The Joshua Fund Adoption Process

We rescue dogs and puppies from the Southern part of the US, primarily from the Houston, Texas area. Our dogs stay with foster families (or in boarding) near the shelter of origin and receive all of the medical care that they need. When they have been matched with an approved adopter and are ready to travel, we bring them to our Adoption Center near Lake Placid, NY.

Almost every dog and puppy we rescue is spoken for before they get here. Every adopter who is matched with one of our dogs has successfully completed our application and approval process by: submitting their application and required items, meeting all our requirements, and gaining our approval through several phone interviews with members of our volunteer staff.

Since we are a foster-based program, we have no physical shelter building for you to visit. Once transported to NY, all of our dogs and puppies either go home with their new family on Adoption Day or are placed in foster care here in NY State.

What are the requirements to adopt from The Joshua Fund?

1. The Joshua Fund adopts to residents of most US states and Canadian provinces EAST of the Rocky Mountains.

2. You must be over the age of 23 to adopt from us unless you are married. Proof of marriage is required if you are under 23 years old.

3. You must fill out our adoption application found HERE. It's an online form so you can type in your answers and then click SUBMIT when you are finished.

4. You must also submit 4 or 5 photos of both the interior and exterior of your home. Exterior photos must include the front, the back, a photo that shows how your house is situated in relation to the road it is on, and one of the fenced-in area if you do have a fence. Interior photos should include all of the interior areas where the dog will spend its time.

5. As proof of home ownership, you must submit a scan or a file of a recent property tax receipt, mortgage statement or homeowner’s insurance statement if you own your home.

6. If you rent, you must submit a scan or file of your lease agreement including any provisions or addendums involving pets.

7. Please send all files/scans via email to: adopt@JoshuaFundRescue.org

8. If you fail to provide these documents or leave out any pertinent information on your application, we will discard your application.

Are there any adoption requirements related to my current pets?

1. We require that all other pets in your home are up-to-date on vaccinations.

2. We require that all other pets in your home are spayed/neutered.

3. All dogs should be on regular monthly heart worm and appropriate flea/tick prevention medications.

When I submit an application, how long does it take to hear from The Joshua Fund?

As soon as we open your completed application, we’ll send you an e-mail acknowledgement. It will take from a few days to two weeks to hear back from us. Our volunteers have day jobs and families to take care of and they do this in their spare time.

What happens next?

When all of your photos and documents are received, your application file is reviewed. If your file is deemed appropriate for consideration, an Adoption Coordinator will contact you via email, phone call or text to schedule a time for an Application Review phone call. We prefer to have both the applicant and the co-applicant (if there is one) on the initial call.

If the Application Review phone call goes well and the application meets our requirements, we will call your references and your veterinarian. At this point a member or members of our Adoption Committee will review your complete application file and make an approval determination.

If your application is approved, we will speak with you about the available dogs/pups and work with you to determine if a dog in our program is a good match. After you have agreed to adopt, we will schedule your matched dog or puppy for transport to NY for a designated Adoption Day.

What happens if there are multiple applicants for a particular dog or puppy?

When there are multiple applicants for a dog or puppy, we will make the decision on who will be the best fit. We don't have a "first come, first served" policy. We want the dog or puppy to have the best possible home for them.

Information about the dogs & puppies in our program:

Most of our applicants are interested in a particular dog or puppy they saw on our Facebook page or on sites like Petfinder or Adopt-A-Pet. If you did not specify a particular dog or puppy on your application, you can discuss the available dogs or puppies in our program with the Adoption Coordinator.

The majority of our dogs and puppies are rescued from high-kill shelters. This does not mean there's anything wrong with them, it just means that they wound up in a place where adoptions are very low and the need for rescue is terribly high.

When we save a dog or puppy, every medical need is taken care of by our Rescue. The dog/puppy is given a full medical evaluation by our own Veterinarians, given treatment for any problems they have (ticks, fleas, intestinal parasites, skin conditions, etc.) They are given vaccines for Distemper, Parvo, Bordatella and Rabies if they are old enough. They are given fecal tests, de-wormed if needed and treated for any eye or ear infections, upper respiratory infections and the like. If age appropriate, a 4DX heart worm test is done. All dogs are spayed or neutered. All are micro-chipped and are on heart worm preventive medication.

The majority of the adult dogs we rescue are heart worm positive. This adds greatly to the cost of the medical care they receive while in foster care, often adding $750 for medication and, in the case of dogs in boarding facilities, another $200 to the boarding cost. These costs are covered by our Rescue.

When a matched dog or puppy has finished their mandatory three-week quarantine period (to prevent the transmission of disease) and the Veterinarian clears them for travel, we work with experienced transport people to bring the dogs and puppies to New York. Our Rescue covers this cost as well which is anywhere from $200 to $250 per animal.

What happens at/after the adoption?

On Adoption Day you will meet us, get acquainted with your new dog or puppy, complete any required paperwork, and pay the adoption fee. You must be prepared to provide a copy of both the applicant’s and co-applicant’s Driver’s License or another Government-issued photo ID on Adoption Day.

You will be asked to sign a legal document stating what the requirements are for your new family member. This includes your responsibility to take your new dog or puppy to your own Veterinarian for a check-up within 14 days. This visit should include a fecal test and a prescription for monthly heart worm preventative. If you adopt a dog who has completed heart worm treatment, a follow-up blood test is required. Puppies may require additional booster vaccines depending on when they are adopted. Your vet may also recommend additional vaccinations such as Lyme and Leptospirosis, depending on where you live. At this visit you should schedule a 4DX heartworm test in six months to re-check for heartworm and any tick-borne illnesses.

After the adoption is finalized, you will receive copies of your dog's medical records, microchip information and any other documents you'll need if you will be crossing the Canadian border.

Additional Information

If for any reason you are unable to keep your adopted dog, you must contact us so that we can make arrangements for the dog to be returned to us. Please be patient during this process as it can take up to a few weeks, depending on the availability of fosters and volunteer transporters in your area. We will make every effort to retrieve the dog as quickly as possible.

We are here to help you at any time before, during and after the adoption process. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email us at info@JoshuaFundRescue.org and one of our volunteers will be in touch with you as soon as possible.

If you are ready to adopt, please fill out our online application.