Q1: If a dog has been at the adoption center for a long time, is there something wrong with it?

Q2: Can I bring my dog to the shelter to meet the dog that I would like to adopt?

Q3: Is the dog good with kids?

Q4: Is the dog housebroken?

Q5: Is the dog good with cats?

A1: If a dog has been at the shelter for a long time, is there something wrong with it?

Just because a dog has been at the shelter for a long time, you should not assume something is wrong with it. The reality of the situation is that there are too many dogs and not enough adopters.  In comparison to many suburban shelters, we house the same number of dogs, but obviously do not have as many people living in the area to adopt them.

We may have a few dogs that are more difficult to adopt because they, for example, aren’t good with children or other dogs.  If this is the case, we will tell you that information up front. Do not be afraid to ask us about a dog we have had for a long time – that dog needs you the most.

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A2: Can I bring my dog to the shelter to meet the dog that I would like to adopt?

Absolutely! In fact, as part of the adoption process, we require that any current household dogs be introduced to the new dog at the adoption center.

When you arrive at the shelter with your dog, please safely secure it in the car.  Then, come inside and let us know you have brought him/her and tell us which do you would like to meet.  (It is best to have a second person with you so you do not have to leave your dog in the car unattended)  If you must come alone, please remember that a dog can overheat in minutes if left in a hot car.  Please do not bring your dog into the adoption center upon your arrival.

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A3: Is the dog good with kids?

Our volunteers are mostly adults and IVAR does not allow children to handle the dogs at the adoption center. Therefore, we can only offer an educated guess to this question. If the previous pet owner surrendered the dog to IVAR, we will provide you with any information that was given to us regarding this situation. If we believe a dog will not be good around children, we will indicate this.  If the dog’s profile does not have any information regarding their interaction with children, feel free to contact us understanding that we can only make an educated guess.  In the majority of cases, our dogs are appropriate for adoption to homes with children.

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A4: Is the dog housebroken?

Due to the fact that 99% of our dogs are kept in a shelter environment and not a foster home, we cannot safely claim that they are housebroken.  If the previous pet owner surrendered the dog IVAR, we will pass on any information that was provided to us.  We cannot promise that a dog is housebroken and expect all of our adopters to be ready to deal with a few accidents.  Based on a dog’s bathroom behavior at the adoption center, we can sometimes guess as to whether or not it has been housebroken.  Please do not take this as a guarantee.

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A5: Is the dog good with cats?

We rarely know for sure if a dog is good with cats.  Because our dogs are kept in a shelter environment, this is often difficult or impossible to determine.  If the previous pet owner surrendered the dog to IVAR, we will provide you with any information that was given to us regarding this situation.

In addition, we can conduct a less than perfect test in an effort to determine whether or not a dog will get along with cats. (The test has worked pretty well so far.) However, we will not conduct this test until you have met the dog, your adoption application has been approved and you have expressed interest in adopting the dog.  The test is very difficult for us to do and, thus, we cannot conduct it on every do in the shelter.

If you own cats, we highly suggest that you identify two dogs that you may be interested in adopting.  That way, if one dog is not cat friendly, you will not have to return to the shelter to look for another dog you are interested in.

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