Adopt

Shiba Inu Rescue Association Adoption Process

So you've seen the beautiful, headstrong breed known as the Shiba Inu. You've looked at your living situation and decided that you are ready to open your home to a homeless Shiba. Now the question is, how do you adopt one? Below is SIRA's adoption process explained. Please read all the information as our process may differ from other shelters or rescue organizations you may have looked into adopting from. We currently CANNOT accept applications from people outside of the Midwest region. Our service area includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

The first step in adopting a rescue Shiba from SIRA is to fill out our adoption application. This allows us to find out more about you and your family, your living situation and what you are looking for in a forever friend. You must complete all applicable fields in the application and be as detailed as possible. Incomplete applications will be returned for correction. Click HERE to download the application. When you have completed it, please send it in the form of a word document or PDF to adoptsirashibas@gmail.com. No other formats will be accepted and please do not copy and paste the application into an email. If you have any problems or questions do not hesitate to contact us at the above email address.
Once we receive and review your application, we will call and verify your references. All applicants are REQUIRED to provide TWO non-related references that do not reside in your home. These should be people who have been around your pets or are familiar with your pet experience If that is not possible (i.e. you have never owned pets or have not owned any for many years) please provide references who know you well.
If you currently own or have owned pets, you will need to provide us with your most recent veterinarian's information and please contact them to grant permission to release your records to Shiba Inu Rescue Association. Failure to do so will result in a delay of the adoption process.
If you are renting, you will need to provide us with your landlord's information. Please also let us know of any breed/weight/pet restrictions set by your landlord. We will be calling to verifying all information. It might be helpful to let your landlord know we will be contacting them. If we cannot verify that you are allowed to have a dog, it delays the process.
You must be at least 21 years of age to adopt.
Once the application is approved and references are checked, we will find a volunteer to perform your home visit. The volunteer will make arrangements to visit with you in your home. PLEASE NOTE: ALL FAMILY MEMBERS, INCLUDING CHILDREN, MUST BE PRESENT FOR THE ENTIRE HOME VISIT. The home visit gives us the opportunity to discuss with you and your family any issues or potential dangers for the dog (i.e. exposed wires, possible escape issues, etc. ). We can then offer suggestions of how to Shiba-proof your home and management techniques to keep the dog safe and everyone happy. This is also the time for us to find out and discuss with you exactly what your are looking for in a dog, and what will fit best with your family.
Find your forever friend! Once your home visit has been completed and you have been approved to adopt, you may begin the search for your forever friend. Use the email links on the dogs' bio pages to contact the foster families and let them know you are interested in their foster.
Foster families care for the rescued shibas in their home for an average of 6-8 weeks. They evaluate the dogs and find out how they are with adults, children, dogs, cats and other pets if possible. They know how much stimulation and activity their foster dog needs in addition to any training that may be needed in the future.
All potential adopters are required to meet their new dogs in person and resident dogs must meet the foster dog. There is also a 24 hour waiting period before adoption may occur.
If you are not able to adopt the first dog you are interested in, please do not be discouraged. This does not mean you are not a good home for a rescue Shiba, it only means that there was another family who's situation was better for that particular dog. Keep looking and inquire when you see a dog you are interested in. Your perfect match is out there and you will find it. We will help you in the process!

ADOPTION!
Once you have found your perfect match and the foster home has approved you to adopt their foster dog, an adoption day will be arranged. All resident dogs must meet potential new dogs. We require a waiting period as well. Before your forever friend comes home, you will need to be sure you have all the necessary supplies to care for your new Shiba. A Shopping Check List is available for you to use. You will be required to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian within the first 10 days of adoption and provide proof of such check up to the adoption coordinator. The final stop in the process is to sign the adoption contract and pay the adoption fee!

Adoption fees vary depending on the age of the dog:
Puppies under 6 months = $500.00
Puppies 6 months to 1 year = $400.00
Adolescent 1-3 years = $350.00
Young Adult 4-6 years = $300.00
Adult 7-9 years = $250.00
Senior 10+ years = $200.00

Shiba Inu Rescue Association reserves the right to deny any applicant at any stage in the adoption process for any reason.

ADOPTABLE DOGS!

NIKKO

My name is Nikko and I'm looking for my forever home. I'm 9 years old. But don't think that I'm an old man. I still love to play with toys and to play ball and I especially love going for walks. You can tell how much I love walks because I pull on the leash. Until recently, I had a home and a family. But the humans in my family are getting a divorce and they decided they couldn't keep me. That made me very sad, but my foster family promises that things are going to be okay. I'm a pretty easy-going guy. I'm not skittish like many Shibas, but I do have a typical Shiba prey drive when it comes to little critters, so my forever home should not have cats or small pets. I'm an assertive guy - I am talkative and and I love to be around my people, though like many Shibas, I'm not what you'd call "cuddly." Foster mom says I've been a very good boy so far with the two small humans who live in my foster home. I'd love to be part of a family that will play with me. While I might get along with the right resident dog, I'd do best as the only pet. Sometimes when I get excited, I like to hump, but that's my only bad habit, I swear! (Um... well... there's that leash pulling thing, but that's not so bad. Okay, and foster mom reminded me that I might Shiba scream when I have to get a bath, but I mean really - who wouldn't? Baths are wet and scary and wrong!). I weigh about 30 lbs and 'm neutered and up to date on vaccinations. I have had seizures in the past and take daily medication to keep them under control. I also take thyroid medicine. My foster family noticed signs of allergies, so they're trying a chicken-free food to see if that helps. I'm currently being fostered in eastern Iowa. If you live in the midwest and want a friendly, playful boy to be your forever friend, visit www.savingshibas.com/adopt to start the application process. Applying helps SIRA get to know you so they can make sure we're a good match. Once approved, they'll connect you with my foster mom, so we can meet!

STORMY

Hi, my name is Stormy. I am almost 9 years old and spent 8 of those years in a commercial breeding facility where it was my job to have lots and lots of puppies. One day last year, some nice people came and took me on a really long ride to a place called a foster home. I had never been anywhere before and everything was so different and new - wow, was I scared! When I got there, I saw a doctor who said that I had something called heart worm disease and would need treatment. So I had to stay very quiet and calm for a few months. But I was a very good girl and now all the heart worms are gone and I'm healthy! Foster mom says that I'm a very calm and gentle girl. Foster mom says that she can't wait to see my true personality and inner Shibatude emerge now that I'm healthy and can hang out with the other dogs. For now, I am pretty shy and still learning that I can trust humans. Loud noises and sudden movements are particularly frightening to me, so I would do best in a quiet home without small children. My foster family has been trying to teach me to walk on this thing called a leash, but I really just don't understand it. So it would be best if my forever home has a securely fenced yard. When I first got to my foster home, I was pretty shy about going potty, especially outside with all of the strange scary noises. So my foster parents taught me to use potty pads inside so I didn’t have accidents! Now that I am brave enough to be off the leash In the yard more, I’m learning that I don't have to be quite as shy about doing my business out there! I really like my foster siblings a lot, especially the little puppy that lives here too. It would be great if my forever home had another dog to help show me the ropes! Stormy is currently fostered in Missouri!

CAMILLA

My name is Camilla, but you can call me Cami! I'm 9 years old and I'm looking for my forever home. I am a very shy girl, but once I get to know you and feel comfortable with you, I can be very affectionate and will show you my curious side. My perfect forever home would have another nice dog or two. I love spending time with the other Shibas here at my foster home and follow them around. My foster dad says that I'm really sweet natured and good with other dogs. I'd also love a forever home that has soft beds and couches to cuddle on and tasty treats... And a human or two to pet me on my head and give me ear scritches. These are things I didn't know anything about until a month ago! You see, I spent my whole life making puppies at a commercial breeding facility. I was so scared when SIRA came to get me, but now I'm learning to love this new life. Because everything about living in a home with humans is new, I'm still pretty skittish, especially at unexpected movements or loud noises. Foster dad says I'd do best in a calm home that has some experience with shy dogs and one that doesn't have little kids. Little kids with lots of energy are scary to me. So far, I'm more comfortable with female humans than with male humans, so a forever home with a nice lady would be great. Other animals are fine too. I'd also love to have a yard to play in. At 32 lbs, I'm a pretty big girl and love to have room to stretch my legs after so many years of being confined. Foster dad says that it must be a very securely fenced yard though. You see, I have that common Shiba urge to run as soon as I see an open door. For that reason, my forever family will need to be really careful when they come and go from outside that I don't escape, especially when I'm still getting used to a new home. I've learned so much since coming to my foster home - like going for walks on a leash! Foster dad says I'm really good, but sometimes I like to chase the little critters that I see when we're out on walks, so you'll need to hold on tight! I'm also potty trained and spayed, and up-to-date on my vaccinations. I'm being fostered in MN. If you live in the midwest and think you might want to be my new forever home, the next step is to start the process of becoming approved to adopt through SIRA.

CAMEO

My name is Cameo and I’m looking for my forever home. I’m 9 years old and lived most of my life at a commercial breeding facility making puppies. One day someone came and took me to a new place near Ann Arbor, MI, to my foster home. It was so scary, since I’d never been anywhere else before. But the people here are so nice to me and I’m getting used to this new world living in a home. I’m a shy girl and still pretty nervous and skittish around people and places and things that are new to me. I’m not very food motivated so far. Indoors at my foster home I’m pretty quiet (my foster home calls me lazy, but I like to think of myself as a laid-back retired working girl instead). Loud noises and sudden movements startle me and scare me. I like having my own safe place to hang out and I enjoy spending time in my crate, where I sleep overnight. But when I get to go outside that’s when I really come alive! I love to run around the fenced yard at my foster home. Sometimes I’ll even chase toys when my foster parents toss them (if I’m in the mood – I’m a Shiba, you know). Like most Shibas, I have a bit of a prey drive, but so far I have ignored the resident cats in my foster home – I’d rather chase butterflies outside in the yard. I have never met little kids before, but my foster family thinks I'd be okay with them (though they might scare me). My perfect forever home would have a securely fenced yard that I can play in and maybe even a nice resident dog to help me feel safe and adjust faster. If you have experience with fearful dogs, that would really help me adapt and adjust. But what’s most important is that my forever home be patient and gentle with me as I learn to feel comfortable and safe in my new surroundings. If you live in the midwest and are interested in me, the next step is to apply to become approved to adopt with SIRA. Visit www.savingshibas.com/adopt for more information and to start the process. Once approved, SIRA will introduce you to my foster family so we can meet!

LADY

My name is Lady and I’m looking for my forever home! I’m 12 years old, which means I’m a mature girl, but I still have a lot of spunk, just so you know. I’m petite – at just around 15 lbs. I am also very smart. Within 24 hours of arriving at my foster home, I had learned a few basic commands and how to walk on a leash. I even mastered going up and down stairs (as long as they are enclosed - I’m still pretty scared of the kind of stairs that have open treads). I love to run around and chase birds in the back yard and I love to dig, dig, dig! I don’t know why my foster mom keeps filling up the holes I make, but she watches me like a hawk to make sure I don’t dig my way out of the fenced yard. Until very recently, I spent my whole entire life in a commercial breeding facility making puppies. This new life in a home with people is so much more fun! The food here is great – they even give me treats and chew bones! I am still getting used to things, so I can be jumpy and skittish around unexpected movements. But these humans are so nice to me! I follow them around a lot just to see what they’re doing. I even let them pick me up. When I’m feeling especially brave, I’ll walk right up and boop them with my nose just to say “Hey!” The resident dogs here are very nice and we get along well. They have really helped me feel at home. There are 2 cats here too, but I have no clue what to think of them. They leave me alone, so I just kinda pretend they don’t exist. Full disclosure – I’m a bit of a klepto. When nobody’s looking I sneak around and bring all of the toys back to my bed my big fluffy donut bed. My forever home should have a fenced yard for me to play in and another dog to help me adapt. No small kids please – they scare me! And no small animals like guinea pigs – ‘cause I’ll just want to chase them and catch them. My forever home will need to be patient with me at first, since I’ll be a bit shy and unsure of my new surroundings. But once I get to know you, I’ll be your very best friend. I’m spayed and vaccinated and SIRA made sure that the vet took care of a couple of issues from my days as a breeding mama. I had a couple of mammary tumors removed and a hernia repaired, so I’m feeling good! I’m being fostered in south-central Wisconsin. If you live in the Midwest and are interested in me, the next step is to visit www.savingshibas.com/adopt. There you can download the application to become approved to adopt through SIRA. Once approved, SIRA can introduce you to my foster family so we can meet.