Adoptions

Promoting adoption is the Hanover Humane Society’s NUMBER ONE focus. Just like a matchmaker, by placing the right pets with the right people, we improve the lives of both! Of course, the pet is given the chance to have a life that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. But the adoptive family also gains a lot: a new member with enough love (and energy) for everybody!!   All of our adoptable animals that are available for adoption are on our website.  If you’re interested in adopting one of our animals, please submit  a completed adoption application.  The Adoptions Committee will review the completed adoption application; if it’s determined that the home will be a good fit for the adoptable animal, the applicant will be contacted for a no-obligation meet-n-greet.

The Adoption Process:

To be considered a valid submission, the name of the animal which interests you must be included on the application.  PLEASE NOTE:  our adoption applications are animal-specific.  Applications with “any dog” or “any cat” will not be considered valid and will not be reviewed.

All all other required data elements appearing on the adoption application must also be completed for the application to be considered valid. The applicant must agree to the terms and conditions of Hanover Humane’s adoption process, and the application must be signed and dated. Applications which are not signed and/or are missing information are considered invalid.  Applicants must be 18 years of age, and the applicant may be required to provide proof of identification, such as a driver’s license.

Frequently, we receive multiple applications for the same animal. PLEASE NOTE that we will review ALL applications to determine which home will best fit the animal’s needs, as applicable.  Since each animal is unique and has its own personality, needs, likes, dislikes, etc., our goal is to find the home best-suited for that particular animal. During the review process, our volunteers will work to find the best fit between the animal and all prospective homes. This will extend to reviewing the veterinary care/vaccines, etc. for animals living in the home that are not the property of the applicant but may belong to a family member, roommate, etc.

Once submitted, adoption applications become the documentation of Hanover Humane.  Our Adoptions Committee is comprised of volunteers, many of whom work.  While we know you’re eager about an adoption request, please be aware that many of all our volunteers have full-time jobs, families, and other commitments.  Because of these obligations, they’ll do their best to review your adoption application within ten (10) calendar days.

PLEASE NOTE that our kennel staff members, Petsmart volunteers, and Petsmart’s employees are not part of the Adoptions Committee and, as such, are unable to respond to adoption related inquiries by phone or in person.

Should you be selected as the new home for one of our animals, our volunteers will telephone you within the ten (10) day period. Should you not receive a telephone call from our volunteers regarding an adoption placement within 10 days, please assume that we’ve found an alternate placement for the animal and that the animal won’t be placed in your home.

Please be aware that the review of an adoption application involves, contacting past or current veterinarian(s), leasing agents, employers, personal references, as applicable, and may also involve a home visit. In addition, the applicant must be employed/be able to demonstrate sufficient resources to financially provide for the animal under consideration.

Our goal is to place the animals from our program in a home which is appropriate based on the animal’s needs, temperament, where it will reside, etc. as well as the applicant’s history, experience, family, lifestyle, yard, housing situation, employment, other animals (owned by the applicant, family members, and/or roommates), etc. which affect the long-term health and safety of the animal under consideration. In addition, there may be other considerations which are animal-specific that will impact the animal’s placement such as the animal’s energy level and need for fencing, whether the animal has been socialized with small children and/or other animals, etc. For a variety of reasons, Hanover Humane Society seeks forever homes for its adoptable animals in Hanover County, Virginia and counties which are considered part of the Richmond, Virginia Metropolitan Area.

Annual Veterinary Care:

Generally, to establish a pattern of annual veterinary care, we will ask your vet if previously/currently owned cats and dogs, as applicable,  1) are spayed or neutered, 2) have been seen on a yearly basis by your veterinarian, 3) have received yearly distemper and rabies vaccines, 4) have received medical care as warranted by the veterinarian, 5) dogs are CONSISTENTLY kept on monthly heartworm preventative year-round, 6) dogs are CONSISTENTLY heartworm-tested as outlined by your vet, 7) cats have been tested for feline leukemia/aids with negative results on both elements, and 8) cats and dogs are CURRENT on rabies and distemper vaccines. Please note that in cases of where family members,  rooommates, etc. own cats and dogs, reviewing the veterinary care/vaccines/testing on those animals will be handled as part of the primary applicant’s application review process as well.

Residency:

Hanover Humane places its adoptable animals in homes where people reside in a permanent structure such as a home (single family dwelling), townhouse, condominium, or apartment in Hanover County, Virginia or a county considered to be part of the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area. We do not place animals in situations where people reside in camping trailers or temporary-long stay hotels or  motels or week-to-week  (or month-to-month) rental settings.  The residency information provided on your application will be validated to ensure that 1) you are the owner of the property where you reside or 2) you are a tenant with a lease for the property in which you reside.   If renting property where you reside, we’ll contact your leasing agent to ensure that pets are allowed on the property, breed/weight restrictions are met (as applicable), that any security deposit fees/additional fees/lease amendments have been paid, if applicable.   Owner information (name and contact number) for leased property will need to be provided on your application so that information related to your leasing situation may be validated.  Failure to provide this information will constitute an incomplete application.

Personal References:

As part of the application review process, we will also contact at least two personal references; we reserve the right to request additional personal references, however. These personal references may be friends, co-workers, etc. and should not be family members.  If family members are provided as personal references, the Adoptions Committee will require that replacement references of non-family members be provided to constitute complete application. Failure to provide this information or requested information will constitute an incomplete application.

Home Visit:

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 reviewing an application and deciding on an adoption placement. We may also ask to meet other members of your household who may be responsible for interacting with the animal.

Please note that all adoption placements are made collaboratively by the members of the Adoptions Committee.  At the conclusion of the review process, as noted earlier in this post, you’ll be contacted by the Adoptions Committee by phone ONLY IF you are selected as the new home for one of our animals.  If the animal you are seeking to adopt is not placed in your home for whatever reason, please note it is our policy to NOT review adoption applications submitted by other members of your household for that animal.

If you are selected to provide a home for one of our animals:

If you are selected as the new home for one of our animals, you will be asked to sign a contract.  Adoption fees start at $175 for dogs and $125 for cats.  Depending on breed, medical issues, etc. the adoption fee for an animal may be higher.

Dogs:  Each adoptable dog has been wormed, sterilized, and vaccinated for bordetella, distemper, and rabies. Each dog is also microchipped, and the microchip information is registered as part of the adoption.   In addition, each adoptable dog has been tested for heartworms and, if negative, is on monthly heartworm preventative.   We also ensure that each of our adoptable dogs are treated monthly with flea and tick preventative.  Our goal is to ensure that each of our adoptable dogs are fully vetted prior to adoption.  Where possible and as advised by our vet, we strive to ensure that other identified medical issues are resolved before adoption.

Cats:  Each adoptable has been wormed, sterilized, and vaccinated for distemper and rabies.  Each cat is also microchipped, and the microchip information is registered as part of the adoption. In addition, each adoptable cat has been tested for feline leukemia/aids and is negative for both elements.   (In the rare case that we have a FIV+ or FLeuk+ cat available for adoption,  that animal is maintained in a foster home by itself and not with our other adoptable cats.)    As with our adoptable dogs, our goal is to ensure that each of our adoptable cats are fully vetted prior to adoption.  Where possible and as advised by our vet, we strive to ensure that other identified medical issues are resolved before adoption.

We accept cash, checks made payable to “Hanover Humane,” and Visa/Mastercard/Discover.   Please note that Visa/Mastercard/Discover transactions are only available to adopters finalizing their adoption at our facility.   (Credit/debit payment options are not available to adopters finalizing adoptions from our Petsmart Adoption Center.)

All medical records for the animal you are adopting will be given to you at the time of adoption.  The microchip is registered to the animal’s new owner at the time of adoption based on the information provided to Hanover Humane as part of the adoption process. The new owner will receive information from 24Petwatch post-adoption regarding the microchip registration and pet insurance.

Above all, throughout the review process, we ask your patience and understanding. Please remember that all the personnel that work with our adoptions are volunteers; most of them have full-time jobs and families that require their attention. As a result, many of our adoptions volunteers are generally not available by email or phone to handle your inquiries. We know you may be eager to add a new pet to your household, and we ask for your patience while we review your application.