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Dear Westie Friend:

Thank you for applying to adopt a rescue dog. Each Westie which comes to us is very special, with a unique background and needs. We are very careful in placing the dogs, so please be patient with us as we ask questions that will help us determine which dog may be right for you and which home is best for the Westie.  

Some of these dogs have come out of traumatic situations. For all of them, it is stressful to lose the home they have known. This does not mean that they will not make wonderful pets. However, just as you may have certain desires about the dog you want to adopt, so each Westie also has special needs, which we try to determine through an initial health, background, and temperament evaluation. This is never easy. Therefore, we ask you to be as thorough as possible in answering the questions on the Adoption Application form. Please remember that the broader your thinking on what Westies you are willing to consider, the greater the chance there will be a match.

Some of the rescue dogs are released to us from Shelters or Animal Control organizations. When a dog is released to us from an individual, we require that the person giving up the dog sign a Release form to protect the person adopting the dog. We will also require you to sign an Adoption Agreement form to protect the dog. In the event you are unable to continue to give the dog a good home, we require that the Westie be returned to us. Our policy also requires that every dog adopted from our program be spayed or neutered.

We look for the best home available for each Westie. The program is run entirely by unpaid volunteers. We are a Texas Non-profit corporation, certified as 501(c)(3) by the IRS, and our finances are available for review. We subsist entirely on adoption fees and voluntary donations to pay out-of-pocket expenses. Our veterinary expenses can be substantial, even with discounts, for dogs from shelters, or others which come to us with medical problems. We also incur boarding costs on some dogs. We must ask for a contribution to our Rescue Fund to pay these bills. These contributions are used exclusively for care of the Westies. Our small administrative costs are either absorbed by our volunteers, or are covered by contributions other than adoption fees. See the FAQ section of our website for a list of current Adoption Fees.

We operate primarily in the north Texas area – most volunteers are located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Please do not apply if you are not within reasonable driving distance – we do a Home Visit with applicants, and we do not ship dogs. Westie Rescue organizations in other areas are listed at the national Westie club website, at www.westieclubamerica.com. This website also has a lot of good information on Westies, with a discussion of behavioural characteristics, potential health problems, training methods, and club contact information.

Your application will be reviewed and placed in our active adoption folder, where it will remain active for about six months or until you adopt a dog. If you wish to update and reactivate your application at that time, please E-mail us with any changes. The application review and adoption process is reviewed in more detail in the FAQ section. The only applicants given preferential treatment are those who have previously provided a good home to “hard-to-place” Westies, either Senior dogs or those with significant medical problems. Your patience will be appreciated.