FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
How long do you hold strays before they become available for adoption? Can animals that are still in the holding period be handled by the public? How do you define adoptability? What about euthanasia? What’s included in the price of the adoption? Adoption fees include:
CASA
holds animals that have no identification for 5 days before they are
evaluated for adoption. This hold period includes the day they arrived
if the animal was brought to the shelter during open hours. Staff is
available to return phone calls 7 days per week including Sunday and
Monday. Adoptable animals will be available on the 6th
day. We will make every effort to return animals to their owners before
making them candidates for adoption. Animals that are microchipped or
wearing current identification may be held for 14 days while attempts
to locate their owner are made.
No.
Animals that are still under the holding period restriction are not
yet considered the property of CASA. Until the animal is released from
the holding period, CASA staff members are the only authorized handlers
of the animal.
CASA
adopts out friendly, healthy pets. Animals that pose a risk to public
safety for reasons of health or temperament are humanely euthanized.
Sick or injured animals are held for the appropriate time to be
claimed. If not claimed, they are placed in foster care and provided
treatment when possible.
Euthanasia
is an unfortunate aspect of shelter life. The decision to euthanize any
animal is made by the shelter management often with consultation by the
Camano Veterinary Clinic staff. It is never an easy decision and is based on the
animal's health and temperament.
- Age appropriate vaccines (except rabies)
- Distemper combination vaccine for dogs and cats,
and bordatella for dogs only.
- Deworming
- Flea Treatment
- Spay/neuter surgery
- Complimentary Vet visit
- Microchip for dogs (available upon request for cats)
What’s the process for adopting an animal? Anyone interested in adopting an animal, must meet the animal in person, fill out an adoption application, and all currently owned dogs must be brought for an introduction (for dogs adoptions only). The staff then reviews the application and determines whether it is a good match. Aren’t the puppies and kittens too young to be spayed and neutered? What if the adopter does not want the spay or neuter surgery performed on a young animal he or she is adopting? What vaccinations do shelter animals receive? - Distemper combo vaccine for dogs and cats What kind of veterinary care do the shelter animals receive? What is a temperament test? A temperament test is a series of tests designed to determine a dog's
level of adoptability. The testing takes approximately 15 minutes per
dog and tests the dog's sociability level, food aggression, child safety
and cat compatibility. It gives us valuable information in placing an
animal in the most appropriate home. What is your policy on pitbulls? Pitbulls
and pitbull mixes are made available for adoption provided they are
temperamentally sound and healthy. We require all potential pitbull
adopters to apply on-line via www.pbrc.net (Pit Bull Rescue Central) in addition to meeting the dog in person. PBRC
is a volunteer based on-line resource for shelters and pitbull owners.
PBRC Volunteers receive each potential adopter's application information and
provide CASA with an evaluation of the adopter's suitability. The final
decision to adopt or not is up to the CASA management.
Animals
can be safely spayed and neutered as young as 8 weeks. Our puppies and
kittens are usually spayed/neutered between 8 to10 weeks.
Our policy is to not allow any shelter animal to be adopted unaltered.
- Bordatella for dogs
All
cats are tested for Feline Leukemia prior to being made available for
adoption. Animals with any other health concerns are taken to the vet
as needed and provided medications or treatment as required.