Q. I am interested in an animal on www.amrt.net
. What should I do?
A: Early on the animal's available date, GO TO THE SHELTER! At many shelters, animals are euthanized very quickly -- possibly after the close of business on the available date -- and you do not want your favorite animal euthanized before you arrive!
Usually, www.amrt.net
listings show the animal's available date If the available date is not shown, call the shelter and ask for the available date.
(You can also go to the shelter prior to the available date, to visit with the animal -- but you must return on the available date to adopt.)
Q. Should I call the shelter before I go?
A. Good idea. Tell the shelter the animal's impound number (which you can usually get from our listings). Verify that the animal is still at the shelter, and verify the available date.
Q. Can I get more information about an animal from www.amrt.net
?
A. Sometimes. You can Email the www.amrt.net
volunteer who visited with the animals. The volunteer might have more photos, and more information about the animal. Be sure to state the name of the shelter, the breed, and the impound number (if possible) in your Email, so the volunteer knows which animal you want to know about. But: do NOT rely on the volunteer, and do NOT waste time awaiting a reply. It is ALWAYS best to go yourself to the shelter, and the animal in person, and make your own assessment of whether or not the animal is right for you.
Q. How reliable are your descriptions of the animals?
A. We try our very best to provide reliable information. Our volunteers have experience evaluating animal temperaments and breeds. But, we have no special privileges at the shelters, and we can only visit each animal very briefly (at most) -- often only through a cage door. The only information we have is the scant information on the animal's posted shelter card, and our brief visit with the animal at the moment we are there. You can use our descriptions as a first impression -- but we do NOT guarantee our descriptions. It is NOT possible for us to know how an animal will react with a different person, around different animals, under different circumstances, or at a different time. Also, we are not veterinarians, and we do not have access to medical information about the animals. Please take the time to visit with the animal yourself, and make your own assessment of the animal's health, age, breed, temperament, and other qualities.
Q. If the animal is shown on www.amrt.net
, does that mean the animal is definitely at the shelter when I view the website?
A. No. It means that the animal was definitely at the shelter when our volunteer visited the shelter. Our volunteers work very hard to keep our website up to date. But, animals at shelters can be very quickly euthanized, reclaimed by owners, or adopted. Our website shows you the date the animal was seen at the shelter -- but that does not guarantee that the animal will still be there even a short time later. This is why you should call the shelter before you go, to confirm that the animal is still there at that time.
Q. If the animal is at the shelter when I call, will the animal be there when I arrive?
A. Maybe, and maybe not. Once the animal's available date arrives, the animal may be adopted to the first person who arrives wanting the animal, or the animal may be euthanized. This is why it is so important to get to the shelter as soon as possible when the available date arrives.
Q. Will the shelter "hold" my favorite animal for me?
A. NO, a shelter will NOT "hold" an animal for you. If the animal's available date has arrived, the animal will be adopted out to the first person who arrives to adopt the animal. Also, if the animal's available date has arrived, and the animal is sick, is not getting along well with shelter workers or with other shelter animals, or if the shelter is crowded, the animal may be euthanized. This is why it is so important to get to the shelter as quickly as possible once the animal's available date has arrived.
Q. Can I call the shelter and stop the shelter from euthanizing my favorite animal, because I am coming to adopt the animal?
A. Probably NOT, but you can TRY. If you are CERTAIN that you will be at the shelter soon to adopt the animal, you can call the shelter and ask the shelter to delay euthanizing the animal. But it is rare that a shelter will change its usual practices based on such a phone call. If the shelter is crowded, or the animal is sick, or is causing any other problem, the animal may be euthanized even if you requested that the animal not be euthanized. Also remember that someone else may adopt the animal if someone else arrives at the shelter before you do. This is why it is so important to get to the shelter early on the animal's available date, or as soon as possible after.
Q. Can www.amrt.net "hold" the animal held for me?
A. No, we are not the shelter, and the animals are not ours. We can only provide you with information about what animals are at the shelter. It is up to you to adopt the animal.
Q. Can www.amrt.net stop an animal from being euthanized, until I get to the shelter to adopt?
A. No, we are not the shelter, and the animals are not ours. We can only provide you with information about what animals are at the shelter. It is up to you to adopt the animal.
Q. Can the shelter ship an animal to me?
A. Shelters tell us that the answer to this question is a firm, "No."
Q. Can www.amrt.net bail the animal from the shelter on my behalf, help with transportation, ship the animal to me, or help make other arrangements to help me adopt an animal?
A. Unfortunately, the answer is usually NO. We would love to be able to do this, but, in general, we do not have enough volunteers to help in this way. We are all volunteers and spend our time photographing and listing the animals for
www.amrt.net (and in our other rescue activities). Many of us do not even live near the shelters we cover, and only go once a week to compile lists and photos for
www.amrt.net . Therefore, we usually are not able to help with any adoptions, adoption arrangements, transportation or shipping. Still, you can always ASK if you are desperate -- you can Email the person who visited the animals, on the chance that timing might work out well. But please do NOT assume that
www.amrt.net or the volunteer can help. Please assume that YOU must make all adoption arrangements and handle all transportation on your own. We are sorry, but we usually have no way to handle these things for you.
Q. How much does it cost to adopt an animal from the shelter?
A. Every shelter charges different amounts, and often the amount will vary depending upon which animal you want to adopt. The shelter can inform you of their fees. The fees typically include the adoption fee, spay/neuter fee, shots, and license.
Q. How much does www.amrt.net
charge?
A. ZERO! We are not the shelter, and the animals are not ours. We do not charge for what we do.
Q. If I adopt an animal because of www.amrt.net
, do you want to know?
A. YES! We would LOVE to know if you adopt an animal because of www.amrt.net
. We work very hard at keeping our website informative and current, and hearing
that an animal got saved because of our website really keeps us going!!!
Send an email to HappyEndings@amrt.net
maybe even tell us tell us which animal you adopted, and from which shelter. You will make our day! Thank you!
Q. What should I bring to the shelter to adopt an animal?
A. Payment (most shelters do NOT accept credit cards), and often a photo identification (driver's license, etc.). Also, make sure you bring something to keep the animal secure -- a collar and leash for a dog, or a carrier for a cat. And don't forget to get an identification tag with your phone numbers onto your new family member's collar right away!
Q. Can I avoid the rule that shelter animals must be spayed or neutered before they are released?
A: If you are adopting a new pet, the answer is NO -- every animal must be sterilized before the animal is adopted to a new owner. There are certain very limited medical exceptions, but please assume that your new pet will be sterilized before you can take the animal home. This is shelter policy.
But, if you are reclaiming your own pet, SOME shelters might allow the animal to be released without being sterilized, although you might be charged required additional fees for owning an unsterilized animal.
Please understand how important these policies are. They encourage the spaying and neutering of animals. Unwanted animals are slaughtered in shelters by the thousands every single day, simply because of animal overpopulation -- there are not enough homes for these pets. The overpopulation will never improve if one animal is released, only to breed and create several more animals who then wind up at the shelter, or who have offspring who then wind up at the shelter. Www.amrt.net hopes that more and more animals will be sterilized so that the slaughter of unwanted animals can stop, and our volunteers can start doing other things with their free time! Until then, let's all encourage spay and neuter!
