READ THESE GUIDELINES!

They contain important information about our HBP program that you need to know.

HOMEWARD BOUND PROGRAM
GUIDELINES FOR LONG DISTANCE ADOPTIONS
REVISED - October 4, 2005
(For individuals who live outside the area and need assistance to adopt an animal
from Memphis Animal Services.)

MAS is an animal control facility.  It is NOT a "no-kill shelter."  If an animal is not adopted, it will ultimately be euthanized. MAS does what it can to get animals adopted. And, no matter what you may have heard in cyberspace, MAS and its employees do a good job!  MAS is under a new administrator, Phil Snyder, who is dedicated to insuring that the animals at MAS are well-cared cared for and, if at all possible barring obvious behavior or health issues, adopted into loving homes. The facility itself is kept as clean or cleaner than most similar facilities and each animal is seen by a veterinarian shortly after admittance.  When space allows, MAS holds adoptable animals longer than the three (3) days period required by law.

Animals become adoptable after being held for 3 days to give owners a opportunity to reclaim them.  Most animals are usually held longer, unless they have obvious behavior and/or health issues, but are subject to euthanasia at any time. Puppies (3 months or less), purebreds and small dogs are at almost no risk of being euthanized.  Most are adopted locally.  If not adopted locally, area "rescues" often argue about who is going to adopt them.  Older puppies (4+ months), adults, mixes and large dogs are, however, in danger of being euthanized if not adopted.  Please consider adopting one of them! 

If you live outside the Memphis area and want to adopt an animal from MAS, we can assist you. We cannot and do not guarantee adoptions for a number of reasons; however, if an animal is available, and not adopted locally, we will do our best to adopt it for you.

Our hearts are bigger than our pocketbooks. While we are willing to volunteer our time to help you adopt an animal, we require reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses related to an adoption.

EACH ADOPTION REQUIRES ITS OWN PAPERWORK,
FILL OUT A SEPARATE FORM FOR EACH ANIMAL THAT YOU WANT US TO ADOPT!

Please read the following terms and conditions. Submitting the form below signifies you have read, understand, accept and agree to these terms and conditions.

1.  DUE OUT DATE: The "due out date" is the day that the animal is available for adoption. That does not mean we will adopt it for you.  If MAS is holding the animal for adoption, we will not adopt it until MAS tells us they are unable to hold the animal any longer for adoption and asks us if we have someone interested in adopting the animal.  At that time, if we do not have your application/agreement on file and an animal's time has expired, the animal will be euthanized. 

2. COMMUNICATION:  MAS will not HOLD an animal while you decide what you want to do, how you are going to do it, when you are going to do it, or just because you feel sorry for an animal and think it "deserves" to be held.  Generally speaking, all that is known about an animal is below its picture on Webshots or Petfinders. The information in paragraph 4 states the constraints that we have regarding information that we are willing and able to provide.  If you contact MAS and harass them about an animal, especially after we have spelled out what is possible below, and we find out about it, we will not work with you. 

RAOT is a MAS Pet Partners and authorized to adopt animals.  If you choose to work with us, we require a completed application/agreement to pull an animal.  If you need to contact us, after you have completed and submitted this application/agreement, email us and be sure to include the animal's "MAS CAGE and ID NUMBER and a BRIEF DESCRIPTION of the ANIMAL" in the subject line of all emails.

BE PATIENT.  Keep phone calls to a minimum. You are not the only person we are working with.  Our contact information is:

Email:
Donna Malone
H: (901) 761-0845
C: (901) 490-9018		&Email:
Donna Malone
O: (901) 353-1805
C: (901) 488-9238

Only active participants in an animal's adoption should contact us.  That means only those who will be engaging in "hands on" work with the animal.  We do not have the time nor the desire to cater to individuals unwilling to read these guidelines, much less comply with our requirements, which are minimal.

3.  You are ADOPTING (it is the ONLY way to get an animal -- "rescues" are no excepted from this requirement) from MAS, not from Responsible Animal Owners. We merely assist in the process. We have NO CONTROL over the availability of an animal and can only adopt an animal if and when MAS makes it available for adoption.  Costs related to an adoption start at $50 and go up from there, depending on a number of variables.  MAS charges a "basic" adoption fee of $50 and the fee includes vaccinations, a heartworm check and spaying or neutering. It does not cover additional medical care, boarding, transportation, etc., if, in fact, any of these additional services are required. 

4.  The decision to adopt is yours and yours alone.  By submitting this application/agreement, you agree to hold MAS and RAOT harmless and indemnify them from any and all liability whatsoever of any kind or character or nature that may arise from or out of this adoption. You are advised:

 A. Neither MAS nor RAOT makes no guarantees, representations or warranties whatsoever regarding the age, behavior, breed or mix, health, origin or sex of any animal adopted from MAS.
 B. Neither MAS nor RAOT behavior screen. If an animal shows obvious signs of aggression, it will not be adopted out. If screening is critically important to you, find someone knowledgeable and willing to evaluate the animal for you.
 C. Neither MAS nor RAOT health screen. If an animal shows obvious signs of medical problems, MAS usually will not adopt the animal out. If medical screening is critically important to you, find a veterinarian willing to evaluate the animal for you. You are, however, responsible for any and all medical expenses related to an adoption should any be incurred while the animal is in our possession.  
 D. Should RAOT adopt an animal for you, to the best of RAOT's and MAS's knowledge, information and belief at the time of adoption, the animal:
   (1) (a.) (1) appears healthy, or (2) you have been advised of any medical problems known to us, and you understand the potential for undiagnosed or unrecognized medical problems and accept full responsibility for the animal "as is." You further agree to provide any and all medical care that the animal may require.
     (b.) MAS vaccinates animals, checks for heartworms, and spay/neuters adopted animals.  If we adopt an animal for you, we cannot pick the animal up until AFTER this has been done.
   (2) (a.) appears to have no serious behavior problems, or (b.) we have advised you of any problems known to us, and you understand the potential for undiagnosed behavior problems and accept full responsibility for the animal "as is." You agree to provide any and all behavioral counseling and/or training that the animal may require.
   (3) In no event will MAS or RAOT provide assistance with the diagnosis, treatment, and/or management of animals with medical problems. In no event will MAS or RAOT help with the diagnosis, treatment, and/or management of animals with behavior problems.
 E. MAS animals are generally from unknown origins. There is no guarantee an animal is correctly identified either as a mix or purebred, or even male or female. If this is critically important to you, find someone knowledgeable and willing to evaluate the animal for you.
 F. You are encouraged to take the animal to your veterinarian as soon as possible once it is in your possession.
 G. You are responsible for all expenses related to an adoption from the date and time of its adoption from MAS up to the date and time you take possession of the animal from RAOT and thereafter . You agree to reimburse RAOT for any and all "out-of-pocket" expenses incurred on your behalf in relation to the adoption of the animal you are submitting this application/agreement for while it is in our care.

5. TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS: Start making travel arrangements immediately!  Delays prevent us from helping as many animals as we might otherwise and increase your expenses. Here are some travel options for you to consider:

 A.FLYING: Airlines require payment in advance to transport an animal, a crate, and a health certificate. Our vet will provide a health certificate for $10, after a ten day holding period. You may ship a crate to us or we will purchase one for you if you like. We can transport the animal to the airport. The price is based on weight, and is usually in the range of $125 to $250.
B.PICK-UP: You drive here and pick up the animal.
 C.TRANSPORTS OR RUNS: If you have the necessary connections, you can arrange a "run." Runs usually take 1 to 3 weeks to arrange. You are expected to do the last "leg" of the run. If you choose to send an animal via such a run, we may or may not be able to help with the first leg of the run, although we will make every attempt to be available given sufficient notice.

6.  ORDER OF PREFERENCE: If we receive more than one request per animal, the first responsible person who submits an application/agreement usually gets it if it is not adopted locally and/or unless working with someone else in our opinion would be better suited as an adopter for the animal or more convenient for us. If we have worked together previously, you will probably be given preference over someone we do not know.  If you are in an area that is difficult or impossible to arrange transport to, and you do not plan to fly the animal or drive her to get it and someone more accessible wants the animal, we will work with them first. Our main concerns are your dependability, the speed with which you can move an animal so we can help another one, and your reputation as a "rescuer."  "Rescues" are always given preference over individuals.

7. BOARDING/FOSTERING: The shelter normally holds adopted animals until after they are spayed/neutered, then they must be picked up immediately. Please make arrangements for boarding/fostering if possible. Click here for list of area VETS and KENNELS that board dogs.  If you are unable make other arrangements, we may be able to make arrangements to have the animal fostered or boarded for you. Whether an animal is fostered or boarded, and whether you make the arrangements or we do, the animal must be moved out of our program within 90 days. Extensions beyond the 90 days may be permitted if the animal cannot be transported due to health reasons or if you have an emergency beyond your control that makes it impossible for you to take immediate possession of the animal. Remember, such delays prevent us from helping additional animals.

8. HOW TO REIMBURSE US FOR OUR OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES: 

ALL EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENTS SHOULD BE MADE TO PAYPAL TO:
 

raotinc@AOL.COM

WARNING:  IF YOU SEND FUNDS TO ANY OTHER EMAIL ADDRESS, THE FUNDS WILL NOT BE APPLIED TO YOUR ADOPTION FEE, WILL BE CONSIDERED A NON-REFUNDABLE DONATION, AND YOU WILL STILL OWE THE ADOPTION FEE!!!

If you need to make other payment arrangements, please contact us. Once an animal is adopted, you owe the adoption fee immediately.  Any additional expenses incurred in relation to the adoption will be due and payable immediately.  You can make payments over the Internet using PayPal at www.paypal.com. If you don't have an account with Paypal, setting one up is easy by clicking on the PayPal logo button below:

Pay me securely with your Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express card through PayPal!
VisaMasterCardDiscoverAmerican Express Use this ONLY to set up your account.

9. Once you submit this application/agreement and we adopt an animal for you, the animal is yours - be absolutely sure you want an animal before you submit this application/agreement to adopt it. Should you fail to uphold your responsibilities, as set forth herein, no payments will be refunded, we will place the animal, and we will not work with you again under any circumstances. You agree to pay all attorney fees and court costs necessary and incurred by us to recover from you any and all outstanding expenses related to this adoption.

10. NON-DISPARAGEMENT CLAUSE: Adopter agrees and promises not to make or utter any oral or written statement which expressly or impliedly cast dispersions upon or criticizes RAOT and/or MAS, its officers, employees, directors, and/or volunteers. Adopter also agrees and promises he/she will not seek to circumvent this provision in any respect by causing another person to make such disparaging communications or take any action otherwise prohibited herein.

11. DAMAGES CLAUSE: Adopter agrees that in the event of a breach by the adopter of this application/agreement it would be impossible to quantify the full damages which RAOT and/or MAS will have suffered for breach of this application/agreement, therefore, adopter agrees that in the event of a breach of this application/agreement that RAOT and/or MAS shall be entitled to $1000 in damages and/or injunctive relief to enforce this application/agreement.

------------------- please complete and submit the following application/agreement --------------

DO NOT CALL US UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED AND SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING APPLICATION/AGREEMENT!

Please provide the following information:

Name:
Address:
City:
State:
ZIP Code:
Work Phone:
Home Phone:
Cell Phone:
Best Time to Call:
FAX:
Home Email:
Work Email:
If applicable, please also provide:
Organization:
Webpage:

If you plan to adopt 2 or more dogs a month from MAS through us, please check here:

Information about the animal I want to adopt:

Cage Number:

ID Number:

Description:

Due Out Date:

HEARTWORMS: MAS tests dogs for heartworms. If a dog tests positive for heartworms, and you don't adopt it, it is euthanized.  Therefore, we will NOT adopt a dog for you unless you are willing to a heartworm positive dog and treat it. Direct any questions about heartworms, treatment and/or cost, to your vet before committing to adopt a dog from MAS. If you will take and treat a heartworm positive dog, check here:

Check here if you have contacted anyone else in this area about adopting this animal for you and/or if multiple individuals involved who are not part of a specific animal-related organization)? 

Tell us how you plan to get the animal to you (travel arrangements), generalizing is okay:

Tell us what you need us to do and what you plan to do:

If you do not have PayPal.com account, tell us how you will handle payments:

Tell us who you are adopting the animal for, i.e., yourself, for someone else, or as part of an organization, and whether or not the animal will live with you or be adopted out to a third party (we are not opposed to third party adoptions):

We need 3 references, one should be a veterinarian, and any other information you would like us to know:

To acknowledge your acceptance and agreement as the responsible party, for this adoption and placement, to the terms and conditions set out hereinabove, check here:

You should get immediate auto-confirmation that this form has been received. Please print and keep a copy. You will NOT be contacted unless we adopted an animal for you.  THANKS FOR CARING!

Please DO NOT click on the SUBMIT button more than once.

THANKS FOR CARING!

If you have not already done so, please visit our website at: www.raot.org