Homeward
Bound is a not for profit volunteer organization.
Our volunteers come from all walks of life and share one common
passion - we love dogs, all kinds of dogs. We were formed
because we saw many young, old, happy, healthy puppies and
dogs being euthanized in shelters because there was no foster
space or other rescue groups with room to take them until
their forever home could be found. Our focus is finding those
family dogs who just need a little more time and exposure,
and helping them find their way home.
Homeward
Bound does not have a facility. Our volunteers live
all over the Capital District of New York State. All of the
dogs in our program reside in a foster home with a Homeward
Bound volunteer. We take our dogs into our homes and care
for them as if they were our own until they go to their forever
homes. This serves several purposes: Many of our dogs have
been in shelters and time spent in a loving home will help
them begin to feel safe, comfortable and allow their true
personalities to emerge. Also, the time we spend with them
helps us to learn more about them, which allows us to be able
to provide applicants with an accurate assessment and the
dogs individual strengths and needs.
We are
all volunteers and a very special and dedicated volunteer
will be assigned to your application. We can not, however,
process incomplete applications so please take a few minutes
to give us proper information – especially your vet(s) names
and phone numbers for all your animals. This will make the
adoption process much quicker and easier for both you and
us.
We rescue dogs
that have been turned over to shelters, surrendered to us
through our surrender program and rescued from puppy mills.
Homeward Bound dogs live in a foster home until they are ready
to move into your home. They eat, sleep and live with us and
that way we have a better understanding of who they are. This
foster arrangement allows the dogs to learn to live in a home,
which gives us the opportunity to match families up with our
dogs so a home really is forever! All of our dogs are up to
date on shots and have seen a vet. We make every effort to
have our dogs and puppies spayed/neutered prior to placement.
In the rare event that this is not possible, the adopter will
be responsible to have this procedure done before the dog
reaches seven months of age. All Homeward Bound Dogs must
be spayed/neutered and receive regular veterinary care for
the life of the dog, and we also require that the animals
that you currently have in your home have also been spayed/neutered
with a history of regular veterinary care.
Please
understand that our mission is to promote lifelong happiness
for our dogs and their adoptive families. Therefore,
"first come, first serve" is not always the outcome.
Our foster homes know first-hand what special needs each dog
has, and may not feel that a match between a potential adoptive
family and a particular dog will provide for everyone's long-term
enjoyment. If you are approved, we will do everything possible
to find the best placement for your family.
Everyone is very
welcome to come to our clinics, and this is where we will
be best able to show you all of our dogs. We can possibly
work with you during the week as well, but please keep in
mind that we all have day jobs and it is likely that we will
not be able to match your schedule. If you find a dog you
must meet, first you should check out our Adoption
Information page, then fill out an application.
We should contact you within 5-7 days, but if you don't hear
from us, feel free to contact us (Contact
Us) to check in.
We are currently
NOT processing applications for those outside
of the Capital District area – with the possible exception
of Pittsfield, MA. If you are not within 40 miles of the Albany
airport please respect out desire to work within the area
we have defined, as our time and resources are limited and
every dog adoption requires a home visit be performed by a
HBDR volunteer. This a distance we decided upon and if you
disagree with our definition for out-of-the-area, please feel
free to look for a dog in your community. We may adopt dogs
to those close to Pittsfield, but this based upon our volunteer
availability and will be by a case-by-case selection.
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Video:
A pit bull rescued from Michael Vick's dogfighting stable finds a new
life in California.
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