Applicants who apply to adopt a senior dog from Senior Dog Haven & Hospice should reside within 2 hours of Wilmington, Delaware. While exceptions may be made on a case by case basis, we do not ship dogs in any circumstance as this can cause distress and unnecessary risks to the animal. Transportation is limited to the areas within a 2 hour drive of Wilmington, DE.
We do not permit the use of electric fences and unfortunately cannot adopt to a home that actively uses one. Many of our dogs have underlying heart conditions and an electric fence could trigger a sudden cardiac event. In addition to the health of your dog, electric fences pose a safety risk in that they do not prevent other animals from entering the property and trying to cause harm to a senior dog who many times would be unable to defend him/herself. For these reasons, we cannot adopt to applicants who have and use an electric fence.
We do not require a fence for all adoptions, however on occasion we may have a dog in rescue that is a flight risk or has shown a need for a fence. That need will be highlighted in their adoption bio.
“Unfortunately, no. Holding the adoption of a dog in one our foster homes would delay time and space available for critically urgent senior dogs that may be in life or death situations and need our help. If you are interested in a specific senior dog that is ready for adoption, you must be prepared to adopt at the time of application.”
Spaying and neutering is shown to improve the overall health for your dog. For females, spaying can prevent pyometra which is a life threatening uterine infection. It can prevent uterine and ovarian cancer. It reduces the risk for mammary tumors and eliminates geriatric pregnancy. For males, neutering eliminates testicular cancer, prevents testicular torsion, reduces risk for anal tumors and prevents an enlarged prostate. All of our dogs receive pre-surgery blood work and evaluation, we will not spay/neuter if our vet does not feel the dog is a good surgery candidate. We will inform any adopter if their dog was deemed to not be cleared for surgical interventions.
We are a 100% foster based rescue and do not have a physical shelter or location. Our dogs are housed in the homes of our foster volunteers. For this reason, an adoption application must be completed and approved, prior to any scheduled meet and greets. If you are interested in a particular dog, we can plan a meeting once your adoption application is approved.
Our adoption fee for dogs is $125 (per dog). This fee is to help offset the cost of veterinary care, which can often exceed $2500 per dog. Your fee includes a wellness exam, all age appropriate vaccines, spay/neuter surgery, dental treatment when medically necessary, heartworm testing when age appropriate, heartworm treatment if necessary, worming, microchip installation & registration and flea/tick treatment.
Your donation may be tax deductible, please contact your local tax authority to confirm. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with Tax ID: 46-0543736