Adoption Procedure & Application

Adoption Requirements

• Must be at least 21 years of age.
• Must have landlord approval.
• Must have proof of vaccines for any other animals living at residence.

Adoption Process

1. Fill out our Adoption Survey. If you have previously been approved to adopt with OTAT PDX, please fill out this update form to apply for a different dog. You do not need a unique ID to fill out the adoption survey if you have never applied to volunteer, foster, or adopt with us before. If you have applied to adopt, foster or volunteer and do not know your unique ID, please email ID@otatpdx.org.
2. After submitting an application, you will receive an auto-email confirmation that it has successfully been received. Your application will then be reviewed by one of our volunteer adoption counselors as soon as possible, who will email you with approval status (be sure to check spam folders). We cannot guarantee a time frame for approving applications and appreciate your patience in waiting to hear back from us. Please do not email for application updates.
3. An Adoption Counselor (AC) will screen and review your application as soon as possible. The AC will then contact you regarding general approval and to answer any questions you may have. We may also discuss setting up an intro with a dog at that time or we may circle back with you about this later. All dogs spend a minimum of one week in a foster home before they are available for introductions, but all things being equal introductions are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. An important note on introduction and adoption timelines: *We give adopters 24 hours to respond to an email offering an intro. If we don’t hear from you by then we may move on to the next interested adopter*.
4. When we do an introduction with a dog, we ask for a decision on adoption within 12 hours of the introduction. If you adopt, the dog must be picked up within 24-48 hours of the introduction. If you adopt, but can’t pick the dog up within 48 hours of the introduction, we offer a Post-Intro Hold for a nonrefundable fee of $50/day, for up to 5 additional days. We will want to confirm you can adopt within this time frame when we first offer an introduction to a dog. If you cannot, we should not proceed with an introduction until you are ready to bring a dog home.
5. Our adoption fees are $500 for puppies 6 months and younger, $450 for puppies 7-12 months, $400 for adult dogs, and $300 for seniors over the age of 7 years. We also offer a special $100 donation fee for seniors (humans 65+) adopting seniors (dogs 7+). All fees cover wellness exam, spay/neuter, age-appropriate vaccinations, heart worm test, deworming, and microchip.
6. At the finalization you will receive your new companion’s medical records, a copy of our adoption contract, and information about our community partners and continuing discounts. It is also at the finalization that the dog’s adoption fee must be paid and all supplies returned to the rescue.
7. After adopting an OTAT PDX dog, you will receive benefits and support for the lifetime of the dog!

We recommend filling out our adoption survey as soon as you are ready to welcome a new companion, even if the dog is not yet available or you are hoping to be approved generally for a dog in the future. This will help streamline the process, as a queue tends to form for many of our dogs and having an approved application on file is the first step in bringing home your new family member.

Adoption Fees

Adding a new companion to your life and ready to make it official? Click here to pay for their adoption fee.

$500 puppies 6 months and younger
$450 puppies 7 – 12 months
$400 adult dogs
$300 seniors 7 years and older
$100 seniors (humans 65 years+) adopting seniors (dogs 7 years+)
$50 for dogs who have been adoptable longer than 30 consecutive days.

* $100 deposit for all puppies that is reimbursed upon proof of completed humane positive-reinforcement based classes or sessions at an OTAT PDX approved training facility.
* $100 deposit at our discretion, determined on a case-by-case basis, for dogs needing additional training that we will reimburse upon proof of completed humane positive-reinforcement based classes or sessions.
* $500 deposit for dogs that are not yet spayed or neutered due to age or medical condition upon adoption, to be completed by our vet of choice at our discretion.

Adopt, don’t shop

We appreciate that so many members of our community would like to adopt a dog from us. We would love nothing more than to be the source connecting all of you with your new best friend. We also encourage the adoption of dogs from the following places:

Multnomah County Animal Services
Southwest Washington Humane Society
Clackamas County Dog Services
Three Rivers Humane Society
Humane Society of Central Oregon

Remember: not all rescues are created equal. Research when looking to adopt and only support reputable shelters or organizations. Here are some common characteristics we’ve found in those doing it right:

• 501c3 nonprofit;
• Provides thorough medical screening and basic care before adoption;
• Spays/neuters;
• Will take the dog back at any time for any reason;
• Does a thorough adoption screening and match;
• Does not overcommit to animals they do not have the resources to support;
• Uses humane, science-based behavior and veterinary practices;
• Commits to transparency in actions and business practices.

We believe buying an animal from a breeder or private person is never a good idea when there are hundreds of thousands still killed each year in this country alone. We know that any kind of dog can be found through rescue (though it may take some patience) and every kind of dog is a good dog who deserves a chance.