal obedience class as soon as possible after adoption! Training your dog at home is not the same as training in a formal class setting. Formal training with a classroom and trainer, gives your dog the opportunity to work on social skills with other dogs and other strange people, which is very important for all dogs, and to bond with you as their new owner! Trainers can also assist with any post adoption issues.
You must be willing to work on social skills throughout a dog/Dobermans life, or risk a dog that becomes overly protective, fearful of new people or other animals, or full of anxiety! Dobermans are very smart, need to stay stimulated and obedience classes and further training will fill this need.
Post-Adoption. All owners must keep United Doberman Rescue up to date on current on phone and address information should you move.
Adopting is a lifelong commitment and we expect adopters to fulfill that commitment for the life of the animal no matter what. Should you be unable to keep your adopted dog under any circumstance for the life of the dog please contact us and we can talk about taking/surrendering the animal back to UDR. Adopters may NOT give away, sell or transfer adopted dog ever for any reason without consulting UDR! If you can no longer care for your adopted dog, consultation with a UDR member MUST be done, no exceptions. Violation of adopters commitment to a UDR animal with the signed contract can result in legal remedies. If your adopted dog bites someone, know we can not take back any dogs that bite, so you must prevent this from happening. Please consult us for help and remedies to any issue after adoption.
ADOPTION FEES, or how much is that puppy in the window?
***Please consider adding a tax deductible donation added to your adoption fee
- Puppies 8 weeks to 6 months old-$500
- 7 months to 3 years-$400
- 4 years to 7 years-$350
- 8 years and up-$250
- Special needs dogs will be determined on a case by case basis.
- Adoption fees may be adjusted on each individual dog on a case by case basis as determined by the rescue.
DOBERMAN BREED INFORMATION:
Doberman adopters-PLEASE!!! Research the breed prior to adoption as Dobermans are not a good breed for everyone. They are beautiful, and we agree, the best dog ever created by man, but Dobermans are super high energy, in your face 24/7, busy, busy dogs. If you want to sit home and watch TV after work or a long day, a Doberman is NOT for you. If you want to go for a 2 mile run every day with your dog by your side, and regularly work on training or tricks, a Doberman might be for you! They are busy, bossy, smarter then most humans and require a master who is fair, honest but is a leader. If a Doberman does not have a leader in its life, your Doberman will take over the entire house and be the one in charge if you're a poor leader.
Dobermans are smart, fearless, loyal, active and make wonderful family companions. A good place to learn more about the health and temperament of the breed is the official Doberman web page of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America, or DPCA. Dobermans are best raised with confident, trusting leaders.
Dobermans possess a superior intelligence and are much smarter than most canines. They will watch you every minute of every day, determining and knowing your next step. Dobermans are loyal, by your side and in your bubble every minute of every waking hour. They will worship your entire being and follow you to the end of the world. Due to their high intelligence they do need to stay mentally and emotionally active, with YOU, their leader, guiding the way. If left on their own they can potentially become destructive in the home, due to boredom , lack of energy release and they will make up their own games, which may not be desirable to you the owner, such as destroying the couch, or even an entire room! (Yes we have seen it!) It is up to the owners to keep them active physically and mentally, so they do not become destructive!
Dobermans are high energy!!!! You must be willing to take them to obedience classes, give them a job and a few hours of energy release daily. Daily walks or runs, frisbee and ball playing, dog parks, doggy daycare, obedience and agility classes are some of the ways to do this. You must keep them well socialized with other humans and animals or they will become overly protective, territorial and/or, have severe anxiety as adults!! If you do not have time and money to invest and train, then a Doberman is not for you.
Doberman Health: They do have a high number of costly health issues and we do encourage applying for health insurance for your Doberman! Can you afford the amount of vet care they may incur? $5,000-$10,000 for some common issues? Will you be willing to purchase health insurance? As most purebred breeds, there are health concerns to consider such as Cardiomyopathy (60% of all Dobermans will develop this in their lives, or die suddenly without any notice of disease to the owners), Wobblers Disease, Hypothyroidism (20% of Dobermans are hypothyroid) , Von Willabrand's Disease is a life threatening bleeding disorder, hip dysplasia , retinal atrophy to name a few of the diseases affecting the Doberman. Dobermans are at the top of the list as the breed with the highest genetic health issues.
We look forward to helping you find your forever companion! If you understand the above, please fill out the application to adopt here!
Thank you!!
Ready, set, go......................................
I have had my home visit now what?
Once the home visit is completed and looks good, you will get to meet our adoptable dogs. If you have a resident dog, please ask foster if it is acceptable to bring to meet potential adoptive dog also.
Due to Covid, and to reduce exposure, we currently to allow adoptions the same day of meeting!!!
If a dog you have applied for is not a good fit, or has been adopted, we will make recommendations as to which dogs might work better in your home and have you meet them. Know we always have dogs coming in to rescue. If the dog you applied for gets adopted, know there will be another dog just like the one you had your heart set on, coming in soon. Application pre-approval will ensure you get to meet our dogs, when they arrive in rescue. Those applications with home visits completed and are a good fit for that particular dog get to meet our dogs!
When meeting a dog, it is important for potential adopters to ask fosters as much about the dog you are interested in adopting. Our foster should be very transparent about what they have learned about their foster dog, both good and bad, to potential adopters. Fosters are the ones who are actually living with the dog and know the most information, including temperament and health issues. While our fosters will share what they have seen and observed, it is impossible to know everything about the dogs in the short time we have them in rescue, nor do we offer any guarantee.
Adopting a rescue dog is an act of love and kindness, willingness to restore these dogs faith in humans, make them well in mind and body, and be WILLING to work on what ever needs your adopted rescue dog might have, should it be health issues, anxiety issues, training issues, ect. If you are looking for the perfect dog that will come home and not require any time or commitment from you and your family, then adopting may not be a good choice. Dog behavior can and does change from home to home, depending on type of leadership skills demonstrated and expected in each different home. Our foster may share one behavior, but adopters may see another behavior depending on their training skills, the dynamics of the home and the new masters ability to read and deal with canine behavior.
Know we are ALL volunteers, meaning we are not paid and do this on our free time, for the love of helping these homeless animals. The adoption process involves time and effort on your part, but be patient - we want to ensure that we match you with the right dog. it is imperative that you provide all information asked for on the application, or in a timely manner when asked by one of our volunteers. Please stay in close contact with us during this entire process.
Once a match has been made, we will execute the Adoption Contract and set up the adoption day!
After adoption............
All our adopted dogs must be vetted by your vet yearly. They must be on heartworm preventative, and current on vet cares as determined by your vet.
Please keep us updated as to how your adopted pet is doing! Join our Facebook page, "Friends of United Doberman Rescue and Canine Castaways of Minnesota" and post pictures of your adopted pet, brag, share ideas, ask questions. Know we all want updates and to know how things are going!!!
Come to our events, we would LOVE to see you!!!
If you can not keep your adopted pet, for what ever reason, we will take back our adoptees for their life. Please contact a UDR member. The exception to this rule is if the dog bites or shows human aggression. Please consult with us to figure out the best solution. Once a UDR rescue, always a UDR rescue, meaning we will always support adopters with any issues as long as our UDR rescue dog is alive.
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