Important things to consider

• If you are applying to adopt because you are interested in one particular dog listed on our website, it is highly probable that the dog will be adopted before your application approval.
• Our primary adoption area is the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex (local adoptions).
• If you live in Texas but outside our local adoption area, you must be prepared to travel to meet the dog at least two times (at your expense); this may necessitate an overnight stay. 
• TSBR will not conduct any adoption(s) without a face-to-face meeting with the dog (at least two meetings are required).
• TSBR foster homes choose the most appropriate family for their particular dog and are not required to consider applications outside our local adoption area.
• TSBR reserves the right to give priority to local adoptions.
• TSBR will not adopt certain breeds for out-of-area applicants without breed-specific experience.
• Not all dogs in our program will be available or considered for out-of-area adoptions. This is at the discretion of our animal welfare team, which determines what is best based on each dog’s individual needs. 
• Out-of-area applicants must meet the same requirements, including a home visit, as local applicants. Although we have volunteer contacts in many areas, it may be difficult for us to locate a volunteer to conduct the home visit in some areas. If we cannot locate a volunteer in your area to conduct a home visit, we may consider alternative ways, but we reserve the right not to move forward with the application.
• Several things may delay the process. For example, if your references, which must be checked before moving forward, are unavailable, it will delay the process since those must be checked before moving forward.
• Existing and recent pets in the home must be spayed/neutered, current on all recommended vaccinations, and monthly heartworm preventative (proof of purchase required). Please specify if there is a medical reason for these conditions not being met.
• You must have the ability to provide for proper exercise.
• You must be willing to engage a professional trainer and work through any unforeseen behavior/obedience issues.
• Any dog adopted from TSBR shall reside indoors in your home and be a family member and companion only. We do not condone nor support adoptions of animals as outdoor pets (outside the house in a yard or kennel). The dog will not be kept outdoors during working hours, left alone outdoors unsupervised at any other time, or while the adopter is not at home. 
• All dogs in our rescue program live in private/volunteer foster homes. We do not have a kennel or facility or pay to board our dogs in place of a foster home. We can only save the number of dogs we have in foster homes.
• TSBR’s emphasis is on placing the right dog with the right family; as such, an applicant may be approved to move forward in the process to adopt and provided contact information for the foster family to meet a dog, but are not guaranteed the dog they have “fallen in love” with on our website. In these cases, we welcome the opportunity to continue working with the approved applicant to find a dog best suited for their home. We ask that potential adopters understand that our decision is wholly based on what we feel is best for the dog.
• TSBR does not conduct on-site adoptions (i.e., show up, pick a dog, and take it home). TSBR may hold events providing approved applicants an opportunity to meet dogs in our program and visit with volunteers, as well as individually scheduled meetings with foster homes; we do not conduct on-site adoptions
• While TSBR permits adoptions to apartment and townhome dwellers, not every dog in our program will be appropriate for such an environment. Additionally, puppies under four months or who have not received complete vaccinations before adoption (due to age) are not candidates for apartments and townhomes. The only exception to this rule is if the unit includes private access to a patio or similar area where the puppy may relieve itself. TSBR established these guidelines due to the increased risk (to a puppy without complete immunity) of diseases such as Parvo or Distemper.

Before submitting an adoption application for consideration, please take a few minutes to review our Adoption Process and read our Frequently Asked Questions.

IMPORTANT: If your veterinary reference(s) cannot verify spay/neuter, vaccination history, current heartworm status, and purchase of monthly heartworm prevention on current and previous pets, processing of your application will be held until you provide this information. Exemptions to our spay/neuter policy are granted on a case-by-case basis for dogs upon veterinary recommendation to not spay/neuter or upon verification that the dog is actively participating in AKC/CKC sanction event or competition or is part of an AKC-sanctioned registered breeding program.

Before submitting your application, you must certify that you have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of the TSBR adoption process.