Frequently Asked Questions<?

Where is your shelter located?

Island Dogz does not have a physical shelter. All dogs are placed in loving foster homes on Vancouver Island, BC, where they are kept as family members. Here they are loved, assessed for health and temperament and assisted with any special medical or behavioural needs they may have. If you would like information of what it takes to be a foster provider, please contact me and go to fosterz page to find out some specifics.

Why do you charge an adoption fee?

Every dog we care for comes with a list of expenses. Of course there are the regular expenses of food, housing, transportation, but there are also the routine costs of vet checks, microchipping, vaccinations, parasite control etc. Unfortunately, many dogs that come from less than ideal situations come with health issues such as ear infections, skin conditions, digestive disturbances and dental issues. Though fairly easily dealt with, these conditions are costly. Some dogs also need to be altered. Then there are the unfortunate dogs that have major issues that require extensive medical procedures and ongoing care. These bills can run into the thousands. To recover some of these expenses , we collect $200 -$450 per adoption, depedant on age and specific circumstances.

Whether the dog you adopt was one of the lucky ones that had few problems, or one of those that had many issues, your adoption fee goes directly to those bills, and any remainder goes to support the rescue of future dogs. There is NO profit in dog rescue; in fact most of us spend a good deal of our personal income to help these guys.

What should I expect from the adoption process?

The following procedural steps are followed assuming results are positive… Island Dogz is solely run by volunteers with families, pets, jobs,  and busy lives…but we do the best we can to make this a speedy, painless procedure.

 Step 1 – You fill out the adoption form and if needed, we will call or email to clarify any questions. Click this link to get our application form. 

Step 2 – We will contact your references.

Stage 3 – We will schedule a home visit to ensure the environment is safe and appropriate, and to further discuss your compatibility with the dog in regards to experience, energy level etc. Depending on the location, this can occur within a day or two, but it may take longer. Sometimes, we have to find a representative from another rescue that is willing to assist in this step. 

Why was I not able to adopt the dog of my choice when my adoption application, references and home visit were all positive?

At Island Dogz, we are looking for the best possible match for the dog. We understand you may have a fabulous home to offer a dog, but we may feel that you are not the best suited for a particular dog due to lifestyle, family dynamics, experience with dog issues, etc.  If this is the case, we always put the dogs needs before the adopters preferences. We will definitely work with you to find a great dog that will better suit you and your situation. If this is the case, you will be considered pre-approved and the next dog that that matches your situation, can be placed with you immediately.

The last thing we want is to rush a placement or “hope” it’ll work out. If we place a dog that isn’t the right match and it doesn’t work, it becomes an ugly situation for everyone… and most importantly, the dog is shown once again that humans aren’t to be trusted, at least for the long term.

How can I help?

This is my favorite question!!! In fact, I’ve dedicated a whole page to it! Check out Helping Handz

I live in a different city, how do I meet and adopt the dog?

Unfortunately, we just don't have enough volunteers or funds to deliver the dogs, so if you are the successful applicant, you need to make arrangements to pick up the dog personally. We also want to meet you face to face before we send one of OUR dogs off with strangers.  We do on occasionally adopt outside of BC but we do require you to pick up your new family member personally and to return the dog if anything unforeseen occurs. We ask you to plan to spend several hours with us, so we can go over the contract and you can spend more than a few minutes with the dog to really get to know them.

We don't ship dogs.

Can I get a purebred dog?

The majority of dogs we get into rescue have unknown histories and lineage. Although we do get dogs that “appear” purebred (especially siberian huskies from Taiwan, very rarely do we get dogs with registered purebred papers. If you are set on a purebred, and we can’t help you, we will help you find a breed specific rescue that can hopefully set you up.

How can we tell what a rescue puppy will be when it matures?

Sometimes we get pups that were brought into rescue with the mother or the mother delivered in rescue. Rarely if ever do know anything about the father. In these cases we can tell from the Mom what the dog MIGHT be like in regards to temperament and appearance, but it’s never a sure thing.

All rescue puppies are assessed with educated guesses.