Thinking of Adopting?

We've all heard the slogan: "A dog is for life, not just for Christmas."  At FOAL it is always our aim to find new homes for dogs where they will be happy and loved for the rest of their lives.

Taking on a dog is a major commitment, and the younger the dog, the longer the commitment.  Dogs arrive at FOAL for many different reasons and it's important to understand how the dog's background, as well as the breed and size, might affect its suitability for your home, family and lifestyle.  The following notes may help you decide whether life with a dog is right for you.  Naturally, FOAL staff are here to provide all the additional information and guidance that you might need.

Puppies

From time to time, Foal receives either unwanted litters or pregnant females, resulting in the need to rehome puppies.  If you are interested when a puppy becomes available, you will be required to fill in an application form.  A member of the kennel team will then assess the application and contact those most suited.  Please remember that we rehome all our dogs FOR LIFE.  Before rehoming a puppy, please be aware that they will require housetraining, chewtoy training and considerable time and effort spent on them to ensure they mature into sensible, socialised adult dogs.  They will mess and chew your house up until they are taught otherwise BY YOU so please take this into consideration before applying to adopt a puppy.  As with all our dogs, homes are strictly vetted.

Desperate Dogs - Long-Stayers at FOAL

Can you offer a home to a dog that has been continuously overlooked in our kennels?  All the dogs featured on our Desperate Dogs page have been at Foal for more than 6 months - a long time for a dog to look at four walls every day.  Some of these dogs need a special home but others are not adopted because of their looks or age.  Please take a closer look and have a good think about our special dogs.  Foal offers advice before and after the adoption of our dogs.

Seen A Dog You Like?

If you have seen a dog on our site that you would like to give a home to, please consider the following first:

Have I got the time to give to a dog?  Dogs need exercise, attention, grooming, training and feeding.

Can I afford a dog?  Dogs need yearly boosters to protect them from disease, regular worming and flea treatment, daily feeding and may require veterinary attention at some stage of their life.

Does everyone in the family want the dog?  Everyone that lives in the house with the dog should be involved with the dog's wellbeing and keep to the 'house rules' so the dog is not confused.

Is our home environment suitable for the dog?  A Great Dane is not going to suit someone in a studio flat ... a Border Collie is not going to suit someone who wants a companion to take one walk a day round the local park.

After considering all the above, you will now need to meet the dog.  You may either visit us during opening hours and/or contact us to discuss the dog further before visiting.

We would recommend that all family members visit the dog.  If you have an existing dog in the household, it is advisable that you bring your dog with you for an introduction between the two dogs to save time.  If you have a cat and the dog 'needs to be tested' then we shall carry out a cat test when you register your interest in the dog.

If the introduction to family members (including other animals) goes well, then you will be asked to fill out a Booking Form for the dog.  You will receive:

• a description of the dog's temperament in its former home.  If the dog is a stray, then you will have details of the observations whilst at Foal.


• A copy of the booking form which will give details of a Foal homevetter.

You must then contact the homevetter to arrange a home visit.  The homevetter will visit your home to discuss the dog in greater detail and give advice where necessary.  If you pass the home check, then you are free to collect the dog between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm any day except Tuesdays.

Please note that a booking is valid for seven days.  If you do not contact the homevetter or the Farm within these 7 days, the dog will go up for rehoming again.

The Dog I Like is Reserved!  What Can I Do?  As stated above, a reservation on a dog lasts for seven days.  We do encourage you to register your interest in a dog, even if it is reserved.  A homecheck can fail or people change their minds.  You will be added to a list and contacted, should the dog come up for rehoming.

Please note that we endeavour to keep our website as up-to-date as possible.  However, some of the dogs featured may have been rehomed and we may also have dogs that are not featured on our website.