We pride ourselves on finding forever homes for our dogs and our applicants. For us to make that great match, we need to learn as much about our applicants as we do about the dogs.
Step 1: Make sure a Boykin is a good fit for your family
Whether you are a first time Boykin owner, or you are looking to add to your pack, please click here to learn more about the breed and opportunities and challenges of adopting a rescue dog.
Are you prepared to care for a dog should your career change, you need to move or have a bundle of joy on the way?
Step 2: Complete an Adoption Application
Click here to complete an adoption application. PLEASE NOTE: New applicants are not eligible to adopt a dog already on our website; you are applying to become approved to adopt an available after you have submitted and been approved. We also require a $25.00 application fee, which can be paid online (after clicking "submit" for the application, you will be redirected to a separate page for paying the processing fee ).
Step 3: Processing the Application
Once we receive your application and payment, you will be contacted by a volunteer who will set up a time to review your application and answer any questions you might have.
The volunteer will contact your references and veterinarian. If all of the references are positive, the volunteer will have a home visit set up.
The home visit is important so we get a better idea of your home environment.
If all is in order, the application will be approved and you will receive an invitation to create an account. This will allow you to view more information on available dogs, as well as contact the foster of available dogs for potential placement.
Important to Note:
Eligibility to Adopt a Boykin from BSR. In order to be eligible to adopt or inquire about any of the rescues currently listed on our website, you MUST already have a current, approved adoption application on file with BSR™. Our adoption applications are good for 2 years from date of approval. If you have had an approved adoption application on file with us in the past, please be sure your adoption application is not expired. If you have never submitted an adoption application to BSR™, then you are not eligible to adopt any of the rescues currently on the website. Our system is not a "First come, First Serve" system. Our priority is what is best for our rescues and that is our sole consideration when adopting out one of our dogs. However, in order to be fair to those applicants who have already been approved and are in our system, they are given priority consideration when placing a dog in a forever home.
How Forever Homes are Chosen for our Rescues. Our dogs spend a minimum of four weeks with an approved BSR™ volunteer during which time they are evaluated. Since the foster knows the dog and its needs the best, the foster chooses the forever home for the dog. Although reference checks and a home visit are completed during the adoption application process, the foster may follow up with references or allow a "meet and greet" between potential adopters and the foster dog. The process may take a bit of time as all interested applicants will be considered.
Once a dog is made available for adoption, our foster's role is to evaluate each adoption applicant interested in the dog and then select the applicant that best meets the needs of the dog. Our ultimate goal is that each dog and family is truly a forever match!
As our mission states, all of our intakes are considered "at-risk;" however, some dogs are also deemed "special needs" rescues. Special needs dogs are those that will need extensive, long-term specialized care, some for the duration of their lives, but are not deemed unadoptable as with Permanent Foster Care dogs. Some special needs dogs will require a forever home close to a specialty veterinary hospital or vet school; some near a rehabilitation facility; some will require on-going intensive, specialized behavioral management training, etc. Because of the extraordinary demands of the attention, time, care and commitment required for them, special needs rescues are not generally open for adoption to the general public and BSR™ directly places these dogs with forever families who can meet their needs. If you are interested in adopting a special needs dog, please let us know!
If Chosen to Adopt one of our dogs:
If you are chosen as the match for one of our rescues, please note that there is now a tiered adoption fee scale based on the dog's age.
As of February 1, 2024, if you are selected as an adopter, the adoption fee will depend on the dog's age: Puppies up to 1 yo: $425 1-6 years old: $400 7 years and above: $375 (or less if "Seniors for Seniors" eligible)
We do not provide transportation of the dog to you. We also do not allow our dogs to be transported via plane.
If you are not chosen to adopt the dog you have applied for:
Your application is valid for two (2) years from approval. You may apply for any dog that is available on our website throughout that 2 year span, so please keep applying! Should your application expire, you are welcome to renew your application and you will not be charged another application fee if you renew within 12 months of your expiration. All other renewals will be treated as a full-reprocessing.