Policies

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

If you wish to Foster to Adopt:

When a westie comes into rescue with Westie Rescue of Canada, they become part of our Westie family, even after being adopted. We like to keep in touch with their new families and know how they are doing and also be able to relay that information back to their former family, should they inquire. Former families are encouraged to contact us for updates for as long as they wish. This allows families to accept the rehoming of their dog at their own pace. For this reason, Westie Rescue of Canada does not place dogs in homes outside of Canada, as contact would be difficult.

When a new rescue is coming into care, a volunteer will go out and meet the rescue in his home and get as much information as possible about that particular rescue, in order to find him/her the best home possible. Once we have that information, we go through all our applications and look for the best 3 that suit the needs of that rescue. A home visit is done to each of those 3 homes and the most suitable is selected. The rescue is then picked up from the original home and taken directly to his/her new foster/hopefully forever home. We try very hard NOT to put the rescue through an additional temporary foster home step, if at all possible. (We DO have emergency foster homes available if there is need for immediate placement.) When a rescue goes to the new home, it is on a Foster basis for a minimum of 3 months, to ensure that the fit is right for the dog. In 99.9% of cases, the dogs are adopted by their foster family at the end of 3 months. A placement agreement is signed at that time and the family takes over total care of the dog. An adoption fee is required at that time. This varies with the age of the dog. During the fostering period, WRC covers all the vet bills and any training bills if required. The foster family is expected to supply food and love and care for the rescue.

We do not place dogs on a first come, first served basis because of the need to find the best home for the particular rescue at the time. If possible, we try to keep the rescue in his own province but should transport be necessary, we will transport the dog with a volunteer, in the cabin. WRC does NOT transport dogs in cargo!

Should the new family not be able to care for the dog at any time in the future, The rescue MUST be returned to Westie Rescue of Canada.

If a rescue is very elderly or their vet expenses are expected to be fairly high, Westie Rescue of Canada has a “Permanent Rescue” program. Dogs rehomed under this program live with their new families just as if they were adopted but Westie Rescue of Canada will assist with any vet bills that the family are unable to manage. This program works very well for some of our rescues with very severe skin issues in particular.

If you are interested in adopting one of our future rescues, please complete the application form, save it to your computer and attach to an email to sec.treas@westierescueofcanada.com.

You may contact us at our number below in the Contact section
If no one available to answer your phone call, please leave a message and a director for your area will contact you as soon as possible. Please be patient and remember we are all volunteers and lead busy lives outside of Westie Rescue of Canada.