Are you interested in adopting a dog?  Cause 4 Paws Toronto has placed over 1,000 dogs in homes in the Toronto area over the past 8 years.  We have put together the resources and tools needed to make the transition from a stray dog to a trusted and loved member of your family.  The tools include written guidelines, GPS tracking devices, and information on food, toys, leashes, and other equipment.  The resources include access to unlimited training tips from qualified trainers; in-home training; and personalized assessments from trainers with years of experience working with rescue dogs.  Our process seeks to minimize the likelihood of placement failures, facilitate open communication between foster/adoptive families and the rescue and, most importantly, ensure the safety and well being of the dogs.

How does the process work?  It starts by emailing an application to c4ptoronto@gmail.com.  Once we receive your application we will review it to see if it would be a good match for the dog that you have applied for or perhaps another dog that we think might be a good fit.  If there is a possible good fit, we will be in touch by phone to discuss the dog and our rescue.  The next step would be a meet and greet and then a home visit.  If those go well then there would be a two week trial (foster to adopt) with the dog in your home.  During that time, you would take the dog to your vet to review their records and ensure that you and your vet have no questions about the health of the dog.  You would also do your first training session to be sure that you and your family feel that the dog’s energy level, exercise, and training needs are ones that you are able to handle.

How to Start

  1. Read our Foster Guidelines.
  2. Complete our Application.
  3. Email your completed application to us at c4ptoronto@gmail.com.
  4. Contact us. We will give you a call to discuss your home, our dogs, and what would be best.
  5. Schedule a home visit. We will follow up with a home visit and if all goes well you will become a foster family for a trial period (usually a couple weeks) with the next member of your family.
  6. Complete our Foster Agreement.
  7. We will be in constant communication with you to make sure everything is going well with the fostering.

 

How to Finalize Adoption

  1. Foster. We have a foster to adopt program. Complete the foster process to proceed to adoption finalization.
  2. Adopt. If the trial visit is a success then there will be an adoption agreement and a fee to help to offset the costs. All of our dogs have been spayed/neutered and are up to date on shots and screenings. We are so happy that you are looking to add to your family and look forward to working with you.

Important Information:

A new home can be a scary experience for a foster dog – new smells, new people, new everything. This can cause them to become flight risks. We know all too well, first hand, how easily a new foster dog can slip away. Something startles them on a walk and they bolt, a door is held open a second too long, or a gate is accidentally left unlatched are all risks we’ve seen. If a dog escapes and is not found right away, the consequences can be absolutely devastating.
We put the health and safety of our foster dogs at the forefront of our mission, and know this is a priority for our fosters as well. Therefore, we require all fosters to wear a “Tractive” device on their collar at all times (except at night when sleeping). Many reputable rescues now have this GPS as a requirement – and it has saved many dogs’ lives. We have researched many providers and prefer “Tractive”. They make an affordable device with good range, battery life, and a public network. New adopters and fosters are required to use this device for the first couple of years.
The device costs about $70 and the fees are about $8 a month depending on the length of the plan – the longer the plan, the lower the fees! Setting up the device is simple. As soon as you get it, you can log on to the website, register it, and select your preferred plan. If you charge it every night, the battery will last a few days. If your dog escapes or gets lost, there is peace of mind that they are completely trackable for 2-5 days, plenty of time to locate and recover them! The peace of mind is worth it. Finding a lost dog, safe and sound… That’s priceless.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: c4ptoronto@gmail.com
Website: www.cause4pawstoronto.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/cause4pawstoronto
Petfinder: www.petfinder.com/shelters/ON456.html