Adoption Fees & Information

As a non-profit organization, our adoption fees help to pay for the care of each animal during his or her time at the shelter. We do not receive any government funding and rely on our fees and donations to continue to operate. With your support, we can continue our mission and help even more animals.

All adoptable dogs, cats, and rabbits are spayed/neutered by FVHA’s veterinarian team in the onsite Sarah Paul Surgical Suite prior to adoption. Dogs are also vaccinated for Rabies, Distemper, Bordetella, tested for heartworm disease and given preventative dewormer and flea/tick and heartworm preventative. Cats are vaccinated for Rabies and Distemper and given preventative dewormer, flea/tick and ear mite medication. In addition, animals are given a thorough physical exam by our onsite veterinary team and any additional needed care is provided, i.e. dental cleanings, flea treatments, etc. 

Our goal is to get to know adopters on a personal level and best match them with a new companion. Instead of having a lengthy adoption application and an in-depth screening process, we use an adoption questionnaire to start our interaction with potential adopters. We ask questions and work with each adopter to help them find an appropriate pet that fits their specific lifestyle and needs. Our goal is to remove barriers to adoption and create a welcoming and non-judgmental experience for potential adopters. Open adoptions allow us to place more animals in homes and shorten the length of time they spend at the shelter prior to finding a home. We also provide counseling and post-adoption follow-up to support our adopters and address any questions and concerns.

Our goal at FHVA is to get animals in to loving homes as soon as we can. Research shows that lengthening an animal’s stay in shelter puts them at a higher risk for catching diseases and illnesses. The shelter environment can also be very stressful for animals used to the comforts of a home. Therefore, we do everything we can to expedite the process from intake to adoption. If an animal is not ready to go home (i.e. needs to be spayed/neutered, etc.) they can be placed on hold at no cost to the adopter. The adoption appointment will be scheduled as soon as the animal is medically cleared and ready to go home. 

We do not require your resident pet to meet our adoptable pet prior to taking your new pet home. We do offer dog to dog and rabbit to rabbit introductions onsite prior to adoption for individuals and families who want to utilize this service. We realize that not all animals do well at the shelter and we are happy to discuss doing a meet and greet onsite versus doing the introduction in your home after adoption.

Both dogs and cats are companion animals and they need the bond that an indoor living arrangement provides. Cats that live indoors have a much greater life expectancy than those allowed outdoors. Indoor cats are less susceptible to upper respiratory problems and feline leukemia. Allowing your cat to roam “freely” outdoors, or confining your dog in a pen or tied to a doghouse, could results in behavior problems and nuisance complaints. Many of our policies have been established based on experience and in the best interests of the animals and people we serve in our community.

We realize one of the most important considerations in taking a new pet home is how well they will get along with your current pets. We are happy to share any prior history we have about how our adoptable pets have done with other animals in the past. Unfortunately depending on how the animal arrived at the shelter we will not have any history. The shelter can be a very stressful environment for animals and we do not typically introduce shelter animals to each other while waiting for adoption. 

We do not routinely screen for FeLV/FIV in healthy cats and kittens. Our protocol is to restrict FeLV/FIV testing to cats with bite wounds or abscesses, sick cats, and cats moving into group housing. We offer FeLV/FIV testing for an additional fee if requested prior to adoption. If adopters have concerns and or questions about FeLV/FIV they should talk to an Adoption Specialist and/or contact their veterinarian.

At the time of adoption, we go over the medical history of the pet you are adopting and discuss when follow-up veterinary care is needed. We will also share with you any history from the previous owners and discuss any relevant behavioral information, i.e. introducing your new pet to your current pets, etc. and answer any questions you have. 

We understand that not every adoption results in a perfect match and sometimes it is in the best interest of you and the pet to rehome. If you have questions and/or concerns after adopting feel free to reach out to us at (920)733-1717 or adoptions@foxvalleypets.org. We will be happy to answer your questions and give you recommendations. If for any reason your new pet is not doing well in your home and you will like to return them, please contact us. We ultimately want what is best for you and the pet and we want to work with you.