Adoption Process:

• Fill out our adoption application found on our website or pick one up at our adoption stands. Even if you do not know which pet you wish to adopt, completing this document will allow us to do some of the work up front to help you determine which pet might be a good match. When you are looking at one of our animals, please remember that these animals are in homes, we know and understand their needs, and the requirements listed are usually not negotiable.
• We accept adoption applications from various sites:  at both of our Adoption Centers (Mechanicsville Petsmart and the Virginia Center Commons Petsmart), our kennel, and online.  Frequently, we receive multiple applications for the same animal; our goal is to place the animal in the home which we feel best fits the animal's needs.   Since the individuals that process the applications are volunteers and work, we reserve five business days for processing adoption applications.  (Our business days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.)   Please note that this processing time is linked to our ability to contact personal and professional references; depending on our ability to reach these individuals, our processing time may need to be extended.
• We will contact your personal references as well as your past or current veterinarian, as applicable.  We will ask your vet if your  pets have been seen on an annual basis, are sterilized, are current on heartworm preventative/testing (dogs only), are current on distemper and rabies vaccines (cats and dogs), have been tested for feline leukemia/aids with negative results on both elements (cats only), and receive necessary medical care if ill.   Occasionally, vet offices require approval from the owner before releasing veterinary data; if this is the policy of your vet, we will contact you to provide this approval by telephone.
• We reserve the right to conduct a home visit as well as schedule a meet-and-greet with any current pets to ensure compatibility prior to approving an adoption application.
• If you are approved, you will be asked to sign a contract.    All medical records for the animal you are adopting will be given to you at this time.  All of our animals are fully vaccinated, microchipped,  have been spayed or neutered, and come with free pet insurance for thirty (30) days.
• You will be given a certificate for a free veterinary examination which may be used with one of our participating veterinarians. We encourage you to take your new pet to the vet within the first week to give you peace of mind. It will also establish the animal’s medical records at the vet’s office.
• Above all, we ask your patience!   Remember that we are volunteers; many of us work full time jobs in addition to fostering these animals.   A small piece of us leaves with each animal, and this process insures that everyone will be happy!

DOG STAND

We hold adoption stand at our facility on Saturday from 9a.m. to 12p.m. and by appointment.

CAT STAND

Our cat adoption stands are held at the Petsmarts at Virginia Center and Mechanicsville each 
Saturday from  11am-3pm.

Sunday stands are held from 2pm to 5pm at the Virginia Center Petsmart ONLY.

Our cats are housed at these locations for you to view during store hours.  To arrange a visit with an animal, please feel free to attend Adoption Stand  as shown above or email us at info@hanoverhumanesociety. 

Center Cleaning volunteers and Petsmart employees do not show Adoption Center residents to the general public.

Adoption Particulars:

Each adopter must complete an Adoption Application and be at least 18 years old.  The adopter will be required to provide a valid identification, such as a driver's license.

Adoption fees start at $100.00 for dogs and $85.00 for cats.

The adoption fee includes, but is not limited to:

• the cost of the pet's sterilization
• testing which has been performed (heartworm for dogs and feline leukemia/aids testing for cats),
• additional veterinary procedures undertaken by our vet,
• vaccinations
• medications
• microchipping and microchip registration
• free pet insurance for 30-days for the new pet through a third-party vendor
• an office visit with one of Hanover Humane's participating veterinarians (within 5 business days of the adoption date)