Adopting a furry companion from us involves filling out an application, which can be accessed here, accompanied by reference checks. Additionally, in cases where a background check isn't sufficient, we conduct home visits. Our dog placements extend across a vast expanse of the United States, covering the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Northeast, Plains states (including Texas), northern states such as Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the Rocky Mountain regions. Our dogs are primarily cherished indoor companions. Livestock guardian placements are a rarity, mainly because our dogs aren't cut out for it. In simpler terms, they might find chickens rather tempting, and we've had our fair share of chicken-chasing enthusiasts among our ranks.

Our adoption process prioritizes finding the best possible homes for our dogs. In situations where we receive two exceptional applications for the same dog, we follow a 'first come, first served' policy. Our ultimate aim is to match each dog with the perfect forever home. While we do have a kennel for quarantine purposes, the majority of our dogs reside in private foster homes, eagerly awaiting adoption throughout the United States. We diligently assess both our dogs and potential adopters to ensure that we make a harmonious match.

"What Are the Adoption Fees?

Our adoption fees are as follows: $500 for adult dogs and $600 for puppies. Each dog we offer for adoption has undergone a comprehensive health and wellness program. This includes spaying/neutering, a full set of vaccinations (age-appropriate for puppies), covering bordetella (kennel cough), rabies, and the distemper/parvo series. Additionally, they receive leptospirosis vaccinations, and we diligently follow the American Animal Hospital Association guidelines for recommended booster shots. All our dogs are heartworm-screened, ensuring they are heartworm negative or have received the necessary treatment if required. We conduct clear fecal exams and keep them up to date on parasite and heartworm preventatives. Our dogs are also screened for anaplasma, ehrlichia, and lyme disease, and any necessary treatments are administered. We perform regular fecal exams, address ear, eye, teeth, skin, and orthopedic issues as needed. The adoption fee covers any other medical treatments the dog may have received during their stay with us. Whether it's treating heartworms, other parasitic conditions, or addressing any known medical issues such as dental care, skin care, orthopedic surgeries, eye surgeries, and more, we spare no effort in ensuring the dog's well-being. High-quality veterinary care comes at a cost, and this is reflected in our adoption fee. You can rest assured that all the dog's vet records accompany them upon adoption. Furthermore, the adoption fee encompasses transportation expenses and health certificate costs we incur, as well as state-mandated inspection fees. The remaining portion of the adoption fee goes toward offsetting the veterinary expenses we've covered while caring for the dog."

It's a valid question to wonder why adopting a dog sometimes comes with a price tag. While it's true that many government-run shelters offer dogs for adoption at a relatively low cost, it's essential to understand the differences in the level of care provided. Government-funded shelters often receive substantial taxpayer subsidies to support their operations, which isn't the case for us. We admire and respect the work done by these shelters, but we don't have the financial backing of the taxpaying public.

Moreover, government shelters aren't subject to the same stringent regulations and standards as we are. Properly vetting and finding a loving home for a giant breed dog is an expensive endeavor. We take in a notably high percentage of dogs with complex health issues, which significantly impacts our expenses.

The adoption fees we collect, while essential for our mission, don't fully cover the total cost of caring for a dog. In fact, as of 2015, the average cost per dog exceeded $650, and our adoption fees fall short of this figure. Without the generous support of our donors and dedicated supporters, we wouldn't be able to continue our rescue efforts solely on the basis of adoption fees.

Many of the dogs we rescue arrive in poor physical condition, necessitating extensive veterinary care. We adhere to the principle of rescue ethics, refusing to turn away dogs in need simply due to the expense of their care. For instance, treating heartworms alone can cost upwards of $1,000, while addressing orthopedic issues can run into the thousands of dollars. Even basic antibiotics for tick-borne diseases like Lyme and ehrlichia have seen a significant increase in cost, adding to our expenses.

There are times when we need to board dogs in areas where foster homes aren't readily available, incurring a daily cost of around $20 per dog. We do engage in fundraising efforts to cover the expenses associated with special needs dogs, but adoption fees remain a critical component of our rescue operations.

While it's true that some rescues offer lower adoption fees, it's important to emphasize that we do not profit from our dogs. Our commitment to providing extensive care and support for these animals requires significant financial resources. If you're seeking a budget-friendly option for adopting a dog, we may not be the best fit. We maintain our high standards and are not financially subsidized by either the government or a generous, mythical veterinarian who can offer free services. We acknowledge the financial realities that veterinarians face in maintaining their practices.

Every adopter becomes an integral part of our rescue efforts. By welcoming our dogs into their homes, adopters complete the rescue journey, transforming these dogs into beloved family members. We are sincerely grateful for your consideration of rescue when choosing to adopt."

No,  Arcadia Animal Rescue is a foster based rescue organization. Arcadia Rescue does not have a facility and does not receive government funding, we rely solely on donations and volunteer work.  Arcadia Animal Rescue operates  solely on donations, adoption fees and volunteers to fund our supplies, training, medical and rescue missions. We are a registered 501(c)(3) in the United States

  EIN: 87-28104342

At Arcadia Animal Rescue abuse of any kind to our animals we rescue or staff is strictly prohibited through our ZERO Tolerance policy. 

Verbal abuse of our volunteer staff at the animal rescue is deemed unacceptable, morally wrong, and has a zero-tolerance policy for several critical reasons. Our dedicated staff selflessly devote their personal time away from their families to save and care for animals in need. The well-being of both our animals and our volunteers is of utmost importance to us. We firmly believe that every individual deserves to be treated with respect and kindness, and any form of abuse goes against the values and principles that drive our mission. 

If you are not willing to support our rescue mission and the well-being of our animals and volunteers, we kindly request that you do not apply to be a part of our organization.

Please Remember

• All our staff is 100% Full time volunteers helping animals in need, there is Zero reason to threaten rescue staff, case managers and volunteers for your benefit or because of a bad day, we are not a luxury handbag store or your therapist. We are here to change lives for animals.
• If you commit to fostering, adopting or volunteer make sure you are Ready to help, backing out last minute can be catastrophic for us and the dogs healthcare.
• Getting a dog is a major occurence, just like humans, dogs have feelings and can feel stressed, if you decide to foster and you cannot handle the foster process, you have to realize threatening volunteer staff to pickup dog within your ultimatum time frame while verbally abusing them is unnaceptable and will not be tolerated.

We are not located "anywhere" as far as Brick and Mortar facility since we are Foster-based Animal Rescue registered in South Carolina. We have foster families and volunteers all accross the U.S !

With the help of our donors and volunteers we plan on building our first facility to maximize our rescue work, if you are interested in volunteering with the construction or funding process please email directly rey@arcadiarescue.org.

We want to make sure everyone understands our animal rescue is 100% run by volunteers and individuals that make time out of their daily job and family duties to help with our cause. We understand it can be frustrating but limited volunteers means we are often behind on reviewing each application on time, as we receive over 200 daily applications with each requiring an interview process, and we truly struggle to keep up! Feel free to follow up with us via email or through Facebook, we will attempt to get someone to review/ expedite the process, but please realize we don't mean to be slow but are rather limited as to how much we can do!