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, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
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.
- 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 this file: sira_adoptionapplication-updated-12-4-2017.docx 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-prof 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!
PEACH
Hi everyone! I am Peach and I'm sweet just like my name! I am 8 years old and I spent most of my life in a puppy mill making babies. Life there was pretty rough, but foster mom says I never have to go back there again because now I'm a SIRA dog! At first, I was so scared - you see, the humans I'd known before weren't always very nice. I had no idea what was happening or what living in a home with people was all about. But these people were different. They fed me good food and got me all cleaned up and treated me with such love and kindness that eventually I I’ve come to realize people aren’t so bad! My foster family helped my feet get better -- they used to bother me, but now they don't so I can run around all I want! I'm slimming down nicely after all of that running. Do you have a yard that I can run in? Do you like to give chin scratches and snuggles? I'm a pretty calm laid-back girl and am fine spending time alone or with other nice dogs. I may be a little scared of a new family and new places and noises at first, but but once I get used to things, you'll see my sweet, peachy personality shine. If you're interested in me and you live in the Midwest, download the application to become an approved adopter.
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NOLA
Meet Nola! Nola is a seven-year-old female Shiba Inu-mix, and she came to SIRA as a stray. She may be little at 20lbs, but she has a big personality! Nola is a loving girl and has brought so much joy to her foster home. Her favorite things are: to welcome you home, cuddle on the bed, get good pets, walks, and to go outside to look for chipmunks in the yard. Her least favorite things are: to be crated, and bicycles that zip by her. Nola does great being left alone uncrated in the house during the work day (no accidents, no chewing/damage, etc). The minute her foster parents get home, she rushes to the door to give them tons of kisses and tell them how much she has missed them! She has behaved great with people including her previous foster parents’ baby/toddler, and she gets along well with her shiba sister. Nola generally does well with other dogs her size. She doesn’t usually get along with bigger dogs right away but did warm up to her two bigger doggy cousins after a couple of days once she learned she could trust them. No cat experiences. Nola enjoys going outside in her foster parents fenced in backyard. She loves to go on walks with her harness to explore and check things out. Like almost all shibas, she is an escape risk and needs to stay on-leash or let out in a very securely fenced backyard.
Nola is generally healthy and generally acts like a dog that is feeling great, but there are a few things you will need to continue to monitor with her. One thing is that she has had eye issues - her left eye was recently removed due to glaucoma. It doesn’t slow her down at all and she still has limited vision out of her right eye. Her right eye has a cataract and is at risk of developing glaucoma too. She will need eye drops to help try to maintain the eye
pressure. Nola also has occasional (for a day or so every few months) back pain, which we give her pain meds for while her back is hurting her. The vets also told us she has a slight heart murmur and she has luxating patella in both knees, although neither issue has bothered her to date. If you live in the Midwest and think Nola is a great match for you, then please fill out an adoption application! Nola is fostered in Wisconsin.
Nola is generally healthy and generally acts like a dog that is feeling great, but there are a few things you will need to continue to monitor with her. One thing is that she has had eye issues - her left eye was recently removed due to glaucoma. It doesn’t slow her down at all and she still has limited vision out of her right eye. Her right eye has a cataract and is at risk of developing glaucoma too. She will need eye drops to help try to maintain the eye
pressure. Nola also has occasional (for a day or so every few months) back pain, which we give her pain meds for while her back is hurting her. The vets also told us she has a slight heart murmur and she has luxating patella in both knees, although neither issue has bothered her to date. If you live in the Midwest and think Nola is a great match for you, then please fill out an adoption application! Nola is fostered in Wisconsin.
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MARIKO
Hi everyone! My name is Mariko. My foster mom told me that I should introduce myself. She says that if I show you what a good girl I am that maybe one of you would want to be my forever person. I'm 9 years old and I spent my whole life at a commercial breeder. After many years of having puppies, I went with some other dogs on a long car ride and finally stopped in a place called Michigan to live with a human family. At first I was so scared that all I wanted to do was hide. But after a while, I realized that these humans were different than the ones I'd met before. They spoke softly and treated me gently and kindly. They gave me good food and fresh water and soft, warm places to sleep. They let me run around in their fenced yard -- that is fun! And they gave me my very own name! Foster mama says that I would do well with another laid-back dog or even as an only dog. I'm still pretty shy -- and new places and loud noises and sudden movements spook me. But once I learn to trust you, I blossom like a beautiful flower. Foster mama says that I'd do best in a quieter home with no little kids - older children would be okay if they understand how to respect a shy dog. I'd love to have a fenced yard to run around in - and a human or two to pet me and give me treats. If you are interested in me and you live in the Midwest, please download an application to start the process of becoming an approved adopter. Mariko is fostered in Michigan.
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LLOYD
Hi everyone! My name is Lloyd and I'm looking for my forever home. I just had my 1st birthday in April and a lot has happened in that short time. When I was just 6 months old, the breeder where I was born wanted to put me down because my eyes don't work very well. But thankfully I was rescued along with my brother. We went to live on a farm for a while, but the people there decided that it would be the best environment for us find perfect forever homes, so we became SIRA dogs. We like that much better. Our foster family took me to see a special eye doctor, who thinks that a birth defect makes my eyes water a lot and makes my vision not as good as it should be. But the good news is that it won't get any worse. Sometimes I spook easily, but once I get to know you and my surroundings, I get along just fine. I love my foster family and once I trust people I will follow them everywhere! I love to be petted and scratched. I'm also a good guard dog and have a deep bark to warn people when something is out of place. I'm still figuring out the whole leash walking thing. The eye specialist said that walks might be a bit more scary for me since my vision isn't 100%. But I really love having a nice fenced yard to run in. I do well with other dogs and would enjoy having a fur brother or sister. I'd like a home without small children, please, since they are quick and unpredictable and might scare me too much. My foster family says that I may be very timid at first but once I get comfortable I will give you kisses and be your best friend forever -- especially if you give me scritches! If you live in the midwest and are interested in me - or in any of SIRA's adoptable dogs - download an application to become approved to adopt. Lloyd is fostered in Missouri!
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